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My Lords, may I take a moment to welcome the noble Baroness, Lady Curran, and thank the outgoing noble Lord, Lord Whitehead? We look forward to his continuing contributions. We support this measure. As a day-one action, it is welcome—it will save about £40 off a typical fuel bill for about six months—but as a policy lever of government, it is costly and ineffective. What further action will the new Administration take to remove policy costs from electricity bills to help support further energy market reforms? They are the real policy levers we need so that we can make progress on reducing bills and continuing the energy transition.
My Lords, may I take a moment to welcome the noble Baroness, Lady Curran, and thank the outgoing noble Lord, Lord Whitehead? We look forward to his continuing contributions. We support this measure. As a day-one action, it is welcome—it will save about £40 off a typical fuel bill for about six months—but as a policy lever of government, it is costly and ineffective. What further action will the new Administration take to remove policy costs from electricity bills to help support further energy market reforms? They are the real policy levers we need so that we can make progress on reducing bills and continuing the energy transition.
I echo the noble Earl’s comments about my noble friends Lady Curran and Lord Whitehead. I worked closely with them both. The issue of future help for the energy market et cetera is something we will have to wait for until we do the Budget next year. In the meantime, we will continue to help people with the cost of living. I want to point out the measures we have taken that will help people in the short term: we have frozen rail fares, cut energy bills by £150, cut VAT on electricity bills to zero and we are cutting business rates for 32,000 small venues, pubs and clubs. Obviously, that is not a silver bullet, but the intent is there to do everything we can to help people who are suffering.
My Lords, we are on our third heatwave this year, so I very much welcome this Question. I thank the noble Baroness for her Answer and I recognise that numerous consultations are under way. What consideration have the Government given to the deployment of wearable tech, particularly to protect workers who work outside, who are particularly vulnerable to heat exhaustion and heat stroke from our warming climate?
My Lords, we are on our third heatwave this year, so I very much welcome this Question. I thank the noble Baroness for her Answer and I recognise that numerous consultations are under way. What consideration have the Government given to the deployment of wearable tech, particularly to protect workers who work outside, who are particularly vulnerable to heat exhaustion and heat stroke from our warming climate?
Obviously, the responsibility for ensuring the safety of their workforce rests directly with employers. The HSE provides important guidance about how to ensure that that happens. I do not believe it covers the point about wearable tech that the noble Earl made—I will take that back to the HSE—but it expects employers to think about a whole range of different ways in which workers can be protected, whether inside or, as he says, outside.
My Lords, once we reach three degrees of warming, no one can take on the risks, so there will be no more insurance and:
“The financial sector as we know it ceases to function”.
Those are the conclusions of Günther Thallinger of Allianz, who warns that Governments will be unable to backstop the resulting losses. Given this stark warning, what discussions have taken place with the Prudential Regulation Authority on the systemic financial stability risks of climate-driven insurance withdrawal?
My Lords, once we reach three degrees of warming, no one can take on the risks, so there will be no more insurance and:
“The financial sector as we know it ceases to function”.
Those are the conclusions of Günther Thallinger of Allianz, who warns that Governments will be unable to backstop the resulting losses. Given this stark warning, what discussions have taken place with the Prudential Regulation Authority on the systemic financial stability risks of climate-driven insurance withdrawal?
I am grateful to the noble Earl for his support for many of the Government’s measures in this area. As he knows, the Financial Policy Committee is responsible for identifying, monitoring and taking action to remove or reduce systemic risks with a view to protecting and enhancing the resilience of the UK financial system. The Government’s remit to the committee makes clear that it should continue to regard the risks arising from climate change as relevant to its primary objective. The Bank of England’s December 2025 financial stability report set out the committee’s assessment of climate-related risk to UK financial stability, which is that it is low relative to other countries in the shorter term.
We certainly do not see larger farmers as the enemy, but we are aware that small farms have particular problems in accessing these grants. So I kindly ask the Minister: what further measures are the Government taking to make sure that smaller farmers have the skills and the ability to access these grants?
We certainly do not see larger farmers as the enemy, but we are aware that small farms have particular problems in accessing these grants. So I kindly ask the Minister: what further measures are the Government taking to make sure that smaller farmers have the skills and the ability to access these grants?
That is an important question. We do not see large farms as the enemy; they are incredibly important if we are going to meet our food security targets. I really understand what the noble Earl is saying, because I have a small farm. I did not apply for the new grants a couple of years ago because it was too complicated. My farm was not of a size that would employ a land agent to help with the application. So we have tried to work with the RPA to simplify the process and offer targeted support to smaller farms.
My Lords, I understand that the Government are on the verge of planning the NPPF. Does the Minister agree that it is more important that this is got right than got out quickly? She talked about making sure that we do something about the run-off from roads. Can she add any more detail to that?
