Written questions by Chadwick.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) cross-border coordination and (b) strategic support for (i) species reintroductions, (ii) ecological corridor planning and (iii) access to funding between (A) England and the devolved administrations and (B) mid-Wales and the Welsh Marches.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Defra has not taken steps on cross-border co-ordination or strategic support for reintroductions between England and the devolved administrations, including mid-Wales and the Welsh Marches. All reintroductions in England are expected to follow the Code for Reintroductions and other Conversations Translocations. The Code states that, while it is specific to England, cross-border co-operation and engagement with relevant authorities and stakeholders is essential where releases occur close to England’s neighbours or involve a reintroduction of a species to Great Britain. We would therefore expect any reintroduction project to carry out cross-border coordination as part of the planning phase of their reintroduction project. On strategic support for ecological corridors, delivering the Environment Act habitat target will create more ecologically functional, better-connected habitats. Creating and restoring wildlife-rich habitat can help improve habitat connectivity to support larger and more resilient species populations, especially in the context of a changing climate. The Four Countries’ Biodiversity Group (4CBG) provides a forum to take forward substantive and policy-development issues relating to biodiversity common to all four countries.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that bluetongue regulatory regimes in England and Wales are adequately joined-up to support farmers on the border who need to move stock between England and Wales to access land and markets.

Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the devolved administrations to assess their disease risks and respond accordingly. However, Defra and the Devolved Governments work closely together with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response to disease prevention, mitigation, and control across the UK. A key forum for this is the Animal Disease Policy Group (ADPG), which is a UK wide policy decision making group. Defra and Devolved Governments also engage closely with industry to inform policy development and implementation through the Livestock Core Group.

When he plans to implement the Fuel Finder open data scheme.

The Government aims to implement Fuel Finder by the end of 2025, subject to legislation and parliamentary time. The Data (Use and Access) Bill will provide the legislative basis to set up Fuel Finder to increase price transparency for UK drivers.

What steps he is taking to increase the production of green hydrogen to support the transition to net zero.

The Hydrogen Production Business Model (HPBM) incentivises investment in new low carbon hydrogen production and encourages users to switch to low carbon hydrogen by making it a price competitive decarbonisation option. In the Autumn Budget, we confirmed support for 11 green hydrogen projects from the first Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1), which comprised £90 million in capital grant support through the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund and c. £2.3bn revenue support through the HBPM once projects are operational and over a 15 year period. Following this, on 7 April 2025 the Government announced a shortlist of 27 projects across England, Scotland and Wales that have been invited to the next stage of the Second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2).

Whether his Department is taking steps with (a) industry and (b) investors to help de-risk investment in green hydrogen (i) infrastructure and (ii) projects.

Hydrogen transport and storage (T&S) infrastructure will be critical to the development of the hydrogen economy and to meeting government’s net zero and climate budget goals.To facilitate the development of this critical infrastructure, we are committed to designing new business models for hydrogen transport and storage by the end of 2025. The Hydrogen Production Business Model (HPBM) incentivises investment in new low carbon hydrogen production and encourages users to switch to low carbon hydrogen by making it a price competitive decarbonisation option. HPBM support is being allocated through the Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs) and the Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Cluster Sequencing programme.

What steps his Department is taking to help enable the scale-up of large-scale green hydrogen projects to commercial operation.

The Hydrogen Production Business Model (HPBM) incentivises investment in new low carbon hydrogen production and encourages users to switch to low carbon hydrogen by making it a price competitive decarbonisation option. In the Autumn Budget, we confirmed support for 11 green hydrogen projects from the first Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1), which comprised £90 million in capital grant support through the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund and c. £2.3bn revenue support through the HBPM once projects are operational and over a 15 year period. Following this, on 7 April 2025 the Government announced a shortlist of 27 projects across England, Scotland and Wales that have been invited to the next stage of the Second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2).

