Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - 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 resources local authorities will need to replace fossil fuel heating in their buildings and housing stock to meet the Government's net zero carbon emission targets.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that Local Authorities have an important part to play in tackling climate change, including in heat and buildings decarbonisation. Meeting our net-zero target will require virtually all heat in buildings to be decarbonised, and heat in industry to be reduced to close to zero carbon emissions. Local Authorities can play a number of important roles in heat and buildings decarbonisation, including decarbonising heat in their own buildings and raising awareness of the support available to increase voluntary uptake of low carbon heat and energy efficiency measures. Local Authorities are able to apply for funding to decarbonise heat in their buildings through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
We also work closely with Local Authorities to support heat pump and heat networks deployment through schemes such as the Local Authority Delivery scheme and Local Energy Hubs, as well as providing funding through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to improve the energy performance of social homes. In addition, the Government is providing funding and prioritising support for councils to tackle climate change as part of the annual Sector Support Programme delivered by the Local Government Association in 2021/22.
The upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy will set out further details on how we plan to work with local authorities to meet our ambition on heat and buildings decarbonisation.
Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that (1) electricity networks have capacity to facilitate the mass rollout of electric vehicles, and (2) the process of connecting electric vehicle charging points to those networks is effective and efficient.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Mechanisms are in place to ensure networks are prepared for the significant new demand for electricity from the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). Ofgem, as the independent regulator, use the price control framework to ensure that the network companies provide the required infrastructure to deliver the capacity to meet both current and future demand on the network.
EVs also offer new opportunities for consumers to be part of a smarter and more flexible energy system. Smart charging can help reduce the need for additional network investment by shifting charging to off-peak periods. In 2019, the Government consulted on mandating that all private charge points sold or installed in the UK must have smart functionality and meet device level requirements. We intend to lay the relevant legislation later this year.
Ensuring a smooth process for connecting EV charging points to the electricity networks is the responsibility of network operators at both the distribution and transmission levels, and they are incentivised to do so through the regulatory framework, also set by Ofgem. Officials from BEIS and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles regularly meet both network operators and connection customers, such as fleet operators, from across the country to discuss the connection process and ensure that the needs of consumers are placed at the heart of the EV transition.
Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Bridgend County Borough Council about attracting investment for Bridgend and reducing the impact on workers from any closure of the Ford engine plant.
Answered by Lord Henley
Her Majesty’s Government is committed to working closely with the Welsh Government to consider, and where possible, mitigate the impact of Ford’s decision to close its Bridgend Engine Plant. The Welsh Government, the Wales Office, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Department for International Trade came together with the company, local leaders, unions and Bridgend County Borough Council for the first meeting of the Ford Bridgend Taskforce on 1 July.
Jointly sponsored by Welsh Government Minister for Economy and Transport Ken Skates and my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, and chaired by Professor Richard Parry-Jones, the Taskforce has been established to support Ford workers, communities and local economy following the company’s decision to close their operation in Bridgend from Autumn 2020.
Bridgend County Borough Council is expected to have a key role in the activities of this Taskforce, as part of wider joint efforts to support the workers and the wider community.
Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the decision by Whirlpool UK to recall 500,000 unsafe tumble dryers, what steps they are taking to ensure that there is a regularly updated database of recalled products that can be accessed by the public, retailers, manufacturers and auction houses.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) makes available information on recalled electrical products through its dedicated product recall website.
The Government urges consumers to register their electrical products with manufacturers as the easiest way for consumers to stay informed on any safety issues. Consumers can access the Register My Appliance service through the OPSS product recall site.
Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that the proposed reduction in public sector representation on Local Enterprise Partnership Boards (LEP) will not dilute the democratic accountability and oversight of LEPs at a local level.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government published the Strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships review on 24th July, which brought forward reforms to leadership, governance, accountability, financial reporting and geographical boundaries. Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are public and private partnerships between local authorities, businesses and other key partners. This sets out our expectations around the active role of local authorities in providing a strong and direct link back to local people, and that local authorities continue to be a central part of each LEP’s democratic accountability. Collaboration between the public and private sector will remain key to LEPs’ success as locally elected leaders and businesses continue to work together to shape policies for their local areas.
Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Local Industrial Strategies, as outlined in the Industrial Strategy White Paper, will be agreed for all parts of England by the end of 2019.
Answered by Lord Henley
As we set out in the Industrial Strategy White Paper, we will agree the first Local Industrial Strategies by March 2019.
We are working with Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to develop Local Industrial Strategies that set out ambitious visions for places, addressing local strengths, challenges and opportunities. I have been very encouraged by the enthusiasm across the country for this approach. We are initially developing Local Industrial Strategies in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and partners across the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor.
Local Industrial Strategies will establish new ways of working between national and local leaders in both the public and private sectors. This will build on the excellent work since 2010 by LEPs and local government in delivering City, Growth and Devolution Deals.
Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Grenfell Tower Fire, what assessment they have made of the potential contingent liabilities held by those energy companies, and their subsidiaries, who installed external wall insulation on social high rise tower blocks under the Energy Efficiency Commitment, the Community Energy Saving Programme, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, Energy Efficiency Standards of Performance, and the Energy Company Obligation.
Answered by Lord Henley
BEIS analysis shows that around 272,300 properties have received external wall insulation under Government schemes since 2008 and that 970 were high rise buildings.
Energy efficiency schemes prior to ECO, including ECO1 (January 2013 – March 2015) are closed and final determination of carbon targets and bill saving targets has concluded. Any solid wall insulation delivered under ECO since April 2015 that does not meet the relevant compliance requirements, including compliance with building regulations and fire safety, would not count towards the supplier obligation.
BEIS is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to understand the number of tower blocks that may have been delivered under ECO since 2015. If appropriate, Government will seek remedial action by the supplier for measures delivered since April 2015. Remedial action required may vary depending on the materials used for each tower block.
Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take steps to introduce a publicly accessible national register of product recalls to help ensure that faulty and dangerous goods are removed from people’s homes; how many product recalls Electrical Safety First has received since 2007; and what assessment they have made of the level of such recalls.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government is taking action to improve the safety of white goods and the recalls system. Last year, the Government upgraded its central product recalls website on gov.uk to make it easier for consumers to identify which products have been subject to recall or other corrective action. A new Office for Product Safety and Standards was announced on 21st January and it has commissioned a project to further upgrade and improve the recalls website.
I understand that Electrical Safety First have identified 518 electrical products that have been subject to recall or corrective action in the ten years since 2007. Our system of product safety aims to ensure products are safe before they are placed on the market, but it also recognises that sometimes safety issues are identified at a later stage and it is important that where there is a risk to safety, those products are recalled or corrected.