South East Water: Disruption of Supply

Debate between Baroness Hayman of Ullock and Lord Berkeley

Monday 8th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

It is quite a challenge, is it not? How do we get that balance right? It is really challenging: we know in this country that we need more infrastructure, but how do we balance the needs of infrastructure with the water requirements that go along with that? The noble Baroness talked about data companies, but you could say the same for housing and other industries that use a lot of water, because we all do. We are looking at data companies in particular because we need to ensure that we have sufficient water supply without impacting on other areas.

[Lord Berkeley (Lab)]

My Lords, will my noble friend resist the temptation to build more desalination plants in areas of this country that are pretty wet already? In Cornwall, South West Water is trying to build a desal plant when it could perfectly well look at more reservoirs, rather than wasting power—which is in short supply around there—on pumping water up the hill.

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I do not know the detail of the proposals in Cornwall but, as I said, we need to get the balance right. It is really important. As I said in answer to the question from the noble Lord, Lord Deben, we have a problem with populations often being in the driest part of the country, so we need to get a proper overview of this.

Construction Industry: Timber

Debate between Baroness Hayman of Ullock and Lord Berkeley

Thursday 5th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

The noble Lord is right that we import the vast majority of our timber and wood products, and this makes us the second largest net importer in the world after China. The Government believe that this needs to change. We want to increase the domestic timber market, and we are investing £1 billion in tree-planting and support to the forestry sector over this Parliament. As part of developing the new tree-planting programme, we have been working with our delivery partners and grant schemes to look at how we can increase conifer planting to support domestic softwood timber production.

[Lord Berkeley (Lab)]

My Lords, can my noble friend confirm that there is distinct reticence among the very big housebuilders to use anything that is not bricks and cement? What are the Government doing to encourage more prefabricated buildings with timber, as the noble Lord, Lord Blencathra mentioned, so that the cost of the buildings is reduced and the buildings are more environmentally friendly?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

We need to move forward by looking at how we can further support the use of timber in housebuilding and how we can support housebuilders in that process. We have already undertaken action, including through the modern methods of construction sector. We have reformed the planning system, and tried to unblock stalled housing sites and increase the supply of affordable homes. We have published a publicly available specification for residential modern methods of construction to give greater clarity around the insurance and warranties market, which is important in this space, and to support the delivery of quality homes. In December, we launched an expression of interest for ambitious local authorities to work with us and industry partners to develop pattern books of standard house designs. These will help support growth and investment, as well deliver homes more quickly.

Farming: 25-year Road Map

Debate between Baroness Hayman of Ullock and Lord Berkeley

Monday 28th April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

We are very keen to ensure that horticulture remains at the heart of any future farming plans. If we are to have a thriving food sector and become more sustainable, fruit and vegetables will clearly be critical to that, as currently we import so much of them. Obviously, I cannot say what will be included in the road map, but horticulture is at the heart of our discussions.

[Lord Berkeley (Lab)]

My Lords, can my noble friend explain why it is called a road map? Is it going to include all those new roads that I hope the Government are not going to build over farmland? Can we not have a better name for it?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I suggest that we have answers on a postcard.