Written question asked by Bill Wiggin (Conservative) on Wednesday, 2 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 November 2005. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Thursday, 10 November 2005 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Food Defences

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Department and its related agencies plans to spend on flood defences in each of the next 10 years.

Answer: The Government will spend some £570 million on management of flood and coastal erosion risk in England in each of the three years up to and including 2007–08. This includes funding from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to support local authority expenditure. A large part of this funding will be for management of flood risk, from both rivers and the sea. The actual amount will depend on the mix of flood and coastal erosion schemes put forward by the operating authorities—the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards. However, projects to manage coastal erosion often also provide significant benefit in terms of reducing risk of flooding from the sea.Expenditure for the period beyond 2007–08 will be considered in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Secondary information