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Written Question
Swimming Pools: Energy
Thursday 26th January 2023

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

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 potential impact of excluding swimming pools from a support scheme for energy intensive businesses.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

During the review of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, contributions from the private sector, trade associations, the voluntary sector and other types of organisations were assessed. These included leisure centres and swimming pools.

The Government has taken a consistent approach to identify the most energy and trade intensive sectors, with all sectors that meet agreed thresholds for energy and trade intensity eligible for Energy and Trade Intensive Industries support. These thresholds have been set at sectors falling above the 80th percentile for energy intensity, and 60th percentile for trade intensity, plus any sectors eligible for the existing energy compensation and exemption schemes.


Written Question
Swimming Pools: Energy
Thursday 26th January 2023

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will review the decision to exclude swimming pools from high energy business support schemes.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

There are currently no plans to review the list of Energy and Trade Intensive Industries eligible for support under the Energy Bill Discount Scheme. The Government has taken a consistent approach to identify the most energy and trade intensive sectors, with all sectors that meet agreed thresholds for energy and trade intensity eligible for Energy and Trade Intensive Industries support. These thresholds have been set at sectors falling above the 80th percentile for energy intensity, and 60th percentile for trade intensity, plus any sectors eligible for the existing energy compensation and exemption schemes.


Written Question
Energy Bills Rebate: Meters
Wednesday 7th December 2022

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

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 his Department has made of the number and proportion of households with submeters that will not receive the Energy Bills Support Scheme payment.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government has not made an estimate of the number and proportion of households with submeters that will not receive the Energy Bills Support Scheme payment. However, the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding will provide a £400 discount off energy bills for the small percentage of households that will not be reached through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. Details on delivery mechanisms, eligibility and timing will be announced shortly.


Written Question
Energy Bills Rebate
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department made an assessment of the potential implications of variations in regional energy distribution costs for the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Energy Bills Support Scheme is a broad based scheme which recognises that the high costs of energy are being felt by many households across the UK this winter. The Government has worked at pace to ensure the benefits are felt this winter. No assessment has been made of the implications of variations in regional energy distribution costs.


Written Question
Energy Bills Rebate: Private Rented Housing
Tuesday 18th October 2022

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals on ensuring landlords pass the Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) discount on to tenants who pay all-inclusive bills.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government introduced the Energy Prices Bill in Parliament on 12th October. The Bill includes provisions to require landlords to pass benefits received from the Energy Price Guarantee, Energy Bills Support Scheme, or Energy Bill Relief Scheme as appropriate to tenants who pay all-inclusive bills.

The legislation makes clear that intermediaries must pass the benefits to the end user. The government will introduce regulations to allow end users to recover any benefits they are due as a debt if they do not receive them by a specified period. This means that end users will be able to pursue recovery of benefits through civil proceedings.


Written Question
Park Homes: Energy
Tuesday 18th October 2022

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help reduce energy bills for tenants and residents of park homes.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

On the 29th July, the Government set out further details of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) and, as part of this package, the Government confirmed that further funding will be available to provide equivalent support for park home residents.

The details of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme were announced on 21 September 2022. The Government is working to ensure businesses and other organisations pass on the benefits under this scheme through to the end user in a reasonable and proportionate way. This will ensure additional support for tenants and park home residents.


Written Question
Hydrogen: Finance
Tuesday 18th October 2022

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he will take to increase levels of investment in Green Hydrogen in (a) Cheshire (b) the UK.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The recent Energy Security Strategy doubled our ambition from 5GW to 10GW of low carbon production capacity by 2030 with at least half of this coming from ‘green’ electrolytic hydrogen. This included a commitment to host yearly electrolytic allocation funding rounds for projects across the UK, which combines Hydrogen Business Model revenue support with optional CAPEX funding through the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund. Together with a clear policy and regulatory environment, we expect to mobilise over £9 billion of private investment in production alone across the UK by 2030, which will benefit the hydrogen economy across the UK.


Written Question
Renewable Energy
Tuesday 18th October 2022

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

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 potential merits of decoupling the cost of electricity using renewables from the wholesale price of gas.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The recently introduced Energy Prices Bill includes powers to help address the link between high global gas prices and the cost of low-carbon electricity, allowing consumers to benefit from the ‘green dividend’ of low-priced clean energy.

The Government has launched the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements. It considers a range of enduring reforms, including ways of increasing investment in low-carbon capacity, making gas-fired generation the price-setter for electricity less often, and reforms to the wholesale market so volatile gas prices do not set the price of cheaper renewables, which could have the effect of decoupling gas and electricity prices.


Written Question
Housing: Insulation
Tuesday 18th October 2022

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department will provide to help insulate uninsulated homes in the UK.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government provides support to households to improve their energy efficiency. The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Home Upgrade Grant, and Local Authority Delivery schemes will deliver energy efficiency upgrades to around half a million homes. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) has also been extended until March 2026 at an increased value of £1 billion per year.


Written Question
Fracking: Cheshire
Thursday 6th October 2022

Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)

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 potential environmental impact of shale gas extraction on communities in (a) Weaver Vale constituency and (b) Cheshire.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Exploration or development of shale gas will need to meet rigorous safety and environmental standards, including those set by the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.