I am pleased that the Flooding Minister has agreed to visit Chesterfield to look at local flood prevention projects.

Ahead of her visit to Chesterfield I raised the importance of flood repairs and prevention on the economy.

Transcript

Deputy Speaker: The question has to relate to Hartlepool flood defences. The Chair of the Select Committee, Toby Perkins.

Toby Perkins: Yeah, well the people of Chesterfield have great empathy with the people of Hartlepool facing exactly the same issues that we are and a new report by Public First today shows that each year of flood events causes a decade long downward pressure on the economy of up to £6 billion. Now, I’m grateful the Minister will shortly visit us in Chesterfield to see flood projects and vulnerabilities, but does she agree with me that the need for projects, like the one we require on the River Hipper and like we require in Hartlepool, is acute and endangers the Government’s growth mission if we aren’t able to get these projects going?

Minister: I thank my Hon. Friends and I think we all have empathy with Hartlepool so, I encourage more people to raise questions on this and I am looking forward to going to visit him and his constituency to find out more about the projects he mentions and he’s quite right, and this is an argument I hope we’ll all pursue ahead of the Spring Statement, that money that’s invested in flooding is a good for value money investment because it helps protect our economy and helps ensure we have growth.