The current failure of water companies to adequately reduce sewage discharges is unacceptable and we have made clear that much more must be done to protect our rivers and tackle this issue. We will not hesitate to take further action if needed to deliver our commitments in this area.

We're the first Government to take steps to address this by setting an expectation on water companies to significantly reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows through the draft Strategic Policy Statement for Ofwat. We have enshrined this expectation in legislation as a new duty in the Environment Act.

This world-leading Act includes a raft of measures to protect and restore our water environment. The following key duties have been made law:

• a new duty on Government to produce a statutory plan to reduce discharges from storm overflows and their adverse impact, and report to Parliament on progress.
• a requirement for Government to produce a report setting out the actions that would be needed to eliminate discharges from storm overflows in England, and the costs and benefits of those actions.
• a new duty directly on water companies and the Environment Agency to publish data on storm overflow operation on an annual basis.
• a new duty directly on water companies to publish near real time information on the operation of storm overflows.
• a new duty directly on water companies to monitor the water quality upstream and downstream of storm overflows and sewage disposal works.
• a new duty directly on water companies to secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impact of discharges from storm overflows.
• a new duty directly on water companies to produce comprehensive statutory Drainage and Sewerage Management Plans, setting out how they will manage and develop their drainage and sewerage system over a minimum 25-year planning horizon, including how storm overflows will be addressed through these plans.
• a power of direction for the Government to direct water companies in relation to the actions in these Drainage and Sewerage Management Plans. We will not hesitate to use this power of direction if plans are not good enough.

More information on ambition and timescales will be provided during the upcoming price review period - the Government, Ofwat and the Environment Agency all have roles to play in clarifying this detail. We expect to issue guidance to water companies early in 2022. We have also been clear the statutory plan legislated for in the Environment Act is the right place to set our guiding principles to reduce harm from storm overflows and this will be consulted on in Spring 2022.

The recently published Storm Overflows Evidence Project considers a wide range of policies and scenarios to reduce storm overflows. It is right that we consider the findings carefully to achieve the maximum benefits for the environment and human health whilst minimising the impact on the public's water bills.

Ghana is vulnerable to coastal erosion, and industrial activity and climate change have contributed to this risk. This erosion can displace communities and destroy infrastructure. We are using UK development assistance to work with the city of Sekondi-Takoradi (which is suffering from increased urban flooding, sea level rise, and coastal erosion) to better understand these climate risks and gather data on the impact, including displacement. Through this project we will work with the local authorities and communities to support interventions to address climate change, including infrastructure plans to tackle these hazards.

In her previous role as UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP visited Ghana earlier this year, where she chaired a ministerial roundtable on building resilience to climate impacts and welcomed Ghana to the Adaptation Action Coalition.

The Environment Agency (EA) is prepared to take action this winter wherever it is needed. It has 6,000 trained staff, 40km of temporary barriers and over 250 mobile pumps that can be deployed anywhere in England within 48 hours. The EA will use its flood warning system to directly alert those at risk when flooding is expected.

If flood defences are damaged during the winter, the EA will take rapid action to carry out temporary repairs or put in place contingency measures to keep communities safe.

Sewerage companies are responsible for the maintenance and resilience of the drainage and wastewater networks. The first cycle of non-statutory planning, through Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs), are currently ongoing. DWMPs will become statutory through the Environment Act when the first cycle ends.

This planning process will help sewerage companies to fully assess wastewater network capacity and develop collaborative solutions with local authorities and other bodies who are responsible for parts of the drainage system.

Engagement with Flood Re is frequent, however, there is no intention to extend the Scheme to include homes built after 2009. Changes to planning policy in 2006 set out that inappropriate development in floodplains should be avoided and local planning authorities must consider the strict tests in the National Planning Policy Framework that protect people and property from flooding. Where development is necessary in a flood risk area, it should be made safe for its lifetime, without increasing flood risk elsewhere, and be appropriately flood resistant and resilient. In July 2021 the Framework was strengthened further to ensure that all sources of flood risk are considered during plan making and providing a clear definition of what it means for a property to be resilient to flooding. This also includes clearly defining that properties should be built to be quickly recoverable in the event of flooding, without significant refurbishment.

In the last three years South Sudan has seen widespread and protracted flooding driven by abnormally intense and extensive rains. We are deeply concerned at the impact such flooding has on millions of ordinary South Sudanese, exacerbating the existing humanitarian crisis. As a leading donor to South Sudan, HMG aims to reach 2 million people with some form of humanitarian assistance this year. Our humanitarian spend of £34.5 million this year includes help to those impacted by flooding. For example HMG contributions to the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund and the International Federation of Red Cross Disaster Relief Emergency Fund have provided emergency food, shelter, water and sanitation services to those affected.

In addition, we have provided emergency support to those affected by flooding through existing programmes. This includes in Jonglei State where we have supported more than 15,000 displaced people with soap, buckets, water purification supplies and mosquito nets. In Unity State plastic sheeting, blankets and cooking supplies have been provided to more than 9,400 affected by floods. We also continue to press the Government of South Sudan to prioritise providing their own funding for essential services for their citizens.

In the event of a major flood emergency in England the Secretary of State will liaise with Cabinet colleagues in relevant Departments, including Defra, BEIS and Treasury, to consider activation of i) the Bellwin Scheme, which can be used to provide funding to local authorities to cover the costs of immediate flood response work and ii) the Flood Recovery Framework which provides funding towards the costs of flood recovery for businesses and households.

These schemes are well-established mechanisms which can provide timely and effective support to help communities to recover.

