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To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Whitehead on Thursday 26 February (HL Deb col 742), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the protocol to surround a fire with safety measures and allow it to burn out in controlling and extinguishing fires and thermal...
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Whitehead on Thursday 26 February (HL Deb col 742), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the protocol to surround a fire with safety measures and allow it to burn out in controlling and extinguishing fires and thermal...
It is the responsibility of fire and rescue services to determine an appropriate firefighting strategy in the event of a battery thermal runaway event. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has published guidance for local fire and rescue services on grid-scale batteries, to enable effective operational pre-planning.
Government has confidence in the NFCC and local fire and rescue services being best placed to make these assessments.
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the procedure by which fire and rescue services are consulted at the planning stages of battery energy storage facilities to advise on site design, minimising fire risk and emergency response planning.
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the procedure by which fire and rescue services are consulted at the planning stages of battery energy storage facilities to advise on site design, minimising fire risk and emergency response planning.
As set out in the Planning Practice Guidance, government recommends that developers of battery storage facilities engage with fire and rescue services ahead of the submission of the relevant planning application. This is so that issues relating to the siting of the development can be considered ahead of planning.
The guidance also recommends that local planning authorities consult with fire services as part of the formal period of public consultation prior to reaching a planning determination, as well as considering guidance published by the National Fire Chiefs Council.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make fire and rescue services statutory consultees on all planning applications for battery energy storage facilities.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make fire and rescue services statutory consultees on all planning applications for battery energy storage facilities.
On 26 January 2025, government introduced a moratorium on new statutory consultees within the TCPA planning system. This announcement is available on gov.uk here (attached).
On 18 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the TCPA statutory consultee system, which asked for views on a proposed criteria for new statutory consultees and if the government should review the moratorium periodically to ensure it remains appropriate. This consultation closed on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here (attached). No decision will be taken forward until responses to the consultation have been fully analysed and considered.
Planning Practice Guidance on the planning application process for battery energy storage systems includes guidance on engagement and consultation with relevant fire and rescue services as part of that process.
This guidance is available on gov.uk here (attached).
To ask His Majesty’s Government what consultation they have carried out with the fire and rescue services in England regarding clean energy projects such as battery storage plants; and what assessment they have made of the combustibility and flammability of such projects.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what consultation they have carried out with the fire and rescue services in England regarding clean energy projects such as battery storage plants; and what assessment they have made of the combustibility and flammability of such projects.
The Government work closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council on battery fire safety. In October 2025, Minister Shanks held a round table on battery safety with industry, regulators and academics, including NFCC representatives. In the last five years, there have been four grid-scale battery fires in Great Britain. Analysis from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero suggests that these fires appear less likely than fires in non-domestic buildings.
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that Answer, but it is unacceptable, given the fire risk posed by something as highly combustible, flammable and at risk of thermal runaway as these battery energy storage facilities, that fire and rescue services should not be statutory consultees to the planning application. To look at one constituency alone, the former Vale of York constituency that I represented, there are BESS plants to be built in Scotton and Lingerfield, Bedale and South Kilvington. That will put enormous stress on the fire and rescue services of north Yorkshire, which last year had to deal with one of the most aggravating and long-term wildfires that we have seen to date. Will the Minister use his good offices to ensure that, forthwith, in any current planning application, fire and rescue services will be statutory consultees, so that they can advise on the fire risk of each individual site with a view to mitigating the fire risk?
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that Answer, but it is unacceptable, given the fire risk posed by something as highly combustible, flammable and at risk of thermal runaway as these battery energy storage facilities, that fire and rescue services should not be statutory consultees to the planning application. To look at one constituency alone, the former Vale of York constituency that I represented, there are BESS plants to be built in Scotton and Lingerfield, Bedale and South Kilvington. That will put enormous stress on the fire and rescue services of north Yorkshire, which last year had to deal with one of the most aggravating and long-term wildfires that we have seen to date. Will the Minister use his good offices to ensure that, forthwith, in any current planning application, fire and rescue services will be statutory consultees, so that they can advise on the fire risk of each individual site with a view to mitigating the fire risk?
The Government already have moved to make sure that the fire services and developers are closely involved in applications as far as large batteries are concerned. The planning practice guidance has been updated to ensure that developers consult fire services in the pursuit of their applications. The fire service itself considers that to become a statutory consultee would prove enormously bureaucratic and additional to its particular work, and is in line with that particular planning practice guidance update.
To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources they will make available to fire services in England to tackle fires at battery storage plants.
To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources they will make available to fire services in England to tackle fires at battery storage plants.
Fires at battery storage plants are rare and government expects any related fire services costs to be resourced from overall budgets.
