Thursday Volume 575 13 February 2014 No. 123 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 13 February 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 993 13 FEBRUARY 2014 994 flood defence grant in aid, and I would indeed welcome House of Commons a meeting with my hon. Friend and any representatives he wishes to bring along to discuss the matter. Thursday 13 February 2014 Several hon. Members rose— The House met at half-past Nine o’clock Mr Speaker: Order. The question started narrow and remains narrow; it does not extend beyond Hampshire. PRAYERS However, there will be other opportunities for colleagues to come in. [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Climate Change Oral Answers to Questions 2. Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk) (Con): What assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of climate change on the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events and on the need for higher priority to be ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS given to adaptation policy. [902560] TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof StateforEnvironment, The Secretary of State was asked— Food and Rural Affairs (Dan Rogerson): We recognise Flood Amelioration (Hambledon) that, in line with the latest scientific understanding of our changing climate, the frequency and intensity of 1. George Hollingbery (Meon Valley) (Con): What many extreme weather events are expected to increase. future plans he has for spending on flood amelioration The UK’s first climate change risk assessment, published in 2012, assessed the trend and informed the national measures in Hambledon, Hampshire. [902558] adaptation programme that we published last year. This TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof StateforEnvironment, sets out a wide range of actions by the Government, Food and Rural Affairs (Dan Rogerson): May I begin by business, councils and civil society to address the most passing on the Secretary of State’s apologies for not significant climate risks that we face as a country. being here this morning? He continues to recover from his eye surgery and will be back soon. I am sure the Mr Yeo: Does my hon. Friend agree that, although whole House will join me in wishing him a speedy concern is sometimes expressed about the cost of climate recovery. change mitigation, recent events are a stark warning As the country continues to experience the onslaught that the cost of adaptation to climate change is also of stormy weather, I should like to express my deepest substantial, and is a bill that might have to be paid condolences to the friends and families of those who sooner rather than later? have lost their lives, and to put on record that our thoughts are with everyone who continues to experience Dan Rogerson: I thank my hon. Friend for making the misery of flooding. that case. He has a long track record of speaking on Hampshire county council is discussing a proposal climate change, and on mitigation and adaptation. I with the Environment Agency, but the business case has agree that we must continue to ensure that this country not yet been submitted to the agency. meets all the demands that will be made of us by the changing climate. George Hollingbery: Yesterday marked the passing of 40 days and 40 nights of flooding in Hambledon since it Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Lab): Does the was first flooded by ground-water, and no one yet has Minister acknowledge that the Adaptation Sub-Committee any idea when the floodwater will recede. Every night, of the Committee on Climate Change recommended the residents sleep in shifts to monitor their pumps, and that the deficit of £500 million on flood defence spending every day they wake up wondering whether that will be needed to be urgently addressed? Will the Minister ask the day on which their house will be flooded. The the Secretary of State and his Cabinet colleagues to village has been cut off from the rest of the world for ensure that there is a firm commitment from the over a month now. An engineering solution that would Government in this spending review to providing that avert most of this now almost bi-annual flooding has £500 million for flood defences, which is now urgently been drawn up and costed, but funding remains a needed because of climate change? sticking point. Will the Minister meet me and potential partner agencies to try to agree a deal and get this vital Dan Rogerson: I very much welcome the work that work done as soon as possible? Lord Krebs and his sub-committee have done on these issues. We think that some of the information is based Dan Rogerson: I very much applaud the tremendous on older data that has been updated by the Environment efforts of the Hambledon community in their response Agency, so we do not entirely recognise the figures he to the groundwater flooding and the issues they are gives. The Government have secured a £2.3 billion facing. I know that the Environment Agency is working capital settlement in the next spending review period, closely with Hampshire county council to support the which will mean we are spending more than ever before community in making the strongest case in their bid for on flood defences. 995 Oral Answers13 FEBRUARY 2014 Oral Answers 996 Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con): Dan Rogerson: As the hon. Lady also knows, in the Whatever the cause, we are seeing extreme weather first four years of this Government we have spent events and we need to do more between floods. Will the £2.4 billion on flood defences, which was more than the Department consider restoring the balance between £2.2 billion spent in the last four years of the previous building new flood defences, repairing and making good Government—so this Government continue to make the existing ones and maintaining water courses? May I tackling this a priority. Today, the focus remains on ask, in the presence of the Leader of the House of response and we will then move into recovery, but in the Commons, whether it would be a good idea to have a long term we have secured £2.3 billion on capital alone national statement on adaptation and on climate change into the next spending review period. generally for this purpose? Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): Are movements Dan Rogerson: I pay tribute to the hon. Lady and her in the jet stream not more closely and demonstrably Committee for all the work they have done on flood linked to our current adverse weather event than climate defences— change is? To what extent is the Environment Agency using movements in the jet stream as a predictive tool Maria Eagle (Garston and Halewood) (Lab): You for flooding? were a member of it! Dan Rogerson: The hon. Gentleman is clearly spending Dan Rogerson: Yes, I suppose I should admit to that. a great deal of time studying these methods. Given the Sadly, I am no longer a member. advice, which I respect, from scientists across government, all the signs point to the fact that the changes he is The question from my hon. Friend the Member for talking about are influenced by climate change. That is Thirsk and Malton (Miss McIntosh) about a statement one reason why we have had more precipitation deposited is obviously a matter for the Leader of the House to in the country and had the rainiest January in a quarter consider, perhaps later this morning. On her questions of a millennium. on maintenance, given this year’s extreme weather events, the Government have made available a £130 million Food Aid investment to ensure that we repair and maintain the existing flood defences, which of course will allow us to invest in new schemes in the coming year. 3. Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead) (Lab): When he plans to publish his Department’s evidence review on food Maria Eagle: As I saw for myself in Somerset earlier aid provision and access in the UK. [902561] this week, the severe floods are causing unimaginable distress for many people as they see their homes wrecked, TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof StateforEnvironment, farmland submerged and businesses suffer. As all the Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice): The Government evidence suggests, and as the Minister has just accepted, know that some of the poorest families are struggling to that climate change will lead to extreme weather events afford to feed themselves. Although it is not the Government’s becoming more frequent, will he explain why his role to control the price of food, the impact of food Department has been forced to admit, thanks to a price inflation is of real concern to the Government, freedom of information request, that total spending on which is why we have commissioned a report. All Government- climate change mitigation and adaptation has been cut funded social research reports are required to go through by more than 40% since last year? an appropriate review and quality assurance process before publication, and the report will be published Dan Rogerson: I suspect that the hon. Lady is referring once this review is complete. to the freedom of information request submitted on behalf of Lord Lawson. I can confirm that total Mr Field: May I ask the Minister to answer the question Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs now? The House wants a date from him. It is now a year climate change spending on mitigation and adaptation since the Government commissioned this report. Does was £34.8 million in 2011-12, £49.2 million in 2012-13 that not suggest that trying to prevent more people and £47.2 million in 2013-14, and we have resources yet from becoming hungry in this country is not a Government to be allocated in the coming financial year.
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