Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Local Transport Grant funding has been allocated to Worcestershire in each year of the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Spending Review 2025 confirmed a £2.3 billion investment in local transport through the Local Transport Grant (LTG) for smaller cities, towns and rural areas, outside London which do not receive City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) or Transport for City Regions (TCR) funding. Capital funding allocations for all eligible local authorities are published on gov.uk
Worcestershire County Council will receive a total LTG capital allocation of £66.9m between 2026/27 and 2029/30, consisting of £13.8m in 2026/27, £16m in 2027/28, £17.7m in 2028/29 and £19.5m in 2029/30.
In addition, Worcestershire will receive a share of the £104m LTG resource funding that was announced at Spending Review 2025. Individual allocations of resource funding will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of wastewater capacity in West Dorset for planned housing developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the importance of water and wastewater provision on new developments.
As set out in Paragraph 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development and supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner. Sustainable development should be pursued both through the preparation and implementation of local development plans, and the application of policies in the framework.
The government is clear that housing must come with appropriate infrastructure, including appropriate water infrastructure. We believe that strategic issues such as water capacity are best dealt with at a strategic level through the plan-making process, rather than through individual planning applications.
A key function of local development plans is to guide development to the most suitable and sustainable locations and to ensure that the associated infrastructure requirements are addressed. Effective co-operation early in the plan-making process is essential to ensuring not only that housing and infrastructure need is appropriately planned for, but that they are aligned with each other. The NPPF makes it clear that local planning authorities should collaborate with each other and with other public bodies, including infrastructure providers, to identify relevant strategic matters to be addressed, including providing for sustainable water supplies.
Water companies are under a statutory duty to provide new water and sewerage connections to residential properties, as well as planning to meet the needs of growth as part of water resource management plans, and drainage and wastewater management plans. The water resources planning guideline published by the Environment Agency and Ofwat, sets out how those companies should forecast demand for water based on existing customers and planned levels of household and non-household growth, with the number of planned developments being based on published local plans.
Relevant planning practice guidance sets out that good design and mitigation measures should be secured during development, both through site-specific and non-site-specific policies on water infrastructure. The revised NPPF published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that developments of all sizes should use sustainable drainage techniques when the development could have drainage impacts and should have appropriate maintenance arrangements in place. We continue to explore whether more needs to be done to ensure sustainable drainage technologies are taken up more widely in new development, either through planning policy or by commencing schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, and a decision on the best way forward will be made in the coming months.
Ensuring that we take a strategic spatial planning approach to the management of water, including tackling pollution and managing pressures on the water environment at a catchment, regional and national scale, is a core objective of the ongoing independent review into the regulatory system of the water sector, launched in October 2024 by the UK and Welsh Governments. The review is expected to report this summer, and we will carefully consider its findings.
Asked by: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation by 2030.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030. Steps we are taking to help deliver SDG 6 include the Enhanced Water Leadership in a Changing Climate programme. This is raising the profile of the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector with a focus on national leadership, sector governance and finance. The programme also supports the generation of critical data governments need to establish effective strategies and plans. A sister programme, WASH Systems for Health, is strengthening WASH services in eight countries in Africa and South Asia. Finally, our Just Transitions programme is working to improve water resource management and climate resilience, through better planning, water governance, and increased investment in water related infrastructure.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of long-term water supply resilience in (a) the South West of England and (b) Wiltshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
South West Water recently received permission from Defra to publish and implement its Water Resources Management plan. Wessex Water and Bristol Water published their plans in 2024.
Key to achieving sustainable water resources, will be the development of a range of Strategic Resource Options, and improved water demand management. The plans covering the South West region show companies are planning to build new reservoirs, including new reservoirs at Cheddar and East Mendips. South West Water is currently building a new desalination plant in Cornwall. For Wiltshire, the most significant of these involves the development of a new reservoir in the Mendips, providing confidence in supplies well into the future.
Improved investment is allowing water companies to improve drought resilience, and they will be able to cope with a 1:500 year drought by 2040, ensuring a high level of resilience.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the native (a) timber and (b) hardwoods market through (i) sustainable woodland creation, (ii) supply chain development and (iii) local processing infrastructure.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Timber in Construction Innovation Fund has awarded £2.3 million to support 14 projects to show the suitability and viability of England’s woodlands resource. We will continue our current approach of funding the establishment of native broadleaf woodlands and supporting the planting of well-designed and managed mixed and conifer-dominated woodlands. We aim to increase the use of both softwood and hardwood sourced from domestic forests in construction projects. We are working in collaboration with the forestry, wood processing and construction sectors to boost the use of timber in construction and drive innovation in the sector through the Timber in Construction Roadmap.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Energy of 21 May 2025 to the Scottish Parliament's Economy and Fair Work Committee, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure a 20% renewable liquid fuel blend in oil heating.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Renewable liquid fuels are a limited resource, and the Government expects sustainable biomass to be prioritised where there are limited alternatives for decarbonisation. Renewable liquid heating fuels are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.
Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of renewable liquid fuels in heating including as a 20% blend, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstock.
Asked by: Lord Bates (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the expected allocation from the aid budget directed at tackling modern slavery for the financial years (1) 2024–25, (2) 2025–26, and (3) 2026–27.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is committed to playing its part in eradicating modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking. Official Development Assistance (ODA) for programmes directed at tackling modern slavery in line with Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 totalled £9,353,770 during 2024/25. Some ODA programmes on human rights, migration, gender and conflict will also have included components that indirectly tackle modern slavery.
Decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2025/26 onwards will be agreed as part of the ongoing Spending Review and resource allocation processes, based on various factors including impact assessments.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a renewable liquid heating fuel obligation for off-grid heating fuel suppliers.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expect to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation, which have fewest options to decarbonise. Renewable liquid heating fuels are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.
Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of renewable liquid fuels in heating, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstock.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department's timetable is for bringing section 159 of the Energy Act 2023 into force.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expect to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation, which have fewest options to decarbonise. Renewable liquid heating fuels are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.
Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of renewable liquid fuels in heating, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstock.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to regulate water abstraction rates to sustainable levels in chalk stream catchment areas.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency takes action where water abstraction is adversely impacting the water environment.
Implementation of the Water Industry Natural Environment Programme between now and 2030 will result in an additional £170 million being invested by water companies to improve river flows in chalk streams.
In June, the Environment Agency will launch an update to the Water Resource National Framework. This update includes placing chalk streams environmental needs at the centre of long-term water resource planning decision making. Investment in national water resource infrastructure and water demand management will be needed to secure sustainable water abstraction in chalk streams.