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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many properties were protected against flood risk in the flood risk areas in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04; and how many have been so protected in 2004-05 to date; [176414] (2) how many properties were protected from coastal erosion from an eroding frontage in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04; and how many have been so protected in 2004-05 to date. [176415] Mr. Morley: Defra's Service Delivery Agreement (SDA) target 27 includes reducing flood and coastal erosion risk to some 80,000 houses between April 2003 and March 2006. Houses are counted when risk reduction is actually in place, either on completion of the project or on completion of a phase within it. This method of counting was introduced with the SDA target in March 2003. I am able to provide the outturn figure for SDA 27 for 2003-04 only, which is a total of some 20,000 houses. The figure of 20,000 is a total for both flooding and coastal erosion risk. Of these houses, just over 1,300 have benefited from works carried out by local authorities wholly or in part to protect against coastal erosion as well as flooding from the sea, of which some 365 are identified as benefiting primarily from reduction of coastal erosion risk. It is possible that some of these 365 also benefit from reduction of flood risk. I regret I am unable to provide figures for 2002-03 or 2004-05 to date on the same rigorous counting basis without incurring disproportionate cost. However, the progressive 2004-05 outturn will be published on the Defra website (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/ policy/aim.htm) during the year, with the first update expected in October.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

422 c226W; 176414;176415

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Coastal areas Coastal erosion Housing Flood control Floods Protection Property

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk