The Environment Agency is aware of the scaffolding next to the bridge over the Silk Stream on Colindale Avenue. This scaffolding is not associated with any Environment Agency work. The Environment Agency has been in contact with the third party who arranged for the scaffolding to be erected and has asked them to remove it. As the scaffolding and sandbags appear to still be in place, this will be followed up to expedite the removal.

Ministers and Defra officials regularly meet with the Environment Agency to discuss flood and water management issues, including dredging.

The Environment Agency assesses each situation individually and dredge when it is the right solution, and it provides long-term value for money. Understanding where it will, and will not, reduce flood risk is key.

Where there is evidence that dredging will reduce flood risk to local properties or agricultural land without increasing flooding downstream, it meets government criteria, and is cost effective, the Environment Agency will do it.

Dredging can contribute to reducing flooding in some locations, but in others dredging would be an extremely inefficient and ineffective way to manage flood risk, as the natural processes in many rivers can cause the silt to return and accumulate in the same places very quickly. We also know from historic records and modelling that dredging in some locations can increase erosion and flood risk for communities downstream.

In extreme flooding events, the relatively small increases in width and depth achievable by dredging the channel do not provide anywhere near enough capacity to contain the excess flood water, since the channel may already be full of water, and therefore does not prevent flooding.

Any structures encroaching in the river such as bridges, weirs and natural features need to be considered, as these could be damaged or may be pinch points with hard foundations which can make dredging ineffective. Deepening can in some instances also cause destabilising of natural riverbanks leading to soil erosion and damage to riverside flood defences.

We are in the fourth year of the current 6-year £5.6 billion Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) investment programme. This investment programme will better protect hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses from flooding and coastal erosion.

At the end of March 2024, approximately £2.3 billion of this funding has been invested with over 88,000 properties better protected from flooding and coastal erosion. This was delivered through 300 completed projects.

Fifteen full-time staff worked for the Environment Agency Economic Crime Unit on 22 April 2024.

The Environment Agency plans to attend once a week to clear the debris and waste build up on the Priestley Way Screen. By exception, operatives may not attend if they are required elsewhere to carry out higher priority work that could cause flooding or an environmental incident (for example, responding to emergency incidents). The Environment Agency arranges for a grab lorry to attend site once a month (although this frequency does increase at times of heavy rain and higher river levels when the screen can become inundated with waste much quicker). This lorry takes away up to 3 tonnes of rubbish each trip.

The Environment Agency cannot provide exact dates for when it cleared the screen in the past 12 months but can confirm it cleared the screen 43 times (this includes planned visits to end of March 2024).

At the last Spending Review the Government increased funding to the Environment Agency (EA) for maintaining flood defences by £22 million per year, so now over £200 million per year is invested in maintenance. This funding ensures flood defences are kept in good working order.

Maintenance is targeted to those areas where it is cost beneficial and will achieve the greatest reduction in flood risk for communities.

The annual maintenance programme for the fluvial River Deben currently includes channel clearance and grass cutting, along with operational checks. On the tidal stretch of the river, the EA undertakes raised embankment mowing and maintenance, along with the operation and maintenance of tidal flood gates. The government has invested £68,000 in total for 2023-24 to maintain both the tidal and fluvial elements of the river and will invest a similar level of funding in 2024-25. In addition, in 2022-23, £121,000 of capital funding was spent repairing the walls of the River Deben.

Future flood defence maintenance budgets will be determined as part of the next Spending Review.

The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change and are the lead risk management authority for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and the sea.

The Environment Agency has permissive powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers. Where maintenance is the responsibility of the Environment Agency it focuses its efforts on those activities which will achieve the greatest benefit in terms of protecting people and property from flooding.

The Environment Agency can enter into public sector cooperation agreements with internal drainage boards (IDBs) for watercourse maintenance. This enables the Environment Agency to utilise the IDBs’ workforce, skills, experience and supplier frameworks. Such an agreement is already in place between the Environment Agency and the Suffolk IDB to deliver effective and efficient maintenance in the river Deben Catchment.

The annual maintenance programme for the river Deben currently includes channel clearance and grass cutting along with operational checks, the spend for this in 2023-24 was approximately £68,000. The Environment Agency anticipate a similar level of spend and maintenance activities for 2024-2025. Capital projects are undertaken as required, most recently in 2022-23 with approximately £121,000 spent on repairs to the river walls.

At the last Spending Review the Government increased funding for maintenance of flood defences by £22 million per year. This funding ensures flood defences are kept in good working order. In 2023/24, the Government has gone even further, including switching £25 million from the capital programme to fund maintenance, so that the total allocation for this year is over £220 million.

Defra and the Environment Agency (EA) are assessing the effects of inflation on the EA’s ability to maintain its flood and coastal risk management assets at the required condition. The effects of inflation and the recent winter storms have had an impact on flood defence condition.

