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Flood and Water Management Bill

My Lords, I support my noble friend's amendment. None of us will forget the scenes that we saw on our screens, not just last year but also in York and in Tewkesbury not that many years ago, and the devastation and upset caused to individual families. It seems to take ages before those families can get back into their homes. I hope that the Minister will not say that this measure is too costly. One could post a monthly update report on the web. We have modern communications: things do not always have to be in hard copy. I support my noble friend's comments about bringing to the Minister's constant attention the fact that people are still waiting, and perhaps the fact that things could be moved along more quickly than they have been in the past. I hope that the Minister will accept that. I can add little more, except to say that over the years we have seen some major flooding. With changing climate patterns, I fear that we will continue to see flooding in the country. Anyone who has experienced water coming into the house will know how bad that is, but sewage coming into the house is a most horrendous experience, which many people have been through. My noble friend also mentioned the cost to those whose land has been affected. Many families lost livestock in the Tewkesbury incident and recently there has been flooding in Cumbria. A great amount of debris has landed in fields and it takes time to clear it away. I hope that the Minister will look at that sympathetically, and, even if he does not like my noble friend’s wording, I hope he will take on board the thrust behind these amendments.