Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the protection of Thames Water employees’ pensions in the event of (a) insolvency or (b) entry into Special Administration.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I fully understand that all employees will be concerned about the future of their pensions, and would like to be clear, we expect the company to thoroughly explore all options to protect the pensions of its employees.
In a SAR the Special Administrator – who is legally independent - would be required to consider all options and make decisions relating to the company, including its pensions, in accordance with their obligations as set out in legislation.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will increase sports funding for primary schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 11062.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sports funding for primary schools in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 11062.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to protect sports funding in primary schools in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Surrey Heath to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 11062.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of maintaining gas fired generation as backup capacity in a renewables led electricity system.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Clean Power means that by 2030, Great Britain will generate enough clean power to meet our total annual electricity demand, backed up by unabated gas supply to be used only when essential.
The Capacity Market remains the government’s primary mechanism for ensuring security of electricity supply in Great Britain.
Capacity Market costs depend on the competitive auction process and the final clearing price each year. Over the last four T-4 auctions, between 23.5-29GW of gas fired derated capacity has secured agreements with an associated cost ranging from £650m-£1.9bn for their associated future delivery year.
As the role of unabated gas diminishes, we continue to work with NESO and Ofgem to explore how market and system arrangements can evolve to minimise its impact on energy bills, whilst retaining sufficient unabated gas capacity for security of supply.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of heat pump deployment on winter peak electricity demand.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department assesses that heat pump deployment, as part of the wider electrification of heat, is expected to increase annual and winter peak electricity demand over time. The precise impact depends on factors including the rate of deployment, heat pump performance, weather conditions and the availability of consumer-led flexibility. The Department models a range of plausible future demand trajectories to ensure that the electricity system remains flexible, resilient, and able to maintain security of supply under different pathways to net zero.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of hydrogen produced from surplus renewable electricity in improving energy security.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 2024 Clean Power Action Plan identified the need for low carbon dispatchable generation technologies, such as hydrogen to power, which can replicate the role of unabated gas and provide a secure supply of electricity to support intermittent renewable generation.
For example, when combined with domestic electrolytic hydrogen production, hydrogen to power can make efficient use of otherwise curtailed electricity during periods of excess renewable generation.
Hydrogen to power can complement our renewables-based future and can be deployed at times of low renewable output or peak demand, helping to support energy security.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of higher levels of renewable generation on seasonal variations in wholesale electricity prices.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Increasing participation of renewables in the wholesale market means that over time, we can take advantage of the cheaper electricity produced by renewable technologies.
Any seasonal variation in wholesale prices will be driven by seasonal variation in both supply and demand. Accelerating the deployment of renewables, through our Clean Power 2030 Mission, will reduce the amount gas is setting the price and rapidly decouple electricity from gas prices, which will reduce the exposure of consumer bills to volatile international prices.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the role of long duration energy storage in supporting renewable electricity generation.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Long duration electricity storage (LDES) plays a key role in the current and future power system, including by allowing excess renewable generation to be stored for use at times of need. It is complemented by other forms of long duration energy storage technologies.
On 26 June, Ofgem published minded-to decisions on initial projects to be supported through the LDES Cap and Floor investment support scheme, announced by government in 2024. Ofgem intends to support 7.6GW of new LDES projects in this first allocation window, following advice from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) on anticipated system need in 2035.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had discussions with the Pensions Regulator on the security of the Thames Water Pension Scheme.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Pensions Regulator is the independent regulator of all trust-based occupational pension schemes and DWP Ministers and officials engage with them regularly on a wide range of issues.