Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government why they paid Chinese state-owned power group CGN over £100mn to withdraw from its proposed 20 per cent share of the Sizewell C nuclear power station project.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Following constructive commercial negotiations, CGN decided to exit the project as part of the Government investment in Sizewell C. The agreement to secure their exit covered value of their shareholding, their contribution to the project’s development and a commercial return reflecting their work to date. The details of this arrangement are commercially confidential.
Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government when Great British Nuclear will be (1) established, and (2) fully operational.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will make an announcement on the set up of GBN early in the new year. The Government will provide funding for GBN to help projects get investment ready and support them through the construction phase.
Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many protected sites had been designated under section 128 of the Serious and Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 as of 1 June.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As of 1 June 2022, there are 60 protected sites designated under section 128 of the Serious and Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. A list of these sites are publicly available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when Great British Railways will be (1) established, and (2) fully operational.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are working closely with the Great British Railways Transition Team and the sector to tackle the challenges facing the railways. We are considering the best way to take forward reform, listening to a range of views, and will set out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term effects of the recent fire on Gruinard Island, in the light of the earlier use of that island for UK testing of biological weapons.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Following decontamination, Gruinard Island was declared safe by an independent advisory group prior to public confirmation in 1990. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) subsequently sold the island back to the estate of the original owner following the island being declared safe by an Advisory group established by the then MOD Chief Scientific Advisor.
Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support trials of manufacturing steel with hydrogen.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is working with the steel sector, via the Steel Council, to explore how to create a competitive, sustainable, and low carbon future for the sector. Hydrogen-based steelmaking is one of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process.
The UK steel sector can bid into industrial fuel switching innovation programmes under the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), which is intended to promote switching away from more carbon-intensive fuel sources.
The Government has also set up the Industrial Decarbonisation and Hydrogen Revenue Support scheme to fund new hydrogen and industrial carbon capture business models. The scheme will be open to businesses across industry, including steel companies.
Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to make a decision on whether to extend the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to cover hydrogen produced from nuclear energy.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Further to a public consultation earlier this year, we have introduced legislation which would expand support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) to renewable hydrogen used in fuel cell rail and non-road transports, and in maritime vessels. To further stimulate investment in renewable hydrogen production, we also proposed in the consultation to reward renewable hydrogen more flexibly under the RTFO. A Government Response on proposals to improve flexibility will be published very soon. The Department has no current plans to extend the RTFO scheme to cover hydrogen produced from nuclear energy.
Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reform the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to stimulate investment in hydrogen production.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Further to a public consultation earlier this year, we have introduced legislation which would expand support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) to renewable hydrogen used in fuel cell rail and non-road transports, and in maritime vessels. To further stimulate investment in renewable hydrogen production, we also proposed in the consultation to reward renewable hydrogen more flexibly under the RTFO. A Government Response on proposals to improve flexibility will be published very soon. The Department has no current plans to extend the RTFO scheme to cover hydrogen produced from nuclear energy.
Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will introduce the Registration of Overseas Entities Bill to Parliament.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in my Written Ministerial Statement made on 2nd November 2021, the Government remains committed to establishing a new beneficial ownership register of overseas entities that own UK property. This register will help combat money laundering and achieve greater transparency in the UK property market. We will legislate when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lord Haworth (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children looked after by local authorities in England and Wales were permanently placed with relatives or connected people resident outside the UK in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The number and location of looked after children in England who were permanently placed outside the UK in the last 5 years is not collected centrally by the department.
A child arrangement order, special guardianship or adoption order could be used by local authorities in England to place looked-after children in countries outside the UK when that is in the best interest of the child.
The Department does not collect information for children looked after by Welsh local authorities. This is the responsibility of the devolved administration.