A committee of MPs has said a Government decision to retain two ministers in their roles as flood envoys means that its persistence has paid off.
In a letter to Mary Creagh MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), environment secretary Andrea Leadsom said that ministers ‘recognise the importance of the role of flood envoys and the very useful role they played last winter’.
Rory Stewart MP
She added: ‘Consequently, I am pleased to confirm that Rory Stewart and Robert Goodwill remain in their respective Flood Envoy roles.’
Ms Creagh said: ‘Last year, we found that there was a lack of effective long-term strategic planning to manage flood risk and that the Government should do more in terms of flood funding and planning.
‘Flood Envoys played an important role after the winter floods of 2015. I am pleased that the Committee’s persistence over a period of more than six months has paid off and the minister has finally confirmed that they will continue in their roles.’
On Monday afternoon (27 February) the House of Commons held a debate led by the EAC and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee reports on future flood prevention this afternoon.
The EAC published its report, Flooding: Cooperation Across Government on 9 June 2016. The Government responded on 25 August 2016.
The EFRA committee published its report, Future Flood Prevention on 2 November 2016. EFRA expressed its disappointment in the Government’s response on 24 January in its report, Future flood prevention: Government’s response .
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