Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of maintaining the maximum flood resilience repair grant at £5000 on (a) levels of take up and (b) the type of property covered.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
When activated, the Defra PFR Repair Grant Scheme provides for up to £5000 as a contribution towards making a property more flood resilient. It is intended as a one-off payment to assist households and business to put place in measures that will provide greater resilience to future floods. It is not intended as compensation for flooding. Property owners can choose to add to the available grant to implement further PFR measures in their property.
There is a reasonable expectation that property owners will take steps, including having suitable insurance, which may now include an additional up to £10,000 for resilient repairs under the Build Back Better scheme.
The level of grant is kept under review and for the recent activations of the scheme we have increased the amount that can be claimed as part of the £5,000 grant to enable PFR surveys to be undertaken.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the annual funding for (a) coastal and marine restoration projects and (b) regenerative ocean activities; and if he will publish a breakdown of how this funding is spent.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra funded two coastal and marine restoration projects under its flagship R&D Marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme, at a cost of £2.1m in FY23/24. These projects are looking at the natural capital approaches to support local and strategic planning for marine recovery (£1.1m) and regional restoration plans for estuaries and coasts (£1m).
Defra and the Environment Agency are supporting blue carbon restoration efforts through various initiatives, for example by investing £750,000 over two years to facilitate domestic blue carbon habitat restoration. As part of this, the Environmental Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative aims to reverse centuries of decline of our estuarine and coastal habitats by restoring seagrass meadows, saltmarsh and native oyster reef. The Environment Agency and partners are working on options for additional work to support saltmarsh restoration through the Water Environment Improvement Fund.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2024 to Question 20753 on Flood Control, how many schemes that went through an appraisal process have been deferred (a) in total and (b) to a date beyond the end of the current programme of works in March 2027; and when he plans to publish more information on those schemes.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the Honourable member to the Answer of 15 April 2024 to Question 20753, which set out that delivery is the Government’s key priority, and we are working with the Environment Agency to review the programme in light of the impacts of inflation and the pandemic. More information will be available in due course.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department spent in the last 12 months on (a) in-work and (b) other training on (i) coastal restoration, (ii) the protection of coastal and marine ecosystems, (iii) monitoring, (iv) enforcement and (v) sustainable recreation; how much he plans to spend on each of those areas in the next 12 months; and whether his Department employs apprentices.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The requested information on training spend is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Core Defra Marine and Fisheries staff and employees of Defra’s marine Arm’s Length Bodies undertake a range of training and learning and development (L&D) opportunities covering a wide range of topics including coastal restoration and the protection of marine ecosystems, monitoring, enforcement, and sustainable recreation. Training is delivered through a range of means, including for example on the job learning, attending courses, peer to peer learning, conferences or talks, membership of professional bodies/learned societies, reviewing literature and mentoring. There is no mechanism through which we can give a specific amount that will be spent on those areas in the next 12 months. Every civil servant is supported to undertake L&D and expected to undertake the training necessary to their role. Detailed records are not kept at a corporate level on specific training.
The department does employ apprentices. As at March 2024 Defra Group currently has 880 active apprentices.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of local authorities have received funding for surface water management schemes from the flood and coastal erosion risk management investment programme; and what proportion of these schemes are (a) completed, (b) underway and (c) yet to start.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has the strategic overview role for all sources of flooding, including surface water. This is set out in the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy for England. Lead local flood authorities (LLFAs) have the lead operational role in managing flood risk from surface water.
During the first 3 years of the FCERM investment programme approximately 150 surface water schemes were delivered by other Risk Management Authorities.
By the end of the programme, it is envisaged approximately 400 surface water schemes will better protect around 20,000 properties with a government investment of £200m. These schemes are within 174 different local authorities. This information is a forecast only, based on our current consented FCRM investment programme. The properties better protected figure is based on the best available information.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2024 to Question 18569 on Flood Control, how many schemes which have been through an appraisal process have been cancelled; and when he plans to publish more information on those schemes.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has doubled its investment in flood defences to a record £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. Since April 2021, over £1.5 billion has been invested in over 200 flood protection schemes, better protecting over 71,000 properties.
As stated in the recent National Audit Office report, the Environment Agency forecasts that 1,500 projects will provide better protection to 200,000 properties by the end of the programme in March 2027.
The capital investment programme is annually reviewed and updated to accommodate changes, including the introduction of new schemes or urgent works. This means the programme is dynamic and evolves over time. Projects are not typically cancelled but deferred until funding and resources allow them to progress.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2023-24 on Resilience to flooding, HC 71, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increase in construction costs on investment in flood defence maintenance; and what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on any impact on its target of maintaining 98% of its high consequence flood defence assets at required condition.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
At the last Spending Review the Government increased funding for maintenance of flood defences by £22 million per year. This funding ensures flood defences are kept in good working order. In 2023/24, the Government has gone even further, including switching £25 million from the capital programme to fund maintenance, so that the total allocation for this year is over £220 million.
Defra and the Environment Agency (EA) are assessing the effects of inflation on the EA’s ability to maintain its flood and coastal risk management assets at the required condition. The effects of inflation and the recent winter storms have had an impact on flood defence condition.
As of Q3, 97.2% of EA maintained assets in high consequence systems were at or above the required condition. Where assets are not in required condition, this identifies that work is required. It does not mean that there is a risk of asset failure or that performance in a flood is compromised.
The EA are currently funded to maintain between 94-95% of high consequence EA assets at their target condition. The long-term target is to ensure 98% of all such assets are at required condition. Future flood defence maintenance budgets will be determined as part of the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to Questions 18568, 18569 and 18570 tabled by the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle for answer on 18 March 2024.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Answer to Question 18568 was published on 20 March 2024.
The Answers to Question 18569 and 18570 were published on 25 March 2024.
I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2023-24 on Resilience to flooding, HC 71, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) location of housing developments (i) allocated in local plans and (ii) given planning consent that will not take place due to the reduction in the number of properties to be protected by new flood defence projects.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. Where development needs to be in locations where there is a risk of flooding as alternative sites are not available, local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant, safe for its users for the development’s lifetime, and will not increase flood risk overall.
In March 2020, the Government doubled its investment in flood defences to a record £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. Since April 2021, over £1.5 billion has been invested in over 200 flood protection schemes, better protecting over 71,000 properties.
Delivery is the Government’s key priority, and we are working with the Environment Agency to review the programme in light of the impacts of inflation and the pandemic. More information will be available in due course.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the minimum investment requirement for the Water Management grant.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Our grant offers are kept under review between rounds. We will be reviewing the Water Management Grant ahead of a further round expected to be launched later this year. As part of this review, my officials will be looking at the minimum grant and whether it needs to be adjusted.