Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that householders on sub-meters receive the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme payment as soon as possible.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As an extension to the Energy Bills Support Scheme, alternative funding is being provided to around 900,000 households without a direct relationship with a domestic electricity supplier. Some residents with sub-meters may be eligible for the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding, which will provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills to households without a domestic electricity supply. This includes those who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an electricity supplier. Further details will be published later this month.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 reply to correspondence from the hon. member for Manchester Gorton dated 8 July 2022, reference AK52139.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has been unable to confirm receipt of the Hon. Member's correspondence of 8 July 2022. Please resubmit the correspondence to the Department and a response will be expedited for the Hon. Member.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 impact of lifting the ban on fracking in England on the Government's target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Net Zero is a consideration in all relevant government decisions. The Government remains committed to net zero by 2050, but to get there we are going to need oil and gas.
Exploring domestic shale gas as a way of maximising domestic production could not only strengthen UK energy security but also reduce the amount of emissions-intensive gas imported from abroad.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 number of researchers in the UK researching (a) dementia, (b) cancer, (c) stroke and (d) coronary heart disease in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government does not collect this data.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 providing additional financial support to (a) bakeries and (b) other businesses which use a large amount of energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government understands the huge pressure businesses are facing with their energy bills, which is why immediate action has been taken to support them over the winter, protecting jobs and livelihoods. Details of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic customers were announced on 21 September and details can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers. The Government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers (including all UK businesses, the voluntary sector and the public sector) whose current gas and electricity prices have been significantly inflated in light of global energy prices.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the remaining £176 million of the Government's commitment of £300 million of additional funding for mathematical sciences will be released.
Answered by Jane Hunt
UKRI’s council level allocations were published on 30 May. The total UKRI allocation is £25.1 billion for 2022-25 and will reach its highest ever level in 2024-25 (over £8.8 billion). This multi-year settlement provides UKRI and its constituent research councils with stability and certainty to deliver world class research and innovation across their portfolio, including in mathematical sciences.
As part of the Additional Funding Programme for Mathematical Sciences, UKRI have committed £124 million out to 2028-29. UKRI will seek further opportunities to support mathematical research as it moves towards greater collective management of its funding, creating a portfolio of investments.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help insulate houses in (a) Manchester, Gorton constituency, (b) Manchester and (c) the UK.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is supporting a number of schemes to insulate homes and introducing a zero-rate of VAT for five years on measures including insulation and low-carbon heating.
The (£786m) Local Authority Delivery, Home Upgrade Grant (£1.1bn) and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (£1bn), bring the Government’s investment for decarbonising buildings across this parliament to £6.6 billion.
1,586 homes in Manchester, including 77 in Gorton, have signed up under Phases 1 and 2 of the Local Authority Delivery schemes up to February 2022.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is delivering a project under Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (Wave 1) to treat 1,286 homes.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 a new licensing round in the North Sea on the UK's (a) obligations towards international climate targets and (b) net-zero target.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The North Sea Transition Authority plans to launch another licensing round in the autumn, noting to the forthcoming climate compatibility checkpoint. The climate compatibility checkpoint will be used to assess how any future licensing rounds remain in keeping with the UK’s climate goals.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 the Jackdaw fossil fuel development proposed by Shell with the decarbonisation targets for industry in the North Sea Transition Deal.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Development proposals for oil fields under existing licences are a matter for the regulators - the North Sea Transition Authority and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). As part of that regulatory process, OPRED complete an Environmental Impact Assessment and a public consultation on any proposal. OPRED’s decision on the Environmental Impact Assessment for Jackdaw will be made in due course.
The emissions reduction targets in the North Sea Transition Deal are monitored by the North Sea Transition Authority. Emissions from any new fields as production comes on stream would be taken into account in continuing to ensure the targets in the Deal are met.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 households that have a pre-payment (a) gas and (b) electricity meter in (i) Manchester Gorton, (ii) City of Manchester, (iii) Greater Manchester, (iv) the North West and (v) England.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As Ofgem notes in its latest Consumer Protection report (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/consumer-protection-report-autumn-2021), there were around 4.1 million electricity and 3.3 million gas customers on a pre-payment meters in Great Britain in 2020.
The Department has not undertaken an assessment of figures for these specific areas.