Evan Harris Questions Environment Minister Over Floods

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 24th Jul 2007

Floods have inflicted great damage to property and livelihoods Oxford and Abingdon

Evan Harris has been busy visiting flood afflicted areas of Oxford and Abingdon in the past week. After seeing the damage caused to property, land and lives, Evan headed to Westminster to join a debate on the flooding.

At the debate Dr Harris quizzed the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn. He stressed the need for funding for the flood relief effort be "frontloaded" to speed up its impact.

Dr Harris also highlighted the increasing frequency at which such floods were occurring in the Oxford and Abingdon area in general, and in Britain as a whole. He emphasised the need for the government to respond quickly and effectively to both this flood and the future threat.

Hilary Benn undertook to investigate the work and funding of the Environment Agency in response to Dr Harris' concerns. He also announced the increase of a flood recovery grant fund from £14m at present up to potentially £24m.