5. Mrs Mason asked the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on the ongoing review of the 2023 floods in Downpatrick. (AQO 574/22-27)

Following the significant flooding that occurred in autumn 2023 across the south and east, including Downpatrick, a joint organisational learning review is well under way to capture any learning identified on preparedness, response and recovery to inform any future collective civil contingencies preparations. While the review is being coordinated by the Executive Office, my Department, along with the Department for Communities and local government, is leading the way on the aspects for which it is responsible.

An independent consultant, Jacobs, has been appointed to assist and provide an independent technical insight into the causes of the flooding and to present considerations to inform any viable solutions. Public open evenings will be held later this month from 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm at the following locations: Portadown on 25 June; Downpatrick on 26 June; and Newry on 27 June. Invitations have been issued to those affected, and the Department has issued social media notices to promote attendance. It is intended that a formal report will be compiled by the end of June 2024, with its findings and recommendations made publicly available thereafter.

I welcome the ongoing work that the Minister's Department and others are doing for businesses and homeowners in Downpatrick, and I look forward to attending the information session. Is there an update on the homeowner flood protection grant scheme?

The homeowner flood protection scheme is available to homeowners. The grant covers up to 90% of costs to a maximum of £10,000, following a survey of the estimated costs. The homeowner is required to make a contribution of 10% of the survey and estimated installation costs, plus any additional costs that may be incurred above £10,000. Further information on the homeowner flood protection grant scheme is available on my Department's website. To date, 130 installations have been completed at a cost of approximately £1 million.

Can the Minister provide an update on the work to develop a flood forecasting system and say whether he is actively working with other Departments to deliver that?

I have been engaging with my officials on that matter, and we are seeking investment, if we can, through various monitoring rounds or other programmes that the Executive may run now and in the future. If we can properly resource it and put it in place, it will be an extremely beneficial scheme. I am examining ways to deliver that.

Whilst I appreciate that it is not the Minister's fault, when we met officials after the floods, we were told that the report would be available by June of this year, which might have allowed some work to take place over the summer and, therefore, ease business owners' concerns that the floods might happen again in October. To hear that it has been pushed back to next year will make business owners very concerned. Is there any mitigation available in the time in between? We do not want to see a repeat this autumn of what we saw last year.

Perhaps I misled the Member or spoke incorrectly. It is intended that the formal report will be compiled by the end of June 2024. The findings of that report will be available to us. We have not been standing still: my Department and my officials are still examining how we can support communities across the North that have been impacted by flooding. We want to learn lessons very quickly. I assure the Member that, when the report becomes available to me, I and my departmental colleagues will act quickly to bring forward the report's recommendations as soon as possible.

The Infrastructure Committee received information about properties that are at risk of flood. For example, 45,000 properties are located in at-risk areas, and, when you add climate change to that, there are an additional 14,800 at-risk properties. The Committee has asked for a breakdown of where those properties are. I am cognisant of the fact that the budget position is not exactly helpful in relation to prioritising schemes. Will the Minister detail what he intends to do about flood alleviation schemes for that significant number of properties in Northern Ireland?

I am finalising my current capital budget and will publish it later. It will indicate the funding for flood prevention schemes. Work is ongoing, although I do not have the exact figures in front of me for that investment. We are investing in flood defence schemes across the piece, and some are at a more advanced stage than others. Of course, I would like more finances and a bigger budget to carry out those schemes, but I have to deal with the budget that I have and use it to its maximum, and I will do that.

I am looking at the home flood defence scheme. Currently, under that scheme, if your area is scheduled for a flood alleviation scheme or major works, you may not be entitled to the home flood defence scheme. I am looking at that to see whether we can be more flexible with that. Despite our best efforts, some flood alleviation schemes take several years to deliver, and some of them can be very complex. You have to match opportunity with budget. I am looking at other ways of supporting homeowners and businesses to protect their homes and properties from floods.