Last year the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities receiving an increase in core spending power of £69.1 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the fire risks of battery storage plants.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the fire risks of battery storage plants.
The government takes fire safety extremely seriously. The risk of a fire starting at grid-scale battery sites is lower than those at non-domestic buildings in general from all sources. Existing regulations and guidance limit the impact of a fire were one to occur, in particular with respect to location and operating conditions.
To ask His Majesty's Government what compensation is available to residents who have to evacuate due to a fire at a battery storage unit.
To ask His Majesty's Government what compensation is available to residents who have to evacuate due to a fire at a battery storage unit.
Government is not aware of any evacuations which have been required in Britain because of fire at a battery site and does not consider the development of any specific compensation arrangements to be necessary.
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have taken to prevent thermal runaway at battery storage plants.
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have taken to prevent thermal runaway at battery storage plants.
Thermal runaway risks at battery storage plants are mitigated through a regulatory framework overseen by the Health and Safety Executive. This framework sets legal requirements for battery developers and operators, requiring them to maintain health and safety throughout all stages of a battery’s deployment. This includes the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations which sets minimum requirements for the management of explosion risks.
To complement this framework, government has recently consulted on the principle of including batteries within scope of environmental permitting legislation. Government will publish a consultation response in due course.
To ask His Majesty's Government how the energy stored in battery storage plants will be distributed for use, and whether local communities will be the priority for use of that energy.
To ask His Majesty's Government how the energy stored in battery storage plants will be distributed for use, and whether local communities will be the priority for use of that energy.
Energy from battery storage plants is distributed to consumers in order to maximise benefits to the electricity system overall and depending on where in the network the plant is connected. The Government is considering introducing a mandatory community benefits scheme for low carbon energy infrastructure under which developers would contribute to community funds, directly supporting local priorities and services. The government has sought views on the scope of such a scheme, and how a scheme should be administered and enforced.
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to protect those who live close to a battery storage plant from fire risks.
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to protect those who live close to a battery storage plant from fire risks.
Grid-scale batteries are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive within a robust framework which requires responsible parties to manage risks at every stage of the system’s deployment. Developers are responsible for minimising fire risks and work closely with fire services to develop site emergency response plans.
The Government will consult on including grid-scale batteries in the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR). EPR requires battery sites to demonstrate to the Environment Agency that risks are avoided or controlled and provides for ongoing regulatory inspections.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress his Department is making in finding a long-term solution to the storage of nuclear waste.
[148882]
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress his Department is making in finding a long-term solution to the storage of nuclear waste.
[148882]
The Government remains committed to geological disposal as the right policy for the long-term management of higher-activity radioactive waste.
Following Cumbria county council's decision not to continue in the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme, the site selection process in west Cumbria has ended. The invitation for communities to express an interest in joining the programme remains open, however, and, as set out in the written statement of 31 January 2013, Official Report, columns 54-56WS, by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), we remain confident that the programme is sound and will be put into effect. The positive decisions by Copeland and Allerdale borough councils showed that local authorities can see the benefits of participation in the programme.
We are now considering whether any changes should be made to our current approach to the site selection process. No changes will be introduced without further consultation.
Until such time as a geological disposal facility is implemented, safe and secure interim storage facilities will remain available, for as long as necessary.
Westminster Hall debate on a motion for the adjournment on flood and water management. (Relevant documents: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee first report of session 2010-12, HC 522, and the Government response, HC 922) Motion made, and question proposed, that the sitting be now adjourned.
Westminster Hall debate on a motion for the adjournment on flood and water management. (Relevant documents: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee first report of session 2010-12, HC 522, and the Government response, HC 922) Motion made, and question proposed, that the sitting be now adjourned.
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will review the arrangements for gas storage in the UK.
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will review the arrangements for gas storage in the UK.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he will make a statement on the security of nuclear weapons stored in transit at RAF Leeming. - Inc ref to 04 February 2004, 417 c889-90W.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he will make a statement on the security of nuclear weapons stored in transit at RAF Leeming. - Inc ref to 04 February 2004, 417 c889-90W.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there were breaches of security at RAF Leeming during the evening of 29th November and early morning of 30th November 2003; and whether an unauthorised person was able to approach within about 50 metres of the vehicles of the Nuclear Weapons...
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there were breaches of security at RAF Leeming during the evening of 29th November and early morning of 30th November 2003; and whether an unauthorised person was able to approach within about 50 metres of the vehicles of the Nuclear Weapons...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations she has received concerning the cost to pig producers of the Government's nitrate vulnerable zone proposals.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations she has received concerning the cost to pig producers of the Government's nitrate vulnerable zone proposals.