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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote sustainable flood management practices in (a) flood-prone and (b) other areas.

Natural flood management (NFM) is a key part of our approach to mitigating flood risk and provides wider benefits for the environment and society, such as carbon reduction, environmental enhancement, improving water quality and water resources.

The floods investment programme delivers a range of schemes, including NFM. In addition, the Government’s ongoing investment in the environment will also support NFM measures.

The Government inherited an outdated funding formula for allocating money to proposed flood defences. Established in 2011, the existing formula slows down the delivery of new flood schemes through a complex application process and also neglects more innovative approaches to flood management such as NFM and sustainable drainage. A consultation will be launched this spring which will include a review of the existing formula.