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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Land Use Framework will be updated to include details on wildfires.

The Government consulted on land use in England earlier this year. While it did not specifically ask about wildfires, the consultation included questions on how we could better support landowners and land managers to adapt to climate change impacts. The consultation responses are being analysed and will inform the Land Use Framework that will be published in due course.

In 2024 and 2025, the Government has funded a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional national wildfire capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to wildfire risk, and to ensure coordination of approaches across sectors.

Defra regularly engages with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and other Government departments in addition to bodies such as the National Fire Chiefs Council and the England and Wales Wildfire Forum, to monitor and review sector-led improvements and mitigations. Defra also encourages landowners and land managers to undertake wildfire risk assessments and consider mitigating actions as part of good quality wildfire management plans.