Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce a national capability for flood rescue (a) led by Fire and Rescue Authorities and (b) underpinned by a statutory duty.

Defra is the lead government department for flooding in England, they 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.

This is coordinated through the National Resilience Assurance Team, for which Merseyside FRS are the lead authority. The National Asset Register holds assets from the Fire and Rescue Service and Non-Government Organisations who are assured to the standards set out in the Flood Rescue Concept of Operations.

Fire and Rescue Authorities have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. Fire Rescue Authorities also have discretionary powers to respond to incidents under their general powers in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and in response to the risks set out in their Community Risk Management Plans prepared under the National Framework.

The Home Office is undertaking further work alongside Defra, the National Fire Chiefs Council and other relevant stakeholders to understand in more detail if there are gaps in the Fire and Rescue Services flooding response and resilience system.