Wet wipes are a significant contributor to sewer blockages - which can in turn contribute to flooding. Defra has recently launched a call for evidence to better understand the impact of wet wipes in sewers and is exploring options such as a ban on wipes containing plastic, a mandatory standard and labelling for all wipes. More information can be found at: Call for evidence on commonly littered and problematic plastic items - Defra - Citizen Space. More broadly, litter of all types can make flooding worse, and Defra’s proposed measures to reduce the use of single-use plastics, as well as broader measures to control litter and illegal waste will help mitigate this issue.

The Environment Agency (EA) worked closely with Cheshire West and Chester Council in the development of the Northwich Flood Risk Management Scheme, as a key delivery partner on the project, which was completed in 2017. Following the flooding in October 2019, the EA also worked with the council and water company on contingency plans and had contingencies in place prior to Storm Christoph.

Storm Christoph was the largest event experienced in Cheshire since records began, resulting in significant foul and surface water flooding in Northwich Town Centre and to communities across the borough.

After the event, the EA initiated a collaborative working group with United Utilities and the council to establish a timeline of the flooding in the town centre and to help investigate the sources of flooding and support the Section 19 investigations. The focus has been on mitigation, with the result being an upscaled multi-agency contingency plan now in place for the winter ahead.

The council set up a Flood Risk Action Scrutiny group of councillors, with the primary focus being on Northwich town centre. EA staff attended these meetings on request from the council in response to the councillors' questions to cover issues relevant to the EA, including main river maintenance, warnings, community resilience and operations.

The Government acknowledges the significant impact that climate change is likely to have, and is indeed already having, on the frequency and severity of flooding. Tackling climate change and ensuring that communities across the UK are resilient to its impacts is a Government priority. That is why we have committed to invest £5.2 billion in flooding and coastal erosion over 2021-27.

HM Treasury ministers are in regular contact with ministers in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on a wide range of issues, including those relating to local authority funding.

This Government takes the risk of flooding very seriously. The Government’s policy statement on flooding and coastal erosion sets out our long-term ambition for managing the increasing challenges and boosting our resilience. It describes the Government’s policies to better protect and better prepare the country.

When local areas consider where new homes should be built, our National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk (whether existing or future). Where development is necessary in such areas, the development should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere.

In July 2021 the Government undertook a Review of policy on development in areas at flood risk. It concluded that the Government has robust measures in place to protect people and property from flooding which all local planning authorities are expected to follow. The review set out actions the Government should take and has already taken to ensure safety of new developments from flooding now and in the future. This included an update to the NPPF in July 2021 to make sure that all sources of flood risk need to be considered, taking into account future flood risk, to ensure that any new development is safe for its lifetime without increasing the risk of flooding elsewhere.

Furthermore, as part of our wider ambitions for an improved planning system we intend to review the NPPF to ensure that it contributes to climate change mitigation and adaption as fully as possible.

I am unable to comment on specific cases as to do so may prejudice my position at a later stage should the case be called-in.

Halton Borough Council, as the local planning, highways and lead local flood authority, will consider the impact of any new development on existing infrastructure, potential flood risk management and environmental impacts, including on biodiversity, setting policies through their Local Plan and as part of their role in determining planning applications.

Environmental protection is at the heart of national planning policy, setting clear expectations about biodiversity net gain and the provision of green infrastructure when new development is planned. Biodiversity net gain will be made mandatory for most new development through the implementation of the 2021 Environment Act.

Homes England, the Government’s housing agency, will consider the benefits and impacts of the proposed development at Sandymoor in their planning applications and supporting Flood Risk Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment. The planning application will then be considered by Halton Borough Council following the regular process for planning decisions.

During heavy rain in London in July and early August, the Met Office recorded over a month's worth of rainfall in a few hours in certain areas. The intensity and duration of the rainfall overwhelmed the drainage infrastructure, causing surface water flooding to parts of London.

Under section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, a lead local flood authority (unitary authorities and county councils) is required to investigate, to the extent that it considers it necessary or appropriate, flooding incidents, including whether flood risk management authorities have exercised their functions. Once completed the report must be published and the relevant risk management authorities notified.

Following the summer surface water flooding in London, Thames Water has also commissioned an independent review into the performance of its network, including its Maida Vale and Counter's Creek flood defence schemes. The Government expects all relevant risk management authorities, especially lead local flood authorities and water companies, to consider and act upon the outcomes and lessons learnt.

Surface water flooding is a local flood risk; managing this risk alongside flooding from groundwater and ordinary watercourses is the responsibility of lead local flood authorities. This includes ensuring the risk of flooding is identified and managed, as part of a local flood risk management strategy, ensuring contingency arrangements and support for local communities are in place. In managing these local risks, the lead local flood authority will work with other risk management authorities. This includes the local highways authorities, who are responsible for highway and gully maintenance, and the water and sewerage companies who operate and maintain the public sewer network.

Water and sewerage companies are regulated by Ofwat, the independent economic regulator for water. Ofwat will hold the companies to account for the delivery of affordable, secure and resilient water services, and will take enforcement action where necessary e.g. where a water company has breached a duty.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The first floor of the Victoria Tower is 65 feet above ground level - emphasising its stature as the Royal Entrance - which means any flooding would only happen due to leaking pipe work at a higher level, or through the cast iron roof.

It is known that the cast iron roof is in a poor state of repair. There is water ingress from roof level, but it is not yet critical. However, if the roof is left unrepaired its condition will only deteriorate further. In addition, much of the roof drainage system is concealed within stonework, which makes precise assessment of its condition difficult without carrying out thorough intrusive surveys. These surveys would be technically difficult to carry out due to the height, location and design of building.

Water ingress is monitored and options are currently being explored to address the repair of the roof as part of the safety critical repairs to the Victoria Tower stonework.