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Pitt Report

I pay tribute to all those who have worked so hard to prevent flooding, mitigate its effects and provide support to those affected, not just in the summer of 2007, but in the 18 months since, and express solidarity with those who continue to suffer as a consequence of flooding. In thanking the Secretary of State for his statement, I welcome the announcement of the action plan and the national flood forecasting centre, and the announcement that the Environment Agency will take on strategic overview responsibilities. Also, the announcement earlier this week that liability for private sewers will be passed to water companies is extremely welcome. However, as we receive the statement on learning the lessons from the 2007 floods, many of us are working alongside our constituents who are still picking up the pieces following the floods of autumn 2008. That raises the question why the Secretary of State has taken so long to come to the House to give us a statement on a report that called for immediate action six months ago. Many incidences of flooding could have been avoided, had there been clarity about who was responsible for flood risk management at different levels. How many people have been adversely affected in the six months since the report was published, during which time the Government have failed to act? How many households and businesses have suffered this year because of the Government's failure to implement the recommendations more quickly? Furthermore, recommendation 86 in the report proposed the immediate establishment of a Cabinet Committee. We welcome the announcement today that that is going to happen, but will the Secretary of State tell us whether he thinks that waiting six months constitutes immediate action? As Scotland already has its own Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill in progress, why is this House being offered only a draft Bill, with subsequent legislation some way off? Will the Secretary of State tell the House how many of the 92 recommendations in the Pitt report he has already been able to implement? Will he expand on his plans for the establishment of a national flood forecasting centre? Will he also confirm that many instances of flooding this autumn have occurred because the lines of communication have still not been corrected? Is not that further evidence that the Government's casual approach to the implementation of the report has cost many people dear? Does he accept that even a small improvement in the lines of communication could make a huge difference to those on the front line? Even half an hour's advance warning of a serious flood risk could allow householders and businesses to take vital action to safeguard their property and protect themselves. Will the Secretary of State also comment on the backlog in flood relief works in many parts of the country? Can he give assurances to residents and businesses, such as those in the Windermere road area of Grange in my constituency, that the long-awaited flood relief scheme planned for their area will actually come into being in the near future? Does he agree that there is now a strong argument for front-loading investment in flood relief schemes? Will the Secretary of State comment on the continuing granting of planning permission for building in high-risk areas, despite Pitt's recommendation for a strong presumption against such development, and will he now support a review of PPS25, to examine whether it is fit for purpose? Will he also take to task the insurance industry, which promised at the time of the floods that no one would go uninsured as a result of the flooding? Now that insurance policies are coming up for renewal, many insurers are refusing to cover flood risk. Will he also take action to ensure that speedy payments are made by insurance companies to householders and businesses? Finally, will the Secretary of State comment on the concerns that many of us have about the regionalisation of fire control centres, given that that is highly likely to undermine the responsiveness of local fire crews to developing local situations?