Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking to steps to ensure that gas-safe registered installers are not required to undertake additional work as a result of the Each Home Counts review.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Each Home Counts review was an independent review, led by Dr. Peter Bonfield, which published its report in December 2016. Implementation of Each Home Counts is being led by industry, with the support of Government. All members of the Implementation Board participate on a voluntary basis with no remuneration and are required to declare any conflicts of interest. Where conflicts are identified members are excluded from any decision making process in which they would have an actual or perceived conflict. Ministers have not met with the Implementation Board since December 2016, but Departmental officials are present at meetings as observers.
The approach taken by the Board has been to encourage constructive stakeholder participation and engage across the sector. A broad range of stakeholders have been involved, including members representative of GasSafe installers.
One of the main recommendations from the Review was to establish a quality mark for retrofit energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, and for companies operating in this sector.
It is for industry to propose how the new quality mark framework will be structured and financed. As indicated in the Review it is intended that action build on good practice so reducing bureaucracy and potential duplication and reducing cost for industry and consumers overall.
The Each Home Counts review recognised that there is already good practice in the sector and many organisations operate to high standards. Where the quality mark requirements are already being met, companies will be able to apply to operate under the quality mark without further improvements. There is no intention from Government to make participation in the proposed Each Home Counts quality mark mandatory for any business or sector. As there is no regulatory requirement, Government does not plan to conduct a dedicated economic impact assessment for Each Home Counts.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
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 direct the Oil and Gas Authority under the provisions of the Energy Act 2016 in the public interest to consider the decision to close the Rough gas storage facility.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
There has been significant investment in the UK’s natural gas supply infrastructure over the last decade. As a result we benefit from highly diverse and flexible sources of natural gas, including: production from the North Sea; six international gas pipelines with Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands; three Liquefied Natural Gas terminals that can bring gas from anywhere in the world; and a number of modern, responsive gas storage facilities. On this basis I do not consider it appropriate to invoke the provisions under Section 8 of the Energy Act 2016. The Department has recently undertaken a full strategic assessment of our long-term gas security, and we will publish this in due course.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
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 direct the Oil and Gas Authority under the provisions of the Energy Act 2016 to investigate the financial viability of gas storage operations in the UK.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
It is not the role of the Oil and Gas Authority to conduct such an assessment. The Department has recently undertaken a full strategic assessment of our long-term gas security, and we will publish this in due course.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times government ministers have met the Coal Authority in the last two years.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Coal Authority has met with Government Ministers four times in the last two years.
The Minister of State for Energy met the Coal Authority on three occasions between October 2014 and October 2016:
The Coal Authority also met the then Under-Secretary of State Environment and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Penrith and The Border (Rory Stewart) on 20 November 2015.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times the Secretary of State has exercised his powers to make payments above £15,000 under the House Loss Payments Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not exercised his powers to make payments above £15,000 under the House Loss Payments Scheme.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the Coal Authority has spent on external legal advice in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Coal Authority’s external legal spend over the last five years is broken-down as follows:
Oct 2011 - Sep 2012 448,512.24
Oct 2012 - Sep 2013 615,208.40
Oct 2013 - Sep 2014 418,516.90
Oct 2014 - Sep 2015 371,561.44
Oct 2015 - Sep 2016 771,867.78
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people have been employed in the Coal Authority in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Total Coal Authority average headcount for the last five years is broken-down as follows:
2016 183
2015 168
2014 143
2013 136
2012 139
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department's policy that compensation for subsidence damage under the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991 is in line with the Code of Practice which was based upon the Land Compensation Act 1973.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991 and the Coal Industry Act 1994 set out the duties on the Coal Authority in relation to coal mining subsidence and includes provisions for purchase of properties and home loss payments. Principles relating to compensation reflect similar principles referred to in other codes of practice relating to compulsory purchase procedures instigated by other public bodies. However, the Coal Authority has no compulsory purchase rights relating to subsidence. There are, however, differences in the minimum and maximum degree of compensation paid.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
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 amend the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991 to allow the Coal Authority to take into account blight when making compensation payments.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to review the powers under the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many properties affected by subsidence have been compulsorily purchased by the Coal Authority in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Coal Authority has no compulsory purchase powers in relation to subsidence and as such has not purchased any properties on that basis in the last five years.