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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the guidance entitled New national flood and coastal erosion risk information, published on 25 March 2025, whether he has had discussions with the insurance sector on properties now classified as being in flood zone (a) two and (b) three.

The department regularly engages with the insurance industry, including bilaterally with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA). Engagement includes representation from the sector on the Flood Resilience Taskforce and an Insurance Roundtable hosted by me in September 2024.

The Environment Agency (EA) also has regular discussions with the insurance industry as part of its engagement on flood and coastal erosion risk management, including on the new flood and coastal erosion risk information.

It is important to note that insurance companies make decisions on premium prices based on their own assessment of the risk, using commercially available risk analysis models and are not mandated to use EA models.