My Lords, I understand that the Government are on the verge of planning the NPPF. Does the Minister agree that it is more important that this is got right than got out quickly? She talked about making sure that we do something about the run-off from roads. Can she add any more detail to that?
When the NPPF was revised fairly recently, for the first time it included a lot of positive actions on the environment—for example, about how it needs to be taken into account during planning. In fact, sadly, I keep a copy of it in my drawer so I can refer to it if I need to. I am pleased that we are continuing to revise it and to look at how planning and the environment work together rather than against each other. The noble Earl raises an important point about run-off from roads, and we need to look at that in more detail.
I welcome the Answer from the noble Baroness. Last Wednesday was the London Ambulance Service’s busiest ever day for life-threatening emergencies, and at least six NHS trusts declared critical incidents. Nine in ten of our NHS buildings are ill-equipped to handle heat. The Climate Change Committee’s report, A Well-Adapted UK, argues urgently for solar batteries and cooling across all public buildings, yet Great British Energy’s programme covers only 200 out of 1,200 NHS sites. Therefore, will the Minister commit to ensuring that every hospital has solar battery storage and air-source heat pumps by 2035?
I welcome the Answer from the noble Baroness. Last Wednesday was the London Ambulance Service’s busiest ever day for life-threatening emergencies, and at least six NHS trusts declared critical incidents. Nine in ten of our NHS buildings are ill-equipped to handle heat. The Climate Change Committee’s report, A Well-Adapted UK, argues urgently for solar batteries and cooling across all public buildings, yet Great British Energy’s programme covers only 200 out of 1,200 NHS sites. Therefore, will the Minister commit to ensuring that every hospital has solar battery storage and air-source heat pumps by 2035?
The Government are indeed providing trusts with substantial investment—I mentioned just some of it—in these measures, and that is very much in line with the Government’s net-zero ambitions and intent. We are investing £155 million in solar projects and £400 million in heat decarbonisation grants across the NHS. I emphasise that, looking forward, all NHS new builds and major upgrades will align with the net-zero building standard.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the resilience of NHS infrastructure to extreme heat; and what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS buildings are adequately equipped to withstand prolonged periods of extreme heat.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the resilience of NHS infrastructure to extreme heat; and what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS buildings are adequately equipped to withstand prolonged periods of extreme heat.
My Lords, extreme heat does pose a serious risk to NHS buildings and services. All NHS organisations are required to have effective arrangements in place for adverse weather. We are supporting trusts to target the most critical estates risks with £6.75 billion over nine years, including risks that need to be dealt with in respect of cooling and ventilation; and we are ensuring that new hospitals and new-build neighbourhood health centres have climate resilience embedded in their design from the outset.
My Lords, I thank the Minister for genuine progress that has been made; there is obviously more to do. My noble friend mentioned Bickershaw, a huge site mere metres from a school and
from houses. The Government’s own record shows that there are at least 17 super-historic sites that blight their communities. Does the Minister expect that, under new leadership, more action will be taken to deal with this toxic legacy and clear up these historic sites?
My Lords, I thank the Minister for genuine progress that has been made; there is obviously more to do. My noble friend mentioned Bickershaw, a huge site mere metres from a school and
from houses. The Government’s own record shows that there are at least 17 super-historic sites that blight their communities. Does the Minister expect that, under new leadership, more action will be taken to deal with this toxic legacy and clear up these historic sites?
As has been mentioned, Bickershaw and other sites have been an absolute disgrace and a blight on local communities. That is why we are bringing in all the different initiatives I talked about within the waste action plan, why we are trying to give the Environment Agency more power and more ability to make arrests, and why we are looking at how to stop this at source. This is not going to be solved simply; we need to make sure that we tackle it from all sides. Whatever Administration we have going forward will be absolutely committed to do that, I am sure.
My Lords, on animal welfare issues, I declare an interest as a dog owner. Some 45% of dog owners report that their dogs feel fear from fireworks, and the majority of people who have horses similarly find that fireworks affect their animals. Can the Minister say whether the Government have any plans to bring forward legislation to restrict the decibel limit to 90 decibels, and to restrict the time that fireworks can be sold, so that pet owners and their pets do not suffer needlessly?
My Lords, on animal welfare issues, I declare an interest as a dog owner. Some 45% of dog owners report that their dogs feel fear from fireworks, and the majority of people who have horses similarly find that fireworks affect their animals. Can the Minister say whether the Government have any plans to bring forward legislation to restrict the decibel limit to 90 decibels, and to restrict the time that fireworks can be sold, so that pet owners and their pets do not suffer needlessly?
In talking about fireworks, the noble Earl is talking about something that is in the gift of the Department for Business and Trade, because the selling of fireworks is a trade issue. However, I can inform him and the House that I have had a meeting with the relevant Minister in DBT to discuss exactly this issue.
