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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to distribute in full the £75 million of funding to support internal drainage boards announced in February, and if so, by what date.

Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government, and that is why we have launched a Flood Resilience Taskforce. It will provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after the winter flood season. It met for the first time on 12 September to discuss preparation for the winter ahead.

The Internal Drainage Board (IDB) Fund, announced in February 2024, will support our farmers and rural communities from the impacts of flooding by providing grants to IDBs. The Environment Agency has confirmed Tranche 1 allocations, which provides financial support for storm recovery following the wet weather and flooding during winder 2023/24. They are in the process of making payments to the successful IDBs. We will update the IDBs on Tranche 2 in due course.