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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what role her Department has on planning consultations for housing in areas at risk of flooding.

Consultations on planning for housing in areas at risk of flooding are primarily the responsibility of the local planning authorities. The Department has no role in these consultations. However, in relation to planning applications in Flood Zones 2 and 3, the Environment Agency is a statutory consultee and so must be consulted by the planning authority. There are also statutory requirements for local planning authorities to consult the Environment Agency on the preparation of local plans.