My Lords, I want to ask the Minister about future access to Post Office counter services now contained in TGJones stores. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that those counters are not closed, particularly in deprived urban areas and rural areas, and are the Government considering requiring minimum coverage standards?
My Lords, I want to ask the Minister about future access to Post Office counter services now contained in TGJones stores. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that those counters are not closed, particularly in deprived urban areas and rural areas, and are the Government considering requiring minimum coverage standards?
It is really important not to conflate Royal Mail delivery and the Post Office, but Ofcom is committed to the universal post offering and the targets, so I will have to write to the noble Lord on this particular question, because this was the extent of what I researched for this particular Answer.
My Lords, the Green Alliance has found that North Sea operators are still wasting gas worth £300 million a year—enough to heat around 570,000 homes. That lost gas is nearly a third of Jackdaw’s projected peak output. Why are the Government tolerating such inefficiencies? Will the Minister commit to banning routine flaring and venting in law, through the energy independence Bill, bringing the deadline forward to 2028 and directing regulators to accelerating enforcement before new drilling is approved?
My Lords, the Green Alliance has found that North Sea operators are still wasting gas worth £300 million a year—enough to heat around 570,000 homes. That lost gas is nearly a third of Jackdaw’s projected peak output. Why are the Government tolerating such inefficiencies? Will the Minister commit to banning routine flaring and venting in law, through the energy independence Bill, bringing the deadline forward to 2028 and directing regulators to accelerating enforcement before new drilling is approved?
The Government are not tolerating the wastage of gas in the way the noble Earl suggested. The target that we have set, which the industry is adhering to, is for zero upstream flaring and zero upstream venting by 2030. As I have set out, the intensities that go with that are reducing ahead of the target and will certainly be met by 2030.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in reducing emissions and wasted gas via venting and flaring on offshore oil and gas infrastructure.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in reducing emissions and wasted gas via venting and flaring on offshore oil and gas infrastructure.
UK oil and gas has one of the lowest upstream methane emission intensities globally. Industry and the Government have committed to the World Bank’s zero routine flaring by 2030 initiative and have gone beyond it with venting. The UK industry achieved the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative’s 2025 target for 0.2% methane intensity five years early, reaching 0.18% intensity by 2020. The NSTA projects that this will have decreased to 0.12% in the 2024 results, due to be published in autumn 2026.
My Lords, our understanding of climate change is fundamentally reliant on international global science, which is under threat. I implore this Government to do more to support international climate science. What specific actions are the Government taking to monitor the cumulative impact of that reduction in science, and what steps are we taking at the international level to support this work going forward?
My Lords, our understanding of climate change is fundamentally reliant on international global science, which is under threat. I implore this Government to do more to support international climate science. What specific actions are the Government taking to monitor the cumulative impact of that reduction in science, and what steps are we taking at the international level to support this work going forward?
The Government are completely guided by the science as far as climate change action is concerned. I share the noble Earl’s concern that in terms of the climate change debate in this country we appear to be moving away from the science—which is the underpinning of everything that we need to hold on for future action. The particular issue as far as retaining the science is concerned is continued support for and understanding of the work of the Committee on Climate Change and how it is interpreting the science to make sure that its recommendations are absolutely with the science. The noble Earl will know that the seventh carbon budget that has come from the Committee on Climate Change is up for consideration by the Government by the end of next month. That will underpin its work in this respect.
My Lords, I very much welcome this Question. The coolest years are now warmer than the warmest years used to be, and all the signs are that we have a record weather event coming up over the next two summers. Can I also return to wildfires? I think they are really important. I know the Government are developing their strategy and action plan. Noble Lords have mentioned 2022 already, but can the Minister reassure me that the lessons from that particular incident are being learned? She may need to write to me, but can I ask what actual fixed and rotary wing aircraft we have available for fighting wildfires, and what consideration is being given to increasing that resource?
My Lords, I very much welcome this Question. The coolest years are now warmer than the warmest years used to be, and all the signs are that we have a record weather event coming up over the next two summers. Can I also return to wildfires? I think they are really important. I know the Government are developing their strategy and action plan. Noble Lords have mentioned 2022 already, but can the Minister reassure me that the lessons from that particular incident are being learned? She may need to write to me, but can I ask what actual fixed and rotary wing aircraft we have available for fighting wildfires, and what consideration is being given to increasing that resource?
