Martin raises the issue of affordable home insurance against floods for the people of Cleethorpes.
Martin has asked a question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Ministerial team in the Commons chamber regarding flood insurance. He asked that the department consider people in Cleethorpes who are designated high risk for floods due to their postcode despite not having experienced a flood for 50 years or more when in negotiations with insurance providers.
Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con): What progress his Department is making on negotiations with the Association of British Insurers to ensure that affordable home insurance against flooding is available to householders in Cleethorpes constituency and elsewhere. [139065]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Richard Benyon): Constructive discussions with the Association of British Insurers on behalf of their members and with others about the future of flood insurance continue at the highest levels of government. A range of options are on the table and no final decisions have been taken. We need a solution that ensures affordable insurance bills for those at flood risk but does not place unsustainable costs on wider policyholders and the taxpayer.
Martin Vickers: The Minister will be aware that many residents of Cleethorpes and other towns live in areas that are designated as high risk by virtue of their postcode as a result of Environment Agency mapping even though they might not have flooded for 50 years or more. Will he take on board those concerns and bear them in mind in his negotiations with the insurers?
Richard Benyon: I entirely understand that frustration, but the Environment Agency now provides mapping down to a 50 metre by 50 metre square, which is a lot more accurate than using postcodes. Insurers sometimes take different approaches to assessing flood risk and, in addition to Environment Agency data, most companies will use past claims history. I urge my hon. Friend and his constituents to use their local Environment Agency office, which is, I think, in Lincoln, as it can provide details of individual properties that are at risk. That can be extremely useful for householders in their negotiations with an insurer.