Recommendation 6

We are concerned that Flood Re is not providing the protection that was envisaged and that 2039 will likely be too soon to close down the Flood Re scheme given the increasing risk from flooding and slower progress on protecting properties. The Committee has concerns over the number of high-risk households Flood Re protects. It is unclear what number of the 265,000 policies ceded to Flood Re in 2023 were from the top 2% of at risk properties nationally. Flood Re was introduced to allow enough time for properties to become more flood resilient but the Committee doubts the UK is going to be in a sufficiently strong position by 2039 for Flood Re to close. The Agency says Flood Re is working well: in 2022–23, Flood Re provided cover for some 265,000 household property policies, and more than half a million 8 Resilience to fooding households have benefited since the scheme was launched. Prior to Flood Re being introduced, some 9% of policyholders with a prior flood claim could obtain flood insurance quotes from two or more insurers. None could get quotes from five or more. Most can now get over 10 quotes. However, increasing flood risk and slow progress on the capital programme mean Flood Re will be needed beyond 2039. Defra told us that a transition plan was in place but that it needed to be reviewed and undertook to write to the Committee with details of the transition plan and the review. Recommendation 6: Defra should write to the Committee within 12 months setting out how it is working with Flood Re to understand the implications of closing Flood Re in 2039, Defra’s role in the transition plan, and where flood risk must get to in order for this to happen.