Hilary Benn has today announced that at least £34.5m of the £2.15bn total Government flood and coastal erosion spend over the next three years will be allocated to implement the final recommendations from Sir Michael Pitt's report on the summer floods.

Mr Benn also announced that the Environment Agency will receive £1.8 bn of this funding over the same period, 2008/09 to 2010/11.

The Agency will be responsible for allocating this funding across all Operating Authorities (which includes local authorities, Internal Drainage Boards and the Agency itself) and overseeing the programme of works to deliver a range of tougher targets for new and improved defences and projects. These will help to ensure that more households and important wildlife sites are protected from the risks of flooding.

Of the total £1.8 billion, the Environment Agency will use £788 million to fund the operating costs of its flood risk management service, which includes the routine maintenance of defences and the flood warning service, over the same three year period.

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Hilary Benn said: "I have accepted the urgent recommendations outlined in Sir Michael Pitt's interim report, but there will be still more to consider when he publishes his final report, later on this year. This is why I have set aside an initial £34.5 million of funding, in anticipation of the work that his final recommendations may ask for."

Over £2.15 billion is planned to be invested by Government and local authorities in flood and coastal erosion management over the three years spending review period. As outlined in the Comprehensive Spending Review last October, spending will rise from its current level of £600m, to £650m in 2008-09, £700m in 2009-10 and £800 million in 2010-11.

This investment for the next three years will be at least £34.5 million will be dedicated to implementing the final recommendations from the Pitt report. This money will come from a total budget of £62.5 million retained for now by Defra to fund a range of work which includes helping communities adapt to the flood and costal erosion impact of climate change.

A total of £1.8 billion is to be allocated to Operating Authorities over the three years to fund all the on-the-ground flood management work, which includes building and maintaining defences, monitoring, and flood forecasting and warning.

Local authorities will spend around £260 million maintaining their own defences, as well as funding additional work by the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Boards.

(GK)