Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate

The Trade Strategy sets out a range of cross-Government measures to minimise administrative burdens and frictions experienced by businesses trading internationally. We will remain focused on working across Government to implement the various measures outlined in the strategy that will help businesses across the country to export and import the goods and services that will support growth and jobs.

We do not currently have plans to require solar and battery projects to be covered by decommissioning bonds.

Solar farms are normally temporary structures and planning conditions can be used to ensure that the installations are removed when no longer in use and the land is restored to its previous use. Solar panels can be decommissioned relatively easily and cheaply. It is a legal requirement for any company that imports, manufactures or rebrands solar products to join a ‘Producer Compliance Scheme’, which then ensures their legal obligations are met, most significantly for the collection and recycling of old PV panels.

Under section 136 of the Environment Act 2021, a designated responsible body must make an annual return to the Secretary of State. This return must include the number of conservation covenants under which an obligation was owed to the responsible body during the reporting period, along with the area of land to which each covenant relates.

As part of the first annual return to Defra by 31^st of March 2025, where responsible bodies were able to provide additional information regarding the type of covenant, they reported 43 covenants that conserve the natural environment. No covenants were reported that conserve land, or the setting of the land, as a place of archaeological, architectural, artistic, cultural or historic interest.

Conservation covenants are private, voluntary agreements between a landowner and a designated responsible body. Under section 136 of the Environment Act 2021, a designated responsible body must make an annual return to the Secretary of State. This return must include the number of conservation covenants under which an obligation was owed to the responsible body during the reporting period, along with the area of land to which each covenant relates. The deadline for responsible bodies to submit their first annual return to Defra is 31 March 2025.

The Government is continuing to work at pace alongside our European counterparts to implement the agreement reached at the UK-EU Summit, including enhancing data exchange with the EU to respond to shared threats and support police investigations.

As set out in the Common Understanding from 19 May, our priority is to work with the EU to strengthen our cooperation to tackle people smuggling gangs, coordinate in our approach to upstream migration, explore innovative solutions, and enhance information sharing between our respective border agencies.

This Government is already getting on with the work of returning people who have no legal right to be here. Nearly 30,000 failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders were returned from the UK between 5 July 2024 and 18 May 2025. Of these total returns, 7,893 were enforced returns of people with no legal right to remain in the UK. This compares with 6,414 enforced returns over the same period 12 months prior, an increase of 23%.

A key part of reducing irregular arrivals is deterring those from making dangerous journeys in the first place.

The Common Understanding signed on 19 May was a significant further step in our efforts to increase international cooperation to tackle the global challenge of organised immigration crime; a comprehensive partnership that will address all elements of the global challenge of irregular migration.

The first meeting with the Commission on Irregular Migration took place on 16 July. We discussed delivery options for each commitment and officials will use this information to work up delivery plans over the summer, anticipating further work with the EU from the Autumn.

We now have a formal structure in place to work jointly on this with the EU; to realise our ambition to coordinate actions in source countries, enhance cooperation with EU agencies, support information sharing and returns, and develop innovative approaches to stop small boat crossings and other forms of people trafficking across Europe.

We are committed to resetting the relationship with our European partners, including the EU, which will support us in tackling organised immigration crime and small boat crossings.

We have already enhanced our work with EU agencies, having delivered an immediate 50% uplift in NCA officers to be based in Europol. Wherever the UK and European partners can better jointly tackle shared challenges, including through enhanced information sharing, the Government will consider options to facilitate that cooperation further.

We are committed to resetting the relationship with our European partners, including the EU, which will support us in tackling organised immigration crime and small boat crossings.

We have already enhanced our work with EU agencies, having delivered an immediate 50% uplift in NCA officers to be based in Europol. Wherever the UK and European partners can better jointly tackle shared challenges, including through enhanced information sharing, the Government will consider options to facilitate that cooperation further.