Skip to main content

Proceeding contribution from Baroness Knight of Collingtree (Conservative) in the House of Lords on Wednesday, 17 March 2010. It occurred during Debate on bill and Committee proceeding on Flood and Water Management Bill.


Flood and Water Management Bill

My Lords, perhaps I might briefly seek enlightenment. I have tried carefully, through reading the whole of the Second Reading debate and these amendments, to understand the position. However, I have a query in my mind and I should like to be absolutely clear about the precise situation. The noble Lord, Lord Greaves, mentioned that this function would be the responsibility of the local authority. However, in connection with the amendments we are discussing, the make-up of the risk management bodies is still not clear to me. Is it the case that the responsibility for sorting out this function will be on the shoulders of the local authority? Will an extra local council committee be set up to deal with it? Aligned to that, in many parts of the Bill which refer to the precise activities with which these committees will have to deal, "coastal erosion" is lumped together with "flood management". However, there are many parts of this country which have no coastline and are hundreds of miles away from the problem of coastal erosion. Later in the Bill there are references to "or" coastal management but here it refers to "and" coastal management. I do not want these committees to be loaded with coastal erosion difficulties when their areas will not have those problems. Can the Minister be clear about this: will they be totally local authority people or will others join them? Will their remits cover only matters which are quite clearly in their area, and will they not have to bother with other matters which are not?


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
718 c234GC 
Session
2009-10
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords Grand Committee
Subjects
Agriculture Costs Coastal areas Coastal erosion Fees and charges Land Flood control Land drainage Inland waterways Emergency services Fire and rescue services Equipment Horticulture Floods National Assembly for Wales Water Voluntary organisations Wales Rural areas Urban areas Water companies Sewers Rescue services Reservoirs Social tariffs
Legislation
Flood and Water Management Bill 2009-10
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk