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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the reasons for households not obtaining insurance for flooding in spite of being eligible for the Flood Re scheme; and if she will call on Flood Re to clarify why such cases are occurring in Witney constituency.

Flood Re is a joint Government-industry scheme enabling high flood risk households to access affordable insurance. Since launch, Flood Re has supported more than 650,000 households, with 346,000 policies ceded to them in 2024/25.

Prior to Flood Re’s inception, the average home insurance quote for a householder with a flood claim was about £4,400. As of December 2024, the average was c. £1,100, with 99% of householders at high risk of flooding now able to obtain quotes from 10 or more insurers.

The decision to insure a property, and/or to cede a policy to Flood Re is a decision made by each insurance company, but all households eligible under the Flood Re Scheme should be able to access to flood insurance cover. It remains important that policy holders shop around for an insurer to find the most suitable policy for their needs as individual insurers will consider a range of factors in setting their premiums.

Defra continues working with Flood Re and insurers to monitor affordability, and have not been made aware of any Flood Re eligible properties being refused flood cover on an industry wide basis.