Correspondence Apr. 24 2024
Committee: Rural Affairs and Islands CommitteeFound: Slater MSP T: 0300 244 4000 E: scottish.ministers @gov.scot Finlay Carson MSP Convener Rural
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure customers of Southern Water are able to install water efficiency measures in their meter chambers.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Southern Water is developing its next Water Resources Management Plan and its draft plan included the proposed to update water meters with smart meters across its customers by 2030 through an extensive replacement programme. The company plans to undertake 10,000 household water audits per year. The company is due to reconsult on its plan this summer. It will not be granted permission to finalise its plan until Defra are satisfied that it is appropriate, including assurance that the water efficiency programme is robust, sufficiently ambitious and enables customers to be efficient with the water they use.
Most water efficiency interventions by water companies are directed to water use within properties. Southern Water have not specified measures beyond smart metering that directly involve the meter chamber. Water meters are normally water company property and measures in the meter chamber would not usually be undertaken by customers.
Southern Water reported through its 2022/23 annual review that it had undertaken smart water meter trials in 1500 homes. The average water use across Southern Water households was 128 litres per person per day in 2022/23, in line with its forecasts and below the latest national average of 141. The Environment Agency and Defra track whether water companies are effectively reducing water consumption across household and business customers each year and escalate concerns where applicable.
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 support people in Oxfordshire who have been affected by Storm Henk.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Storm Henk impacted large parts of Oxfordshire, including homes, businesses and infrastructure. My thoughts are with those affected.
The Environment Agency worked tirelessly to minimise the impacts of flooding by operating flood assets, issuing flood warnings, making sure rivers were free of blockages and, where appropriate, putting out temporary barriers. Following the storm the Environment Agency continues to engage with impacted communities to gather information that will help them, and partners, better understand how they can support the communities to increase their resilience flooding.
The Environment Agency is working with partners to provide a joined-up approach so that communities get the most appropriate and swift support, including the ongoing work to develop and deliver projects such as the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme.
In January 2024, the Government announced the launch of the Flood Recovery Framework for areas most affected by Storm Henk. These schemes closed on 12 April and included:
Defra also activated the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Repair Grant scheme where eligible properties can receive up to £5,000 to install PFR measures. Households and business who suffered from internal flooding should contact Oxfordshire County Council to apply. The PFR scheme opened on 8 January and will close in July 2025.
We are also actively reviewing the areas eligible for support through the Farming Recovery Fund to ensure it supports areas where farmland is most impacted due to Storm Henk. Oxfordshire is among these areas being considered for inclusion in the Fund. We are working through the impacts and will set out the position on the additional areas to be included in the Fund shortly. We will write to all those eligible farmers informing them of the funding they are able to claim.
Found: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2021).
Apr. 23 2024
Source Page: Intergovernmental Relations Annual Report 2023Found: DBT was formed in February 2023 bringing together the business, growth, and international trade focussed
Apr. 23 2024
Source Page: Recovered appeal: land to the north of Cambridge North Station, Cambridge (ref: 3315611 - 23 April 2024)Found: The Cambridge Guided Busway (CGB) and Cambridge Business Park lie to the west and north -west.
Oral Evidence Apr. 23 2024
Inquiry: UK trade policy: food and agricultureFound: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department for Business and Trade, and Department
Oral Evidence Apr. 23 2024
Inquiry: British Film and High-End TelevisionFound: We work with lots of cinemas in rural places, or where there is no other provision, or where they are
Report Apr. 23 2024
Committee: European Scrutiny CommitteeFound: Documents awaiting consideration by the Committee are listed in “Remaining Business”: www.parliament.uk
Written Evidence Apr. 23 2024
Inquiry: Industrial policyFound: Business and Trade Select Committee: Industrial Strategy 1.The Industrial Strategy (2017) paper