Amid multiple heatwaves this summer, is the UK is prepared for extreme heat? This briefing provides an overview of the risk posed by heatwaves, government policy, progress and stakeholder comment.

Amid multiple heatwaves this summer, is the UK is prepared for extreme heat? This briefing provides an overview of the risk posed by heatwaves, government policy, progress and stakeholder comment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered the merits of introducing a law to compel property owners to have adequate insurance for damage caused by their trees, especially in the context of more frequent storms and extreme weather related to climate change.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered the merits of introducing a law to compel property owners to have adequate insurance for damage caused by their trees, especially in the context of more frequent storms and extreme weather related to climate change.

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to update building regulations to require new homes to be designed to reduce overheating during periods of extreme heat.

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to update building regulations to require new homes to be designed to reduce overheating during periods of extreme heat.

Agreed to on question.

Agreed to on question.

I am a Cornish MP, and we are a people on the edge. With sea on three sides and cut off from England by a river and a precarious train line, we have become used to being at the centre of a world that is a long way from everyone...

I am a Cornish MP, and we are a people on the edge. With sea on three sides and cut off from England by a river and a precarious train line, we have become used to being at the centre of a world that is a long way from everyone...

I congratulate the hon. Lady on bringing forward the debate. She is right to refer to the terrible weather we have had. Before Christmas, I think we had 43 days in Northern Ireland when there was no sunshine. Flooding incidents are not just happening in her constituency; they are also...

I congratulate the hon. Lady on bringing forward the debate. She is right to refer to the terrible weather we have had. Before Christmas, I think we had 43 days in Northern Ireland when there was no sunshine. Flooding incidents are not just happening in her constituency; they are also...

I agree with the hon. Member. We must prioritise flooding, which is becoming more and more of a risk. Every week when I get on the train—which has often been a bus—from Cornwall to London, I see what looks like a lake or sea, but it is in fact the...

I agree with the hon. Member. We must prioritise flooding, which is becoming more and more of a risk. Every week when I get on the train—which has often been a bus—from Cornwall to London, I see what looks like a lake or sea, but it is in fact the...

I thank the hon. Member for securing this important debate. Storm Chandra hit the Somerset levels terribly badly. Water falling on already saturated land caused huge issues for many people. Farmers play a crucial role in managing our floodwaters. One farmer, Mike Curtis, who farms in Muchelney, took me and...

I thank the hon. Member for securing this important debate. Storm Chandra hit the Somerset levels terribly badly. Water falling on already saturated land caused huge issues for many people. Farmers play a crucial role in managing our floodwaters. One farmer, Mike Curtis, who farms in Muchelney, took me and...

I agree that farmers have been incredibly helpful in so many ways; I am thinking about Storm Goretti and all the work they did with clearing trees. Of course, hopefully some of the work that this Government are doing on the sustainable farming incentive will also enable them to do...

I agree that farmers have been incredibly helpful in so many ways; I am thinking about Storm Goretti and all the work they did with clearing trees. Of course, hopefully some of the work that this Government are doing on the sustainable farming incentive will also enable them to do...

My hon. Friend and I worked together on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee to push for the inquiry on extreme weather events to which her debate refers. The fire service is often the first agency on the scene after flooding, a storm, a landslip or a wildfire, but...

My hon. Friend and I worked together on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee to push for the inquiry on extreme weather events to which her debate refers. The fire service is often the first agency on the scene after flooding, a storm, a landslip or a wildfire, but...

I agree; the fire service is absolutely fundamental, particularly in Cornwall, where it did amazing work during Storm Goretti.

In its response to the UK’s third national adaptation plan, the Climate Change Committee called on the Government to urgently refresh NAP3, as it fell short of preparing the UK for the...

I agree; the fire service is absolutely fundamental, particularly in Cornwall, where it did amazing work during Storm Goretti.

In its response to the UK’s third national adaptation plan, the Climate Change Committee called on the Government to urgently refresh NAP3, as it fell short of preparing the UK for the...

I congratulate the hon. Member from across the border on securing the debate. She will know that the south-west was hit particularly hard by the recent Storm Chandra, including parts of my constituency that were left submerged. Does she agree that we must now embed a truly comprehensive climate resilience...

I congratulate the hon. Member from across the border on securing the debate. She will know that the south-west was hit particularly hard by the recent Storm Chandra, including parts of my constituency that were left submerged. Does she agree that we must now embed a truly comprehensive climate resilience...

I agree. I was going to say that that kind of cross-departmental strategy is so important, because all Departments are impacted and can do things that could help, but that is made difficult when Departments are so siloed.

The EFRA Committee, on which I sit, has an ongoing inquiry into climate...

I agree. I was going to say that that kind of cross-departmental strategy is so important, because all Departments are impacted and can do things that could help, but that is made difficult when Departments are so siloed.

The EFRA Committee, on which I sit, has an ongoing inquiry into climate...

The hon. Lady mentions the Environment Agency, which is causing quite high levels of stress. I should declare an interest: my partner is a farmer, and we had an 80-acre lake for some weeks on the farm. The Environment Agency started thinking about bringing the pumps only after the storms...

The hon. Lady mentions the Environment Agency, which is causing quite high levels of stress. I should declare an interest: my partner is a farmer, and we had an 80-acre lake for some weeks on the farm. The Environment Agency started thinking about bringing the pumps only after the storms...

Of course, the EA has struggled with funding for the past 10 years, after it had been cut so badly.

Of course, the EA has struggled with funding for the past 10 years, after it had been cut so badly.

The hon. Lady is being very generous with her time. In my constituency, several homes along the seafront were very badly damaged by storms in February, and as they cannot be lived in, the residents have been evacuated. Seafront protection, which is a responsibility of the Environment Agency, is key—particularly...

The hon. Lady is being very generous with her time. In my constituency, several homes along the seafront were very badly damaged by storms in February, and as they cannot be lived in, the residents have been evacuated. Seafront protection, which is a responsibility of the Environment Agency, is key—particularly...

Yes, a great deal of work will have to be done in future, because this will not get better; it will get worse.

Businesses that rely on electricity and broadband are paralysed by outages during extreme weather events, and hospitals risk losing power or water. Heavy rainfall has even led to...

Yes, a great deal of work will have to be done in future, because this will not get better; it will get worse.

Businesses that rely on electricity and broadband are paralysed by outages during extreme weather events, and hospitals risk losing power or water. Heavy rainfall has even led to...

I congratulate the hon. Lady on bringing this really important debate to the Chamber. Does she agree that the railway is a key part of the infrastructure and communications she is talking about, and we must focus on getting the final phase of the Dawlish rail resilience programme completed, along...

I congratulate the hon. Lady on bringing this really important debate to the Chamber. Does she agree that the railway is a key part of the infrastructure and communications she is talking about, and we must focus on getting the final phase of the Dawlish rail resilience programme completed, along...

The hon. Member feels my pain. Yes, of course we need a strategic plan for our rail in the south-west. That is fundamental, and I will come on to it later.

The hon. Member feels my pain. Yes, of course we need a strategic plan for our rail in the south-west. That is fundamental, and I will come on to it later.