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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of access to freshwater sources as a nationally developed capability for use in aerial firefighting.

When aerial firefighting is required, local emergency responders work collaboratively with partners to determine the best sources of water to use. This requires balancing the logistics of firefighting with a range of factors. These discussions are typically held at a local level.