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Written Question
Iron and Steel: Energy
Monday 6th February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2023 to Question 127746 on Iron and Steel: Energy, if he will make an estimate of the value of the Government support to the steel sector with energy costs since 2013.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The new Energy Bill Discount Scheme will support steel producers facing high energy prices through issuing a per-unit discount to their energy bills. The calculated discount will depend on the terms of their contract and the future price of energy.

We cannot provide an average estimate, but for steel firms eligible for the Energy and Trade Intensive Industry support, for electricity the maximum discount on 70% of usage will be £89 per megawatt hour (MWh) with a price threshold of £185 per MWh. For gas, the maximum discount will be £40 per MWh with a price threshold of £99 per MWh, also on 70% of usage. The remaining 30% of usage will be supported at the same level as non-domestic customers who do not qualify for the Energy and Trade Intensive Industry support.

We have provided the steel sector more than £800m since 2013 to help with energy costs.


Written Question
Energy Bills Discount Scheme: Iron and Steel
Monday 6th February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2023 to Question 127746, if he will make an estimate of the average saving the Energy Bills Discount Scheme will provide to steel producers.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The new Energy Bill Discount Scheme will support steel producers facing high energy prices through issuing a per-unit discount to their energy bills. The calculated discount will depend on the terms of their contract and the future price of energy.

We cannot provide an average estimate, but for steel firms eligible for the Energy and Trade Intensive Industry support, for electricity the maximum discount on 70% of usage will be £89 per megawatt hour (MWh) with a price threshold of £185 per MWh. For gas, the maximum discount will be £40 per MWh with a price threshold of £99 per MWh, also on 70% of usage. The remaining 30% of usage will be supported at the same level as non-domestic customers who do not qualify for the Energy and Trade Intensive Industry support.

We have provided the steel sector more than £800m since 2013 to help with energy costs.


Written Question
Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries
Monday 6th February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question 131201 on Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries, If he will publish the outcome of the call with members of the steel sector on 6 December 2022.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

This was an informal roundtable discussion, part of a regular series, to discuss the current issues facing the steel sector. The meeting covered a number of topics, including energy costs, decarbonisation support, Government procurement, and trade remedies.


Written Question
Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries
Monday 6th February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2023 to Question 129769 on Iron and Steel: Energy, if he will publish the outcomes of the meeting with steel trade union representatives held on 24 January 2023.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

This was an informal conversation in which Community Union set out their ambitions for the steel industry and all parties discussed current issues.


Written Question
Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries
Monday 6th February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2023 to Question 132361 on Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the difference in the quantity of steel produced in (a) the UK and (b) Germany in 2021.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

We have not made any assessment of the reasons for the difference in the quantity of steel produced in the UK and Germany in 2021. Any differences will be a result of commercial decisions taken by firms in the two countries.


Written Question
Ofgem: Sefton Council
Thursday 2nd February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the outcome has been of discussions between Ofgem and the Sefton Local Authority on a data sharing agreement.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofgem is currently developing a register for all local authorities to enable them to notify measures under the Energy Company Obligation. That register will have an in-built digital solution for data sharing. In the meantime, Ofgem is exploring the most efficient manual approach to achieve this with all local authorities in Scotland, England and Wales. This has included discussions with the Local Government Association.


Written Question
Bakeries: Energy
Thursday 2nd February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

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 take steps to offer financial grants to bakeries for the installation of energy efficiency measures, in the context of the rising energy bills.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government keeps energy efficiency support for businesses, including bakeries and other SMEs, under review. Existing initiatives include an exemption on business rates for green technology, providing small businesses grants under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and offering industry £289m for energy efficiency and low carbon technologies.

In addition, the Autumn Statement announced a new national ambition to reduce the UK’s final energy consumption from buildings and industry to 15% by 2030 against 2021 levels. To support the delivery of this target, a new Energy Efficiency Taskforce will be established, covering homes, businesses, and public sector buildings, as well as industrial processes. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State will announce further details about the Taskforce in due course.


Written Question
Energy Bills Discount Scheme: Bakeries
Thursday 2nd February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether suppliers of ingredients to the bakery industry are eligible for support under the Energy and Trade Intensive Industries scheme.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Following an HMT-led review into the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the Energy Bills Discount Scheme will provide a discount to eligible non-domestic energy users from April 2023. A higher rate of support will be provided to those operating within an eligible Energy and Trade Intensive sector. Eligibility for this higher rate of support has been determined using Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes and the list of eligible sectors has been published on gov.uk https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1128033/230104_ETII_List_for_gov.uk.pdf

If organisations are unsure of their code, they can find out online through Companies House, by using their company name or registration number. Further information is available from Companies House on SIC code classification.


Written Question
Energy: Government Assistance
Thursday 2nd February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will increase the proportion of energy use that qualifies for relief.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills to ensure that all eligible businesses are protected from high energy costs over winter. Following an HMT-led review, the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme will continue to provide a discount to eligible businesses until March 2024. A substantially higher level of support will be provided to businesses in sectors identified as being the most energy and trade intensive.

The Energy Price Guarantee protects domestic customers from increases in energy costs by limiting the amount suppliers can charge per unit of energy used. All households using dual-fuel gas and electricity qualify for the Energy Price Guarantee.


Written Question
Iron and Steel: Carbon Emissions
Wednesday 1st February 2023

Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2023 to Question 127749, what progress he has made on decarbonising the steel industry.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The Government remains committed to a decarbonised and sustainable steel sector and is working closely with industry to support its decarbonisation options. For instance, industrial sectors (including steel) can bid into Government competitive funds worth more than £1.5 billion to support them going green, cutting emissions and becoming more energy efficient.

Furthermore, we are also exploring a range of policies that could potentially mitigate the future risk of carbon leakage. The Government has committed to consult on this, and will do so in the spring.