asked Her Majesty's Government:

What additional measures they will propose to the Environment Agency to deal with the recent increased incidence of summer flooding and to afford more protection to the public in the medium term. [HL4454]

The Government have invested approximately £4 billion across England since 1996-97 to manage the risk from flooding and coastal erosion. Around £600 million will be spent by Defra and local authorities this year. The larger part of this has been allocated to the Environment Agency as the principal operating authority with responsibility for flood risk management in England.

Defra is leading on the cross-government making space for water strategy development programme. This is taking a holistic approach to risk from all forms of flooding (river, coastal, groundwater, surface run-off and sewer) and seeking to develop an integrated portfolio of approaches to managing it. These include:

identifying improvements in managing urban drainage;

a new strategic overview by the Environment Agency of all flood and coastal erosion risk management;

encouraging better resilience and resistance for buildings and emergency infrastructure, improved stakeholder and community engagement;

risk mapping and improved emergency planning;

strengthened policy guidance for planning authorities with respect to development and flood risk; and

revised policy guidance for operating authorities, including the agency, to ensure flood risk management decisions take full account of all economic, environmental and social impacts, including climate change.