Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 109392, what engagement his Department undertook with ferry operators and representative bodies serving island and coastal communities in assessing the risk of traffic diversion arising from the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to domestic maritime.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK ETS Authority consulted extensively with the maritime sector, including ferry operators and island and coastal communities, to ensure all perspectives informed policy development.
During the consultation period, the Government provided online engagement sessions with operators and industry, as well as bespoke engagement sessions for island communities.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2026 to Question 109240, what proportion of the estimated costs of extending the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to domestic maritime are attributable to administrative compliance.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Impact Assessment estimates £201 million in additional costs over 20 years, with about £179 million, from administrative compliance and around £22 million from emissions reduction investment.
Administrative costs are initially higher because around 2,000 maritime operators enter the scheme in 2026 due to the inclusion of emissions at berth.
The emissions introduced initially are relatively small, and estimates are conservative given overlap with existing UK and EU MRV requirements. On a per operator basis, the admin burden is low. The planned expansion to international maritime is expected to bring far more emissions into scope without increasing administrative burden.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recent announcement by the International Energy Agency that the UK's domestic energy costs are significantly higher than those of comparable nations.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
High UK energy costs have been driven by our dependence on global fossil fuel markets. The Government’s clean energy mission is the best way to break this dependence and protect billpayers permanently. The Government also acted at Budget to take an average £150 of costs off domestic bills in Great Britain from April, and it continues to work with the NI Executive on measures to bring down energy costs for households in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Salford of 11 September 2025 on the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The letter in question was transferred to this Department and issues raised were addressed in a response issued on 15 October.
The 15 October letter was a response to correspondence received from my hon Friend on 11 September 2025 and 17 September on the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.
Feb. 11 2026
Source Page: Reformed National Pricing (RNP): NESO calls for input on proposed electricity market reformsAsked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of current mechanisms supporting small-scale solar generation following the closure of the Feed-in Tariff scheme.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a market-led mechanism that ensures small-scale solar generators receive payment for any electricity exported to the grid.
The Government keeps current market offerings under review to assess whether the market is continuing to deliver effective options. Ofgem also reports annually on the range and uptake
of SEG tariffs offered by suppliers.
The market offers a wide range of SEG tariffs, with registration numbers increasing to over 270,000 installations at the end of March 2025, compared with around 166,000 for the previous year. The latest Ofgem report can be found at Smart Export Guarantee Annual Report - April 2024 to March 2025 | Ofgem
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has plans for new incentives to help encourage businesses to install rooftop solar panels on large industrial and commercial buildings.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is aware of the significant potential that commercial rooftops have in our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. The Solar Council is monitoring delivery of Roadmap actions to support rooftop solar deployment on commercial and industrial buildings, including through resolving complex stakeholder interactions and improving grid access.
Businesses already benefit from incentives such as the Smart Export Guarantee, capital allowances, and business rates exemptions for qualifying plant and machinery. We continue to work closely with industry to identify further opportunities to enable cost‑effective uptake.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department has taken with the Scottish Government to ensure the Warm Homes Plan helps support households in Scotland.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have unique devolution settlements. The age, tenure, type and size of building stock varies across different parts of the UK. Therefore, some aspects of the Warm Homes Plan will apply equally in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland while other parts will not be relevant in all nations of the UK.
The UK Government will continue to work closely with the Devolved Governments in delivering the Warm Homes Plan.