Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering introducing statutory zero-carbon building standards.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In March 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published an update to the energy efficiency standards in the Building Regulations: the Future Homes Standard (FHS).

Under this new standard, which will come into force from March 2027, all new homes will need to have excellent insulation, low carbon heating systems, and in most cases, solar panels to boost our energy security with clean, homegrown power. New homes built to these standards will be zero carbon ready, meaning they will become zero carbon once the national grid is fully decarbonised and will require no further retrofitting to meet net zero.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering bringing forward their net zero target to 2035.

Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is committed to reaching net zero by 2050 and is focused on delivering that commitment in a way that reduces costs for households, strengthens energy security, and supports economic growth across the whole of the UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering introducing quotas for the use of fossil fuel energy.

Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This government will not introduce quotas on the use of fossil fuel energy.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering capping the amount of credit that can be used to support investment in carbon-intensive activities and setting quotas for the amount of finance that should flow to low-carbon investment.

Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK Government does not have a quota for the amount of finance that should flow to low-carbon investment, but since the government came to office more than £100 billion in clean energy investment announcements has been secured. Net zero is the economic and industrial opportunity of the 21st century, and economic modelling undertaken by the CBI suggests the UK's net zero economy generated £36.7 billion in gross value added in 2025 and supported 308,000 jobs directly, with a further £51.2 billion in gross value added and 520,000 jobs supported through supply chains

The UK government no longer provides new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas, which includes support provided by UK Export Finance and British International Investment PLC, with limited circumstances set out in public guidance. The National Wealth Fund also does not invest in projects involving extraction, production, transportation, and refining crude oil, natural gas or thermal coal with very limited exemptions.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are planning to introduce a free basic energy allowance for all households.

Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The cost of living is a top priority for this Government. That is why the Prime Minister announced a tax cut to remove VAT from domestic electricity bills for 6 months from October 1. This immediate action on electricity bills is expected to take around £45 off the yearly Ofgem price cap in October. This comes on top of the actions at last year’s Budget which removed an average of £150 of costs from household energy bills for the years to come, by moving 75% of the domestic costs of the Renewables Obligation to the Exchequer and ending the Energy Company Obligation. Without this action, the price cap would be significantly higher.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are planning to increase the Energy Profits Levy.

Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government introduced a temporary windfall tax, the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), on extraordinary profits from oil and gas companies in 2022. The EPL currently levies 38% tax on profits in addition to the 40% rate of tax in the permanent fiscal regime

The EPL will come to an end either on 31 March 2030 or earlier if the Energy Security Investment Mechanism (ESIM) triggers, and will be replaced by the permanent Oil and Gas Revenue Levy (OGRL) which will become a permanent feature of the tax system and operate only in times of high prices to ensure oil and gas companies continue to pay their fair share of tax.

Found: Brennan of Canton; Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell; Lord Grantchester; Lord Jackson of Peterborough; Lord Moynihan

Found: Brennan of Canton; Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell; Lord Grantchester; Lord Jackson of Peterborough; Lord Moynihan