Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Environment Agency is receiving adequate funding to prevent flooding in smaller conurbations in Oxfordshire.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government is investing £2.6 billion between April 2015 and March 2021 to better protect the country from flooding and coastal erosion. This includes over 1,500 schemes, which will improve protection for 300,000 homes in that period. The Environment Agency (EA) works in partnership to get the best value for money from Government funding. Partnership funding helps schemes to go ahead, reducing the risk of flooding for homes and businesses.
In Oxfordshire, the EA have constructed two schemes (Benson Weir works and Northway and the Marston Flood Alleviation Scheme) since April 2015, which received £8.4million of funding and reduce flood risk to 108 homes. The EA also mitigates flood risk through routine maintenance and clearance of waterways. In Oxfordshire last year the EA spent £1million through a maintenance programme, which focuses on communities with high flood risk. The EA’s environment programme, which includes projects such as Natural Flood Management, has spent a further £650k since April 2015.
The planned Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme will cost £150million and will be paid for by a combination of Government and partnership funding. It will reduce flood risk to all properties affected by the Thames in Oxford.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff have been employed by his Department in each month since June 2016.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The information relating to staff numbers can be found in the Monthly Workforce Management Information Reports here: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/9fb1ed1f-00c9-421b-ab18-c30c14559681/workforce-management-information-defra
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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 report entitled, PR19 initial assessment of plans: South East Water company, published by Ofwat in January 2019, how much of the £306.2 million of funding for South and South Eastern water companies will be allocated to new reservoir infrastructure.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
As part of its initial assessment of water company business plans for the period 2020-2025, the economic regulator, Ofwat, announced that it would make available up to £358 million to companies for planning and pre-construction development of strategic regional water supply options, which may be delivered over the next 5 to 15 years. This funding is for pre-construction activities and not a commitment to construct. Of this £358 million, approximately £109 million is expected to be allocated to planning and pre-construction development of a South East Regional Strategic Reservoir. The rest of the funding is for development of alternative options for meeting the future water needs of the South East.
This funding will be made available through a gated process and Ofwat will claw back funding where a water supply option does not progress. Ofwat expects water companies to set out in revised business plans by 1 April, how they will work together to develop strategic supply options, how they meet the gated process and costs of completing works to achieve those gates, and how funding will be clawed back where schemes fail to achieve their milestones to the expected quality.
Strategic water resources solutions will be subject to public scrutiny through the statutory water resources management planning process and the planning regime, which will include the Planning Act 2008 processes for nationally significant water resources infrastructure.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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 report entitled, PR19 initial assessment of plans: South East Water company, published by Ofwat in January 2019, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate public scrutiny of the options for strategic water resources developed by South and South Eastern water companies.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
As part of its initial assessment of water company business plans for the period 2020-2025, the economic regulator, Ofwat, announced that it would make available up to £358 million to companies for planning and pre-construction development of strategic regional water supply options, which may be delivered over the next 5 to 15 years. This funding is for pre-construction activities and not a commitment to construct. Of this £358 million, approximately £109 million is expected to be allocated to planning and pre-construction development of a South East Regional Strategic Reservoir. The rest of the funding is for development of alternative options for meeting the future water needs of the South East.
This funding will be made available through a gated process and Ofwat will claw back funding where a water supply option does not progress. Ofwat expects water companies to set out in revised business plans by 1 April, how they will work together to develop strategic supply options, how they meet the gated process and costs of completing works to achieve those gates, and how funding will be clawed back where schemes fail to achieve their milestones to the expected quality.
