Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Friday, 30 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 3 February 2026. It was answered by Mary Creagh (Labour) on Thursday, 5 February 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Peatlands: Conservation
- Question
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of peatland protection on (a) flood resilience and (b) drought mitigation.
- Answer
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As set out in Natural England’s evidence review NEER155, protecting and restoring blanket bog supports natural water regulation by increasing water storage, slowing runoff and sustaining baseflows, contributing to improved flood resilience and helping to mitigate drought impacts during prolonged dry periods.
In September 2025, we strengthened protections for upland peat by amending the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 to further restrict unnecessary burning on upland deep peat, supporting climate, water resilience and biodiversity objectives.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 109944
- Session
- 2024-26
- Grouped for answer
- Yes
- Subjects
- Conservation Flood control Droughts Peatlands
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-02-05 17:33:18 +0000
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-26/109944
- In Indexing
- http://indexing.parliament.uk/Content/Edit/1?uri=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-26/109944
- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-26/109944