Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have taken to prevent thermal runaway at battery storage plants.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

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.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the fire risks of battery storage plants.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

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.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

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.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

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.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

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.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

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.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to hospitality businesses in rural areas by improving access for young people to travel to work in pubs and hotels.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government knows how important affordable and reliable public transport services are in ensuring access to employment opportunities and keeping communities connected, including for hospitality businesses in rural areas. We know that bus services can often be the only means of accessing work and leisure opportunities in rural areas, where alternative modes of transport are limited.

We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to give local leaders the tools they need and empower them to choose the model that works best for their communities, including tackling the unique challenges faced by rural areas.

In addition, the Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators to improve bus services over the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish, to deliver better services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability. This could also include improving links between rural villages and nearby towns and enhance services that help young people travel to work in the hospitality sector.

The formula used to calculate LABG allocations for 2026/27 onwards includes consideration of the rurality of local areas for the first time, in addition to population size, levels of deprivation, and the extent of existing bus services.

The Government also intends to publish its integrated national transport strategy soon to set the long-term vision for domestic transport across England. It will focus on creating a transport network that works well for people, including those in rural areas.

Found: relevant interests declared Lord Mancroft No relevant interests declared Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

Found: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: Is 10 years a conservative estimate?

Found: be implemented.13 Current Government position Following the General Election 2024, Baroness McIntosh of Pickering