Strategic water resources solutions will be subject to public scrutiny through the statutory water resources management planning process and the planning regime, which will include the Planning Act 2008 processes for nationally significant water resources infrastructure.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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 report entitled, PR19 initial assessment of plans: South East Water company, published by Ofwat in January 2019, how programmes will be funded by the allocation of £306.2 million; and what the timeframe is for the allocation of that funding.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
As part of its initial assessment of water company business plans for the period 2020-2025, the economic regulator, Ofwat, announced that it would make available up to £358 million to companies for planning and pre-construction development of strategic regional water supply options, which may be delivered over the next 5 to 15 years. This funding is for pre-construction activities and not a commitment to construct. Of this £358 million, approximately £109 million is expected to be allocated to planning and pre-construction development of a South East Regional Strategic Reservoir. The rest of the funding is for development of alternative options for meeting the future water needs of the South East.
This funding will be made available through a gated process and Ofwat will claw back funding where a water supply option does not progress. Ofwat expects water companies to set out in revised business plans by 1 April, how they will work together to develop strategic supply options, how they meet the gated process and costs of completing works to achieve those gates, and how funding will be clawed back where schemes fail to achieve their milestones to the expected quality.
Strategic water resources solutions will be subject to public scrutiny through the statutory water resources management planning process and the planning regime, which will include the Planning Act 2008 processes for nationally significant water resources infrastructure.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the tendering process was in relation to the allocation of £306.2 million to water companies to develop strategic water resources options for the South and South East of England.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
As part of its initial assessment of water company business plans for the period 2020-2025, the economic regulator, Ofwat, announced that it would make available up to £358 million to companies for planning and pre-construction development of strategic regional water supply options, which may be delivered over the next 5 to 15 years. This funding is for pre-construction activities and not a commitment to construct. Of this £358 million, approximately £109 million is expected to be allocated to planning and pre-construction development of a South East Regional Strategic Reservoir. The rest of the funding is for development of alternative options for meeting the future water needs of the South East.
This funding will be made available through a gated process and Ofwat will claw back funding where a water supply option does not progress. Ofwat expects water companies to set out in revised business plans by 1 April, how they will work together to develop strategic supply options, how they meet the gated process and costs of completing works to achieve those gates, and how funding will be clawed back where schemes fail to achieve their milestones to the expected quality.
Strategic water resources solutions will be subject to public scrutiny through the statutory water resources management planning process and the planning regime, which will include the Planning Act 2008 processes for nationally significant water resources infrastructure.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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 potential merits of introducing legally binding targets to meet World Health Organisation-recommended limit values for particulate matter by 2030.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West on 14 February 2019 to PQ 219552.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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 1 February 2019 to Question 213461 on Environment Protection: EU Grants and Loans, whether his Department has plans to extend the ICF survey of EU LIFE funded projects to (a) the UK Overseas Territories and (b) EU BEST funded projects.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra is considering future environment funding for the Overseas Territories and decisions will be taken as part of the next Spending Review. We have received a range of representations on this issue. There are no plans to extend the remit of the specific ICF survey to which the hon. Member refers.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the level of funding required to meet the Aichi targets in the UK Overseas Territories.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), under which the Aichi biodiversity targets were adopted, has been extended to six UK Overseas Territories (OTs). As part of that, OTs are required to demonstrate that they have the capacity to work towards implementing the CBD, including having sufficient funds for the purposes of conservation and sustainable use in line with the Aichi targets. As such, no separate estimate has been made by Defra to determine the specific level of funding required to meet the targets across the UK OTs.
However, in order to support OTs to implement a range of environmental multilateral environmental agreements, including the CBD, Defra has established funds such as Darwin Plus, which is the main source of funds for biodiversity in the OTs. Darwin Plus is also known as ‘The Overseas Territories Environment Climate Fund’. Defra contributed £1.85 million in 2015/16; £2 million in 2016/17; and £2 million in 2017/18.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations his Department has received from the UK Overseas Territories on maintaining UK Overseas Territory eligibility in a replacement mechanism for EU LIFE funding.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra is considering future environment funding for the Overseas Territories and decisions will be taken as part of the next Spending Review. We have received a range of representations on this issue. There are no plans to extend the remit of the specific ICF survey to which the hon. Member refers.