Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their projections of sea level rises around the UK coast have been updated to reflect the findings of the Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, approved on 24 September.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Baroness.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that every household that wishes to sign up for a Smart Export Guarantee from an energy company will be able to obtain a suitable smart meter from the day they start any such arrangement; and what consequences would result from being unable to obtain such a smart meter.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
Consumers who would like a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) export tariff can contact their energy supplier to request that a smart meter is installed. Consumers who want a smart meter sooner than their current supplier can provide one could switch to a supplier who may be able to meet their needs.
There were 14.9 million smart and advanced meters operating in Great Britain at the end of June 2019 and the Government is committed to every home and small business being offered smart meters by the end of 2020.
In addition, the Government has introduced the New and Replacement Obligation (NRO) in energy suppliers’ licences which requires them to take all reasonable steps to install a smart meter where a meter is fitted for the first time, including in new build properties, or when an existing meter needs to be replaced.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 April (HL15067), what communications they have had with landowners and local authorities regarding the decommissioning of fracking sites in the event that an operator does not fulfil their obligations.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Department routinely corresponds with a range of stakeholders in relation to the regulatory regime for shale gas extraction, including decommissioning obligations. The Government has always been clear that it expects licensees to fulfil obligations to decommission shale gas sites.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 April (HL15067), what, if any, ongoing assessment or review is being conducted of the ability of operators to fulfil their responsibilities and fund decommissioning costs after (1) the issuance of a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence, and (2) the granting of Hydraulic Fracturing Consent.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is responsible for ensuring that operators are fulfilling their responsibilities under their licence. As such, the OGA has the ability to carry out financial assessments to review an operator’s ability to fund its activities within the licence area, which would include decommissioning of any wells drilled. These financial assessments take place when there is a licence transaction to consider, such as changes of control, or where other approvals are sought such as drilling consent and field development consent.
In addition, the Secretary of State may withdraw Hydraulic Fracturing Consent if there has been a material change in circumstances and my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State no longer considers it appropriate to remain in force.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 April (HL15067), what assessment they have made of the potential liabilities for local authorities in the event that an operator and “other appropriate parties” do not decommission and return a fracking site to its former state.
Answered by Lord Henley
There is no precedent for hydraulically fractured shale gas well decommissioning costs being borne by local authorities.
The Government has been clear that the responsibility for decommissioning lies with the licensee and has sought to reinforce this principle. For example, as set out in the Written Answer of 10 April (HL15067) that as part of the associated application for Hydraulic Fracturing Consent, the Government looks at the financial resilience of all companies wishing to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations, including their ability to fund decommissioning costs. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not issue Hydraulic Fracturing Consent unless he is satisfied this has been appropriately demonstrated.
In addition, Mineral Planning Authorities may require that bonds or other financial guarantees are taken to underpin a planning condition.
To date, there have only been two hydraulically fractured shale gas wells in the UK. The first, at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in Lancashire, has been fully decommissioned and the land restored to its previous use. The second, Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road well-1z, is still operational.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 April (HL15067), in the event that any and all “other appropriate parties”, including other licensees or landowners, failed to decommission and return a fracking site to its former state, who would ultimately bear the financial burden.
Answered by Lord Henley
There is no precedent for the scenario above arising, in respect of hydraulically fractured wells in the UK.
The Government has been clear that the responsibility for decommissioning lies with the licensee and has sought to reinforce this principle. For example, as set out in the Written Answer of 10 April (HL15067) that as part of the associated application for Hydraulic Fracturing Consent, the Government looks at the financial resilience of all companies wishing to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations, including their ability to fund decommissioning costs. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not issue Hydraulic Fracturing Consent unless he is satisfied this has been appropriately demonstrated.
To date, there have only been two hydraulically fractured shale gas wells in the UK. The first, at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in Lancashire, has been fully decommissioned and the land restored to its previous use. The second, Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road well-1z, is still operational.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's ability to meet its fourth and fifth carbon budgets, which run from 2022 to 2032; and what plans they have to meet or otherwise amend those budgets.
Answered by Lord Henley
The UK carbon budgets set in legislation are among the most stringent in the world, with the fifth carbon budget requiring a 57% cut in emissions by 2028-2032 from a 1990 baseline.
The Clean Growth Strategy sets out our plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through to 2032, showing one possible pathway for meeting the fifth carbon budget through domestic action.
