When he last met Sir Michael Pitt to discuss the recommendations in his report, "Learning Lessons from the 2007 Floods".

I last met Sir Michael Pitt to discuss our response to his report in November. I and DEFRA officials will continue to consult him on progress in implementing his recommendations. The Government will report further every six months, beginning in June this year.

When they next meet, will the Secretary of State discuss with Sir Michael the concern, raised repeatedly at public consultations on the Pitt recommendations—particularly by drainage boards such as that in my Constituency, which represents the Great Ouse and River Ivel valley areas—that the Environment Agency's policy of minimal dredging as part of its maintenance is continually increasing the risk of flooding, particularly in low-lying, slow-moving watercourses? When is this policy going to be changed?

I will gladly raise the issue that the hon. Gentleman has drawn to my attention, of which I am very aware. The Environment Agency spends about £34 million a year on dredging, clearance of debris, polling trees and removal of weeds. The issue is that in some cases, it makes sense to do that to enable the water to pass more quickly to reduce the impact of flooding; but in others, dredging, by the act of speeding up the movement of water, merely makes it arrive faster somewhere else and adds to the problem of flooding. The decision therefore needs to rest on local knowledge about the watercourses and what the consequence of action in one place will be for Another place. The Environment Agency takes that responsibility very seriously. The issue is the subject of continuing debate and I have raised it with the agency previously.

DEFRA has a great little scheme that funds some pilots through which farmers and land managers manage their land in ways that hold back flood waters. I have been to see a scheme at Seighford, near Stafford, with Matt Jones from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, who is the project manager. Some really low-tech solutions are successfully keeping back flood waters at times of pressure. Will my right hon. Friend be talking to Sir Michael about the assessment of those pilots, with a view to seeing whether they could be rolled out more widely? If he does, can he report back to MPs who have pilots in their area?

I would be very happy to take up the last of my hon. Friend's suggestions. He makes a very good point, which shows why we are doing the pilots—in order to see what contribution proper management of the flow of water can make to reducing the impact of flooding. As the whole House recognises and as we discussed a moment ago, we need all these means to try to deal with the problem. As I have told the House previously, I am up for considering everything that will be effective in trying to minimise the impact of flooding on communities and people's lives.

Sir Michael Pitt has warned that local authorities need legislation to give his recommendations the priority that they deserve. It will soon be a year since the Prime Minister announced a draft floods Bill. As we head towards the second anniversary of the 2007 floods, with more than 1,000 families still in temporary accommodation, why have we not seen even a draft of this Bill? Is it not true that there is now no possibility of this legislation being on the statute book before the election, and that, yet again, DEFRA is living up to its reputation as the Department of delays?

I take this opportunity to welcome the hon. Gentleman to his Front-Bench position. I know that he has a very strong personal commitment to the issues that he will now be dealing with as the Opposition spokesperson. I wish him a long and very successful career as the Shadow Secretary of State.

We will be producing the draft floods and water Bill for scrutiny in the not-too-distant future—in the spring. Clearly, it takes time to work out what changes in legislation are required. I reject the hon. Gentleman's accusation that DEFRA is a Department responsible for delay. The figure I gave earlier of the number of flood defence schemes that we have got on with and implemented in the year and a half since the great floods of 2007 shows that this is not a Department that is delaying things, but one that is committed to getting on with things and providing greater protection to people.

Secondly, it is not as though we have waited for legislation. Although in some respects there is a lack of legal powers to make things happen, we have already indicated to local authorities that the upper tiers will have responsibility for dealing with surface water flooding. We have also got on with funding and, as I announced to the House in December, the first group will start preparing the plans. We are not waiting for the Bill to get on with the work, but if we do need powers to ensure that we can protect people as fully as possible from flooding, that is what the Bill will achieve.

My right hon. Friend will be aware that Sir Michael Pitt's report mentioned the importance of co-ordination between different organisations in terms of flood defence and flood relief. However, although the Environment Agency is looking at new river catchment flood defence plans, I still speak to local authorities, internal drainage boards, landowners and the National Farmers Union who all think that they are not being involved enough in the formulation of those plans. Where several catchment area plans meet, such as in areas of Goole, Snaith and the Isle of Axeholme, not enough thought has been given to the combined effect of the plans. Will my right hon. Friend speak to the agency to ensure more joined-up thinking in that regard?

Not only will I do that, but I have already done so. My hon. Friend raises an important point. The Environment Agency has responsibility for drawing up the plans, but this is everybody's problem—including local councillors, MPs, the agency and others. I know that Chris Smith, the chair of the Environment Agency, is seized of the need to improve co-ordination. It works well in some areas, but has some progress to make in others. For communities affected by these problems and given the increased funding, we really want the chance to say, "This is the range of options to deal with the problem." Local communities have to play a part in deciding the priorities, because the choices they make will have consequences. I am determined that we should try to improve co-ordination, but it does mean that everybody must take responsibility for dealing with a problem that faces all of us.