Climate Change: Wildfire Strategy and Action Plan

Question

12:02:00

Asked by

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the increased risk of wildfires caused by climate change; and when they will publish a Wildfire Strategy and Action Plan.

My Lords, outdoor fires, especially wildfires, are expected by many academics to increase in frequency and impact, predominantly driven by climate change. The Home Office, as the former lead government department for wildfire, worked closely with Defra, its agencies and other stakeholders to identify policy options to enhance our resilience and response to wildfires. The outcomes of this work are currently being considered following the transition of fire functions to MHCLG on 1 April.

My Lords, we are having a bad wildfire year, with 439 wildfires and 95 square miles burned already. By mid-April, the total burned area will be the second worst on record. Wildfires are devastating to people and property, and brutal to our biodiversity and net-zero efforts. I push the Government to do more. I ask the Minister to review our wildfire resilience plans for the rest of this year, to respond to the NFCC’s urgent calls for dedicated funding and specialist equipment, and for further action to improve public education.

My Lords, the noble Earl is right to raise this important issue. The numbers he highlighted are worrying. We are working closely with the NFCC. We continue to fund the national resilience wildfire adviser, who is tasked with reviewing capability and approaches across the fire sector. We are also providing proactive public safety communications on barbeques, cigarettes and open fires, in collaboration with the National Fire Chiefs Council.

My Lords, would the Minister agree that there are three key ingredients to a wildfire: ignition, oxygen and fuel load? As most of the owners of our treasured landscape do not look after the fuel load, they are complicit in the wildfire problem. Would the Minister check that Natural England has the right scientists on board to advise these NGOs and other owners, and that it is taking account of the latest science on wildfire?

My Lords, the noble Earl made an interesting point and spoke about the ingredients that contribute to wildfires. On his request to check with Natural England, I will go back and check with colleagues on this particular area. We work with stakeholders across the country, in particular local fire and rescue services and fire authorities in relevant areas. I will come back to the noble Earl with some assurances of the work Natural England is doing.

My Lords, I encourage my noble friend the Minister to talk to the devolved nations and regions, particularly the Northern Ireland Executive. In Northern Ireland, there has been considerable prevalence of wildfires over the last months and the last few years. Could the Minister discuss with the devolved nations and regions causes and mitigation measures to ensure the protection of natural wildlife habitats?

My noble friend is right to highlight that wildfire is a devolved issue. The national resilience wildfire adviser covers the whole United Kingdom. My department has a very strong relationship with the devolved Governments across all areas, but I will have conversations with relevant counterparts within the devolved departments—those in Northern Ireland in particular—and find out more about how we can do things more collaboratively, as this issue affects all our nations.

Would the Minister look at the policy on moorland and the selective burning of firebreaks? Some of the policies, which do not allow any burning at all, mean that, if it does catch, the whole thing goes up and it is much harder to control. In the old days there was selective burning for producing firebreaks, which meant you could control fires much more easily.

The noble Earl made an important point. I highlight that the responsibility for land management policies sits with my colleagues in Defra. I understand there are a number of methods that land managers may use to mitigate wildfire risk. Defra recognises that, in certain circumstances, prescribed burning may be the most important tool. Defra encourages landowners and land managers to adopt good-quality wildfire management plans and to use sustainable methods to manage habitats.

My Lords, the Minister is absolutely right to describe climate change as the driver for the wildfires. Mitigation is always good in land management plans and so on, but what about the initial point of climate change? What more can the Government do? Can they go further and faster on various issues?

The noble Baroness is right. I have said before about climate change. I understand the Met Office predicts that the UK will experience more frequent and intense weather extremes. It is widely believed that the impact of climate change is likely to increase and intensify fire incidence. We are already doing so much. We are the leading department for wildfire response and own wildfire risk in the national risk register. We are looking at relationships and co-ordinating across government between key wildfire stakeholders. We have already appointed a national resilience wildfire adviser, who we will work closely with, and are working with the NFCC on the very important issues the noble Baroness outlined.

My Lords, we have just seen quite a devastating fire on Beeley Moor in Derbyshire. Everybody would want the Government to do as much as they can to help educate adults. Have the Government considered banning disposable barbeques?

My Lords, my thoughts are with the people affected by the fire in Derbyshire. The noble Lord makes a strong argument, and I will take that away with me to reflect upon.

My Lords, I think we are all aware of the devastating recent fires in Los Angeles. If we understand correctly, part of that was due to underinvestment and lack of planning locally. I do not think the Minister quite answered the Question from the noble Earl, Lord Russell, so I ask again: what are the Government going to do, particularly in rural areas, to make sure we have adequate equipment? That includes the availability of planes and helicopters for bringing water in, and training our firefighters to respond effectively to the risk of wildfires, which we are increasingly seeing.

My Lords, the Government understand this issue. Officials have undertaken extensive consultation with stakeholders to consider current challenges and policy options, host workshops on prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, and produce a comprehensive policy scoping report to inform Ministers of the next steps on this important issue. Since the transfer of functions on 1 April, the Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Local Growth has been working hard to meet key partners and understand the challenges facing the fire sector, including wildfire. I know he is committed to leading this work and continues to support our fire and rescue services to provide the best possible service to help keep our communities safe.

My Lords, could my noble friend take this opportunity to praise the work of our brave fire and rescue service operatives, who have to deal with these sorts of fires on a daily basis? Does this topic not emphasise the fact that, despite the great reduction in domestic fires in recent years, we still need a fully effective, well-staffed and well-trained fire and rescue service to deal with the modern challenges we face?

I absolutely agree with my noble friend. I praise all those brave people for serving our country by dealing with fire and rescue. I will make a particular point about resourcing: overall, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.87 billion in 2024-25, and stand-alone fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of up to £65.5 million in 2025-26, which includes the national insurance contributions grant. This is an increase of 3.6% in cash terms compared with 2024-25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure that fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities.

My Lords, as we face this problem, the two most important things are prevention and mitigation. Will the Minister tell his department to review the current policy that prevents landowners creating firebreaks, as it currently does more damage to the climate rather than save it?

My Lords, the noble Baroness makes a really important point. As I said previously, fire functions have been transferred from the Home Office to my department. I will work very closely with officials and push them, particularly on the point the noble Baroness raises. I will also have a meeting with the designated Minister to scope the options, reports and approaches available here; we will make sure that her point is considered and reflected on in our discussions.