Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains Government policy to support the delivery of the River Thames Scheme.

The Government is working with the Environment Agency (EA) on the proposal for the River Thames Scheme, with the EA leading the development in line with its National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy.

The scheme’s main objective is to reduce the risk of flooding to the 15,000 homes, 2,500 businesses and critical infrastructure in the Lower Thames. The project will be subject to the usual prioritisation and business case approvals.