Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has taken steps to ensure that (a) reviews and (b) interventions made by the Investment Security Unit under the National Security and Investment Act are subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Transparency and accountability to Parliament are fundamental parts of effective government. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is therefore considering a Memorandum of Understanding regarding scrutiny of his use of the National Security and Investment Act 2021 with the BEIS Select Committee.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 take steps to review the takeover of semiconductor start-up Flusso by Shanghai Sierchi Enterprise Management Partnership.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The acquisition of Flusso was screened and issued with a Final Notification in June 2022 by the then Secretary of State Kwasi Kwarteng.
As with any transaction, should the company be sold on, that, or any subsequent acquisition, could be called in if the thresholds under the NSI Act are met. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, acquisitions called in for screening that are subsequently cleared by the National Security and Investment Act are not routinely publicised. The Government will not comment further on the detail of the transaction, or any national security assessment made.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to make it easier to secure planning permission for new onshore wind turbines.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government understands the strength of feeling that some people have about the impact of wind turbines in England. The Government is considering all options for increasing deployment in ways which are supported by local communities.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether grants are available for the replacement of old oil boilers in properties where a heat pump cannot be installed.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides upfront grants of £5,000 towards the installation and capital costs of biomass boilers to support the transition away from oil boilers and other forms of fossil fuel heating. In order to be eligible for this scheme, biomass boilers must be installed in a property which is in a rural location and is not connected to the gas grid. The biomass boiler must also meet relevant emissions requirements under the scheme.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many university referrals to the Research Collaboration Advice Team were made in relation to a Chinese linked project; and what the outcomes of those referrals were.
Answered by George Freeman
The Research Collaboration Advice Team (RCAT) has engaged with most research-intensive universities to provide support and advice. It is crucial to maintain the confidence of universities when they have identified potential national security risks in international collaboration, therefore there are no current plans to publish the outcomes of requests for advice, nor the countries to which they refer. The RCAT continues to review its processes to ensure we are as transparent as possible when sharing information, without infringing on the assumption of confidence that the model is based on. The RCAT will reach full operational capacity by September.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his will publish the outcomes of requests submitted by universities to the Research Collaboration Advice Team.
Answered by George Freeman
The Research Collaboration Advice Team (RCAT) has engaged with most research-intensive universities to provide support and advice. It is crucial to maintain the confidence of universities when they have identified potential national security risks in international collaboration, therefore there are no current plans to publish the outcomes of requests for advice, nor the countries to which they refer. The RCAT continues to review its processes to ensure we are as transparent as possible when sharing information, without infringing on the assumption of confidence that the model is based on. The RCAT will reach full operational capacity by September.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many requests for support the Research Collaboration Advice Team has received from universities since its inception.
Answered by George Freeman
The Research Collaboration Advice Team (RCAT) has engaged with most research-intensive universities to provide support and advice. It is crucial to maintain the confidence of universities when they have identified potential national security risks in international collaboration, therefore there are no current plans to publish the outcomes of requests for advice, nor the countries to which they refer. The RCAT continues to review its processes to ensure we are as transparent as possible when sharing information, without infringing on the assumption of confidence that the model is based on. The RCAT will reach full operational capacity by September.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the policy paper entitled British energy security strategy, published in April 2022, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that large solar developments are located on previously developed or lower value land and not on graded agricultural land.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the need to preserve the UK’s arable farmland. Planning guidance prioritises effective land use and encourages siting large solar projects on previously developed land. Where solar project proposals involve greenfield land, lower quality land should be used where possible, and projects need to justify using better quality land classifications.
The Government will consult on changing planning rules for ground-mounted solar to strengthen policy in favour of development, while ensuring communities continue to have a say and environmental protections remain in place.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to take steps to protect nationally significant infrastructure projects such as large scale solar plants in line with the decision to remove China Nuclear Power Group from its involvement in the construction of the Sizewell Nuclear Plant.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK welcomes foreign investment in our infrastructure. As part of this, all investment involving critical infrastructure is subject to thorough scrutiny and needs to satisfy the government’s robust legal, regulatory, and national security requirements. This includes the new National Security and Investment Act 2021, which gives the Government robust powers to investigate and, if necessary, intervene in investments and other acquisitions to protect national security.
CGN has a 20% shareholding in the Sizewell C project up to the point of Final Investment Decision. Negotiations on the project are ongoing and no decisions have been made.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 suitability of agricultural land for large scale solar plants, in the context of the relative output of UK solar plants and those in hotter climates.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the need to preserve the UK’s arable farmland. Planning guidance prioritises effective land use and encourages deploying large solar on previously developed land. The Government also supports solar co-located with other functions, such as agriculture, Projects should be designed to avoid, mitigate, and compensate for impacts.
Solar is a cheap, effective, and versatile technology that works better at cooler temperatures and can generate large amounts of electricity even on cloudy days and from indirect sunlight. Solar generation is predictable and can be part of grid balancing to complement other energy sources.