Mary pays tribute to emergency services and people hit by flood devastation

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, commented on the latest floods to hit the UK on 12 June. She said: "I pay tribute to our emergency services and everyone who has helped friends and neighbours deal with the devastation of the floods.

"People in flood-hit areas are finding it harder to get insurance and their premiums and excesses are going up. The Tory-led Government has cut investment in flood defences by 27 per cent and are failing to ensure flood insurance remains available to all.  There is a crisis looming on flood insurance that will leave many homes uninsurable, unmortgageable and unsellable."

Labour signed the Statement of Principles with the insurance industry to provide access to policy coverage to homes built before 2009. The agreement runs out in July 2013.

The Association of British Insurers has warned that up to 200,000 high-risk households will face problems in getting flood insurance at June 2013, unless the Government agrees a new sustainable long-term solution for insurance.

Defra capital funding for flood defences is now lower - following the Government's cuts - than before the major 2007 floods which hit Wakefield hard: £259 million in the 2011/12 compared to £264.5 million in 2007.

Labour increased funding each year after the 2007 floods from £264 million in 2007-08 to £354 million in 2010/11 to ensure that adequate progress could be made in protecting homes and businesses.