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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the purpose is of flood action groups established in areas that have experienced recurring flooding; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of such groups improving residents' protection from flooding.

Flood action groups enable residents to have a role in managing their own flood risk. Groups define their own priorities to meet the needs of their community and will engage in a range of activities such as; training, emergency response, building community preparedness or lobbying activities, for example.

Defra has recently published an independent evaluation of its Flood Resilience Community Pathfinder Scheme, which trialled a number of approaches to help communities find simple, effective ways to minimise their flood risk.