Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which flood alleviation schemes her Department has provided funding to in (a) full and (b) part in the latest period for which data is available; what the total cost is of each scheme; and how much funding (a) her Department and (b) other sources have provided to each scheme.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government announced in March 2020 that the amount invested in flood and coastal erosion schemes would be doubled in England to £5.2 billion. This current six-year programme of flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) projects runs from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2027.
At the end of March 2023, the Environment Agency (EA) estimates approximately £1.5 billion of this funding has been invested, with around 60,000 properties better protected from flooding and coastal erosion by over 200 completed schemes.
In the first year of this programme, between April 2021 and March 2022, the EA worked with other risk management authorities (RMAs) to complete around 120 FCERM projects. A list of capital schemes protecting properties, completed between April 2021 and March 2022 is available from Asset Information and Maintenance Programme (data.gov.uk). More details on investment in FCERM work can also be found in the EA’s recently published Flood and coastal erosion risk management report: for 2021/22. This annual report describes the extensive work undertaken by all RMAs to: manage the risks from flooding and coastal erosion; achieve the objectives of the National FCERM Strategy for England; and plan for future flood and coastal erosion risk.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
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 period of time was that business premises affected by avian influenza outbreaks were required to be closed for in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Keepers at infected premises where avian influenza has been confirmed in poultry or other captive birds have a choice to either wait 12 months before restocking birds or undertake secondary cleansing and disinfection to enable them to restock earlier. During the current outbreak on average keepers who chose to undertake secondary cleansing and disinfection and restock have been able to complete this process within 184 days. Decisions around whether to undertake secondary cleansing and disinfection, and how quickly the process is completed, and therefore when business activity can resume is a commercial decision by the keeper.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has provided guidance to premises affected by an avian influenza outbreak on when they can reopen their businesses.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Bespoke guidance on the cleansing and disinfection (C&D) requirements are provided by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) directly to the keeper of flocks affected by avian influenza. A written plan for the work is completed by the keeper and agreed with APHA, setting out in detail how the various actions will be carried out and which approved disinfectants will be used. The full process involves actively cleansing, degreasing, and disinfecting the premises, and then repeating the process one week later. Once 21 days have elapsed since the date APHA have agreed they are satisfied with the secondary C&D work undertaken at the premises, restocking of birds can begin under a licence issued by APHA. How quickly the process is completed, and therefore when business activity can resume is a commercial decision by the keeper.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) premises were affected by and (b) birds were culled following avian influenza outbreaks in (i) Witham constituency, (ii) Essex and (iii) the UK in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Mark Spencer
During the 2022/2023 avian influenza outbreak season starting on 1st October 2022 up to 15th November 2022, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in poultry and captive birds at six premises in Essex, of which three have been in the Witham constituency. During the same period of time, HPAI has been confirmed in poultry and captive birds at 121 premises in the UK (111 cases in England, six cases in Scotland, three cases in Wales and one case in Northern Ireland).
Since 1st October 2022, at premises in Essex where avian influenza has been confirmed in poultry or other captive birds, approximately 48,500 birds have died or been humanely culled and disposed by HM Government for avian influenza control purposes. Of those, approximately 7,600 birds have been at infected premises in the Witham constituency. During the same period, approximately 3.4 million birds have died or are being culled and disposed by HM Government for avian influenza control purposes in the UK. This is a small proportion of overall poultry production (approximately 20 million birds slaughtered for human consumption per week).
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has paid in compensation to claimants with premises affected by avian influenza in each month of 2022.
Answered by Mark Spencer
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cambridge, on 21 November 2022, PQ UIN 87857.