Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
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 it her policy to negotiate the removal of the sunset clause from the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Energy Charter Treaty sunset clause applies if Contracting Parties withdraw from the Treaty. On 1 September 2023, the UK announced it is reviewing its membership of the ECT if the modernised Treaty was not adopted by November 2023. The Government is considering the views of stakeholders in business, civil society, and Parliament as part of this process. Parliament will be informed at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing energy islands in the North Sea.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has not made any such assessment as it does not plan or develop energy infrastructure but sets the regulatory framework for the independent energy industry. The development of energy islands is subject to consent through the planning system and consistency with environmental protections and value for money requirements set by the regulator Ofgem. The Holistic Network Design and the Centralised Strategic Network Plan will set the high-level design for offshore transmission and identifies those responsible for its construction. It is for those companies to assess options for the detailed design.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential merits of reinstating the Offshore Wind Workers Concession.
Answered by Graham Stuart
My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State discusses a range of issues with my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department, including offshore wind where relevant. The Offshore Wind Industry Council estimate that the total UK offshore wind workforce at the end of 2022 was 32,257, representing an increase of four per cent from the previous year.[1]
[1] Offshore Wind Skills Intelligence Report June 2023
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many staff in her Department in grades (a) 6, (b) 7 and c) SCS are contractually located in (i) Scotland, (ii) London and (iii) the South East.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The table below shows the number of staff in the department for Energy Security and Net Zero (core dept only) by locations and grades.
Location | G7 | G6 | SCS |
London | 1161 | 402 | 176 |
Scotland | 36 | 9 | 2 |
South East (Inc London) | 1161 | 402 | 176 |
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to have discussions with the Home Secretary on the potential merits of reinstating the offshore wind worker concession.
Answered by Graham Stuart
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State discusses a range of issues with the Home Secretary, including offshore wind.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is developing revised operation criteria to ensure that the System Operator moves away from selecting gas by default in the power system's balancing mechanism and develops greater use of battery storage.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Operation of the Balancing Mechanism is the responsibility of the Electricity System Operator, which has a responsibility to minimise the cost of balancing for electricity consumers.
The Government, through the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) programme, is considering reforms needed to electricity market arrangements to drive the necessary investment and efficient operation of a secure, cost-effective, low-carbon electricity system. This includes reform options to maximise the potential for a range of flexible technologies to deploy and operate flexibly, including battery storage.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
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 is taking to accelerate the use of (a) battery storage and (b) other energy storage installations to store renewable energy on the grid when it cannot accept it due to capacity constraints.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is facilitating the deployment of electricity storage, including battery storage, through actions set out in the 2021 Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan.
On longer duration electricity storage, the Government has committed to developing an appropriate policy framework by 2024 to enable investment and deploy sufficient storage to balance the system. The Department is planning to consult on the framework this year.
On hydrogen storage, the Government has set out its preferred hydrogen storage business model to unlock private sector investment and remove barriers. The Government has secured amendments to the Energy Bill to introduce the primary powers to deliver this business model by 2025.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many and what proportion of civil servants on temporary contracts in her Department are women.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The number of women in the department for Energy Security and Net Zero (core department only) on temporary contracts* is currently 15.
The percentage of women on temporary contracts of all temporary contracts (male and female) is 57.7%.
The percentage of women on temporary contracts as a share of all women in the department is 0.7%.
*Temporary contracts are defined as being on the payroll and holding a ‘fixed term contract’ that is 12 months or less in duration.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Social housing tenants helped to cut energy bills with £80 million for home upgrades, how many social homes will be insulated under that funding scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock currently below Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C in England up to that standard.
The SHDF Wave 2.2 ‘top up’ competition will allocate up to £80 million of grant funding from April 2024, building on the allocations made under the previous Wave 2.1.
SHDF Wave 2.1 awarded £778 million in March 2023 to deliver energy performance improvements to around 90,000 social homes, and the Wave 2.2 competition funding aims to upgrade around 9,500 additional homes.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much and what proportion of insulation costs per home will be funded by the additional £80 million under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund; and whether (a) social housing tenants and (b) local councils will be required to contribute towards the cost of those insulation upgrades.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Policy for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) is designed following engagement with the sector. Draft guidance for Wave 2.2 of the SHDF outlines that social housing landlords are required to provide match funding of at least £1 for each £1 of grant funding received, to maximise the number of properties that can be retrofitted with the funding available. Social housing tenants will not be required to contribute to the cost of SHDF retrofits.