Written Question
Wednesday 21st January 2026
Asked by:
Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question
to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of utilising disused water and gas pipes in the laying of new electrical cables as part of National Grid upgrades.
Answered by Michael Shanks
- Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Network operators are responsible for assessing and selecting the appropriate construction methods for new infrastructure.
The government has not undertaken an assessment of utilising disused pipes for the installation of new electricity cables but notes there are technical difficulties in using redundant pipes for electricity transmission, including the need to dissipate heat from electricity cables running through the pipes, means of access for maintenance and repair, the need to pass cables through the existing compressors and valves and, for AC cables, the need for power factor correction components.
In addition, redundant pipes are not always located where infrastructure is required.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 01 Dec 2025
Budget Resolutions
"My hon. Friend speaks with passion about child poverty. The fact that we have so many children in poverty is clearly a legacy of Tory economic mismanagement. Does my hon. Friend agree that the removal of the two-child benefit cap is a victory for compassion, justice and evidence-based policymaking?..."Anna Dixon - View Speech
View all Anna Dixon (Lab - Shipley) contributions to the debate on: Budget Resolutions
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Home Insulation
"It is vital that people in all types of tenure and even low-income households—indeed, everybody—can access modifications that could save them money on their bills.
Poor-quality housing particularly traps households in fuel poverty, because people need to spend a fortune to keep warm. Data from Friends of the Earth shows …..."Anna Dixon - View Speech
View all Anna Dixon (Lab - Shipley) contributions to the debate on: Home Insulation
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Home Insulation
"I beg to move,
That this House has considered the impact of home insulation on energy bills.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. Across the country, 12 million households are in fuel poverty, with almost 5 million of them spending over 20% of their income …..."Anna Dixon - View Speech
View all Anna Dixon (Lab - Shipley) contributions to the debate on: Home Insulation
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Home Insulation
"I absolutely agree that home insulation is essential in tackling not only rising energy bills but climate change. I hope the Minister will confirm the Government’s ambition to upgrade 5 million homes by the end of the current Parliament; it is a fantastic goal that will reduce energy bills.
We …..."Anna Dixon - View Speech
View all Anna Dixon (Lab - Shipley) contributions to the debate on: Home Insulation
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Home Insulation
"My hon. Friend makes the point very well, and I absolutely agree that poor housing is part of a public health emergency. Young and old alike suffer from cold and damp homes. At the extreme, cold homes kill. It has been estimated that they contributed to 5,000 excess winter deaths …..."Anna Dixon - View Speech
View all Anna Dixon (Lab - Shipley) contributions to the debate on: Home Insulation
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Home Insulation
"I commend the work of local organisations such as Beat the Cold and the charity Groundwork. I also hope that the Minister will say how he can help support those efforts locally.
Another local project that I would like to pay tribute to is Saltaire Retrofit Reimagined. It is a …..."Anna Dixon - View Speech
View all Anna Dixon (Lab - Shipley) contributions to the debate on: Home Insulation
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Home Insulation
"I thank the Minister for the reassurance that householders affected by faulty work will be getting an audit and that there will be remedies. Can he confirm when those letters will be going out, if they have not already, and whether they will be from Ofgem?..."Anna Dixon - View Speech
View all Anna Dixon (Lab - Shipley) contributions to the debate on: Home Insulation
Written Question
Friday 17th October 2025
Asked by:
Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question
to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility for (a) energy support schemes and (b) the Warm Home Discount to people whose homes are not connected to electric or gas networks.
Answered by Martin McCluskey
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
For schemes such as the Winter Fuel Payment, which helps pensioner households with heating costs, and the Cold Weather Payment, which offers additional support during periods of very cold weather to those on certain income-related benefits, households do not need to be connected to the gas or electricity networks.
To be eligible for the Warm Home Discount a consumer must be named on an energy account with an obligated supplier and be in receipt of a relevant means tested benefit. In February 2025 the Government consulted on broadening the scheme to include households without a direct relationship with an energy supplier, however it was not feasible to take this forward without increasing the cost of the scheme for all consumers.
Written Question
Friday 17th October 2025
Asked by:
Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question
to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made in producing a climate action plan by 29 October 2025.
Answered by Katie White
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We will deliver an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all sectors of the economy later this month. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver Carbon Budgets 4-6 on a pathway to net zero.