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, when he will respond to the correspondence of 13 January 2023 from the hon. Member for Sefton Central on the UK steel Industry.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
This Department aims to reply to all Ministerial correspondence within 15 working days. The letter in question was received 13 January, a response will be issued shortly.
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 15 December 2022 to Question 107106, which region received the most funding for projects from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The region that has been awarded the highest value of funding to date through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is Greater London. Lists of projects awarded funding through the scheme, categorised by region, can be found on the Scheme’s gov.uk page: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-sector-decarbonisation-scheme
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 make an estimate of the number of homes in fuel poverty that will be upgraded from Energy Performance Certificate (a) Band D and below to (b) B and C and above due to works undertaken through Government-funded schemes in England and Wales in the period between October 2022 and October 2023.
Answered by Graham Stuart
BEIS estimates that up to 55% of households receiving energy efficiency measures will elevate their EPC rating from D or below to C or above in the Sustainable Warmth Scheme.
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) focuses on improving social homes below EPC C up to that standard. Around 61% of target households for the SHDF are fuel poor. The SHDF Demonstrator awarded funding in 2021 to social landlords across England and Scotland, seeing up to 2,000 social homes improved. SHDF Wave 1 awarded funding for delivery from 2022 into 2023 and will see up to 20,000 social homes in England improved.
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 make an estimate of the number of homes in fuel poverty that were upgraded from Energy Performance Certificate (a) Band D and below to (b) Band C and above due to works undertaken through Government-funded schemes in England and Wales in the period between October 2021 and October 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
BEIS estimates that up to 55% of households receiving energy efficiency measures will elevate their EPC rating from D or below to C or above in the Sustainable Warmth Scheme.
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) focuses on improving social homes below EPC C up to that standard. Around 61% of target households for the SHDF are fuel poor. The SHDF Demonstrator awarded funding in 2021 to social landlords across England and Scotland, seeing up to 2,000 social homes improved. SHDF Wave 1 awarded funding for delivery from 2022 into 2023 and will see up to 20,000 social homes in England improved.
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 steps his Department is taking to enable the establishment of a local supply chain for (a) Floating Offshore Wind and (b) the maximum economic benefit of developing the Celtic Sea.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is committed to realising the economic opportunity of floating offshore wind, underlined by its ambition in the British Energy Security Strategy to deploy up to 5GW of floating wind by 2030.
The Crown Estate will launch its 4GW Celtic Sea leasing round later this year, within which developers will be expected to outline their approach to supply chains.
As part of the Contract for Difference process, Supply Chain Plans ensure developers make the investments needed to upgrade supply chain capability. The Government has introduced Supply Chain Plan requirements to all floating wind projects in Allocation Round 5.
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 his planned timetable is for the allocation of funding under the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
BEIS is currently processing information provided to the department through the Request for Information process that ran over the summer for which there was significant interest. The Government will set out the next steps on the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme in due course.
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, how many homes in England and Wales were in fuel poverty in October 2021.
Answered by Graham Stuart
BEIS has responsibility for the measurement of fuel poverty in England. The latest estimates of fuel poverty in England are available:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics.
Fuel poverty is a devolved matter and different metrics of fuel poverty are used in the Devolved Administrations. The latest fuel poverty estimates by Welsh Government are available here:
https://www.gov.wales/fuel-poverty-estimates-wales.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing carbon costs for the steel sector on carbon leakage.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
UK Emissions Trading Scheme industrial participants, such as steel sector businesses, are provided with free allocations of emissions. This reduces exposure to carbon prices and mitigates the risk of carbon leakage. In 2021, they were worth over £2bn. Free allocations are guaranteed at current levels until 2026. The review into free allocation policy will continue into 2023 and will include consulting on changes to the calculations of free allocations post-2026. We are committed to consulting on carbon leakage mitigations this spring including measures such as product standards, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and policies to grow the market for low emissions industrial products.
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 make an estimate of the number of people employed in (a) steel production and (b) the steel production supply chain in (i) 2015, (ii) 2020 and (iii) 2022.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
In 2007, an estimated total of 34,700 people were employed in the manufacture of basic iron and steel. This supported an estimated 43,700 jobs across the upstream supply chain.
In 2010, an estimated total of 30,200 people were employed in the manufacture of basic iron and steel. This supported an estimated 38,000 jobs across the upstream supply chain.
In 2015, an estimated total of 32,000 people were employed in the manufacture of basic iron and steel. This supported an estimated 40,300 jobs across the upstream supply chain.
In 2020, an estimated total of 33,700 people were employed in the manufacture of basic iron and steel. This supported an estimated 42,500 jobs across the upstream supply chain.
Data for 1997 is not available and data for 2022 has not yet been released.
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 estimate how many people were employed in (a) steel production and (b) the steel production supply chain in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2010.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
In 2007, an estimated total of 34,700 people were employed in the manufacture of basic iron and steel. This supported an estimated 43,700 jobs across the upstream supply chain.
In 2010, an estimated total of 30,200 people were employed in the manufacture of basic iron and steel. This supported an estimated 38,000 jobs across the upstream supply chain.
In 2015, an estimated total of 32,000 people were employed in the manufacture of basic iron and steel. This supported an estimated 40,300 jobs across the upstream supply chain.
In 2020, an estimated total of 33,700 people were employed in the manufacture of basic iron and steel. This supported an estimated 42,500 jobs across the upstream supply chain.
Data for 1997 is not available and data for 2022 has not yet been released.