As of Q3, 97.2% of EA maintained assets in high consequence systems were at or above the required condition. Where assets are not in required condition, this identifies that work is required. It does not mean that there is a risk of asset failure or that performance in a flood is compromised.

The EA are currently funded to maintain between 94-95% of high consequence EA assets at their target condition. The long-term target is to ensure 98% of all such assets are at required condition. Future flood defence maintenance budgets will be determined as part of the next Spending Review.

Ministers regularly meet with the Environment Agency and other stakeholders to discuss flood and water management matters.

Riparian landowners, those whose land adjoins a watercourse, are required under common law to maintain watercourses, including the removal of debris and blockages, which could cause an obstruction to the flow of water on their land, or downstream if washed away, as well as maintenance of the bed and banks, and any trees or shrubs growing on the banks. Where a stream or culvert becomes silted up, choked with weeds, or the flow of water has been obstructed causing flood risk to others, the Environment Agency and local authorities have statutory powers to require the relevant person to maintain the flow of the watercourse. The Environment Agency has published guidance on owning a watercourse on GOV.UK. By April 2024, new engagement guidance will be published to help Risk Management Authorities, Environment Agency staff, and landowners have more effective conversations on this matter.

The Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Policy Statement sets out what we expect from those responsible for all assets and watercourses – including risk management authorities, other public and community organisations, the private sector and riparian owners – to invest in ongoing maintenance and ensure timely repairs where necessary.

Defra has commissioned an independent review of statutory powers and responsibilities associated with FCERM assets across all flood risks and coastal erosion. The review started work in 2021 and is expected to report this spring. This will review whether current mechanisms and legal powers are clear and effective and relevant expertise is shared; this includes the non-statutory powers and responsibilities of riparian landowners and asset owners. The review team is working closely with key stakeholders to ensure that it considers good practice and practitioner concerns, within the sector. Defra will consider its findings after publication.

The Environment Agency (EA) has deployed a real time Water Quality monitor both upstream and downstream of Fullerton storm overflow in February 2024. The real time monitor is providing data on the ammonium levels in the river Test.

Data from upstream and downstream is being collected and analysed regarding the impact on the overall water quality of the river along with other parameters such as turbidity.

The EA has confirmed that there is no requirement to monitor e-coli in this instance as the ammonium data is the key indicator of water quality that may be compromised by organic material from an anthropogenic process, entering the watercourse.

An Environment Agency local team can choose to give feedback or request further information regarding an incident if needed, but the Environment Agency Information Communications Service (ICS) who receive reports of environmental incidents from the public, will not provide feedback.

The number of Environment Agency staff who left and joined the organisation in each financial year since 2016/17 is detailed below. We are unable to provide data from 2014/15 or 2015/16 as this information is not readily available.

Ministers are already aware of the success of my quarterly water summits, which have caused Anglian Water to beat the Government target for reducing storm overflows by five years and to pilot all-year-round testing of our bathing waters. However, one agency consistency failed to attend: the Environment Agency. Will the Minister come to the next summit and bring the Environment Agency with him?

Environmental permits are issued under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016, which implement the Industrial Emissions Directive. Of the activities listed in the Industrial Emissions Directive, the Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for regulating larger (known as A1) sites under the 2016 Regulations in England, whereas local authorities regulate smaller sized (known as A2) sites.

The number of permits issued by the EA under the 2016 Regulations relating to activities in the Industrial Emissions Directive is set out below. Data for the whole year 2023 is incomplete.

The number of permits issued is governed by regulatory, economic and social drivers. The capacity of the regulator and application quality and application size and complexity are all relevant factors.

Some drivers that may have affected the number of new applications:

• Greater numbers in 2015, 2016 etc driven by new activities being prescribed under the Industrial Emissions Directive and subject to environmental permitting.
• There is a general trend of fewer applications being made over recent years.
• Fewer applications were received and processed during 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic and capacity issues.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ofwat and the Environment Agency to discuss a range of issues associated with regulation including investigations and enforcement.

The government is committed to ensuring the regulators have the tools they need to hold water companies to account. Therefore, in May 2023 Ofwat announced that its enforcement capacity would be trebled, following the approval of an £11.3 million funding budget increase from Government. The Government has also boosted funding for the Environment Agency with £2.2 million per year specifically for enforcement activity.

On 20 February, we announced that we are significantly increasing our oversight of the water industry. The number of Environment Agency inspections, including unannounced inspections, will rise to 4,000 by the end of March 2025 – a fourfold increase. Our consultation on increasing permit charges for water companies to enable these inspections is underway and due to close shortly.

The Government and regulators will continue to work together to hold water companies to account for poor performance.

The data in relation to Environment Agency Legal Services full-time equivalent numbers is detailed below: