Burning Licences, Missing Peat Figures and a Wildfire Action Plan: Parliamentary Questions Summary, 7 to 11 September 2026

Quick summary

• Defra confirmed prescribed burning may still be licensed where wildfire risk is evidenced and alternatives fail.

• Ministers cannot say how much peat the 2025 wildfires destroyed.

• MHCLG named land managers as part of local wildfire response; Defra named nature recovery experts.

• Ten Morello questions produced two different departmental answers on rural resilience.

Forty written questions, relevant to moorland management, were answered between 7 and 11 September across eight departments, nineteen from Defra. Perhaps the most significant line came from Defra minister Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, who confirmed managers can still apply for a burning licence where wildfire risk is evidenced and no alternative exists.

Wildfire and fire management

Defra answered on land management. MHCLG answered on funding and local fire capability. The two departments did not describe the same problem.

• Sir Julian Smith (Conservative, Skipton and Ripon) asked whether controlled burning for wildfire prevention should count within the favourable conservation status definition for blanket bog. The government recognises that "prescribed burning may be necessary in limited circumstances", with licences available on evidenced risk. UIN 20000

• Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour, Calder Valley) asked what steps protect moorland from wildfire. The answer was rewetting and the 2025 burning regulations amendment, "expanding restrictions on unnecessary burning practices". UIN 24879

• Sammy Wilson (DUP, East Antrim) asked what assessment Defra has made of mowing, burning and grazing restrictions on fuel volume, age, moisture and flammability. None was given. A commissioned study covers "grazing, mowing and controlled burning". UIN 19919

• Dr Scott Arthur (Labour, Edinburgh South West) asked whether MHCLG had assessed European aerial suppression models. Florence Eshalomi gave none, citing local risk plans and "collaborative working at the local level between land managers" and first responders. UIN 24534

• Cat Smith (Labour, Lancaster and Wyre) asked whether rewilding and nature recovery experts would shape the Wildfire Action Plan. Defra and MHCLG will develop it jointly, weighing "evidence from a range of stakeholders, including nature recovery experts". Land managers went unnamed. UIN 21175

• David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat, Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe) asked why UK burnt area rose against global trends. Defra is still evaluating causes, distinguishing "heathland fire in the East of England compared to moorland fires". UIN 24815

• Bradley Thomas (Conservative, Bromsgrove) asked whether environmental land management schemes account for extreme wildfire conditions. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier already includes "options for wildfire planning, fire and fuel breaks, and fire belts". UIN 26282

• Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat, West Dorset) tabled ten questions across Defra and MHCLG. Defra answered with land use change, "restoring the peatlands, wetlands and woodlands that store carbon and reduce wildfire risk", and sixteen Dorset restoration sites since 2023. UIN 25096

• MHCLG answered Morello differently. Eshalomi cited "almost £1.95 billion in core spending power" for standalone fire and rescue authorities, then returned equipment decisions to each authority. Aircraft and preparedness drew the same text. UIN 25125

• Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour, Poole) asked which environmental organisations are invited to the National Wildfire Summit. No list was given. The summit will focus on "preparedness and resilience" later this year. UIN 25391

• Vikki Slade, Jonathan Davies, Graham Leadbitter and Dr Scott Arthur each asked the Ministry of Defence about aerial firefighting. Louise Sandher-Jones gave all four the same reply: responsibility rests with civil authorities, with military help available on request. UIN 24544

• Shivani Raja (Conservative, Leicester East) asked three departments. MHCLG gave Leicestershire's "core spending power of £55.56 million, an increase of 7.29%"; Defra said guidance is local. UIN 22476

• Edward Morello also asked about disposable barbecues. Retailers have been told the products "must be removed from sale immediately" while heightened risk continues. Two drew identical replies. UIN 25101

Peatland and uplands

One answer dealt with peatland outside a fire framing, and featured the week's largest figures.

• Sir Mark Hendrick (Labour, Preston) asked about wetland, peatland and floodplain restoration as flood defence. Emma Hardy committed "£300 million in standalone natural flood management (NFM) schemes between now and 2036", plus £85 million for peatland restoration by 2030. UIN 19840

Rewilding

• Sir James Cleverly (Conservative, Braintree) asked what assessment has been made of rewilding's effect on wildfire frequency. None was offered. Riddell-Carpenter pointed to the Land Use Framework and called nature recovery "one component in the toolkit for reducing the risks and severity of wildfires". UIN 20330

What ministers did not answer

Five answers declined the question as asked.

• Asked how much peat the 2025 wildfires destroyed, Defra said figures for the scale of wildfires on peat and "the amount peat destroyed are not yet available". UIN 24814

• Asked what steps the National Resilience Wildfire Advisor will take, MHCLG described local planning and said the adviser "will be looped into a lot of these conversations". UIN 21841

• Asked about the adequacy of firefighting protective equipment, MHCLG said procurement and operational use are "matters for individual fire and rescue authorities and services". UIN 26856

• Asked what guidance local authorities receive on grass fire risk, Defra replied that "Defra does not issue county-specific wildfire guidance". UIN 22373

• Asked how many phones received duplicate emergency alerts, Dan Jarvis said cell broadcast technology makes it "not possible to verify how many phones received two or more alerts". UIN 21328

Coming up

Five highly relevant questions tabled in the window await an answer, all to Defra.

• Kevin Hollinrake on the role of prescribed burning in reducing wildfire risk and when peatland burning is authorised: UIN 27486

• Ben Lake on the fire intensity multiplier Defra uses for higher fuel loads: UIN 27505

• Kevin Hollinrake on the policy implications of Fielding et al. (2025): UIN 27487

• Sammy Wilson on Biodiversity Net Gain, peatland restoration funding and onshore wind: UIN 29118

• Mr Alex Barros-Curtis on scaling up peatland restoration and woodland expansion: UIN 29253