Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September to Question 45769 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Aramco, for what reason meetings, including with Saudi Aramco, attended by the then Secretary of State on a visit to Saudi Arabia on 30 and 31 January 2022 were not listed in the BEIS ministerial meetings transparency data published on 14 July 2022; and if he will place a copy of the minutes of those meetings in the Library.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The omission of meetings arose due to an administrative oversight. This data has since been updated with further details of engagements carried out during the visit in line with our commitment to transparency.
The minutes of the meetings are already available online following a Freedom of Information request.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it remains his policy that energy companies should repair or restore malfunctioning smart meter visual display units installed in homes.
Answered by Graham Stuart
When energy suppliers install a smart meter in a household, they are required to offer the customer an In-Home Display (IHD). Energy suppliers also have an obligation to provide support for IHDs, including a repair or replacement where necessary, within the first year of installing a consumer’s smart meter.
The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) is responsible for regulating energy suppliers against their licence obligations.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer given on 10 March 2021 to Question 161735, on Fossil Fuels, what recent assessment he has made of the compatibility of extracting and burning (a) the remaining estimated 3,906 million tonnes of UK coal resources, including prospects, and (b) the remaining estimated 10 to 20 billion barrels or more of recoverable oil equivalent resources in the UK continental shelf, with meeting targets in (i) the sixth carbon budget and (ii) the Glasgow Climate Pact.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Any use of unabated fossil fuels in the UK will be compatible with carbon budgets under the 2008 Climate Act.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2022 to Question 39801 on the Coal Authority, for what reason it is his policy to conclude that a low demand for new coal extraction projects does not require a revision of (a) the Coal Authority’s duties with respect to licensing coal extraction and (b) the statutory duty to promote an economically viable coal industry, as set out in the Coal Industry Act 1994; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is committed to phasing out coal from electricity generation by 2024. Demand for new coal licences has fallen away as a consequence. Parliamentary time is precious and the coal extraction industry is already in decline in the UK without further interventions. Although coal will soon no longer be part of our electricity system, there may continue to be domestic demand for coal in industries such as steel, cement and for heritage railways. The current licensing regime leaves room for projects to come forward that could potentially meet that demand.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what dates he has met representatives of (a) Cargill, (b) Archer Daniels Midland, (c) Bunge and (d) Louis Dreyfus since March 2022; and if he will publish (a) details of what was discussed and (b) minutes of those meetings.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
The latest published data covers January to March 2022, further data will be published in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the research by Clark, C. et al. entitled Unconventional Oil and Gas Development Exposure and Risk of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Case–Control Study in Pennsylvania, 2009–2017, published in Environmental Health Perspectives on 17 August 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Onshore exploration for oil and gas in the UK is strictly regulated by expert bodies including the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive. This applies to both unconventional and conventional sources of oil and gas.
Those bodies are best placed to consider the applicability of studies from other countries with significantly different regulations and production contexts, to the UK, and to provide guidance accordingly.
The Government will continue to follow the expert advice of regulators to manage risks to the public appropriately.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2022 to Question 39801 on Coal Authority, and with reference to Climate Change Committee’s Sixth Carbon Budget, published in December 2020, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of revising the duties of the Coal Authority in respect of licensing metallurgical coal developments to (a) support the transition green steel and (b) deliver on commitments in the Climate Change Act 2008.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has published an Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy setting out a technology-neutral approach that does not rule out the use of coking coal in an integrated steel making process together with carbon capture as a net zero compliant option going forward, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-decarbonisation-strategy The strategy notes that coking coal is currently essential for primary steel manufacturing using the basic oxygen furnace route.
The Government keeps the Coal Authority’s duties under review. There are currently no plans to revise its duties with respect to licensing coal extraction.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 18 June 2021 to Question 13025 on Nitrogen Trifluoride, for what reason his Department has not brought forward legislation to amend the definition of greenhouse gases in the Climate Change Act 2008 to include nitrogen trifluoride; and what the revised timetable is for doing so.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Legislation will be introduced to Parliament as soon as parliamentary time allows. The Government has completed its statutory requirements under sections 24 and 25 of the Climate Change Act 2008 to consult national authorities and obtain the advice of the Climate Change Committee. The Climate Change Committee has published its advice online at https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/letter-inclusion-of-nitrogen-trifluoride-nf3-as-a-targeted-greenhouse-gas/.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will the publish the (a) attendees and (b) minutes of his lunch with Saudi Aramco on 31st January 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 31st January 2022, my rt. hon. Friend the then Secretary of State undertook site visits to energy facilities in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. He had discussions over the course of the day with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and the Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Aramco, Amin Nasser, as well as other Saudi Energy Ministry and Saudi Aramco officials. The then Secretary of State was accompanied by Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a special adviser, and officials from BEIS and the British Embassy Riyadh.
Discussions covered clean energy innovation and Aramco’s sustainability initiatives, including hydrogen technology, carbon capture, utilisation and storage, and the reduction of fugitive emissions associated with oil and gas production.
All meetings have been declared as required, through transparency data released on 14 July 2022.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (a) what was the total cost of his visit to the Shaybah oil field in Saudi Arabia and (b) who bore the costs of this visit.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The costs of the then Secretary of State's travel to and from Saudi Arabia, as well as those of his delegation, were met by the UK Government. Internal flights to the Shaybah oil field were arranged by the Saudi Energy Ministry and also provided by Aramco.
Flights have been properly and publicly declared, as is required, through transparency data released on 14 July 2022 and can be found on the gov.uk website.