Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including controlled burning for wildfire prevention as part of the definition of favourable conservation status for blanket bogs.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The 2025 Definition of Favourable Conservation Status for Blanket Bog describes conditions in which blanket bog thrives across its natural range. It states that both prescribed burning and wildfire can damage blanket peat hydrology. Fully functioning blanket bog is a self-sustaining climax habitat that requires no management intervention and is naturally resilient to wildfire. However, restoration measures may be needed on degraded sites to recover hydrological function. The Heather and Grass Management Code 2025 provides relevant guidance. The government recognises that prescribed burning may be necessary in limited circumstances, and managers can apply for a licence where wildfire risk is evidenced and no practical alternatives exist.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many enforcement visits relating to suspected breaches of heather burning regulations have been undertaken in the last 12 months; what the average cost to the Department was of conducting such a visit; and what guidance her Department provides on the circumstances in which a caution may be issued instead of further enforcement action.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to protecting England’s peatlands. The Heather and Grass Burning Regulations establish a licensing regime for burning on protected peatland with a peat depth of more than 30cm.
Suspected breaches of the Regulations are subject to an assessment process and, where appropriate, referred for investigation. Defra Counter Fraud and Investigations (CFI) officers investigating allegations of unauthorised burning follow the policies and guidance outlined within the Heather and Grass Burning Regulations 2021 and amended 2025.
Whilst we don’t comment on individual investigations, within the last two years, CFI have been referred 8 HGB investigations for potential breaches. The Department does not hold information on cases where any initial assessment may subsequently have been revised following an independent expert assessment.
Within the last 12 months, Defra CFI have undertaken one enforcement visit in relation to suspected breaches of the Heather and Grass burning regulations. We do not immediately hold the information regarding the costs associated with the visit and the wider triage and assessment process.
Decision on enforcement action or issuing cautions are taken in accordance with the Defra enforcement policy. The decision is determined on a case-by-case basis, taking account of the circumstances of the offence and enforcement considerations.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to officials conducting inspections of land subject to allegations of unauthorised heather burning; and how many cases in the last two years have resulted in an initial finding being subsequently revised following an independent expert assessment.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to protecting England’s peatlands. The Heather and Grass Burning Regulations establish a licensing regime for burning on protected peatland with a peat depth of more than 30cm.
Suspected breaches of the Regulations are subject to an assessment process and, where appropriate, referred for investigation. Defra Counter Fraud and Investigations (CFI) officers investigating allegations of unauthorised burning follow the policies and guidance outlined within the Heather and Grass Burning Regulations 2021 and amended 2025.
Whilst we don’t comment on individual investigations, within the last two years, CFI have been referred 8 HGB investigations for potential breaches. The Department does not hold information on cases where any initial assessment may subsequently have been revised following an independent expert assessment.
Within the last 12 months, Defra CFI have undertaken one enforcement visit in relation to suspected breaches of the Heather and Grass burning regulations. We do not immediately hold the information regarding the costs associated with the visit and the wider triage and assessment process.
Decision on enforcement action or issuing cautions are taken in accordance with the Defra enforcement policy. The decision is determined on a case-by-case basis, taking account of the circumstances of the offence and enforcement considerations.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the scientific evidence on the environmental impacts of managed heather burning on deep peat; and whether it has commissioned any independent reviews of that evidence.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to protecting moorlands. In September 2025, we amended the Heather and Grass Burning (England) Regulations 2021 to improve the resilience of our moorlands. The Regulations reflect the latest available evidence to guide sustainable land management and protect areas of moorland where intensive management is known to occur on deep peat. A licensing scheme was introduced alongside the regulations in 2021 and has been maintained under the 2025 amendments. This enables land managers to apply for a licence to burn to reduce the impacts of wildfire where there is no feasible alternative. Burning is one of several tools available to land managers to manage vegetation and reduce wildfire risk. Other land management methods are not restricted by these regulations, which cover roughly 5% of England’s land area.
Defra relies on good quality evidence to inform its decision-making and policy design. Whilst we know that damage from burning can occur at any depth, evidence shows that at 30cm, peatlands are capable of sustaining blanket bog habitat. Natural England’s Evidence Review on the effects of managed burning in upland peatland (NEER155) was one source of information which fed into the decision to amend the Regulations. NEER155 built on Natural England’s 2013 review (NEER004) by incorporating 102 new studies, which were assessed and subjected to the appropriate academic rigour. The overall findings and conclusions of NEER155 remained consistent with those of the 2013 review. It concluded that burning, especially repeated burning, results in a departure from the typical structure of these habitats and can impact how they function. The Government remains satisfied that the Regulations are supported by the available evidence.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will review the licencing system under the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to protecting moorlands. In September 2025, we amended the Heather and Grass Burning (England) Regulations 2021 to improve the resilience of our moorlands. The Regulations reflect the latest available evidence to guide sustainable land management and protect areas of moorland where intensive management is known to occur on deep peat. A licensing scheme was introduced alongside the regulations in 2021 and has been maintained under the 2025 amendments. This enables land managers to apply for a licence to burn to reduce the impacts of wildfire where there is no feasible alternative. Burning is one of several tools available to land managers to manage vegetation and reduce wildfire risk. Other land management methods are not restricted by these regulations, which cover roughly 5% of England’s land area.
