Written Statements

Monday 8th June 2026 Written Statements

Monday 8 June 2026

Fusion Energy Generation

Monday 8th June 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Energy (Michael Shanks)]

My hon. Friend Lord Vallance of Balham, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation has today made the following statement:

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is today publishing a draft national policy statement—NPS—for fusion energy generation (EN-8).

Fusion energy has the potential to play a key role in the UK future energy system, supporting long-term energy security, delivering an abundant source of zero-carbon energy and with the potential to export the technology globally. In the shorter term, it is helping to drive growth across the country, delivering high-skilled jobs, inward investment and supply chain development. As fusion technologies continue to advance and private investment accelerates globally, a clear and proportionate planning framework is essential to ensure the UK remains competitive and able to capitalise on the long-term economic opportunities that fusion energy presents.

Today a draft national policy statement for fusion energy infrastructure, EN-8, was laid before Parliament. This delivers on the Government’s commitments within both the UK’s modern industrial strategy and the UK fusion strategy to develop a fusion-specific NPS and publish a draft by summer 2026. Publishing this draft marks an important milestone in creating the conditions for fusion to move from research to commercial deployment in the UK. It will help to ensure that the planning system in England and Wales is ready to support future fusion energy projects. This will support the growth of the UK fusion industry, enable innovation and skills, and reinforce the UK’s position as a leading destination for fusion investment.

The draft EN-8 does not identify specific sites for fusion energy infrastructure and is technology-agnostic (it will apply to the different types of fusion energy technology, e.g. magnetic and inertial confinement), ensuring flexibility for developers and responsiveness to innovation in fusion design. This is consistent with the Government’s July 2025 response to a consultation on a new NPS for fusion energy. That Government response also set out 19 fusion-specific considerations, grouped into environmental, safety & security, operational and developmental themes. Draft EN-8 provides the detailed requirements for developers and the Planning Inspectorate in these areas, in addition to those that already exist in the overarching national policy statement for energy (EN-1). EN-8 has a scope different from EN-7, which is the national policy statement for nuclear (fission) energy generation.

Today marks the start of the formal parliamentary process to designate EN-8 and bring it into force under the Planning Act 2008. From today until 30 November, Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the draft, raise questions and make recommendations. A public consultation on EN-8 will run alongside this stage of the parliamentary process, and officials will provide a summary of consultation responses to the relevant parliamentary Committees once all responses have been received.

Following consultation, EN-8 will be laid in Parliament in its final form for approval by resolution by the House of Commons, or by deemed consent by the House of Commons following a 21-sitting-day consideration period.

[HCWS92]

Participation in Democracy

Monday 8th June 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Samantha Dixon)]

Healthy participation is fundamental to a strong and resilient democracy. Yet engagement in democratic life cannot be taken for granted, and too many people and communities continue to face barriers that leave them feeling disconnected from it.

The Government are committed to encouraging broader and more inclusive participation in our democracy. To support that ambition, I am today announcing the launch of the democratic engagement fund, a new Government grant to support civil society organisations to design, test and deliver place-based interventions aimed at helping to widen participation in democratic life.

The fund will focus in particular on groups and communities that have historically experienced lower levels of turnout and participation. Evidence indicates that barriers to engagement, including capability, opportunity and motivation, can disproportionately affect groups such as young people, frequent movers, ethnic minorities, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, disabled people and those experiencing homelessness. There remains, however, limited evidence on which interventions are most effective in reducing or overcoming these barriers. By testing and evaluating a range of approaches in different local contexts, the fund will help to build a stronger evidence base on what works to enhance democratic engagement.

The fund also aims to provide early insight on engaging young people in our democracy, which can then be built upon ahead of the expansion of the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds. This will support the successful delivery of the Government’s commitment to encouraging the participation of young people in our democracy.

Backed by a total of 2.5 million, the democratic engagement fund will provide grants of £1,000 to £50,000, with most awards expected to be around £25,000. The fund will support practical, locally led approaches that can build trust, remove barriers to participation and deepen people s connection to democratic life. At a time when confidence in democratic participation must be actively renewed, this investment will support action in communities across England while strengthening understanding of how different interventions can address barriers to engagement. Applications to the fund will open on 22 June 2026 and close on 31 August 2026, with projects taking place in 2027.

Further details of the fund, including its objectives and eligibility criteria, are set out in the prospectus published today on www.gov.uk. Through the democratic engagement fund, the Government are taking practical action to support innovation, deepen understanding of what works, and help to ensure that more people, in more communities, can participate meaningfully in our democratic life.

[HCWS93]