Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Ofgem's Biomass Sustainability dataset 2015-2016, published on 22 March 2017, what assessment he has made of the effect of UK biomass production on deforestation.

Reporting under Ofgem's Biomass Sustainability dataset 2015-2016, published on 22 March 2017, is a requirement on biomass generators to demonstrate compliance with UK biomass sustainability standards. The Department have not made an assessment of the effect of UK biomass production on deforestation.

The “Biomass Feedstock Availability Report”, also published in 2017, shows that the large majority of woody biomass fuels in the UK are sourced from agricultural and forestry residues, arboricultural arisings, waste woods and sawmill products.