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of vulnerable people receiving an (a) inadequate service and (b) inappropriate installation under the ECO4 scheme; and what steps his Department is taking to support vulnerable people to help resolve complaints against participating companies.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme includes consumer protections for vulnerable households, requiring industry standards and warranties for installed measures. Energy efficiency and low carbon installations under ECO4 must be undertaken by TrustMark registered businesses and TrustMark have a route to redress for any issues arising from poor quality installs. Installations of low carbon measures must comply with Microgeneration Certification Scheme standards. The government recognises that the system of quality assurance and consumer redress that we inherited needs reform and we will set out plans for root and branch reform as part of the Warm Homes Plan.

What steps his Department is taking through (a) regulatory reform and (b) market incentives to encourage the growth of green hydrogen production capacity.

We continue to work closely with industry, regulatory bodies and devolved administrations to ensure that appropriate regulatory frameworks are in place for low-carbon hydrogen infrastructure, including through the Hydrogen Delivery Council’s Regulators Forum and the Transport and Storage Working Group. We are taking a proactive approach to identify and address existing and emerging regulatory challenges for the hydrogen economy.For example, we will consult this summer on a proposed economic regulatory framework for 100% hydrogen pipelines. The Hydrogen Production Business Model incentivises investment in new low carbon hydrogen production and encourages users to switch to low carbon hydrogen by making it a price competitive decarbonisation option.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on increasing the production of green hydrogen for use in the (a) energy, (b) industry, (c) transport and (d) innovation sectors.

Our strategic approach to hydrogen production and use is grounded in robust, cross-government analysis to ensure hydrogen fulfils its role in the UK’s Clean Energy Superpower and Growth Missions. We continue to work closely across departments to align efforts and reflect the latest evidence. Including through the development of a refreshed Hydrogen Strategy, set to be published later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging arrangements on levels of costs for small scale (a) cider and (b) perry producers using glass bottles; and what steps he is taking to support small businesses through these changes.

The Government wants to see all businesses take steps to reduce packaging use, ensure packaging is easy to recycle, and where appropriate move to re-use systems. However, the Government also recognises the importance of protecting small producers from direct cost obligations. This is why the regulations include a de-minimis threshold of £2 million turnover and 50 tonnes which exempts approximately 70% of the producers supplying packaging in the UK from paying scheme fees.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for (a) Energy Security and Net Zero and (b) Business and Trade on fiscal measures to help support the scale-up of the green hydrogen sector.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has been engaging closely with both the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade through the spending review, including on support for the low carbon hydrogen sector.

What steps he is taking to support (a) scientific innovation and (b) R&D across the hydrogen value chain to (i) drive down costs and (ii) improve efficiency.

Since 2021, the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio has awarded around £170m to hydrogen innovation projects to advance low-carbon technologies across the hydrogen value chain. Hydrogen-specific programmes include: the Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 programme, the Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator, and the Hydrogen from Biomass with Carbon Capture and Storage programme. Demonstrators have been built and tested with the aim of reducing the costs of hydrogen production, or providing evidence towards the cost effectiveness of hydrogen for fuel switching. The Department commissioned the British Geological Survey to conduct a research study on the geological potential for natural hydrogen in the UK.

What steps he is taking to support the development of a resilient UK-based supply chain for green hydrogen (a) production, (b) storage and (c) distribution technologies.

The Government recognises the importance of resilient, home-grown clean energy supply chains to support and secure growth as we decarbonise our economy. We have a number of levers to support our supply chains, including support via the National Wealth Fund, and our upcoming Industrial Strategy.My officials in the UK and overseas are working closely with UK based supply chain companies to highlight and develop opportunities for UK supply chain across the hydrogen value chain both in the UK and abroad.

With reference to NHS England awarding contracts for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) services to three of six planned regional centres, if she will undertake a review of NHS England's recompression service contract; if she will take steps to ensure equitable geographic access to hyperbaric chambers across the UK; and if she will make it her policy to include (a) diver safety organisations and (b) medical experts in future consultations on HBOT services.

