Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether people living in flats in sheltered accommodation and who are off the gas grid will be eligible for the Alternative Fuel Payment.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Alternative Fuel Payment of £200 will provide support for those in properties using fuels such as heating oil, liquified petroleum gas, coal or biomass for heating. Households which are off the gas grid and which use alternative fuel as their main source of heating will be eligible.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans for households eligible for the Alternative Fuel Payment to receive the £200 as a credit on their electricity bill; and whether this payment will be delivered as a lump-sum.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The vast majority of Alternative Fuel Payment eligible households in Great Britain will receive payment automatically via their electricity supplier as a £200 lump sum with no need to take any action. The Government expects this payment will be made in the new year.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he expects households which will be eligible for the Alternative Fuel Payment but which will not receive the payment automatically because they do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier to be enabled to make an online application.
Answered by Graham Stuart
These customers will be able to make an application as soon as possible in the new year.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much and what proportion of the £484 million announced by the Government in funding for the R&D sector announced by the Government on 21 November 2022 will be allocated to Wales.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government’s priority is to support the UK’s world class R&D sector. The Government has put in place this additional funding to shore up talent and invest in R&D infrastructure across the whole of the UK, while also aiming to secure the UK fusion sectors’ commercial leadership and capabilities.
R&D investment in the Devolved Administrations (DAs) and regions of the UK is key to levelling up and we have liased with the relevant bodies to ensure proper coverage of the DAs. The Government are committed to levelling-up and we have liased with the relevant bodies to ensure proper coverage of the DAs. The specific approach for funding distribution between DAs and final allocations for the DAs will be announced in the near future.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 Answer of 13 May 2021 to Question 1041 on Animal Experiments: Surveys, whether the research for an update to the Public Attitudes to Animal Research survey has been carried out; and when his Department plans to publish the results of that research.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government understands the importance of this research. The Department is considering when and how best this could be undertaken.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to improve measurement and reporting of (a) home energy efficiency ratings by EPC bands and (b) the number of existing homes moving between EPC bands.
Answered by Graham Stuart
In line with the Government’s agenda to make data easily accessible, Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data is available on the DLUHC Open Data Communities website to allow people to carry out their own analyses. However, DLUHC does not track movement between EPC Bands.
The Government updated the methodology used for EPC calculations in new homes to improve its accuracy in June 2022 and is working on an update to the methodology used in existing homes.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 made an assessment of the potential merits of setting targets for the number of existing homes improved to EPC band C or above.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Chris Skidmore MP is currently conducting an independent review of the Government’s approach to meeting its net zero 2050 target, including the Government's approach to improving the energy performance of homes. This is to ensure the Government delivers its legal commitment to reach net zero by 2050 in a way that is pro-business and pro-growth.
The Government remains committed to improving the energy performance of homes and reducing Fuel Poverty. The Government is investing £12 billion in Help to Heat schemes to make sure homes are warmer and cheaper to heat.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households have moved from below EPC band C to EPC band C or above, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Graham Stuart
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun on 28th September 2022 to Question 51773.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on its Market Study into road fuel and the potential merits of including a breakdown of the costs of inland fuel transportation and their impact on retail price.
Answered by Jane Hunt
The Competition and Markets Authority launched a market study into the supply of road fuel in the UK on 08 July. This followed my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s request to the CMA for advice on a number of features of the market for road fuel. The Government fully supports the CMA in its further work on this important issue. As part of its market study, the CMA welcomes views from stakeholders of all kinds on the issues it should be considering. Details on how to submit views to the CMA are available on the webpage for the market study, accessible at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/road-fuel-market-study.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many trees will need to be burnt each year to reach the target of removing 58 MtCO2 in the Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage plan laid out in his Net Zero Strategy.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government’s Net Zero Strategy includes illustrative scenarios on how to meet net zero in 2050, and those modelled pathways include an illustrative range of carbon removals of 52-58MtCO2 via Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). This will require a variety of biomass feedstocks, including from forestry. The Government has not yet estimated the quantity of forestry resources needed within that mix. More details on how biomass technologies will be used to meet the UK’s Net Zero targets will be released in the forthcoming Biomass Strategy later this year.