Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of national resilience arrangements in enabling Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service to maintain fire cover in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency during the Dunwich Heath wildfire.

Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for assessing and planning for wildfire risk locally through their Community Risk Management Plans and work with other responders to ensure appropriate preparedness. National resilience arrangements provide additional support to Fire and Rescue Services, including through mutual aid and the deployment of specialist national assets.

MHCLG has recently announced a £97 million investment to upgrade National Resilience assets and equipment. Part of this funding includes a pilot national wildfire response capability with specialist firefighters, equipment and training positioned across England to support Fire and Rescue Services during major incidents.

The Prime Minister announced that he will chair a Wildfire Summit in the autumn, which will provide an opportunity to continue to consider how our national response capabilities, including aerial assets, can be strengthened, including through collaboration across the UK.