We are committed to ensuring equitably accessible, high-quality services, for any patient who requires Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. NHS England set out their assessment of service requirements in their commissioning intentions during the public consultation which took place in September 2024. The reconfiguration of services ensures service provision which meets optimal time to treatment guidelines, in which providers must be located no more than four hours, based on 200 miles radial distance, from the coast and four hours from the next nearest commissioned provider. More information on the consultation is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/reviewing-hyperbaric-oxygen-services-consultation-guide/We actively encourage individuals and organisations to register as stakeholders to ensure a full range of views are included in any service developments. Stakeholders can register their interest in services commissioned by NHS England on their website, which includes a special interest group for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. The website is available at the following link:https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/application/crg-stakeholder-reg-april-2019/Any individuals or organisations who sign up are kept informed when NHS England engages on potential changes to the way that these services are commissioned. NHS England also encourages stakeholders to cascade invitations to provide feedback across their networks.NHS England consulted with a range of stakeholders in the update of the service specification in line with the published Full Methods Process which requires clinically led design, full public consultation and targeted stakeholder engagement. The methods process is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/methods-national-service-specifications/The engagement report for this service includes the range of stakeholders who provided feedback on the specification and the service model, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-engagement-report-November-2024.pdf

What steps he is taking to encourage (a) domestic and (b) international investment in green hydrogen.

The UK is well placed to support a thriving hydrogen economy, with a robust and growing pipeline of production projects in development in the coming decade, providing an opportunity for domestic and international investors. My department has been working closely with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero to showcase the opportunities for investment in the UK hydrogen sector. We recently announced 27 shortlisted green hydrogen projects across the UK for the second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2), marking a key milestone and reaffirming the Government’s commitment to the sector. Our upcoming industrial strategy will provide support for global investors.

What discussions his Department has had on the impact of the proposed green energy network on military aircraft operating in Brecon, Radnor and Cwmtawe constituency.

Without specific details of the proposal referenced, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are unable to confirm whether we have been consulted on this potential development. The MOD is a statutory consultee in the UK planning systems to safeguard operational defence sites and routinely responds to representations. The MOD will raise objections to any developments that may adversely impact Defence capabilities.

Whether representations have been made to his Department on the potential impact of energy parks and associated infrastructure on the Welsh Military Tactical Training Area.

Without details of any specific development being referred to, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are unable to confirm whether we have been consulted upon a particular development. The MOD is a statutory consultee in the UK planning systems to safeguard operational defence sites (such as aerodromes, technical sites and explosives storage sites) as well as defence capabilities such as defence radar coverage and the UK military low flying system. The MOD routinely responds to representations and will raise objections to any development that may adversely impact Defence activities.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of energy parks on communities.

Energy National Policy Statements state that impacts of Nationally Significant (energy) Infrastructure Projects on local communities should be kept to a minimum, and at a level that is acceptable. Developers are required to undertake an assessment of likely significant environmental impacts and to describe how the mitigation hierarchy (avoid, reduce, mitigate, compensate) has been applied to address possible impacts, including cumulative, on the wider environment. In addition, through the Clean Power Action Plan, we have made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it. On 21st May we published our working paper setting out proposals for mandatory community benefits for low carbon infrastructure and seeking views on shared ownership.

What discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on placing cables underground for national energy infrastructure associated with energy parks in areas (a) of high outstanding natural beauty and (b) designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Details of Ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. The Government’s policy on undergrounding is set out in the energy National Policy Statement for electricity networks (EN-5), which sets a strong starting presumption of overhead lines, except in nationally designated landscapes - such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest - where undergrounding is the starting presumption.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of placing cables for national energy infrastructure associated with energy parks underground.

The Government’s overarching position on undergrounding is set out in the National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks Infrastructure (NPS EN-5). It states that overhead lines should be the strong starting presumption except in nationally designated landscapes where undergrounding is the starting presumption. Developers are responsible for designing electricity network infrastructure, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, planning policy and regulatory requirements, and assessing the merits of undergrounding cables on a project-by-project basis. The Government does not make assessments for specific projects unless they come to the Secretary of State for a final planning decision.