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, what estimate he has made of the volume of nuclear waste produced by small modular reactors; and what assessment he has made of the implications of that volume for waste management.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Developers of new nuclear power stations are required to undertake an Assessment of Disposability as part of the UK’s nuclear regulatory and environmental permitting processes. The Assessment of Disposability is carried out by Radio Waste Management to demonstrate there is an effective disposal route for expected wastes from a new nuclear project before a final decision can be taken to proceed.
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 he approved the agreement between (a) the National Grid and (b) EDF on keeping the West Burton A coal plant open until March 2023.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The extension to operations at West Burton A was made to further boost the UK’s energy security and domestic supply, in light of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. It remains the Government’s firm commitment to end the use of coal power by October 2024.
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, what powers the Government has to ensure that oil and gas extracted in the North Sea comes into the UK market.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The North Sea Transition Authority publishes projections of oil and gas production in the UK, including comparisons with forecasts of demand, at www.nstauthority.co.uk/data-centre/data-downloads-and-publications/production-projections.
Statistics on current UK oil and gas production and supply are available at www.gov.uk/government/statistics/oil-and-oil-products-section-3-energy-trends and www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gas-section-4-energy-trends respectively.
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, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of oil and gas from new licences in the North Sea that will come to the UK market.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The North Sea Transition Authority publishes projections of oil and gas production in the UK, including comparisons with forecasts of demand, at www.nstauthority.co.uk/data-centre/data-downloads-and-publications/production-projections.
Statistics on current UK oil and gas production and supply are available at www.gov.uk/government/statistics/oil-and-oil-products-section-3-energy-trends and www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gas-section-4-energy-trends respectively.
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 it his policy to put his plans to remove eligibility for the warm homes discount from disabled people not on income related benefits on hold for the purpose of holding discussions with disabled people's organisations on the impact of this plan on disabled people; what assessment he has made of the (a) net difference between the amount a disabled person who would previously have been eligible for the Warm Home Discount loses and gains with the Disability Cost of Living Payment and the (b) adequacy of this for paying for the additional costs faced by disabled people referred to by the Chancellor in his statement to the House on 26 May; and if he will make a statement on the impact of this plan on disabled people.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Due to the expansion and reform of the scheme, the Government estimated that 160,000 more households where someone has a disability or long-term illness will receive a rebate compared to the unreformed scheme. The scheme will be better targeted to households in fuel poverty and on the lowest incomes. Around 62% of Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance recipients also receive one of the qualifying means-tested benefits. Those households with high energy costs would therefore be eligible for a rebate.
The cost-of-living support measures announced this year will mean low-income people with a disability and in receipt of a means-tested benefit will receive £1,350 this year.
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 13 June 2022 to Question 9868 on Energy: Billing, if he will make it his policy to revise the supplier licence conditions to ensure that people who pay for their energy by (a) a pre-payment meter and (b) cash or cheque do not pay more for their energy as a consequence of their payment method.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has no plans to revise licence conditions. Supplier licence conditions, enforced by the independent regulator Ofgem, state that the differences in price between payment methods for energy, including by prepayment meter, must reflect the cost to the supplier of that payment method. The energy price cap protects prepayment meter customers and ensures they pay a fair price for their energy.
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 take legislative steps to ensure that people who pay for their energy by (a) a pre-payment meter and (b) cash or cheque do not pay more for their energy than people paying by Direct Debit; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Glasgow South West on 21st February 2022 to Question 120813.
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, when he plans to publish details of ECO4; when he plans for that scheme to be operational; and what steps he is taking to ensure there will be continuity with ECO3.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The response to the ECO4 consultation was published on 1 April 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/design-of-the-energy-company-obligation-eco4-2022-2026.
A 3-month interim delivery phase has been introduced between 1 April – 30 June 2022, under the previous (ECO3) scheme rules, to enable delivery to continue subject to some fossil fuel heating limitations. Obligated suppliers may also choose to deliver under the new scheme rules during this period.
BEIS and the scheme administrator, Ofgem, meet and communicate regularly with obligated suppliers to provide further clarity on the scheme rules.
The Government is planning to lay regulations as soon as possible, to provide the market with legislative certainty.
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, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of Shell developing the Jackdaw gas field with the (a) decarbonisation targets for industry as described in the North Sea Transition Deal, (b) UK’s carbon budgets and net zero target and (c) UK’s obligations and commitments towards international climate targets.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on 18 May 2022 to Questions 417 and 418.
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, what equality impact assessment has been carried out of the proposed closure of the Insolvency Service office in Brighton; and if he will place a copy of its findings in the Library.
Answered by Paul Scully
An overarching Equality Impact Assessment has been completed for all offices, including Brighton, affected by the plan to restructure the Insolvency Service’s estate to eleven regional offices. A copy of this will be placed in the Libraries of the House.