Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on improving flood resilience and response in England.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In just five months in Government, we have introduced a series of measures to better protect communities from flooding including:
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding there was for the frequently flooded fund for Telford in each year for which data is available; and what the size of the fund will be in each of the next three years.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is investing £2.4 billion over this year and next year to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The list of projects to receive government funding will be consented over the coming months in the usual way through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in his Department was in each of the last three years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made with the River Severn Partnership on (a) reducing flooding and (b) protecting (i) homes and (ii) businesses from flood risk.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency is working with partners in the River Severn Partnership (RSP) including local authorities, water companies, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Natural England and environmental organisations on a long-term, whole-catchment scale view of planning for the future in response to climate change: Severn 2100+.
Under Severn2100+ work, the partnership is developing a Climate Resilience Strategy including an options appraisal of the flood risk adaptation actions needed in the River Severn catchment.
The work includes an ‘Adaptation Pathways Plan’ to help the Environment Agency understand how to sequence those actions, who can help and when.
As a pathfinder, the Environment Agency is working with partners on the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme to examine how a suite of flood risk interventions in the upper catchment of the River Severn can reduce flood risk.
These long-term plans will help the RSP play a key role in bringing forward initiatives to reduce flood risk and improve the water environment whilst supporting economic growth in the area.
A demonstrator programme is underway delivering a series of 8 projects to test concepts and ideas that will support the future roll-out of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme.
The partnership will be engaging with honourable members in the partnership area to update them soon.
The Defra sponsored capital programme endorsed by the English Severn and Wye RFCC continues to reduce flood risk to properties throughout the Severn Catchment in England.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department had made with the River Severn Partnership on (a) reducing flooding and (b) protecting homes and businesses from flood risk.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency is working with partners in the River Severn Partnership (RSP) including local authorities, water companies, Natural Resources Wales, Natural England and environmental organisations on a long-term, whole-catchment scale view of planning for the future in response to climate change: Severn 2100+.
Under Severn2100+ work, the RSP is developing a Climate Resilience Strategy including an options appraisal of the flood risk adaptation actions needed in the River Severn catchment.
The work includes an ‘Adaptation Pathways Plan’ to help the Environment Agency understand how to sequence those actions, who can help and when.
The Environment Agency is working with partners on the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme to examine how a suite of flood risk interventions in the upper catchment of the River Severn can reduce flood risk. A demonstrator programme is underway delivering a series of 8 projects to test concepts and ideas that will support the future roll-out of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will provide councils with powers to recover the full cost of (a) investigations, (b) prosecutions, (c) clean up and (d) prevention of fly tipping when issuing fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities can issue fixed penalty notices of up to £1,000 to fly-tippers. The income from these fixed penalty notices must be spent on enforcement and clean-up specifically. The department has not yet made an assessment of this policy, which was introduced under the previous Government, or how it might be changed.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what weighting (a) his Department and (b) the Environment Agency give to world heritage site status when determining funding for flood defences.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The impacts of coastal erosion and flooding on heritage assets are included in the economic impacts assessment for flood and coastal erosion schemes. Last year, the Environment Agency published the Environment and Historic Environment Outcomes Valuation Guidance which contains specific arrangements for the valuation of heritage assets such as religious buildings.
Flood schemes protecting world heritage sites attract funding through the Government’s Partnership Funding Policy. The amount of funding a project can attract will depend on the damages it will avoid and the benefits it will deliver, including those to heritage assets.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to help prevent flooding in Ironbridge Gorge; and what investment his Department is providing to protect (a) businesses and (b) properties from flooding in that area.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Protecting communities around the country from flooding and coastal erosion is one of the new Secretary of State’s five core priorities.
This Government will improve resilience and preparation across central Government, local authorities, local communities and emergency services to better protect communities across the UK. We will launch a new Flood Resilience Taskforce to turbocharge the delivery of new flood defences, drainage systems and natural flood management schemes, which will ensure we’re prepared for the future and help grow our economy.
Over the past 10 years, the Environment Agency (EA) has deployed the temporary flood barriers within Ironbridge Gorge 19 times, reducing flood risk to 23 homes along the Wharfage. The EA is supporting Telford & Wrekin Council in developing a scheme to reduce flood risk to those properties currently undefended in the Ironbridge Gorge. The council has secured investment of £1.14m and the project is planned to reduce flood risk to a further 32 properties.
The EA is also exploring options to reduce flood risk in neighbouring Coalbrookdale investing £70k to update its flood model.
As well as investing in flood risk management projects, the EA also provides a free Flood Warning Service in the Telford constituency.