Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on support for businesses adversely affected by flooding.

We have regular dialogue with the Department for Communities and Local Government. The two departments have an agreed approach to providing support to flooded business and communities, where a national response to a flooding event is triggered. We jointly provide funding through a single fund – the Community and Business Recovery Scheme. This is paid to local authorities in affected areas to provide support to households and businesses that have been flooded. We review arrangements periodically to make sure that they are fit for purpose.