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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help local authorities to develop financial risk assessments for climate change related weather events.

The UK Climate Projections, developed by the Met Office and Defra, provide climate information that can support local decision making to address climate risks, including on hazards such as heatwaves and short-term localised heavy rainfall.

In addition, we are carrying out a one year pilot (Local Authority Climate Service) for the provision of more specific projections to local areas. This Met Office tool will give councils access to critical climate data to inform adaptation decision making in local areas. And the fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment, to be published in 2027, will include data on climate risks that can also be used to support local decision-making.