To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 84211 on Peatlands: Controlled Burning, (a) what advice the Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council has provided and (b) what assessment has been made by her...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 84211 on Peatlands: Controlled Burning, (a) what advice the Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council has provided and (b) what assessment has been made by her...

To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they intend to allocate to upland peat restoration; and what plans they have to ensure such restoration occurs.

To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they intend to allocate to upland peat restoration; and what plans they have to ensure such restoration occurs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the restoration of (a) habitats, (b) species, (c) woodlands and (d) peatlands in Yeovil constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the restoration of (a) habitats, (b) species, (c) woodlands and (d) peatlands in Yeovil constituency.

Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking West Yorkshire fire and rescue for its continued efforts to tackle the wildfire that is currently on Silsden moor? At the height of the incident, 12 fire engines were in attendance. As the risk of wildfires on moorlands increases, may...

Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking West Yorkshire fire and rescue for its continued efforts to tackle the wildfire that is currently on Silsden moor? At the height of the incident, 12 fire engines were in attendance. As the risk of wildfires on moorlands increases, may...

I certainly join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to West Yorkshire fire and rescue service. I fear its services will be called on more in future as climate change has further effect. I will take away and raise with Ministers the hon. Gentleman’s particular points, but let me be...

I certainly join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to West Yorkshire fire and rescue service. I fear its services will be called on more in future as climate change has further effect. I will take away and raise with Ministers the hon. Gentleman’s particular points, but let me be...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the scientific evidence on rewetting peatland and other habitats and resilience to wildfire; and what her Department's strategy is for reducing wildfire risk in areas where rewetting is not a viable...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the scientific evidence on rewetting peatland and other habitats and resilience to wildfire; and what her Department's strategy is for reducing wildfire risk in areas where rewetting is not a viable...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to restore peatlands.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to restore peatlands.

In an earlier answer, the Minister for Energy mentioned the money being spent on carbon capture, but has he considered the impact of his net zero policies on carbon release? Last week, I visited a site in the Sperrins where 250,000 metric tonnes of peat are to be stripped from the hillside in order to put in the infrastructure for a wind farm. That is similar to what is happening on peatlands all over England. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of that and will he—

In an earlier answer, the Minister for Energy mentioned the money being spent on carbon capture, but has he considered the impact of his net zero policies on carbon release? Last week, I visited a site in the Sperrins where 250,000 metric tonnes of peat are to be stripped from the hillside in order to put in the infrastructure for a wind farm. That is similar to what is happening on peatlands all over England. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of that and will he—

The right hon. Gentleman and I go back a long way, so I thought I would answer this one. It is important to look at the whole context of carbon emissions in projects, but if he shares our desire to reduce carbon emissions, renewable energy and nuclear energy are the right way forward.

The right hon. Gentleman and I go back a long way, so I thought I would answer this one. It is important to look at the whole context of carbon emissions in projects, but if he shares our desire to reduce carbon emissions, renewable energy and nuclear energy are the right way forward.

Motion that this House has considered windfarm development on protected peatland. Agreed to on question.

Motion that this House has considered windfarm development on protected peatland. Agreed to on question.

I beg to move,

That this House has considered windfarm development on protected peatland.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. I am glad to be introducing this incredibly important debate, which I have personally secured. It is particularly timely because, right now, Brontë country—a delicate mosaic of...

I beg to move,

That this House has considered windfarm development on protected peatland.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. I am glad to be introducing this incredibly important debate, which I have personally secured. It is particularly timely because, right now, Brontë country—a delicate mosaic of...

My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech and rightly highlighting the concerns about these developments. In my constituency in the Borders, we have wind farms, battery storage proposals and solar farms. As my hon. Friend said, developers talk at length about the supposed environmental benefits, but that is no...

My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech and rightly highlighting the concerns about these developments. In my constituency in the Borders, we have wind farms, battery storage proposals and solar farms. As my hon. Friend said, developers talk at length about the supposed environmental benefits, but that is no...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He makes an excellent point: the developers have failed to ascertain that the positives of the project outweigh its negative impacts, including the impact on the ability of the peatland to sequester and store carbon. That is before even considering all the negative impacts...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He makes an excellent point: the developers have failed to ascertain that the positives of the project outweigh its negative impacts, including the impact on the ability of the peatland to sequester and store carbon. That is before even considering all the negative impacts...

Does the hon. Gentleman accept that with nuclear power stations, for example, decommissioning costs are built into the cost-benefit analysis of any such projects, and yet that is not the case when wind farms are built in environmentally sensitive areas?

Does the hon. Gentleman accept that with nuclear power stations, for example, decommissioning costs are built into the cost-benefit analysis of any such projects, and yet that is not the case when wind farms are built in environmentally sensitive areas?

The right hon. Member makes an excellent point. He is absolutely right, because the decommissioning costs are not necessarily built into what the impact will be on our environment, our protected peat or our wildlife. I know that because the developers themselves say that once the site finishes its usage,...

The right hon. Member makes an excellent point. He is absolutely right, because the decommissioning costs are not necessarily built into what the impact will be on our environment, our protected peat or our wildlife. I know that because the developers themselves say that once the site finishes its usage,...

As the Member for Shipley and a neighbouring constituent, I want to make those listening aware that we have attended the debate and will shortly be giving our views on the proposals, as the hon. Member invited us to do, for which I thank him.

As the Member for Shipley and a neighbouring constituent, I want to make those listening aware that we have attended the debate and will shortly be giving our views on the proposals, as the hon. Member invited us to do, for which I thank him.

Perfect intervention there, but we have had an intervention from only one of the five neighbouring Labour Members of Parliament I invited to this debate, of which only two turned up. I wrote to all those Members of Parliament—crikey, it must have been about seven months ago—inviting them to join...

Perfect intervention there, but we have had an intervention from only one of the five neighbouring Labour Members of Parliament I invited to this debate, of which only two turned up. I wrote to all those Members of Parliament—crikey, it must have been about seven months ago—inviting them to join...

Sir Alec, not only did I inform them today to remind them to come to this debate, I wrote to them last week inviting them to come to this debate and I wrote to them maybe six months ago asking them to join me. They are well aware that this...

Sir Alec, not only did I inform them today to remind them to come to this debate, I wrote to them last week inviting them to come to this debate and I wrote to them maybe six months ago asking them to join me. They are well aware that this...