Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people have started on the (a) low carbon heating technician apprenticeship scheme, (b) Home Decarbonisation Skills Training Scheme and (c) training funded by the Heat Training Grant since September 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
(a) The low carbon heating technician apprenticeship standard is newly approved as of August 2023, and so published data is not yet available;
(b) Since September 2023, 1,796 accredited courses have been started under Phase 2 of the Home Decarbonisation Skills Training Competition, upskilling insulation installers and retrofit coordinators and assessors. The funding is expected to result in around 8,000 training opportunities; and,
(c) Since July 2023, the Heat Training Grant has funded 1,443 courses relevant to heat pumps and heat networks. The grant is expected to support 10,000 training opportunities by April 2025.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the liquidity of the electricity wholesale market.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department is aware that in recent years liquidity has been falling in the GB wholesale electricity market which has made it more challenging for suppliers and generators to manage their financial risks. Concerns over low liquidity were elevated in 2022/23 due to high and volatile wholesale energy prices, which have now stabilised somewhat.
As the electricity market regulator, Ofgem is responsible for ensuring that the wholesale electricity market is sufficiently liquid to provide efficient outcomes for consumers. The Department will also consider how to ensure liquidity is maintained in future market arrangements through its Review of Electricity Market Arrangements.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Energy Emergencies Committee has put forward proposals for an outcomes-focused physical network resilience standard.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Members of the Energy Emergencies Executive Committee (E3C) have developed proposals for an outcomes-focused physical network resilience standard. The standard will set public and government expectations and industry targets to guide planning and funding decisions by industry and the regulator, providing a consistent approach to emergency planning and management for both national and local severe weather events. This was a commitment in the Storm Arwen Review Final Report.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of restoring the market making obligation on major energy suppliers to improve liquidity in the wholesale electricity market.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As the electricity market regulator, Ofgem is responsible for ensuring that the wholesale electricity market is sufficiently liquid to provide efficient outcomes for consumers. Ofgem monitors liquidity in physical and financial markets and explores options to improve it. Alongside this, through the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements, the Department is considering how to ensure liquidity is maintained as the UK transitions to future market arrangements.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of not proceeding with changes to minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector on the Government’s 15% energy consumption reduction target.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The ambition to reduce total UK energy demand by 15% from 2021 levels by 2030 remains. In order to meet that ambition, a range of proposals and policies are required. My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State keeps under review the UK’s progress towards improving the energy efficiency of homes and will take further action if needed to ensure there are sufficient proposals and polices in place to meet the ambition.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the draft action plan produced by the energy efficiency taskforce included a recommendation to introduce higher minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Efficiency Taskforce was established to support the Government with its target to reduce total UK energy demand by 15% from 2021 levels by 2030. My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State has, after careful deliberation, concluded that the draft work can be streamlined into other Government activity. No finalised product was produced.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department consulted the Energy Efficiency Taskforce on the decision to introduce new minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector before the taskforce was disbanded.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department consulted regularly with the Energy Efficiency Taskforce to develop a pathway to reduce total UK energy demand by 15% from 2021 levels by 2030.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on the UK’s net zero and power decarbonisation targets of the decision to lower minimum market-wide smart coverage projection by 2025 to 74.1% .
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The smart metering Targets Framework sets energy suppliers annual, individual minimum installation targets over a four-year period and is driving the momentum of the rollout.
Ofgem is responsible for regulating and enforcing energy suppliers against their minimum installation targets.
The Government will consider whether further measures are needed after 2025 in addition to the existing smart metering New and Replacement Obligation to maximise the benefits of the rollout beyond the end of the four-year Framework.
The smart meter rollout continues to unlock energy system flexibility which is forecast to reduce system costs by up to £10bn a year by 2050.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the smart meter rollout beyond 2025.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The smart metering Targets Framework sets energy suppliers annual, individual minimum installation targets over a four-year period and is driving the momentum of the rollout.
Ofgem is responsible for regulating and enforcing energy suppliers against their minimum installation targets.
The Government will consider whether further measures are needed after 2025 in addition to the existing smart metering New and Replacement Obligation to maximise the benefits of the rollout beyond the end of the four-year Framework.
The smart meter rollout continues to unlock energy system flexibility which is forecast to reduce system costs by up to £10bn a year by 2050.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero what assessment she has made of the adequacy of progress on the Smart Meter Targets Framework.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The smart metering Targets Framework sets energy suppliers annual, individual minimum installation targets over a four-year period and is driving the momentum of the rollout.
Ofgem is responsible for regulating and enforcing energy suppliers against their minimum installation targets.
The Government will consider whether further measures are needed after 2025 in addition to the existing smart metering New and Replacement Obligation to maximise the benefits of the rollout beyond the end of the four-year Framework.
The smart meter rollout continues to unlock energy system flexibility which is forecast to reduce system costs by up to £10bn a year by 2050.