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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) flood risk and (b) storm preparedness in Derbyshire.

Communities in Derbyshire are at risk of flooding from a variety of sources including main rivers, ordinary watercourses, and surface water. During last winter, over 1,600 properties were sadly flooded internally throughout Derbyshire.

The Environment Agency (EA) are responsible for main rivers and maintain a range of flood defences throughout Derbyshire. These protected over 14,000 properties across the county during last winter's storms. Following the floods, defences have been inspected and routine operational checks and maintenance activities have been carried out.

The EA continue to work with Derbyshire County Council, as the Lead Local Flood Authority, to reduce flood risk and identify future opportunities for investment in flood defences.

The EA monitors river levels, issuing flood warnings 24/7, 365 days a year when required to inform the public and businesses of flood risk. They work closely with Local Resilience Forum partners to plan for, respond to, and recover from flood incidents.