Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the state of readiness of fire and rescue services and other agencies to cope with outbreaks of wildfires in England.

The Government recognises that wildfires are an increasing threat to people, properties, infrastructure, and the environment.

Each fire and rescue authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), and having regard to the views of other key local responders.

Since 2024 the Government has funded a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.

Across the country there are many examples of effective collaborative working at the local level between land managers, those with local knowledge, first responders, local resilience forums and other stakeholders before, during and after wildfires.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) maintains regular engagement with other government departments including Defra and Cabinet Office, along with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF) to monitor and review sector led improvements and mitigations.