Earl Russell

Last December, we published the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. This set our goal for 95% of electricity to come from clean sources by 2030.

There are multiple pathways and technology mixes that can help us achieve this. Large-scale biomass generation plays an important role by providing dispatchable power that complements intermittent renewables and is valuable for maintaining security of supply.

We are reviewing options beyond unabated biomass generation to ensure we have sufficient reliable capacity going forwards. This includes supporting low carbon dispatchable plants, like the Net Zero Teesside CCUS plant. We have also recently consulted on reforms to the Capacity Market, our mechanism for ensuring security of supply, including proposals aimed at procuring new dispatchable enduring capacity.

Our decision to provide support to Drax was based on the need to ensure security of supply out to 2031. There are no plans to extend subsidies beyond that date.

To ensure that we have a greater set of options available to secure supply post 2031 we are supporting low carbon dispatchable generation like the Net Zero Teeside CCUS plant. We have also recently consulted on reforms to the Capacity Market, our mechanism for ensuring security of supply, including proposals aimed at procuring new dispatchable enduring capacity.

The Government is hugely ambitious about the role that local energy will play in achieving our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

The Department – with Great British Energy – are looking at the issue of local supply and the options available.

In parallel, Elexon have been progressing the P441 code modification through a series of workgroup roundtables and have recently concluded a consultation to gather wider sector responses on proposed P441 changes. These changes if supported would clarify and simplify balancing and settlement arrangements for complex metering sites, such as those likely to be used by many community energy schemes.

The Government will continue to monitor these developments closely and will publish the Local Power Plan in due course.

Ministers engage regularly with the scientific community and trusted experts, including the Climate Change Committee, to ensure our climate policies are based on the best available advice and evidence. A list of ministers’ meetings with external organisations is published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Ofcom, by law, carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom is accountable to Parliament for the regulation of broadcasters, and the Government does not intervene in Ofcom's operational decisions. Ofcom is required by legislation to enforce a Broadcasting Code for television and radio, to ensure that audiences are adequately protected from harm. This includes rules that factual programmes do not materially mislead audiences, and that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy.

Waste input ceased at the site in Sittingbourne in 2021. The site at Camborne experienced a period of cessation from June 2025 until the end of November 2025. At the end of November one further deposit of waste was discovered.

The original letter to Lord Krebs on 5 November gave descriptions of ‘active’ and ‘inactive’ sites. The description of an ‘active’ site said it continued to accept waste – this was incorrect. Defra apologises for this mistake and has issued a correction to Lord Krebs accordingly.

A site is considered ‘active’ in this context if the Environment Agency is taking action at the site. A site having ‘active’ status does not necessarily mean that the site is actively receiving waste

The Environment Agency (EA) is undertaking operations in response to an illegal waste site located at Bolton House Road, Wigan. These operations consist of two key components. The first is a complex criminal investigation involving multiple lines of enquiry. The second is a coordinated multi-agency effort, working alongside Wigan Council, Greater Manchester Police, and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, to assist in the development of a plan for the removal of the waste—subject to the identification of funding. The EA remains committed to collaborating with partners to safeguard the environment and protect the wellbeing and livelihoods of residents and workers affected by the site. Due to its smaller size and lower volume of waste compared to the site at Hoads Wood, the Bolton House Road site did not meet the criteria for inclusion on the list sent to the Committee.

In March, the Government published the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports which asked about potential options to reduce emissions from vessels at berth. This includes whether an at berth emission requirement would be effective in reducing air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide and diesel particulate emissions, and what technologies could help achieve it. We continue to analyse responses and will publish a summary of responses and set out next steps in due course.

In September this year, this Government announced an additional £448m of Research and Development investment for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme. Through previous rounds of UK SHORE, we have already funded clean maritime solutions, including nearly £20m for a shore power installation at Portsmouth International Port, which will soon allow visiting cruise ships to connect, reducing air pollution around the port. Future rounds of funding will continue to support clean maritime solutions.

In March, the Government published the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports which asked about potential options to reduce emissions from vessels at berth. This includes whether an at berth emission requirement would be effective in reducing air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide and diesel particulate emissions, and what technologies could help achieve it. We continue to analyse responses and will publish a summary of responses and set out next steps in due course.

In September this year, this Government announced an additional £448m of Research and Development investment for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme. Through previous rounds of UK SHORE, we have already funded clean maritime solutions, including nearly £20m for a shore power installation at Portsmouth International Port, which will soon allow visiting cruise ships to connect, reducing air pollution around the port. Future rounds of funding will continue to support clean maritime solutions.