There are approximately 25,000 listed thatched buildings in England, many more are unlisted. These buildings are a quintessential part of some of our best loved rural landscapes.

Historic England, the government’s statutory advisor on heritage, carried out research into the thatching industry and domestic supply of material for thatching historic buildings. A 2024 report estimates that 80% of cereal straw grown for thatching in England is produced by around 25 English growers. In Historic England’s view, it is not necessarily the number of domestic growers that impacts the future of the industry, but their wider challenges such as mechanisation, climate and the wider supply chain.

In response to their research, Historic England updated their guidance on the conservation of traditional thatch in 2025 enabling a change of thatch materials in times of shortage and in cases in urgent need of repair. This update aims to provide confidence to decision makers to grant listed building consent whilst helping to maintain support for the straw-growing sector. To disseminate its latest guidance, Historic England is holding a free workshop for thatching-straw growers in April 2026 with further research into mechanisation solutions for growers planned later this year.

The Department engages regularly with the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), including on matters related to steel product categories. The UK’s trade remedies system is industry led, and we encourage bright steel bar and bright drawing businesses to raise any concerns directly with the TRA. In the 2021 transition review, the TRA determined that category 27 (bright steel bar) did not meet the threshold for serious injury required to justify safeguard continuation; no subsequent evidence has been submitted to support reinstatement.

The Department continues to closely monitor market trends and actively engage with the steel industry to identify and address any significant developments affecting producers and supply chains. The Department will ensure industry views are considered as part of any formal procedure undertaken by the TRA with respect to bright steel bar and associated raw materials

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Construction costs have increased 52% over the past ten years. Prices are now stable, rising only 1% between January 2024 and January 2025.

We are taking urgent action to support housebuilding and meet our mission to build 1.5m homes through bold planning reforms and a record £39bn investment to kickstart social and affordable housebuilding at scale across the country.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill contains no measures relating to building materials.

The full text of the Bill as introduced, as well as further versions of the Bill as it is reprinted to incorporate amendments made during its passage through Parliament, can be found online here.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 92689 on 28 November 2025.

The Department does not hold data on assessed domestic production capacity for bricks, roof tiles, steel, aggregates, plasterboard or construction-grade timber. Information on building materials is published in our official statistics - Building material and components: monthly statistics – GOV.UK, UK Manufacturers’ sale by product – Office for National Statistics, World Steel in Figures and 2025 - 2: UK-Grown Timber - Forest Research.

National design guidance, which supports the National Planning Policy Framework, states that well-designed places should be responsive to local history, culture and heritage. The guidance highlights the role of resources, including the careful selection of materials and construction techniques, to minimise any environmental impacts.

A local design code can introduce requirements on the use of materials for new development, if appropriate.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is determined to support local highway authorities in adopting new and innovative technologies to maintain and improve their highway networks in a way that is cost effective and reduces carbon impacts.

For example, the Department has funded Live Labs 2, a three-year, £30 million programme designed to support the local highways sector to adopt innovation and reduce its carbon impacts. Projects funded under the programme include the trialling and demonstration of sustainable materials and processes, and the creation of toolkits and databases so that all local highway authorities can access findings and lessons learned from the programme. Each project is a collaboration between a local highway authority, a contractor, and at least one UK university.

Further to this, in March, the Prime Minister announced that to receive their full allocation of this year’s £500m uplift in highways maintenance funding, all councils in England must publish annual progress reports and prove public confidence in their work. These reports also require local highway authorities to set out how they are adopting innovation in highways maintenance. This is helping to highlight positive innovations and new technologies and encourages authorities to learn from each other.

Finally, the Department is currently updating the Code of Practice for Well Managed Highways Infrastructure. The Code provides guidance to local authorities on the delivery of safe, efficient, and sustainable highway services through a risk-based, evidence-led approach to asset management. This update will ensure the Code reflects the latest best practice on innovative and low-carbon road repair technologies.

Advanced road surfacing materials, including graphene-enhanced and recycled products have the potential to deliver significant benefits to the UK, through helping deliver cost effective and long-lasting road surfaces. They may also present an opportunity for British innovators and manufacturers.

While the Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussions with Innovate UK or the Secretary of State for Business and Trade about these matters, the Department is supporting innovation in relation to such products through its Transport Research and Innovation Grants, and as part of its £30 million Live Labs 2 programme.

Projects funded as part of Live Labs 2 include the trialling and demonstration of sustainable materials and processes and the creation of toolkits and databases so that all local highway authorities can access findings and lessons learned from the programme.