Projections show that we are on track to deliver over 90% of our required performance against 1990 levels for the fourth and fifth carbon budgets, even before many of the policies and proposals in the Clean Growth Strategy are taken into account.
Our progress in delivering on the ambitious policies and proposals set out in the Clean Growth Strategy– across housing, business, transport, the natural environment and green finance - is set out in detail in the Government Response to the Committee on Climate Change’s Annual Progress Report to Parliament. This includes an assessment of progress against key actions and milestones.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government who would be (1) financially, and (2) legally, responsible for the clean-up and remediation of fracking sites in the event that the operator becomes insolvent.
Answered by Lord Henley
Under the conditions of their Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence, each licensee is responsible for wells drilled under their licence, including their safe plugging and abandonment. Before issuing licences, the Oil and Gas Authority considers the ability of operators to fulfil their responsibilities. In addition, as a matter of policy the Government will assess the financial status of companies wishing to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations, including their ability to fund decommissioning costs, before granting Hydraulic Fracturing Consent (HFC). Hydraulic Fracturing Consent will not be issued unless my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State is satisfied that it is appropriate to do so. The Secretary of State is entitled to refuse HFC and/or, in certain circumstances, can impose conditions to provide additional protections.
The relevant regulators, including the Oil and Gas Authority, Environment Agency, and Health & Safety Executive, will not allow onshore operators to relinquish their licences and permits until they are satisfied that the terms of the relevant permits/licences have been met and that any assets have been safely plugged and abandoned.
Planning permission conditions set by the relevant Minerals Planning Authority (MPA) generally include site restoration to return the land to its former state, as witnessed at Cuadrilla’s former Preese Hall site in Lancashire; the first hydraulically fractured well in the UK. In this case the well has been fully decommissioned in accordance with legislation. MPAs may also take financial security to cover decommissioning costs should they consider it necessary.
If, despite the precautionary measures set out above, the operator was to become insolvent, the liability may fall to other appropriate parties, which may include other licensees or landowners.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish national set back regulations for fracking plants; and what assessment they have made of medical studies indicating that health risks are modified by the geographical distance of residences from active shale gas extraction.
Answered by Lord Henley
There are no plans to establish national set back regulations for shale gas development. National Planning Policy is clear that when planning permission is granted for shale gas, the cumulative impact of shale sites must be considered. Local Authorities therefore have the power to assess and restrict the cumulative effects of shale sites, including any adverse impacts on the natural or historical environment. Public Health England also work with the regulators to ensure potential health impacts of operations are properly risk assessed as part of the planning and permitting process.
Public Health England assessed the risk to human health of extracting shale gas in their June 2014 report. They evaluated available evidence on issues including air quality, radon gas, naturally occurring radioactive materials, water contamination and waste water. Public Health England’s review concluded that “… the potential risks to public health from exposure to emissions associated with shale gas extraction will be low if operations are properly run and regulated”.
Public Health England continue to review evidence on the potential public health impacts of emissions associated with shale gas extraction and have not currently identified any significant evidence that would make it change its views stated in its Review of the Potential Public Health Impacts of Exposures to Chemical and Radioactive Pollutants as a Result of the Shale Gas Extraction Process (2014).
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide details of all contact they have had with local authorities since the Paris Agreement on climate change, with regard to seeking the assistance of those authorities in achieving the carbon reduction targets the UK has agreed as part of its Nationally Determined Contribution to the Global Target.
Answered by Lord Henley
Climate change is one of the most urgent and pressing challenges we face today, and the UK Government is committed to tackling it. The Clean Growth Strategy, published in October 2017, sets out the Government’s ambitious plans for decarbonising the economy through the 2020s. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) continues to engage with Departments on implementing the strategy, including the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), which leads government’s relationship with local authorities.
The joint BEIS and MHCLG office for Cities and Local Growth works closely with Ministers from both departments, as well as Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities. BEIS has launched a £7m Local Energy Programme which provides support to Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities to help them implement energy projects which reduce carbon emissions and benefit their communities.
BEIS have worked with colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, attending a cities event in Bristol to building relationships between UK cities and EU cities on sustainability. BEIS Ministers and officials have attended multiple stakeholder events in support of locally led action on the Clean Growth agenda.
MHCLG have ongoing dialogue with Local Enterprise Partnerships and Local Authorities on support for low carbon projects via management of European Regional Development Funds.
MHCLG are currently consulting on a draft revised National Planning Policy Framework which includes guidance on meeting the challenge of climate change.