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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) how many applications for licenses to burn on deep peat have been received since October 2025, (b) how many have been approved and (c) what target for approvals she has for the coming year.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) how many applications for licenses to burn on deep peat have been received since October 2025, (b) how many have been approved and (c) what target for approvals she has for the coming year.
Since October 2025, 24 heather and grass burning licence applications have been received. 2 licences have been granted so far and other licence applications have either been refused, withdrawn, or are currently in progress. There are no targets for approval as licences are judged on a case-by-case basis. Each application is reviewed against the published guidance and Defra’s decision draws upon relevant expertise and advice from Natural England, local Fire and Rescue Services, and the Forestry Commission, where appropriate.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2026 to Question 24815, whether her Department's evaluation of how other countries prevent wildfires will include Scotland's use of winter burns to protect its deep peat.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2026 to Question 24815, whether her Department's evaluation of how other countries prevent wildfires will include Scotland's use of winter burns to protect its deep peat.
Defra is reviewing different approaches to wildfire resilience including those used across the UK as a part of our wider work on wildfire prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in terms of protecting deep peat, what estimate has her Department made of i) the carbon saved by its 2025 restrictions on winter burning and ii) the carbon released by wildfires since the restrictions came into effect.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in terms of protecting deep peat, what estimate has her Department made of i) the carbon saved by its 2025 restrictions on winter burning and ii) the carbon released by wildfires since the restrictions came into effect.
The Government is committed to restoring 280,000 hectares of peatland by 2050. Figures for the amount of carbon released by wildfires on peat, or the amount of carbon saved by the Heather and Grass Burning Regulations, are not available.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 28 August 2026 to Question 18746 on Peatlands: Controlled burning, if she will publish the response from the National Fire Chiefs Council to the consultation on the 2025 burning regulations.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 28 August 2026 to Question 18746 on Peatlands: Controlled burning, if she will publish the response from the National Fire Chiefs Council to the consultation on the 2025 burning regulations.
NFCC submitted a formal response to the consultation on the 2025 burning regulations alongside a range of organisations and this was considered as part of the development of the regulations. NFCC have published their consultation response and this can be found here: NFCC Heather and Grass Burning in England Consultation Response
I am most grateful, Mr Speaker. Let me go back to the beginning: we do not have acres of peatland in east Kent, but we do have acres of wonderful marshland and sites of scientific interest. On that marshland, National Grid is proposing to build a 90-foot-high converter station the...
I am most grateful, Mr Speaker. Let me go back to the beginning: we do not have acres of peatland in east Kent, but we do have acres of wonderful marshland and sites of scientific interest. On that marshland, National Grid is proposing to build a 90-foot-high converter station the...
Thank you for the clarification, Mr Speaker, and I thank the right hon. Member for his question. Everything we do has an environmental impact, but clearly we want to make sure that we minimise the environmental impact of any infrastructure that we build. I cannot comment on any individual planning application, as the right hon. Member will well know, but I take his wider point on looking to minimise, in all places, the environmental impacts of any of our clean energy infrastructure.
Thank you for the clarification, Mr Speaker, and I thank the right hon. Member for his question. Everything we do has an environmental impact, but clearly we want to make sure that we minimise the environmental impact of any infrastructure that we build. I cannot comment on any individual planning application, as the right hon. Member will well know, but I take his wider point on looking to minimise, in all places, the environmental impacts of any of our clean energy infrastructure.
We do not have an abundance of peatland in east Kent, but we do have acres of wonderful marshland and sites of special scientific interest. On that land—[Interruption.]
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of constructing energy infrastructure on peatland on the climate.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of constructing energy infrastructure on peatland on the climate.
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has been a champion for Yorkshire and for climate change mitigation and adaptation. We recognise that our peatlands are vital habitats for biodiversity, storing carbon and water. We have strong protections in national planning policy that guide developers to avoid peatland and, where that is not possible, to mitigate. We are working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to strengthen and collaborate on both climate and nature policies.
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has been a champion for Yorkshire and for climate change mitigation and adaptation. We recognise that our peatlands are vital habitats for biodiversity, storing carbon and water. We have strong protections in national planning policy that guide developers to avoid peatland and, where that is not possible, to mitigate. We are working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to strengthen and collaborate on both climate and nature policies.
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has been a champion for Yorkshire and for climate change mitigation and adaptation. We recognise that our peatlands are vital habitats for biodiversity, storing carbon and water. We have strong protections in national planning policy that guide developers to avoid peatland and, where that is not possible, to mitigate. We are working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to strengthen and collaborate on both climate and nature policies.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of constructing energy infrastructure on peatland on the climate.
