Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 through the Hydrogen Business Model to help (a) increase the use of hydrogen in heavy transport, (b) incentivise fleets to decarbonise and (c) build the UK's hydrogen economy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The hydrogen business model will be critical to building the UK’s hydrogen economy by unlocking private investment through a subsidy to close the gap between the cost of producing hydrogen and the price it can be sold for. We have confirmed our intention to proceed with a contractual producer-focused business model, applicable to a range of hydrogen production pathways and able to facilitate hydrogen use in a broad range of sectors. We are designing the hydrogen business model to be compatible with other existing support schemes such as the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 an exemption from the energy plan subsidy for illuminated advertising signs used by businesses.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a discount on energy bills for all non-domestic customers including businesses, the voluntary sector and the public sector, whose current gas and electricity prices have been significantly inflated in light of global energy prices. There are no plans specifically to exclude this type of energy use, and it is important that companies are able to conduct their business in a normal way. Businesses are encouraged to consider adjusting their energy use and increase energy efficiency wherever possible, to minimise the impact of energy costs and reduce emissions.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how customers who pay utilities via a coin meter from which the monies are collected by the landlord will receive the energy discount due to start in October 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
If the landlord has a domestic contract with their energy supplier, they are required to charge tenants no more than they paid suppliers for the energy, under Ofgem’s Maximum Resale Price rules (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2005/10/11782-resaleupdateoct05_3.pdf). This means that the £400 discount should be passed on to tenants.
If the landlord has a commercial contract with their supplier, further funding will be available to provide equivalent support for energy bills for the small percentage of domestic energy consumers not reached by the Energy Bills Support Scheme. The Government will announce further details shortly.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how people who pay all-inclusive bills for their homes will receive their entitlement through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There are rules which can protect tenants and ensure they receive the benefit of this policy. Ofgem’s guidance on how to ensure customers are being charged no more than they should when they buy the electricity through their landlord, including what to do if they think there has been a mistake can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2005/10/11782-resaleupdateoct05_3.pdf.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to ban the import of Russian produced hydrogen sourced from methane; and whether he has made an assessment of the available options to achieve that.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is not aware of any significant imports of hydrogen produced in Russia to the UK. The Government is focussed on developing the hydrogen economy in the UK and working with industry to achieve 5GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 publish details of the proposed sale of the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC) including (a) which parts of VMIC are up for sale and (b) an estimate of the timeline for a sale to take place.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government is not selling the facility. VMIC Limited is a private company and has always been a private company. Any decisions and information regarding the future of the company and its facilities are the responsibility of the VMIC Board of Directors. The Government supported VMIC as part of our 2017 Life Science Strategy commitment to vaccines innovation, which the pandemic has dramatically accelerated.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what conditions were placed upon (a) Pfizer, (b) Moderna and (c) other covid-19 vaccination providers in relation to the (i) number of vaccinations given and (ii) timescales for delivery; and what penalties or incentives were put in place in connection with those matters.
Answered by George Freeman
All contracts agreed between the Government and vaccine developers have been published on Contracts Finder. Parts of these contracts have been redacted as they are commercially sensitive and so cannot be disclosed at this time.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Energy Charter Treaty on meeting (a) the UKs commitment to phase out fossil fuels and (b) the commitments made by the EU and the wider international community.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Energy Charter Treaty already calls on Member States to minimise the environmental impacts of energy operations.
Member States of the Energy Charter Treaty are modernising the Treaty and ensuring it is aligned with our climate objectives. The UK supports the process to modernise the Treaty in a way that advances the global energy transition, such as the right for States to regulate to reach emissions reduction targets and ensuring a stronger focus on climate security.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 businesses using company AGMs to consult with wider stakeholders beyond shareholders, to encourage greater stewardship and adoption of transition policies towards net-zero.
Answered by Paul Scully
Since 2019 we have required all large companies to report annually on how their directors have had regard in their decision-making to the interests of employees, customers, suppliers, the environment and other matters. Companies are free to invite stakeholders to AGMs as a way to understand and consider stakeholder interests.
The UK Corporate Governance Code further provides that premium listed companies should ensure effective engagement with, and encourage participation from, both shareholders and stakeholders.
The Government's ‘Roadmap to Sustainable Investing’, published in October, set out how we will enable and expect business to address the challenge of climate change, including by disclosing climate change transition plans. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-finance-a-roadmap-to-sustainable-investing). From April 2022, large public interest entities will be required to report in line with the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 publish the age bands of trees used to produce wood pellets for biomass power stations in (a) the UK and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK only supports biomass which complies with strict sustainability criteria and generators only receive subsidies for compliant biomass.