There are no plans at present to amend the regulatory regime.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) is an active member of European GeoSurveys (EGS). The EGS constitution is based on facilitating geological survey collaboration to support development and implementation of EU policy.

As such, BGS is part of a major project with multiple EU geological survey partners to prepare foundational research, knowledge, and data frameworks for a possible Geological Service for Europe. Making available harmonised and accessible transnational geological data is a key element of a future geological service for Europe.

Officials regularly engage with UK Research and Innovation including with Innovate UK as the delivery partner for some of our most significant research programmes.

The Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, provides grants to support industry-led R&D to develop technologies and innovative practices to drive innovation in agriculture and increase productivity, sustainability and resilience in our farming sectors.

Examples of other collaborative programmes include the Defra co-funded Innovation in Environmental Monitoring programme. This programme has connected industry and research to the growing UK environmental monitoring sector, ensuring that the public and private sectors work in partnership to develop and test new sensing capabilities that can be commercialised, helping to boost the UK’s economic growth.

This programme has supported technologies in fields such as environmental DNA, artificial intelligence, remote sensing and acoustic monitoring.

The Construction Products Green Paper, published earlier this year, set out a range of potential measures for reform. This included proposals which seek to encourage the adoption of new technologies and methodologies that promote safety and sustainability in construction, simultaneously facilitating growth. We also sought views through the green paper on ways to support and encourage innovation in the built environment by ensuring that the safety and regulation of emerging technologies is robust enough to assure a safer future for the built environment. We also consider that there is a need for greater public sector testing and research capacity to support regulatory activity and research safety issues.

We are now analysing responses and will set out the government’s initial response, and our next steps for long term reform.

More broadly, all building works need to meet the functional requirements of the Building Regulations 2010 regardless of the products or methods used. The functional requirements are product agnostic, allowing designers the freedom to innovate and design new ways to comply.

This Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of the country’s housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. This will be vital to making the UK more energy resilient and meeting our 2050 Net Zero commitment.

Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a charitable purpose benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, after which they will revert to the reduced rate of VAT at five per cent.

The Government assesses whether to add ESMs to this relief by evaluating them against the following principles: the primary purpose of the technology must be to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions; and relieving the technology of VAT must be cost effective and align with broader VAT principles.

UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) participants, including the clay brick and rooftile sector, are provided with free allocations, reducing their exposure to the carbon price and mitigating their risk of carbon leakage whilst continuing to provide an incentive to decarbonise at the least cost route. This approach is currently being reviewed to ensure we can better target support for sectors most at risk of carbon leakage.

We are very mindful of the impact of the ETS on industrial participants, and have committed to an ongoing assessment of the scheme’s effectiveness – outputs of this review will be published in 2026. Interim outcomes of this review can be found on gov.uk.

The department works closely with the Construction Leadership Council’s Material Supply Chain Group. Their most recent statement, on 23 April, noted the materials supply chain as functioning well and product availability generally good.

We recognise high energy prices are a key challenge for businesses, and our Clean Power 2030 target is key to long-term sustainable price reductions. Our modern Industrial Strategy announced a new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme that will reduce electricity costs and support thousands of energy intensive businesses.

UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) participants are provided with free allocations to mitigate the risk of carbon leakage and incentivise emissions reduction. The UK ETS Authority is reviewing Free Allocation policy and has guaranteed current free allocation levels until 2027.

Annual variations in farm input costs are driven by global markets. UK fertiliser farm gate prices are tied to movements in the international markets, and UK fertiliser suppliers compete for market share, providing the best price they can for farmers.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the cost of materials for arable farms.

I can assure my hon. Friend that we will always maintain our high standards. All imported products will continue to be subject to clear controls, including limits for pesticide residues. I join him in sharing the really good news on that trade deal: it is good news for Scotch whisky and good news for British producers.

Farms in my constituency and across Fife produce some of the highest quality grain in the world. However, many farmers are struggling to make a profit as imported grain is often produced at a different standard. That can undermine or undercut cereals grown in Scotland, which are produced to the highest standards. Scottish grain is a vital ingredient for high-quality Scotch whisky, and with the news this week of the trade deal with India, welcomed by the Scotch Whisky Association, demand for Scottish grain is likely to rise. What steps will the Minister take to increase standards for imported grain, and ensure profit for farmers in my constituency and a consistent supply for sectors including Scotch whisky?