Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to reduce levels of light pollution; and if so, how they intend to do so.

The Government recognises the problem of light pollution. The Government's 25-Year Environment Plan includes a commitment to cut all forms of pollution and ease the pressure on the environment, including ensuring that light pollution is managed effectively.

Current measures include Defra working with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government in the development of their Planning Policy Guidance on Light Pollution, which outlines factors which may be relevant when considering where, when and how much lights emanates from new developments together with possible human and ecological impacts.

The Department for Transport encourages all local authorities to replace their street lighting with low-impact LED lighting wherever economically feasible.

Additionally, Highways England is responsible for the strategic road network in England and is obliged to minimise the environmental impacts (including of road lighting) across the network. A full appraisal is carried out before any lighting project is commissioned, including in-depth analysis of the environmental impact and economic benefits of the scheme. All lighting on the network is designed according to current British standards which emphasise the importance of limiting light pollution, and older forms of lantern are in the process of being replaced with environmentally sensitive lighting when they become due for renewal.