Q8. [218936] Jessica Morden (Newport, East) (Lab): The announcement last Friday by the Government and the Association of British Insurers that flood insurance will be widely available long term will be greatly welcomed in constituencies such as mine that border the Severn, where people naturally are concerned about the effects of climate change, but can the Prime Minister reassure my constituents that developing an adequately funded long-term flood defence strategy will remain the priority?

The Prime Minister: We will be spending £800 million on the flood defence strategy by 2011—raising the amount from £400 million a few years ago to £600 million now, and then to £800 million over the next period of time. Last week, we also finalised the agreement with the insurance companies that my hon. Friend mentioned, and it is because we are investing in flood defences that they were prepared to say that insurance against floods will be widely available for homes and small businesses, so that fear that people have had has been removed. However, my hon. Friend is absolutely right—she has campaigned on this—that we must make the investment in flood protection for the future.