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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory duty for firefighters in England to respond to flooding events.

Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government. Fire and Rescue Authorities already have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. We recognise the interest in creating a statutory duty for flood response and my officials are working with DEFRA, as lead government department for flooding, to consider this and any wider implications.

MHCLG supports Fire and Rescue Authorities in responding to flood incidents by providing the sector with national resilience High Volume Pump (HVP) capabilities. These are available to be used by Fire & Rescue Services across the country during major flood incidents. Additionally, DEFRA hold the Flood Rescue National Asset Register, a list of teams or assets that voluntarily join the register and maintain availability for national deployment in England.