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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it mandatory for (a) utility companies and (b) the private sector to contribute financially to flood protection when their infrastructure is at risk.

Utility companies are responsible for the resilience of their supplies. The 2016 National Flood Resilience Review requires utility companies to develop plans for permanently improving resilience of service provision from the most severe flood events.

In 2019, we will update the national flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy, looking to strengthen joint delivery across organisations. We will look at current partnership arrangements ahead of a review of funding needs beyond 2021, seeking to attract more non-public sector investment, and make sure all relevant agencies are able to respond quickly and effectively to support communities if and when flooding does occur.