Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Peatlands

Thursday 23 June 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government has a focus on protecting and enhancing peatlands to support net zero goals and ecosystem services.
  • England peat action plan and nature for climate fund are initiatives, with 4.8 million allocated to restore 3,500 hectares of blanket bog in the Pennines.
  • Peatland code enables restoration projects across the UK, with nearly 14,000 hectares of peatland restored through nearly 100 projects.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Richard Holden Con Basildon and Billericay
Climate Environment
Context

The question arises from the need to protect and enhance peatlands, which are crucial for tackling net zero emissions and providing wider ecosystem services.

Question

What steps the Government are taking to help to protect and enhance peatlands.

Answer from Rebecca Pow

We have a genuine focus on protecting and enhancing our peatlands, because that helps to tackle net zero and add to wider ecosystem services. We have an England peat action plan and a nature for climate fund, £4.8 million of which is to restore 3,500 hectares of blanket bog in the Pennines. That forms part of a bigger initiative working with the great northern bog.

Answered
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Q2 Richard Holden Con Basildon and Billericay
Climate Environment
Context

The question relates to the importance of highlighting the peatland code to enable more environmental opportunities for areas with blanket bog peatlands. It focuses on ensuring that environmental schemes are concentrated where they can do the most good.

Question

I thank the Minister for that answer. The North Pennines area of outstanding natural beauty contains some of the largest areas of blanket peat bog in the UK. Peat can trap up to four times as much carbon dioxide as woodland. The peatland code provides a real opportunity for the voluntary carbon market to show it has quantifiable and additional benefits for the environment. What are the Government doing to highlight that and enable more environmental opportunities for areas of blanket bog peatlands, and ensure that environmental schemes are concentrated on where they can do the most good and not taking up—

Answer from Rebecca Pow

My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the value that restoring peat can bring to us. That is why we have nearly 100 restoration projects across the UK registered with the peatland code, which he referenced, enabling the restoration of nearly 14,000 hectares of peatland. Through the natural environment investment readiness fund and the peatland grant scheme, we are also developing a lot of pipeline investing projects that will bring forward all the things he is highlighting.

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