Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are actively monitoring for any indications that the government of the United States is considering, or has implemented, a toll or charge on oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK keeps all aspects of the Iran crisis under constant review. The Foreign Secretary set out the UK's position on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in her Mansion House speech on 9 April, a link to which can be found below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/foreign-secretary-mansion-house-address-to-city-of-london-2026.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what changes have been made to the Defra Futures Unit since 2025; whether the unit has been abolished, renamed, merged or transferred; what arrangements are now in place within Defra for horizon scanning, futures analysis and climate-related risk assessment; and which teams or senior responsible owners are now accountable for those functions.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s Futures Team closed as a central function in March 2025. It was not renamed or transferred.
Since then, horizon scanning and futures analysis have been undertaken by evidence and analytical teams across the Department, supported by work within Defra’s arm’s length bodies.
Accountability for climate related risk assessment sits with Defra’s climate adaptation teams, which lead the Climate Change Risk Assessment and the National Adaptation Programme.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what research and support mechanisms they are providing to develop the agrivoltaics sector; and what assessment they have made of its potential contribution to energy generation and agricultural productivity.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government closely follows developments in the agrivoltaics sector, and supports innovative technologies, including through initiatives funded by UK Research and Innovation. In the Solar Roadmap, Government and industry committed to explore future research and demonstration opportunities for agrivoltaic systems.
Although the technology is fairly nascent in the UK, the Government believes that it can play an important role in the decarbonisation of agriculture (for example, where panels are arranged around a field). The technology also has the potential to ensure that land is used efficiently, by maximising agricultural output on land devoted to solar generation.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to decouple the price of wholesale electricity from the cost of gas beyond moving more renewables into Contracts for Difference.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Accelerating the deployment of renewable generation, as we are through our Clean Power 2030 Mission, will reduce the amount of time when gas is setting the price and will help to decouple electricity from gas prices without the need for more complex arrangements.
The Government is determined to increase the share of renewables on the system so that the electricity price is set by cheaper clean power sources rather than gas. Every wind turbine we switch on and solar panel we deploy helps push gas off as the price setter.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal in the report by Greenpeace and Stonehaven, Power Shift, published in March, to move gas-fired power stations into a Regulated Asset Base strategic reserve.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This government has been clear that the answers to the challenges around energy security, affordability and sustainability point in the same direction – clean energy.
Under current market frameworks, technologies with the lowest marginal cost dispatch first. Unabated gas generators have high marginal costs so generally dispatch last.
By 2030 unabated gas will account for less than 5% of total generation. As low‑carbon technologies are deployed at scale, gas will increasingly shift to a reserve role in the system, meaning it will set electricity prices less often over time, reducing consumers’ exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices.
As the role of unabated gas diminishes, we continue to work with NESO and Ofgem to explore how market and system arrangements can evolve to minimise its impact on consumer bills, including considering the potential benefits and risks of alternative market reforms.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator about the feasibility and potential impact of implementing a Regulated Asset Base model for gas-fired power stations.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This government has been clear that the answers to the challenges around energy security, affordability and sustainability point in the same direction – clean energy.
Under current market frameworks, technologies with the lowest marginal cost dispatch first. Unabated gas generators have high marginal costs so generally dispatch last.
By 2030 unabated gas will account for less than 5% of total generation. As low‑carbon technologies are deployed at scale, gas will increasingly shift to a reserve role in the system, meaning it will set electricity prices less often over time, reducing consumers’ exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices.
As the role of unabated gas diminishes, we continue to work with NESO and Ofgem to explore how market and system arrangements can evolve to minimise its impact on consumer bills, including considering the potential benefits and risks of alternative market reforms.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish a wildfire strategy and action plan.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the increasing risk posed by wildfires and the importance of a coordinated, cross-government approach to prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are working closely with a wide range of partners to strengthen our collective approach to wildfire resilience.
We are taking action across critical areas such as response and national capabilities, forecasting, and risk assessment and ensuring these are drawn together into a coherent cross-government approach.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the illegal waste at Hoads Wood, what plans they have to (1) restore the site as a site of special scientific interest, (2) secure the area to prevent repeat incidents of illegal waste dumping, including through the use of hardened infrastructure to restrict vehicle access, (3) implement ongoing remote monitoring of the site, and (4) ensure clear lines of accountability for its long-term management.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) is in the process of removing all the waste from the site as per the requirement in the Ministerial Direction issued in May 2024.
The EA, Natural England, Forestry Commission and other local partners, are working together to develop shared post-clearance plans for the site, including measures to support the quickest ecological regeneration and how to mitigate risks of and respond to any potential further illegal activities at the site.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the total Environment Agency expenditure was on waste crime in each year since 2015.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) is unable to track total expenditure on waste crime as waste crime is delivered by a range of multi-functional teams.
The EA can only report on what is allocated, not what is spent. The table provided sets out the EA’s Grant in Aid income that has been specifically allocated to waste crime activities since 2015. Wider core grant has historically contributed to enforcement work across all EA functions but is not allocated in way that can be specifically linked to waste crime, so is not included.
Year | Waste Crime Allocation |
2014/15 | £3.3m |
2015/16 | £2.4m |
2016/17 | £6.0m |
2017/18 | £6.4m |
2018/19 | £10.5m |
2019/20 | £10m |
2020/21 | £10m |
2021/22 | £10m |
2022/23 | £10m |
2023/24 | £10m |
2024/45 | £10m |
2025/26 | £12m *Plus, additional £3.6m for enforcement of new duties including extended producer responsibility. |
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to develop a roadmap for replacing large-scale biomass generation with renewable and low-carbon alternatives by 2030.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
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.