To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has commissioned work to compare the costs of the Environment Agency with those of equivalent organisations in other European countries. (98239)

The Secretary of State has not commissioned work to compare the costs of the Environment Agency (EA) with those of equivalent organisations in other European countries. The structures, remits and funding (through charging income or general taxation) of equivalent organisations in other countries differ so much as to make such a comparison uninformative.

The EA does liaise with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to benchmark its charging schemes and, where a true comparison is possible, costs have been shown to be broadly comparable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was allocated in grant-in-aid to the Environment Agency for flood risk management in each year since 1997-98; and how much he expects to allocate in each year up to 2009-10. (99228)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 October 2006, Official Report, columns 200-02W, which provided information on DEFRA funding to the Environment Agency for flood risk management from 1996-97 to 2005-06.

I hope to announce the allocation for 2007-08 before the end of this year. Funding for the years after that will be considered in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.