Yesterday I attended a meeting of the cross-party group on woodlands, forestry and timber, and attention was drawn to the fact that one of the trees that has the biggest role in tackling flooding was the particular strain of tree that is used to capture floodwaters.

Now, we know very well that very many of these trees are dying because of ash tree disease. But I now know that the project board working on that disease in trees hasn't met for very many months. Given the importance of ash in terms of addressing flood, and very importantly in terms of the risk to public safety in seeing these trees dying and falling, why hasn't that group met for so long? How seriously is the Government taking ash dieback disease and what are the next steps that you will take in terms of tackling that particular disease?