Wednesday 9 July 2025,
09.30, Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
On Wednesday, the Environmental Audit Committee will wrap up its
inquiry into flood resilience in England as it hears from the
Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Extreme weather events are set to increase in coming years, as
the impacts of climate change continue to impact communities and
businesses and severely disrupt travel and major
infrastructure.
Wednesday's session will see MPs explore the coherence of the
UK's national flooding policy and consider whether the UK is
adequately prepared to meet the growing risk of
flooding.
In the first panel, the Committee will ask the Chief Executive of
the Environment Agency, Philip Duffy, whether current planning
rules do enough to prevent high-risk development in areas
vulnerable to flooding. MPs may also consider whether the
Environment Agency's flood defences capital programme offers
value for money and accounts for the long-term risks posed by
climate change.
MPs will then question , Minister for Water and
Flooding, and a senior DEFRA official as they consider if the
Government is prepared for the long-term risks of flooding.
Questions are likely to consider if sufficient funding has been
allocated and whether more should be done to improve the
communication strategy and community preparedness in the event of
a flood, to avoid undue stress being placed on those
affected.
Witnesses
From 9.30:
· Philip Duffy, Chief
Executive, Environment Agency
From 10.30:
· MP, Parliamentary
Under-secretary of State (Minister for Water and Flooding),
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
· Dr Sebastian Catovsky,
Co-Director, Floods and Water, Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs
