Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to (a) increase (a) regulation and (b) powers of enforcement to restrict and reduce the use of wood burning stoves in private properties where the emissions are shown to contribute to poor air quality.

Domestic solid fuel burning is a major contributor to fine particulate matter emissions and, in line with our Clean Air Strategy, we recently introduced new legislation to restrict the sale of the most polluting solid fuels used in domestic burning. The aim of this legislation is to drive a transition to cleaner fuels: from wet wood to dry wood (which can reduce emissions by 50%), and from traditional house coal to smokeless coal and low sulphur manufactured solid fuels. We will also be ensuring that only the cleanest stoves are available for sale by 2022.

In addition, the Environment Bill contains measures to help further reduce emissions from domestic burning by creating a simpler mechanism for local authorities seeking to reduce smoke emissions within their areas.

My department will continue to review emissions from these sources and will monitor the impact of the new legislation, considering in due course any additional legislative measures that may be needed to reduce emission levels further.