Business of the House

Ruth Edwards Excerpts

Thursday 24th March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mark Spencer]

The Government remain committed to 0.7% of GNI for foreign aid, but we continue to do a lot more than that. We are sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and the UK also contributed £548 million to the COVAX vaccination programme. The Government are delivering on overseas development aid. We are one of the world leaders in this area.

[Ruth Edwards (Rushcliffe) (Con)]

I have been working with Nottinghamshire County Council and other agencies to address causes of flooding in Rushcliffe. In some cases, we have been met by a lack of action and a complex web of responsibilities. For example, in the village of Cropwell Butler, in a flood event, water flows from the A46 into the village and into people’s homes, but National Highways says that its only responsibility is to get the water off the road. Will my right hon. Friend allow us a debate in Government time on how we can improve responses to flooding and how the powers of lead flood authorities can be strengthened to properly hold other agencies to account on behalf of our residents?

[Mark Spencer]

I understand the devastation that flood damage can cause. The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 gave local flood authorities lead responsibility to manage surface water run-off, groundwater and flooding from ordinary watercourses, and provided them with additional funding to undertake those duties. At local level, lead local flood authorities work in partnership with other relevant organisations, such as highways authorities and water companies, to effectively manage and, where possible, mitigate the impacts of local flooding through the development of a local flood risk management strategy. We have Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs questions on 28 April. I encourage my hon. Friend to be present and to make sure that the Secretary of State hears her concerns for the people of Cropwell Bishop.