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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Record investment to protect thousands of UK homes and businesses, published 4 February 2025, whether the additional funding of £250m funding for flood defences was included in his Departmental budget set at the Autumn Budget 2024.

The figure of £2.4 billion was an initial estimate at the time of the Autumn budget as the department worked through the details of the floods’ settlement following the Spending Review.

Following the outcome of the Spending Review and as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, the Government announced we will invest £2.65 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience, by building, maintaining and repairing flood defences. This compares to £1.05 billion spent in 2023/24.

As part of the £2.65 billion invested the Government announced an additional £140 million to fill funding gaps on schemes for new flood defences.

The record £2.65 billion will better protect 52,000 properties by March 2026, with maintenance of existing flood defences also being prioritised, ensuring a further 14,500 properties will have their expected level of protection maintained or restored, a total of 66,500 properties will benefit.