Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she accepts the conclusion in ADE: Demand's No Home Left Behind that low-income households are effectively paying five times more than wealthier families for clean heat; and what immediate steps she will take to close that gap.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Through the Warm Homes Plan (WHP), the Government is rolling out cost-effective, clean energy technologies that reduce bills including solar, batteries, and heat pumps.
Low-income households can access fully-funded grant support through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund where the grants will cover the full cost of measures installed including heating system upgrades. A total of £4.4 billion has been put aside for low-income schemes up to 2030.
Additionally, universal grants of up to £9,000 are available for heat pump installations through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and the WHP also committed to a brand-new scheme offering low interest, government-backed consumer loans supported with £2 billion of public funding.
We’re also taking direct action to reduce energy bills including removing VAT charges on electricity bills, removing policy costs at the last Budget worth an average of £150 per year, and expanding the Warm Homes Discount to six million households last winter and confirming that level of support for the rest of the decade.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reinstating mandatory independent external audits of local authorities.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Independent external audits of local authorities are mandatory. Under Section 4 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, all ‘relevant authorities’ must have their accounts externally audited. All local authorities in England are relevant authorities in line with Schedule 2 to that Act.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will consider introducing a standalone physical or digital document to demonstrate proof of Section 3C status.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government has no plans to introduce a separate physical or standalone digital document to evidence section 3C status.
People whose permission is extended under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 can generally use Home Office online services to evidence their immigration status and associated rights. Where they are unable to do so, employers, landlords and public bodies can use the relevant Home Office checking service to verify their status and rights.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of a) the levels of incorrect Negative Verification Notices being issued in cases where the Employer Checking Service database has not updated in time to reflect an applicant's Section 3C status and b) the potential impact of this on employees.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
All requests made to the Employer Checking Service (ECS) that could result in a Negative Verification Notice are checked and approved before issue. Where an employer believes that a Negative Verification Notice has been incorrectly issued, they should contact ECS to challenge the decision and a Positive Verification Notice will be issued if appropriate.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the ADE: Heat Networks Cost of Heat Research recommendation for a targeted electricity discount.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
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As we set out in the Warm Homes Plan, we will need to go further to reduce electricity prices for heat networks. The government intends to consult on options to reduce costs and make electrification an economically rational choice for a wider range of businesses and organisations.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the ADE: Heat Networks Cost of Heat Research, what consideration she has given to the role of strategic zoning in reducing the cost of heat for consumers.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in the Warm Homes Plan, heat network zoning in England (and the establishment of local Zone Coordination Bodies) will help to lay the groundwork for a more place-based approach to heat. Zoning gives local government greater certainty on where district heat networks will be the cheapest option in their area, and the tools to designate and drive these zones into delivery.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the ADE: Heat Networks Cost of Heat Research, what estimate her Department has made of the potential cost impact on consumers of not capturing heat wasted from data centres and other sources.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Data centres will be an important source of low-carbon heat for heat networks. DESNZ has agreed to fund several projects across England where heat is being recovered from data centres because they can offer very low-cost heat which would otherwise go to waste. Through heat network zoning, certain types of buildings and low-carbon heat sources can be required to connect to a network, helping unlock low-cost waste heat from sources such as industry and data centres.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the findings of the ADE: Heat Networks Cost of Heat Research, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to create a level playing field on carbon for the heat network sector.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We thank the ADE for their research. The government is clear that zoning will support the development of low-cost, low-carbon heat networks across England. We recognise that some heat networks will need time to meet the zoning emissions limits that will be required to develop in zones; that is why we have set the emissions limit to come into force from 2030. Funding is available through the Green Heat Network Fund to support the development of new low-carbon heat networks, or the decarbonisation of existing heat networks.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions her Department has had with the Health and Care Professions Council on the creation of a dedicated statutory register for sonographers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public. The National Cancer Plan set out a commitment to review the evidence and engage stakeholders on the potential benefits of independent statutory regulation for sonographers. That work is ongoing and any decisions will be announced in the usual way in due course.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress she has made on the review of statutory regulation for sonographers; and when she expects to publish the findings of that review.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public. The National Cancer Plan set out a commitment to review the evidence and engage stakeholders on the potential benefits of independent statutory regulation for sonographers. That work is ongoing and any decisions will be announced in the usual way in due course.