Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the number of hours staff in (a) his Department and (b) predecessor departments have spent working on contracts associated with the NeuConnect electricity interconnector between the UK and Germany.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not work directly on contracts for developing interconnectors. Ofgem is responsible for operating the cap and floor regime and licensing arrangements. Due to changes in staff over the length of this engagement, it is not possible to quantify the time my ministry and its predecessor has spent overseeing the work on NeuConnect.