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 adequacy of the lifespan of pumping station infrastructure in Cambridgeshire under the Middle-Level Commissioners.

Protecting communities from the dangers of flooding is one of Defra’s top priorities.

The Government fully supports the important work internal drainage boards (IDBs) do in managing water and flood risk, benefiting communities, businesses and the environment.

The Government has invested £50m as part of the one-off £75 million IDB Fund to support greater resilience for farmers and rural communities. The Fund was split into two tranches and is being delivered by the Environment Agency. The second tranche provides grants which will enable IDBs to repair, modernise and improve their flood defence assets.

Grants have been awarded to eight IDB projects in Cambridgeshire, with a value of over £2.7 million. This will support repairs and refurbishments to IDB assets including pumping stations.