The noble Earl is absolutely right: I will have to write him with the detail of the number of planes available for use at that point, because, at a time of national crisis, we obviously also divert resources from other parts of the country if required. On learning steps, I think we absolutely have learned. We have to learn from each new event, because there are unique parts that come through. There is now a national resilience wildfire adviser in post to make sure that we are doing co-ordinated work. I had a very reassuring conversation with my noble friend Lord Roe yesterday about the lessons that have been learned from the fire service and how we operate in the round in this space.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are actively monitoring for any indications that the government of the United States is considering, or has implemented, a toll or charge on oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are actively monitoring for any indications that the government of the United States is considering, or has implemented, a toll or charge on oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK keeps all aspects of the Iran crisis under constant review. The Foreign Secretary set out the UK's position on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in her Mansion House speech on 9 April, a link to which can be found below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/foreign-secretary-mansion-house-address-to-city-of-london-2026.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of national gas storage capacity, further to recent reports of interest in the UK's undersea gas pipeline network from the government of Russia.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of national gas storage capacity, further to recent reports of interest in the UK's undersea gas pipeline network from the government of Russia.
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Earl.
To ask His Majesty's Government what changes have been made to the Defra Futures Unit since 2025; whether the unit has been abolished, renamed, merged or transferred; what arrangements are now in place within Defra for horizon scanning, futures analysis and climate-related risk assessment; and which teams or senior responsible...
To ask His Majesty's Government what changes have been made to the Defra Futures Unit since 2025; whether the unit has been abolished, renamed, merged or transferred; what arrangements are now in place within Defra for horizon scanning, futures analysis and climate-related risk assessment; and which teams or senior responsible...
Defra’s Futures Team closed as a central function in March 2025. It was not renamed or transferred.
Since then, horizon scanning and futures analysis have been undertaken by evidence and analytical teams across the Department, supported by work within Defra’s arm’s length bodies.
Accountability for climate related risk assessment sits with Defra’s climate adaptation teams, which lead the Climate Change Risk Assessment and the National Adaptation Programme.
My Lords, we welcome the Statement made yesterday by the Energy Secretary that the Government will be working to accelerate the £15 billion warm homes plan. We support the work that the Government are doing on heat networks but, in light of the current energy crisis, what further work will be done to accelerate the rollout of heat networks, particularly for social housing, to ensure that those in fuel poverty get the help that they need as urgently as possible?
My Lords, we welcome the Statement made yesterday by the Energy Secretary that the Government will be working to accelerate the £15 billion warm homes plan. We support the work that the Government are doing on heat networks but, in light of the current energy crisis, what further work will be done to accelerate the rollout of heat networks, particularly for social housing, to ensure that those in fuel poverty get the help that they need as urgently as possible?
The noble Earl is quite right to emphasise how important it is to accelerate the rollout of heat networks, particularly in view of the present gas volatility crisis. As has already been mentioned, heat networks can source their heat from anywhere. For many years Southampton heat network, if I dare mention it, has sourced its heat from geothermal energy. There are many other heat networks that can source heat from waste heat, mine heat and, as has also been mentioned, the future heat from data centres. So the customer greatly benefits from having access to heat that otherwise would not be accessible so far as a home is concerned. That is why we are determined to push forward with heat networks as fast as we can, and to make sure that the target—that is, 20% of heat from networks as a portion of heat overall—is achieved in very good time.
My Lords, we cannot afford continued fossil fuel dependency. We welcome the move from legacy contracts to cheaper ones. Indeed, my party proposed similar over a year ago. I support the Greenpeace Power Shift RAB model to remove gas, the most expensive component, from the market. Are Ministers still looking at these proposals, and will they take them forward? If not, why not? Together these proposals fall short, and that is my worry here. Despite the way they have been trailed, they will not deliver the savings we require.
My Lords, we cannot afford continued fossil fuel dependency. We welcome the move from legacy contracts to cheaper ones. Indeed, my party proposed similar over a year ago. I support the Greenpeace Power Shift RAB model to remove gas, the most expensive component, from the market. Are Ministers still looking at these proposals, and will they take them forward? If not, why not? Together these proposals fall short, and that is my worry here. Despite the way they have been trailed, they will not deliver the savings we require.
The Government are looking actively at many different ways of going further and faster as far as the green energy revolution is concerned. Indeed, they are actively looking at the Greenpeace and Stonehaven report on not only delinking but strategic reserves for gas in future. My personal view is that what they are proposing is a little early in the cycle but, nevertheless, could be an important element later on, in how the system stabilises itself once it is mainly renewables and low carbon.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that projected increases in energy demand from data centres do not compromise the achievement of their targets for clean power by 2030 and for net zero by 2050.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that projected increases in energy demand from data centres do not compromise the achievement of their targets for clean power by 2030 and for net zero by 2050.
My Lords, the Government recognise that Great British electricity demand is expected to grow significantly, driven in part by advances in AI. We are clear that this growth must not prevent delivery of clean power by 2030 and net zero by 2050. The Government are working to ensure data centre energy demand supports a flexible, resilient and increasingly low-carbon electricity system, including through smarter siting, improved use of existing clean generation and more efficient use of power. Importantly, evidence has shown that AI will support emissions reduction across the economy through improved efficiency and system optimisation, potentially outweighing additional electricity demand.