Defra relies on good quality evidence to inform its decision-making and policy design. Whilst we know that damage from burning can occur at any depth, evidence shows that at 30cm, peatlands are capable of sustaining blanket bog habitat. Natural England’s Evidence Review on the effects of managed burning in upland peatland (NEER155) was one source of information which fed into the decision to amend the Regulations. NEER155 built on Natural England’s 2013 review (NEER004) by incorporating 102 new studies, which were assessed and subjected to the appropriate academic rigour. The overall findings and conclusions of NEER155 remained consistent with those of the 2013 review. It concluded that burning, especially repeated burning, results in a departure from the typical structure of these habitats and can impact how they function. The Government remains satisfied that the Regulations are supported by the available evidence.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on land managers of the change in the peat-depth threshold used for regulating heather burning from 40 centimetres to 30 centimetres; and what scientific evidence was used to support that change.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to protecting moorlands. In September 2025, we amended the Heather and Grass Burning (England) Regulations 2021 to improve the resilience of our moorlands. The Regulations reflect the latest available evidence to guide sustainable land management and protect areas of moorland where intensive management is known to occur on deep peat. A licensing scheme was introduced alongside the regulations in 2021 and has been maintained under the 2025 amendments. This enables land managers to apply for a licence to burn to reduce the impacts of wildfire where there is no feasible alternative. Burning is one of several tools available to land managers to manage vegetation and reduce wildfire risk. Other land management methods are not restricted by these regulations, which cover roughly 5% of England’s land area.
Defra relies on good quality evidence to inform its decision-making and policy design. Whilst we know that damage from burning can occur at any depth, evidence shows that at 30cm, peatlands are capable of sustaining blanket bog habitat. Natural England’s Evidence Review on the effects of managed burning in upland peatland (NEER155) was one source of information which fed into the decision to amend the Regulations. NEER155 built on Natural England’s 2013 review (NEER004) by incorporating 102 new studies, which were assessed and subjected to the appropriate academic rigour. The overall findings and conclusions of NEER155 remained consistent with those of the 2013 review. It concluded that burning, especially repeated burning, results in a departure from the typical structure of these habitats and can impact how they function. The Government remains satisfied that the Regulations are supported by the available evidence.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that water companies do not delay (a) housing developments, and (b) commercial developments as a result of a failure to upgrade relevant infrastructure.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is ensuring water infrastructure supports housing delivery and environmental resilience. Water companies have a statutory duty to maintain secure water supplies and must plan for future housing through their Water Resources Management Plans. A record £104bn is being invested between 2025 and 2030 in the water sector, including nine new reservoirs.
Defra’s Water Delivery Taskforce brings together key partners, including MHCLG, to identify and resolve water constraints that risk delaying development, and to oversee delivery. The Taskforce has already helped unblock 10,000s of homes in Oxford, Cambridge, and North Sussex through targeted interventions and improved coordination.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the improvement of water companies’ developer services.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For the current Price Review period (PR24) Ofwat introduced a new incentive of ‘developer services measure of experience’, and water companies now face financial and reputational penalties for underperforming in this area.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will conduct a review of the Heather and Grass Management Code 2025 and assess the impact of a) grazing, b) mowing, and c) controlled winter burns on i) the prevalence and ii) the severity of wildfires on moorland.
Answered by Mary Creagh
This Government is committed to protecting moorlands. In September 2025, we amended the Heather and Grass Burning (England) Regulations 2021 to improve the resilience of our moorlands. The regulations are supported by the Heather and Grass Management Code 2025, which reflects the latest available evidence to guide sustainable land management. The Government's focus is on supporting the effective implementation of the Code.
Defra invest in and review emerging research and evidence to inform Government policy and practice relating to wildfire. As part of its delivery of the Third National Adaptation Programme, Defra has commissioned a wildfire and peatland study, which includes looking at the effectiveness of a range of peatland land management systems and practices in creating wildfire resilience including practices such as grazing, mowing and controlled burning as well as peat restoration. Defra will continue to monitor developments in the evidence base and engage with key stakeholders.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to tackle rural crime.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to tackling rural crime and safeguarding rural communities. That is why Defra has worked closely with the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver the 2025-28 Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy which was published in November 2025.
The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities. The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.
To tackle waste crimes specifically, including those taking place in rural areas, Defra published the Waste Crime Action Plan in March. It sets out the decisive measures that we are taking in England to prevent harm, disrupt and prosecute offenders and clean up the damage that they leave behind.