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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether assessments are being carried out on wildfire risk and management for areas where open or agricultural land adjoins to residential communities; whether environmental land-management schemes adequately take account of extreme wildfire conditions; and what steps her Department is taking to help farmers and agricultural landowners manage wildfire risks.

Responsibility for assessing local risks, including wildfire risk, sits with local responders under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. Local Resilience Forums bring together emergency services, local authorities, health bodies and other partners to assess local risks and develop, maintain and exercise multi-agency emergency plans.

Local Resilience Forums are expected to consider risks relevant to their local area, including where environmental and land-use factors may increase the potential impact of incidents on nearby communities. Risk assessments and preparedness arrangements are therefore tailored to local circumstances and informed by local evidence.

Environmental Land Management schemes already support a range of actions that can help reduce wildfire risk and improve resilience, for example Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier includes options for wildfire planning, fire and fuel breaks, and fire belts. Defra has also introduced temporary adjustments to Environmental Land Management revenue agreements in response to the exceptionally hot and dry conditions experienced this year, including measures to support the creation of fire breaks.