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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2018 to Question 120689 on Wood-burning Stoves, what steps he is taking through (a) planning regulations and (b) otherwise to reduce the primary emissions of harmful particulate matter from the use of wood-burning stoves.

Planning is the responsibility of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). My Department is working with MHCLG on their update on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The NPPF requires that planning policies should sustain compliance with and contribute towards EU limit values or national objectives for pollutants.

On 22 May, we published our Clean Air Strategy for consultation which aims to cut air pollution and save lives. The strategy includes plans to introduce new environmental legislation which will ensure only the cleanest domestic fuels will be available for sale and only the cleanest stoves will be available to buy and install in England, preventing 8,000 tonnes of harmful particulate matter from entering the atmosphere each year. Cleaner fuels and stoves produce less smoke, less soot and more heat.

We will be launching a further detailed consultation later this year on our proposals to phase out the most polluting domestic fuels.

Ahead of introducing new legislation, my Department has been working with industry sectors to introduce voluntary initiatives. This has seen the introduction of Ecodesign Ready labelling by the stove industry in February 2017 which brings in emission standards ahead of the EU Regulatory deadline of 2022.

We have also worked with the wood fuel industry on the Ready to Burn scheme which was launched in Autumn 2017. The scheme informs consumers about the importance of using clean, quality wood-fuel to improve air quality which will reduce harmful emissions.

In addition, my Department have also been working with other industry sectors, such as chimney sweep organisations to provide advice to consumers in their own homes. This has resulted in an information guide (https://tinyurl.com/y8clbglu) which provides clear advice on the procedures to follow when lighting a stove, to minimise smoke emissions.