Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of deep geothermal energy on the decarbonisation of NHS estates.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the potential for deep geothermal energy to provide low‑carbon heat to parts of the National Health Service estate. However, opportunities depend on local geology, and a number of practical constraints need to be considered. The Department continues to work with the wider Government and NHS England to improve understanding of how all low‑carbon technologies, including forms of geothermal energy, can support the NHS in contributing to the Government’s net‑zero ambitions.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the integration of geothermal heat into local heat networks.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In homes and buildings, a heat network is required to make use of deep geothermal heat. The Warm Homes Plan set out our support for low-carbon heat networks, including Heat Network Zoning and £1bn in investment over the course of this Parliament.

It is for heat network developers to select the heat sources for their network, and this may include deep geothermal where it can be proven to provide affordable low-carbon heat. There is limited evidence to indicate that deep geothermal heat could be delivered affordably across the UK.

The government is however supporting several new schemes and will monitor the progress of these schemes before taking any steps to change regulations for deep geothermal heat developments or support redeployment of skills.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what role deep geothermal heat will play in delivering the Warm Homes Plan.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In homes and buildings, a heat network is required to make use of deep geothermal heat. The Warm Homes Plan set out our support for low-carbon heat networks, including Heat Network Zoning and £1bn in investment over the course of this Parliament. It is for heat network developers to select the best heat sources for their network, and this may include deep geothermal where it can provide affordable low-carbon heat for consumers.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to streamline planning and regulatory processes for deep geothermal heat developments.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In homes and buildings, a heat network is required to make use of deep geothermal heat. The Warm Homes Plan set out our support for low-carbon heat networks, including Heat Network Zoning and £1bn in investment over the course of this Parliament.

It is for heat network developers to select the heat sources for their network, and this may include deep geothermal where it can be proven to provide affordable low-carbon heat. There is limited evidence to indicate that deep geothermal heat could be delivered affordably across the UK.

The government is however supporting several new schemes and will monitor the progress of these schemes before taking any steps to change regulations for deep geothermal heat developments or support redeployment of skills.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of deep geothermal energy on economic growth in coastal and post industrial communities.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In 2023, the Department co-funded a study with the Northeast Local Enterprise Partnership on the UK’s deep geothermal potential. This outlines the opportunities and benefits of deep Geothermal energy in the UK, including how it can aid with the North Sea transition and levelling up on the North-East coast.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of of deep geothermal heat on long term energy security.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In 2023, the Department co-funded a study with the Northeast Local Enterprise Partnership on the UK’s deep geothermal potential. Further research on the levelised costs of geothermal heat and power was published in summer 2025. Based on this evidence, the British Geological Survey was commissioned to develop the UK Geothermal Platform—an open-access, web-based tool which launched in 2025 to help developers and investors identify geothermal opportunities and conduct pre-feasibility assessments.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether deep geothermal energy projects are eligible for support under the Neighbourhoods Fund.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Neighbourhoods Fund, now known as the Pride in Place Programme, sits under the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who is best placed to respond on eligibility. Heat networks can deliver local benefits by producing heat and electricity locally, aiming to provide the lowest-cost and lowest‑carbon solutions. The Government has launched the Pride in Place Programme, committing up to £5.8bn over ten years to support 284 places and underpin community investment. In each area, a Neighbourhood Board, supported by local authorities and MPs, will decide how funding is used, selecting projects aligned with local priorities and programme guidance.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support the redeployment of skills from the North Sea oil and gas sector into deep geothermal heat projects.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Across the energy system we are working to deliver new jobs in the clean energy transition and support those working in oil and gas to take up these opportunities. As part of our North Sea Future Plan we announced a North Sea Jobs Service will be launched which will support workers to retrain and find opportunities for future employment. Deep geothermal heat projects could benefit from these skilled workers.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays related to the Planning Inspectorate’s processes of appeals against local authority enforcement notices have on the ability of councils to comply with planning law; what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that enforcement action is not undermined by appeal processing times.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to the efficient handling of planning appeals, and the Planning Inspectorate has been working to improve processing and handling times in respect of them. As part of those efforts, it is trialling a pilot service of enforcement appeals through digital services.

The Planning Inspectorate's Strategic Plan commits to removing all casework backlogs by 2027. The Inspectorate continues to make considerable progress towards meeting that ambition across all casework areas.

To help improve service delivery and user experience, the Inspectorate is expanding the ‘Manage your appeals’ service to include enforcement.

In 2025/26, funding increased for PINS’s Resource Delivery budget (to £97.9 million) and their Capital Budget (to £15 million).