Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Barker of Battle and Lord Beith

Thursday 16th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Gregory Barker]

Labour’s price freeze is a con, and everybody now realises that it would harm investment and damage the interests of consumers and hard-working families. Fuel poverty is a long-term challenge, but when the Leader of the Opposition was Secretary of State fuel poverty rose to record highs, just as it did in every year of the last Parliament under Labour. The coalition still has a lot more to do, but the fuel poverty figures have been falling, so perhaps the hon. Gentleman should read less rhetoric and more facts.

[Sir Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (LD)]

May I press my right hon. Friend to put extra effort into those rural areas where poorer people predominantly live in solid-wall, stone-built properties and where, because they are off the gas grid, they are dependent on expensive fuels, such as oil and liquefied petroleum gas?

[Gregory Barker]

My right hon. Friend makes a very good point. The coalition has put new emphasis on tackling the deep problem of fuel poverty in rural areas. We are looking at this with renewed vigour and will come forward with further improvements to our fuel poverty schemes to ensure they reach those who need help in rural areas.

Energy and Climate Change

Debate between Lord Barker of Battle and Lord Beith

Monday 16th April 2012 Ministerial Corrections

[Sir Alan Beith]

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many megawatts of renewable energy capacity had received planning approval in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) the North East and (d) Northumberland in the latest period for which figures are available.

[Official Report, 20 March 2012, Vol. 542, c. 604W.]

Letter of correction from Gregory Barker:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Sir Alan Beith) on 20 March 2012. Paragraph 2 of the answer makes reference to information below regional level not being available. In fact project by project data are available at county level.

The full answer given was as follows:

[Gregory Barker]

The latest available figures show that there is 14.3GW renewable electricity projects approved but not operational in the UK; of this 8.5GW is in England.

Further information on the current installed renewable electricity capacity as well as projects in planning and in construction for each region in the UK can be found on the DECC website, but unfortunately information below regional level is not available:

https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/welcome-to-the-restats-web-site

The correct answer should have been: