Written questions by Platt.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the outcomes of her Department’s Flood Funding Reform consultation will be announced.

On 14 October, following consultation, the government announced major changes to its flood and coastal erosion funding policy. The new funding policy will optimise funding between building new flood projects and maintaining existing defences and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We will use government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources, making every £1 of government investment go further. We will also invest at least £300 million in natural flood management over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Flood Resilience Taskforce has made on (a) developing new toolkits for MPs and Mayors to support their understanding of flood warning systems, (b) streamlining the Flood Recovery Framework to enable faster identification of eligibility areas and (c) extending the time by which local authorities can claim business and community recovery grants.

The Flood Resilience Taskforce developed a Flood Awareness Toolkit for MPs and Mayors which was distributed in September 2025. It provides information to support their constituents to prepare for, respond to and recover from flooding. The Floods Resilience Taskforce has reviewed the Flood Recovery Framework to streamline recovery support. It has also worked to improve awareness and access to recovery funding for local authorities and flood-affected communities. Following activation of the Framework for Storms Babet and Henk in 2023/24, a joint review was undertaken to improve delivery of flood recovery grants. Enhancements have been made to streamline processes, clarify responsibilities and extend data returns and claims deadlines and share best practice.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the UK Chemical Strategy.

Delivery of a Chemicals Strategy was a commitment set by the previous Government and is being considered as part of our rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made implications for his policies of the risks to companion animals in England posed by the use of snare traps.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the setting of snares in England where they are likely to catch non-target species such as companion animals. Anyone using snares also has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ensure that their activities do not cause any unnecessary suffering. Defra is aware however that snares can capture a wide range of non-target species including companion animals such as pet cats and pet dogs. Many instances have been reported by the RSPCA for example. The Government is to introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation and as outlined in our manifesto, we will bring an end to the use of snare traps. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.