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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of AXA UK's report entitled Extreme weather risks: An analysis of England’s vulnerability to flooding and heat, published on 27 November 2024.

The UK has a legal framework for managing climate risks under the Climate Change Act 2008. This includes preparing a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme, setting out actions by government to address the risks identified. While Defra coordinates this work, this is a whole of government effort. Each department is responsible for managing the risks that apply to their sectors and responsibilities. Defra has a Minister responsible for the cross-government coordination of climate change adaptation, who works with Ministers across Government to build the UK’s climate resilience.

Defra also has overall national responsibility for policy on flooding and coastal erosion.

The Environment Agency recently published its updated National Assessment of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk. It shows that 6.3 million homes and businesses in England are at risk of flooding, which could increase to 8 million by the middle of the century.

Combined with the fact that this Government inherited flood defences in their worst condition on record, it is vital we invest in protecting our communities.

That is why we have committed £2.65 billion over the next two years to maintain, repair and build flood defences.