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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of a changing climate on flood defences across the UK; and if she will make a statement.

The Environment Agency has made an assessment of the likely increased flows in river and rise in sea level and the impact these changes could have on defence standards. Guidance has been provided to ensure that when building or improving defences the risk management authorities take account of climate change and make allowances in the design of defence structures.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/adapting-to-climate-change-for-risk-management-authorities. This guidance was updated in 2016 and will be kept under review as new information or projections of climate change emerge.

The Environment Agency has taken account of the impacts of climate change in developing its long term investment scenarios, including the increased costs of building and maintaining defences.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-and-coastal-risk-management-in-england-long-term-investment

The Environment Agency monitors water and sea levels, tide and wave heights to ensure that these are consistent with expected changes due to climate change. This allows for the assessment of whether defence structures continue to provide their designed service level.