Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 8075 on Floods: Government Assistance, for what reason her Department's Property Flood Resilience grant scheme was not activated in response to flooding in September.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) coordinates the Government’s Flood Recovery Framework (FRF). Although Defra’s Property Flood Resilience (PFR) grant scheme is not part of FRF, it has always been activated alongside the FRF.

The September flooding was not at the scale where MHCLG, the Department for Business and Trade and Defra would expect to activate the FRF or PFR grant schemes. The PFR grant scheme has been previously activated where more than 2,000 properties have been flooded. The Environment Agency identified that around 1,000 properties were flooded across England in September.

Affected householders should ask their insurance provider if they will be eligible for Build Back Better within their claim, which can provide for flood resilient repairs.