We cannot strengthen one part of our climate response by weakening another. Peatland stores 50% of the country’s soil carbon—3 billion tonnes of the stuff. That is the equivalent of all the carbon stored by forests in the UK, Germany, and France combined. Building on peatland releases that carbon. That is why there are rules against doing so for development or farming. Will the Minister please look at cases of siting wind farms and other energy projects on peatland, so that there is consistency across the board?
We cannot strengthen one part of our climate response by weakening another. Peatland stores 50% of the country’s soil carbon—3 billion tonnes of the stuff. That is the equivalent of all the carbon stored by forests in the UK, Germany, and France combined. Building on peatland releases that carbon. That is why there are rules against doing so for development or farming. Will the Minister please look at cases of siting wind farms and other energy projects on peatland, so that there is consistency across the board?
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the hugely valuable role of peat in storing carbon and water, and in ensuring biodiversity. That is why the Government announced £47 million to restore our peatlands in June. As I said, there is national policy guidance, but we are working with DEFRA and Natural England to improve the interaction that he mentions. I will follow up with the Department to ensure that we are reviewing policy options, so that we deliver clean energy while protecting our natural environment. I am happy to keep him in the loop on that.
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the hugely valuable role of peat in storing carbon and water, and in ensuring biodiversity. That is why the Government announced £47 million to restore our peatlands in June. As I said, there is national policy guidance, but we are working with DEFRA and Natural England to improve the interaction that he mentions. I will follow up with the Department to ensure that we are reviewing policy options, so that we deliver clean energy while protecting our natural environment. I am happy to keep him in the loop on that.
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the hugely valuable role of peat in storing carbon and water, and in ensuring biodiversity. That is why the Government announced £47 million to restore our peatlands in June. As I said, there is national policy guidance, but we are working with DEFRA and Natural England to improve the interaction that he mentions. I will follow up with the Department to ensure that we are reviewing policy options, so that we deliver clean energy while protecting our natural environment. I am happy to keep him in the loop on that.
We cannot strengthen one part of our climate response by weakening another. Peatland stores 50% of the country’s soil carbon—3 billion tonnes of the stuff. That is the equivalent of all the carbon stored by forests in the UK, Germany, and France combined. Building on peatland releases that carbon. That is why there are rules against doing so for development or farming. Will the Minister please look at cases of siting wind farms and other energy projects on peatland, so that there is consistency across the board?
We do not have an abundance of peatland in east Kent, but we do have acres of wonderful marshland and sites of special scientific interest. On that land—[Interruption.]
We do not have an abundance of peatland in east Kent, but we do have acres of wonderful marshland and sites of special scientific interest. On that land—[Interruption.]
Thank you for the clarification, Mr Speaker, and I thank the right hon. Member for his question. Everything we do has an environmental impact, but clearly we want to make sure that we minimise the environmental impact of any infrastructure that we build. I cannot comment on any individual planning application, as the right hon. Member will well know, but I take his wider point on looking to minimise, in all places, the environmental impacts of any of our clean energy infrastructure.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if the Government will invite the Scottish Government to his wildfire summit to discuss its approach to managing the vegetation which sits above the UK's deep peat.
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if the Government will invite the Scottish Government to his wildfire summit to discuss its approach to managing the vegetation which sits above the UK's deep peat.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to scale up peatland restoration, woodland expansion and wetland recovery.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to scale up peatland restoration, woodland expansion and wetland recovery.
This Government is investing over £1 billion in tree planting and support to the forestry sector over this parliament, as well as £85 million between 2026 and 2030 to improve and restore our peatlands, including extending the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme until March 2027.
The Environment Agency's Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative is working to restore at least 15% of saltmarsh, seagrass and native oyster reef habitats along the English coast by 2043.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Biodiversity Net Gain and peatland restoration funding on land subsequently developed for onshore wind.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Biodiversity Net Gain and peatland restoration funding on land subsequently developed for onshore wind.
Defra's peatland funding includes grants to address different challenges across England's peatlands.
Protections for peatland include the National Policy Statements for major renewable energy developments, guiding developers to avoid peatland, and where not possible, mitigate or compensate for impacts.
The National Planning Policy Framework states relevant development proposals should contribute to creation or restoration of habitats which can act as carbon stores, and contribute positively to the natural environment, and supporting nature’s recovery.
Normal biodiversity net gain (BNG) processes apply to onshore wind development. For large schemes consented through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project route, mandatory BNG applies from November.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what fire intensity multiplier her Department uses when assessing the impact that higher fuel loads of vegetation will have on the ferocity of wildfires.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what fire intensity multiplier her Department uses when assessing the impact that higher fuel loads of vegetation will have on the ferocity of wildfires.
