Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will request that Shell publishes its environmental impact assessments in respect of the areas of the Niger Delta where SPDC currently operates.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Environmental Impact Assessments for Shell’s activities in Nigeria since 2014 are published on the company’s website. Please see https://www.shell.com.ng/sustainability/environment/environment-impact-assessments.html
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to help ensure that Shell has in place plans for the safe decommissioning of its infrastructure in Nigeria prior to selling its Nigerian operation SPDC.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
SPDC is a Nigerian registered subsidiary of Shell whose operations in the Niger Delta are as a member of a Joint Venture in which it has a minority stake (the majority - 55% - stake is held by Nigerian state-owned company NNPC Ltd). This Joint Venture operates under a regulatory regime set and enforced by the Government of Nigeria. It would not be appropriate for His Majesty's Government, as a foreign government, to seek to influence the regulatory process.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data her Department holds on the average energy costs paid by consumers who (a) received heating from a heat network and (b) did not receive heating from a heat network and whose bill was subject to the energy price cap in 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department currently does not routinely collect heat network customer tariffs. However, we did collect tariff information under our Heat Network Consumer and Operator Survey 2022. This survey found that heat network customers reported paying on average less than those not on heat networks. The energy price cap for the period 1 October to 31 December 2023 is £1,834 a year for a typical household who use gas and electricity and pay by Direct Debit, for non-heat network consumers who were eligible.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the requirement to pass on energy price support to end users under section 19 of the Energy Prices Act 2022, whether she has made an assessment of the number and proportion of intermediaries who have received support under the (a) Energy Price Guarantee, (b) Energy Bills Support Scheme and (c) Energy Bill Relief Scheme and (i) have and (ii) have not passed on that support since the introduction of those schemes.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The legislation was introduced to ensure that intermediaries who received energy price support were legally required to pass through the benefit. The regulations allowed end users to pursue recovery of benefits from their intermediary as a debt through civil proceedings. Should a court rule in the end user’s favour, they will be entitled to the payment, plus interest.
Such an assessment is not possible as data is not held in this way. We believe in the majority of cases energy price support was passed on to the consumer. We are aware of a small number of cases which have been escalated and are currently being investigated by the authorities.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department has taken to enforce the requirement to pass on energy price support to end users under section 19 of the Energy Prices Act 2022 in relation to the (a) Energy Price Guarantee, (b) Energy Bills Support Scheme and (c) Energy Bill Relief Scheme.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The legislation was introduced to ensure that intermediaries who received energy price support were legally required to pass through the benefit. The regulations allowed end users to pursue recovery of benefits from their intermediary as a debt through civil proceedings. Should a court rule in the end user’s favour, they will be entitled to the payment, plus interest.
Such an assessment is not possible as data is not held in this way. We believe in the majority of cases energy price support was passed on to the consumer. We are aware of a small number of cases which have been escalated and are currently being investigated by the authorities.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data her Department holds on the prices paid by customers who receive heating from heat networks as of 13 October 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department currently does not routinely collect heat network customer tariffs. However, the Heat Network Consumer and Operator Survey 2022 found that heat network customers reported paying less than non-heat network consumers for heating and hot water. The Energy Bill will allow the Government to introduce regulations for heat networks, including requirements for network operators to continually report their prices and other data to Ofgem.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of consumers whose energy is provided by a heat network who are in fuel poverty in (a) Norfolk and (b) the UK.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government have not made an estimate of the number of fuel poor households whose energy is provided by a heat network.
Low income and fuel poor households on a heat network may be eligible for support schemes, such as the Warm Home Discount, and energy efficiency schemes including the Energy Company Obligation.
Under the Energy Bill Discount Scheme heat suppliers face a legal obligation to pass support on to consumers. Heat network customers in Great Britain can contact the Energy Ombudsman if they are concerned that their operator is not meeting the requirements under the scheme. The Government further regulated heat networks via the Energy Bill.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the factors behind Vattenfall’s decision to stop development of the Norfolk Boreas offshore wind farm.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Final investment decisions are based on commercially privileged information specific to each project developer. The Government has engaged extensively with renewables developers over the past year and is aware that they have faced unprecedented global economic challenges resulting in supply chain bottlenecks, increases in capital costs, and a rising cost of finance. The Department reviews the Contracts for Difference scheme (the main support mechanism for renewable projects) every year and updates its evidence base to include reliable new industry data.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an estimate of the number of jobs supported by the existing supply chain contracts awarded as part of the Norfolk Boreas offshore wind farm.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not hold this data.