MPs to review need for more floods and water legislation

The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 aimed to address issues raised by devastating floods such as those of summer 2007 which caused enormous physical and economic damage. It included measures to ensure that risk from all sources of flooding, not just rivers and seas, are managed more effectively. (The EFRA Committee's sixth report on the draft Flood and Water Management Bill was published in September 2009). 

In addition, the consultation document published alongside the draft Flood and Water Management Bill raised a number of issues for further consideration which were not, in the event, included in the legislation enacted. Key issues included water management measures covered by the Anna Walker independent review of charging for household water and sewerage services concluded in December 2009 such as the potential need for water efficiency measures; and the outcome of  Professor Martin Cave's, Independent review of competition and innovation in water markets published in April 2009 

EFRA Committee is now seeking evidence from interested parties and invites submissions on:

• Which of the key issues covered by the consultation into the draft Flood and Water Management Bill and by the Walker and Cave reviews should be taken forward as legislative priorities.
• Which further policies which are required to ensure flood and water management which delivers optimum social, economic and environmental outcomes.
• Any issues related to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (including sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) and the transfer of private sewers and lateral drains).  

The Committee invites all interested parties to address these and related matters in writing by Thursday 7 October 2010. More information about the required format of submissions is given below.

Notes on the submission of written evidence

Submissions should be in Word or rich text format and sent by e-mail to efracom@parliament.uk.

The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from. Submissions must address the terms of reference.

Submissions should be as brief as possible, and no more than 1,000 words. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document must include an executive summary (no more than one page long).

Committees make public much of the evidence they receive during inquiries. If you do not wish your submission to be published, you must clearly say so. If you wish to include private or confidential information in your submission to the Committee, please contact the Clerk of the Committee to discuss this. Please bear in mind that Committees are not able to investigate individual cases.

Personal information, such as address and contact details, should be provided separately from the body of your submission. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere. Once submitted, no public use should be made of the submission unless you have first obtained permission from the Committee.

 
For further details about this inquiry, please contact Sarah Coe, Environment Specialist on 020 7219 2290.

Further Information

Information about the Committee can be found at: http://www.parliament.uk/efracom