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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the long-term costs of post-flood clean-up operations with the potential savings from investing in proactive flood prevention measures, such as enhanced maintenance, equipment procurement, and staffing for flood control infrastructure.

The Environment Agency is delivering the Government’s flood and coastal risk management (FCRM) Investment Programme.

For every £1 spent in the Investment Programme improving protection from flooding and coastal erosion, around £8 of property damages is avoided.

Post flood clean-up costs are considered as part of the wider economic appraisal of flood investment projects.

A new 3-year £4.2 billion FCRM Investment Programme will start in April 2026, where new projects will align with the strategic objectives set out within the Government’s new funding rules announced in October 2025.

The new investment programme will also reduce deterioration and target repairs to flood defence assets, benefitting an additional 14,500 properties in England.

The Environment Agency updated its National Flood Risk Assessment in 2025. This provides the best available evidence to inform the development of flood mitigation strategies.