MHCLG is the lead department for wildfire. Defra works closely with them on wildfire preparedness and incident response. In England and Wales, the Met Office’s Fire Severity Index is used to evaluate how severe a wildfire could become if one were to ignite under current weather patterns. Defra is undertaking a range of research projects to review new and existing evidence on wildfire and best practice approaches to building environmental resilience and manage this natural hazard.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the findings of Fielding et al. (2025) that cutting transferred fine heather material into the litter layer whereas prescribed burning reduced fine fuels; and...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the findings of Fielding et al. (2025) that cutting transferred fine heather material into the litter layer whereas prescribed burning reduced fine fuels; and...
This Government is committed to protecting peatlands. In September 2025, the Heather and Grass etc Burning (England) Regulations 2021 were amended, expanding restrictions on unnecessary burning practices, to enhance protection of upland deep peat and improve the resilience of moorlands. A range of new scientific evidence, subject to appropriate academic rigour, was assessed within the context of the cumulative evidence base. Evidence showed that burning, especially repeated burning, results in a departure from the typical structure of these habitats and can impact how they function. The Government remains satisfied that the Regulations are supported by the available evidence.
Defra continues to monitor the growing evidence on this topic. As part of its delivery of the Third National Adaptation Programme, Defra has commissioned a wildfire and peatland study, which includes looking at the effectiveness of a range of peatland land management systems and practices in creating wildfire resilience. Defra will continue to monitor these results and engage with key stakeholders.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what role her Department considers carefully controlled prescribed burning should play in reducing wildfire risk; and in what circumstances burning on peatland may be authorised under a licence or an approved Wildfire Management Plan.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what role her Department considers carefully controlled prescribed burning should play in reducing wildfire risk; and in what circumstances burning on peatland may be authorised under a licence or an approved Wildfire Management Plan.
This Government is committed to protecting peatlands. In September 2025, the Heather and Grass etc Burning (England) Regulations 2021 were amended, expanding restrictions on unnecessary burning practices, to enhance protection of upland deep peat and improve the resilience of moorlands.
Under the Regulations, land managers can apply for a licence to burn to reduce the impacts of wildfire where there is no feasible alternative and where there is a clear, evidenced need. Applicants must provide robust evidence demonstrating why alternative vegetation management methods are not feasible and must set out what wider actions they are taking to move the site away from the need to burn in future.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including controlled burning for wildfire prevention as part of the definition of favourable conservation status for blanket bogs.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including controlled burning for wildfire prevention as part of the definition of favourable conservation status for blanket bogs.
The 2025 Definition of Favourable Conservation Status for Blanket Bog describes conditions in which blanket bog thrives across its natural range. It states that both prescribed burning and wildfire can damage blanket peat hydrology. Fully functioning blanket bog is a self-sustaining climax habitat that requires no management intervention and is naturally resilient to wildfire. However, restoration measures may be needed on degraded sites to recover hydrological function. The Heather and Grass Management Code 2025 provides relevant guidance. The government recognises that prescribed burning may be necessary in limited circumstances, and managers can apply for a licence where wildfire risk is evidenced and no practical alternatives exist.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has for the restoration of wetlands, peatlands, floodplains and salt marshes as a flood defence mechanism.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has for the restoration of wetlands, peatlands, floodplains and salt marshes as a flood defence mechanism.
The Government has committed to investing £300 million in standalone natural flood management (NFM) schemes between now and 2036. Eligible schemes can include floodplain wetland and floodplain restoration and management, retaining water within peatland habitats, and saltmarsh management.
By 2030, we will also invest £85 million to restore and manage peatlands. Peatland restoration improves flood resilience by slowing water leaving headwater catchments and significantly reducing peak flows through measures such as improving surface roughness, grip and gulley blocking.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will provide long-term funding certainty for upland peatland restoration beyond the expiry of the Nature for Climate Fund in March 2027.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will provide long-term funding certainty for upland peatland restoration beyond the expiry of the Nature for Climate Fund in March 2027.
This Government is committed to peatland restoration. We have announced that we will invest £85 million between 2026 to 2030 to improve and restore our peatlands.
This includes extending the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme by an additional year, until March 2027. The scheme has already delivered the restoration of approximately 28,000 hectares of peatland, and this extension will enable thousands more hectares to be restored.
Once the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme comes to an end, funding for peatland restoration will continue to be available through Environmental Land Management schemes such as Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship. We are working to ensure that these schemes provide strong support for peatland outcomes, and prevent a drop off in peatland restoration after April 2027.