Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2017 to Question 70406, on energy intensive industries: trade competitiveness, whether such compensation funding has been allocated on a rolling basis until an exemption is secured or a set amount has been committed to the policy.
Answered by Jesse Norman
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2016 to Question 57226, on energy intensive industries: trade competitiveness, how much additional contingency funding has been allocated to the continuation of compensation for the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs for energy intensive industries beyond 1 April 2017.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The government is in continuing discussions with the European Commission on securing the remaining exemptions for energy intensive industries. Sufficient funding is in place to continue the current compensation for the indirect cost of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs (FIT).
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2016 to Question 57227, on energy intensive industries: trade competitiveness, by what date his Department plans to introduce the exemption for energy intensive industries.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The government is in continuing discussions with the European Commission on securing the remaining exemptions for energy intensive industries. The intention is to introduce the exemptions once the necessary clearances have been secured. The current compensation for the indirect cost of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) will remain in place in the meantime.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much public funding has been provided to (a) energy intensive industries and (b) UK steel producers under the Renewables Obligation and Feed-in Tariff schemes in the last 12 months.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Renewables Obligation (RO) and small-scale Feed in Tariffs (FIT) schemes support the generation of renewable electricity and are funded from levies on electricity supply.
Over the past 12 months the government has provided over £190m in compensation payments to eligible businesses for the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and small scale Feed in Tariffs (FIT) schemes. Of this we have paid over £54m to the steel sector.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which nuclear energy stakeholders he consulted on whether the UK should seek to withdraw from the European Atomic Energy Community (a) before and (b) after the publication of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill 2016-17.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has had detailed discussions with nuclear sector stakeholders since the referendum. Both officials and Ministers have been in frequent contact with nuclear industry and research stakeholders, and we will continue to work closely with them as we take the negotiations forwards.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to combat aggressive methods of door to door selling of items worth less than £42.
Answered by Margot James
There is legislation in place to protect consumers when buying goods and services at the door. Traders are prohibited from aggressive or misleading commercial practices, including harassment, coercion or undue influence, even where the amount sold is small. Aggressive methods of sale carry criminal penalties, such as an unlimited fine or up to two years in prison.
Consumers should report threatening or aggressive behaviour to their local police force and Citizens Advice. National Trading Standards treat doorstep crime as a matter of national strategic priority for Trading Standards Services.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of leaving the European Atomic Energy Community on projects that require the co-operation of American nuclear energy companies.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty will not diminish the UK's nuclear ambitions for its new build nuclear programme, and the Government remains committed to delivering a world leading nuclear programme in close collaboration with international counterparts, including the USA.
Non EU countries that have a relationship with Euratom do so mainly through international nuclear cooperation agreements (NCA) with the Euratom Community. These provide frameworks for cooperation in the civil nuclear sector, but are not an absolute requirement for trade in civil nuclear material or goods with every country, and in many cases trade continues without being covered by an NCA.
We will maintain continuity of cooperation and develop new arrangements as necessary.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of leaving the European Atomic Energy Community on the construction of Hinkley Point C.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Maintaining the UK’s ability to trade in nuclear materials and equipment will be a key objective in negotiations to allow the uninterrupted progress of the UK’s nuclear programme, which includes the construction of Hinkley Point C. Those negotiations have not yet started, but officials and Ministers are in regular contact with industry stakeholders and will continue to work closely with them as the negotiations progress.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential use of deep offshore saline aquifers in developing a viable business model for carbon capture and storage technology.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department funded a twelve month £2.5 million project, led by the Energy Technologies Institute, to progress the appraisal of five selected carbon dioxide storage sites in the North and Irish Seas; three of these sites were offshore saline formations. The report, “Progressing Development of the UK’s Strategic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource”, was published by the Energy Technologies Institute in May 2016 and is available at: http://www.eti.co.uk/project/strategic-uk-ccs-storage-appraisal/.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the value for money of carbon capture and utilisation technology.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government recognises the potential of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies, even though many are still at an early stage of development. The Department has commissioned further analysis to help assess the commercially-viable technologies and the CCU carbon abatement opportunities for the UK.