Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an estimate of the future energy surplus the Scottish Highlands will produce per capita by 2030.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department has made no estimate of the potential future energy surplus of the Scottish Highlands. The department’s Energy and Emissions Projections provide an estimate of future UK demand for energy, accounting for existing or near-final policies, and how future demand for electricity might be supplied, but these projections are at national level only.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an estimate of how many UK citizens have family members in Rafah.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are working with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities to discuss the border crossing and encourage timely processing of UK consular cases. We are not in a position to provide a running commentary on the number of wider UK family members in Rafah.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will hold discussions with his Egyptian counterpart on opening the Rafah border crossing into Egypt to Palestinian refugees.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We continue to discuss with our Egyptian counterparts a wide range of issues relating to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Our priority is addressing the crisis in Gaza itself - we recognise that there is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support and so our focus must be on practical solutions that save lives.
As we have said, Israel must take steps, working with other partners including the UN and Egypt, to significantly increase the flow of aid into Gaza including allowing prolonged humanitarian pauses, opening more routes into Gaza and restoring and sustaining water, fuel and electricity. The Foreign Secretary discussed the urgency of getting significantly more aid into Gaza to alleviate the desperate situation there with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 24 January. He reiterated the need for Israel to open more crossing points into Gaza, for Nitzana and Kerem Shalom to be open for longer, and for Israel to support the UN to distribute aid effectively across the whole of Gaza. An immediate pause is now necessary to get aid in and hostages out.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will hold discussions with his Israeli counterpart on taking steps to help ensure the safety of the family members of British citizens in the event that combat operations take place in Rafah.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We continue to urge Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this during his visit to Israel on 24 January.
We have helped to facilitate over 300 British Nationals to leave Gaza so far. We are working with the Israelis and Egyptian authorities to ensure any remaining British nationals still in Gaza that want to leave are cleared to cross as soon as possible and encourage timely processing of UK consular cases.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what support his Department provides to UK citizens with family members in Gaza; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of that support.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Government support to individuals affected by a crisis abroad is set out on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-deal-with-a-crisis-overseas. This includes the support provided in certain circumstances to immediate family members of British nationals.
We are engaging with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities on a regular basis to discuss the border crossing and encourage timely processing of UK consular cases. We have helped to facilitate over 300 British nationals to leave Gaza so far. A small number remain.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing VAT on (a) catering and (b) takeaway hot food.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government currently has no plans to change the VAT treatment of either catering or takeaway hot food.
Supplies in the course of catering include hot takeaway food for consumption off premises and food that is for consumption on the premises on which it is supplied (‘eat in’). These supplies of food are taxable at 20 per cent, the standard rate of VAT.
VAT has been designed as a broad-based tax on consumption, and the twenty per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Going further would impose additional pressure on the public finances to which VAT makes a significant contribution.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofgem on (a) the impact of high energy costs on the finances of businesses that agreed new electricity contracts in the last two years and (b) taking steps to help support those businesses to agree new electricity contracts.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Ministers and officials regularly meet with Ofgem to discuss the energy retail market including for business customers.
The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) provides all eligible businesses and other non-domestic energy users with a baseline discount on high energy bills for 12 months from April 2023 until 31 March 2024. The EBDS is helping businesses locked into contracts signed before substantial falls in wholesale prices manage their costs and provide others with reassurance against the risk of prices rising again.
Ofgem’s non-domestic review findings noted that more than half of suppliers are now offering contract renegotiation.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has had discussions with Ofgem on the projected number of households which (a) will be impacted by the Radio Teleswitch Service switch off and (b) won't be moved onto new Smart Meter metering options in time for the switch off.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Ofgem’s recent Open Letter confirmed the numbers of households reliant on the Radio Teleswitching Service: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/open-letter-smart-meter-installations-prepayment-and-radio-teleswitch-customers
The Government expects energy suppliers to upgrade households with RTS to smart meters in good time in advance of the switch off. Households should contact their energy supplier to arrange their upgrades as soon as possible so they can continue to benefit from multi rate tariffs.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of levels of international support for South Africa's referral of Israel to the International Court of Justice.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
This development is unhelpful and we do not support it. As we have said previously, we recognise that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, in accordance with IHL. Ultimately, it is for courts to decide on matters of genocide, not for states. We of course respect the role and independence of the ICJ.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the options available to people who wish to complain about the reasons for a compliance notice when the Forensic Science Regulator issue's them a notice.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Section 8 of the Forensic Science Regulator Act came into force on 2 October 2023 via statutory instrument, allowing a person issued with a compliance notice to appeal to the First Tier Tribunal if they feel a compliance notice has been wrongly issued. Since then, no compliance notices have been issued by the Regulator.
The Act only applies to forensic science activities conducted in England and Wales. Further assessment of the adequacy of the provisions would be covered by post-legislative scrutiny.