To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the flood defence budget allocated to the North East region is for (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. (181563)

The North East region is taken to mean Yorkshire (covering Yorkshire and the north bank of the Humber estuary) and Northumbria Regional Flood Defence Committees (RFDC). Their indicative allocations are shown in the following table:

Allocations are from the Environment Agency to the Regional Flood Defence Committee.

These figures do not include funding for local authorities or internal drainage boards.

The Department will be seeking promotional activity on these figures to reassure the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward measures to require water companies to fund severe flooding alleviation measures. (181913)

Ofwat included in water and sewerage companies' price limits around £1.2 billion investment (2006-07 prices) in measures to contain and reduce the risk of sewer flooding during the 2005-10 period. This will enable undertakers to reduce the risk or impact of sewer flooding, for known or emerging problems, where overloaded sewers cause repeated internal flooding and where the companies have proposed taking action by 2010.

Ofwat expects sewerage companies to identify cost-beneficial investments in further measures to reduce flooding risks in their business plans for the next price review period (2010-15).

As part of our contribution to Ofwat’s 2009 periodic review of price limits, we have published a ‘Statement of Obligations’ describing the main statutory obligations that apply in particular to water and sewerage companies. The statement reminds the companies of their duty under section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991, to ensure that their area is effectually drained.