Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of drainage maintenance practices by local highway authorities.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. It is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

Although the Government does not currently assess the adequacy of drainage maintenance practice in each authority, it does encourage authorities to maintain their drainage assets through guidance.