Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the UK’s preparedness for wildfires in future, in the context of climate change.

The Home Office works closely with other departments and key stakeholders including Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities to mitigate the risk of wildfire as set out in the Wildfire Framework for England. The framework can be found at Wildfire Framework for England | Fire England.

Each Fire and Rescue Authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area, through their Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP), having regard to other key local responders, the top local and national risks, and the communities which they serve.

The government recognises the risk that wildfire presents for landscapes and communities and in preparation for summer 2023 wrote to Local Resilience Forums to share lessons and recommendations from the 2022 wildfire season. The Home Office has also committed to the scoping of a Wildfire Strategy and Action Plan by mid-2024. Further actions are set out in the third National Adaptation Plan, which was recently been published: Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Home Office maintains regular engagement with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council and England and Wales Wildfire Forum who monitor and review sector led improvements to wildfire response and mitigation.