Blog

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to allow greater flexibility for the UK to develop trade agreements outside Europe as part of the renegotiation of the UK relationship with the EU.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain – so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future.My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has set out the four objectives at the heart of our renegotiation: economic governance, competitiveness, sovereignty and migration/welfare.The Government is focused on success: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to dredge rivers to prevent further flooding; and if her Department will review any current restrictions on dredging in place to permit more dredging in the future.

    Rory Stewart

    Dredging is one of a number of tools that can be used by the Environment Agency and landowners to manage flood risk. Dredging and clearing channels are important parts of the Environment Agency’s maintenance regime and it assess the benefits carefully on a location by location basis. This is done in consultation with local communities and organisations such as Internal Drainage Boards as appropriate.

    Subject to parliamentary approval,new regulations will make it easier for farmers to maintain watercourses. Defra have worked with the Environment Agency to ensure that the necessary safeguards are in place to protect the environment. An exemption to allow farmers to dredge and clear debris from up to 1.5 kms of certain watercourses is due to be part of the new Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) for flood risk activities planned for April.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of flood defences in the Leeds city region.

    Rory Stewart

    Whenever an exceptional event happens it is important to review what happened and how to prepare for the future, and the Environment Agency will always do this after a flood incident.

    The flood response in Yorkshire will be overseen by Transport Minister Robert Goodwill who has been appointed as Flooding Envoy to the county and will track progress on recovery and identify lessons learnt

    Work has also already started on the National Resilience Review, which is considering forecasting and modelling, resilience of key infrastructure and the way we make decisions on flood expenditure. The Review is being delivered by a cross-Government team and will be published in the summer.

    £40 million funding has been committed to repair flood defences in response to the flooding. Going forward, as part of our new flood defence programme, we have been working with Leeds City Council and we are investing £33 million in a project to better protect Leeds City Centre. Construction of the new defences is already underway.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on flood defences in the Leeds city region in each year since 2010; and how much she plans to spend on such defences in each year until 2020.

    Rory Stewart

    Between 2010-2011 and 2014-2015,£57.2m was allocated for flood defences in Leeds City Region. From 2015-2016 to 2019-2020, a further £50.2m has been allocated for further flood protection measures.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Government spent on creating flood prevention schemes since 2007.

    Rory Stewart

    Government funding on flood and coastal erosion risk management is available in the ‘Central Government Funding for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in England’ document. This is available in the link below.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/480527/Funding_for_Flood_and_Coastal_Erosion_in_England_Dec_2015.pdf

    This document sets out both capital and resource expenditure from 2005.

    “

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what projection she has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff working in the Environment Agency in each year until 2020.

    George Eustice

    There are no firm projections over the next 5 years of the number of full-time equivalent staff working in the Environment Agency. Formal budgets have not yet been allocated for 2016/17 to 2020/21.

  • Angela Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Angela Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2015 to Question 11893, when her Department plans to publish an assessment of the effectiveness of the Soil Protection Review and cross-compliance inspection regime in reducing soil erosion; and what penalties there are for landowners who do not take steps to reduce soil erosion.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra published the report ‘An Assessment of the implementation of the Soil Protection Review (SPR) 2010 and soil management practices in England’ in 2012. The report considered the overall impact of the SPR on soil management practices in England including on erosion.

    Defra introduced new national standards for agricultural soils under cross compliance in January 2015 which apply to recipients of Common Agricultural Policy funding. The Government is monitoring the implementation of the new rules.

    The penalty regime for cross compliance is set out in the Cross Compliance Guidance 2016 at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guide-to-cross-compliance-in-england-2016

    “

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of onshore oil and gas (a) licence blocks and (b) wells with permission to be drilled are in areas with high or medium flood risk; what the Government’s policy is on permitting fracking in areas of flood risk; what assessment she has made of the effect of flooding on the risks of water contamination associated with shale gas extraction; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    Prior to the launch of the 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round, a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was undertaken for all areas offered for licensing applications, which addressed flood risk. The award of a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL) does not itself give any permission for operations to begin. Before a licensee can commence any operations they must apply for and be granted a number of further permissions and consents for each specific site within a PEDL area. These include planning permission and environmental permits from the Environment Agency.

    Flood risk will be considered on a case by case basis where relevant as part of the consideration through the planning system of proposals for onshore oil and gas development, including development involving hydraulic fracturing. National planning policy is clearthat inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding shouldbe avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk. Where development is necessary, it should be made safe without increasing flood risk elsewhere. The policy is also clear that development should not contribute to, or be adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of water pollution.

    Flood risk is also taken into account by the Environment Agency before any environmental permits are issued to drill for oil and gas. If a company wishes to carry out works in, over, under or near a main river, flood defence or a sea defence, they must apply to the Environment Agency for consent. To carry out work on watercourses which are not regulated by the Agency, a company will need to apply to the relevant regulatory body responsible for that particular watercourse.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commission an urgent review of flood defences in (a) Leeds city region and (b) Yorkshire.

    Rory Stewart

    Whenever an exceptional event happens it is important to review what happened and how to prepare for the future, and the Environment Agency will always do this after a flood incident.

    The flood response in Yorkshire will be overseen by Transport Minister Robert Goodwill who has been appointed as Flooding Envoy to the county and will track progress on recovery and identify lessons learnt

    Work has also already started on the National Resilience Review, which is considering forecasting and modelling, resilience of key infrastructure and the way we make decisions on flood expenditure. The Review is being delivered by a cross-Government team and will be published in the summer.

    £40 million funding has been committed to repair flood defences in response to the flooding. Going forward, as part of our new flood defence programme, we have been working with Leeds City Council and we are investing £33 million in a project to better protect Leeds City Centre. Construction of the new defences is already underway.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on river dredging as a means of reducing flood risk.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government’s flood risk management work focuses on where it delivers the greatest flood risk benefit to people and property. Dredging and other kinds of conveyance work form an important part of the Environment Agency’s maintenance regime. The effectiveness of dredging in managing flood risk varies substantially for each stretch of river. The Environment Agency is spending a total of £21m on dredging in 2014/15 and 2015/16.