To ask the Minister for Infrastructure what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of flood defences in Northern Ireland.

My Department is finalising the Rivers 2020 – 2030 Asset Management Plan that will set out the strategic approach to ensuring sustainable management of flood and coastal defences over the next 10 years. This plan will provide guidance on the optimum management of defences by highlighting where money is best spent, outlining risk based maintenance and inspection frequencies and estimating future budgetary requirements. It will also consider issues such as climate change and the impact this could have on the standard of protection afforded by flood defences going forward.