King’s Speech

Baroness Young of Old Scone Excerpts

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Young of Old Scone (Lab)]

My Lords, it is a great privilege to follow the speech that we have just heard and I hope we will all ponder it. I am going to be a bit more frivolous in my contribution. When I saw the notice of the King’s Speech debate arrangements, I felt a bit like Cinderella, with everybody going to the ball except me. It was not only me who noticed that there was no slot for Defra or the environment in the debate in response to the King’s Speech; external commentators also remarked upon it, as well as several people within the House. Although there were opportunities to talk about energy, there was no opportunity to talk about Defra issues, including the clean water Bill and the important environmental issues arising from the regulating for growth Bill, as well as other general environmental implications of the overall programme of legislation. Above all, there was no chance to ask Defra Ministers questions.

I asked the Library and it said that I was correct in my recollection. I have been in this House for 29 years and it confirmed that, in the last 30 years—I did not ask the Library to go back any further—there had been the allocation of a day to Defra or its previous incarnations in every Queen’s or King’s Speech debate. I am concerned. Perhaps the Minister can account for the decision to drop Defra and the environment, though he may quite rightly say that it is outside his departmental responsibilities—which is precisely the point I am making.

I am concerned in case the omission signals a diminution of the importance of the environment in the Government’s mind, especially as recent National Trust polling has shown that nature is a major source of pride for the public, second only to the NHS. Despite the pressures of life, 83% of the public say that restoring nature is an important or top priority for them personally. When polled, the public said that weakening nature protections is as unpopular as cuts to the winter fuel allowance. I look forward to the Minister’s explanation as to why there was no Defra day.

However, Cinderella will go the ball. I can talk about housing, and I want to make two pleas. First, along with the commitment for more social homes, can we make sure that we enable smaller-sized renewable energy generators, especially community ones embedded in their communities and developments, to sell their power to local homes and businesses? It has been encouraging that DESNZ Ministers have expressed positive intentions on this. Investors and community organisations on the ground are eagerly waiting to see new rules put in place. Can the Minister say whether we will see this as part of the energy independence Bill?

My second plea—here I declare an interest as chair of the Forestry Commission—is this. I welcome the social housing renewal Bill, and particularly the commitment to build more social homes, but that is not only an opportunity to ensure that more people can live in decent, safe, secure and affordable homes. Along with the overall target of building 1.5 million homes, it offers further opportunities for public benefit, if we look at how these houses will be built.

Let us look at some statistics. The construction sector is currently responsible for 39% of global emissions. Houses built using timber reduce reliance on high-carbon concrete and steel. Wood absorbs CO₂ as it grows and then locks it up for the duration, if used in buildings. We have a magnificent example on the premises, in the vaulted hammer-beam timber roof of Westminster Hall. Its 660 tonnes of wood have sequestered for 625 years CO₂ equivalent to the average annual emissions of 300 internal combustion engine cars. That is just one example of the great amount of wood in the Palace of Westminster.

Wood is also a natural insulator, reducing energy needs. Over the border in Scotland, 92% of all houses are timber framed. In England, that is only 9%—so we need to copy the success of the Scots, which is not a sentiment I often prescribe.

In addition, 40% of UK woodlands are currently undermanaged. Increasing properly certified timber and construction creates a direct economic incentive to bring more woodland into active sustainable management, with benefits to biodiversity, productivity, employment and long-term carbon sequestration.

In conclusion, I ask the Minister what plans there are to use the push for increased social housing to also drive implementation of the Government’s Timber in Construction Roadmap 2025. Will he join with me in commending the Department for Education, which is actively pursuing engineered timber modular solutions for the next generation of schools? I ask the NHS to also follow suit.