Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
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 Government's January 2019 Clean Air Strategy, what assessment he has made of the (a) effect on air quality of the Renewable Heat Incentive programme and (b) implications of that effect for the future of that programme.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Biomass Boilers supported under the RHI scheme must meet strict air quality and feedstock sustainability rules. The air quality requirements ensure applicants for both RHI schemes with a biomass boiler (including Combined Heat and Power) will need to have emissions levels no higher than 30 grams per gigajoule (g/GJ) net heat input for particulate matter (PM) and 150g/GJ for oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which are the two main pollutants.
In the Clean Air Strategy, the Government committed to consult on removing Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme support for new biomass installations in urban areas which are on the gas grid. The Government published the consultation Renewable Heat Incentive: Biomass Combustion in Urban Areas in May 2018, seeking views on a number of proposals including the removal of RHI support for some or all new biomass boilers in urban areas, imposing geographical restrictions on biogas combustion and introducing regular maintenance checks on existing biomass boilers under the RHI. The consultation also contains an assessment of the impacts of this policy change. We will be publishing a government response to this consultation shortly.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
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 establish a hydrogen and fuel cell task-force within his Department to assess the future role of hydrogen and fuel cells in delivering clean growth and decarbonisation.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department is undertaking a range of activity to examine and further develop the evidence to support our own understanding of the potential role of hydrogen and fuel cells in delivering clean growth and decarbonisation in the UK.
We recognise the value of engagement with partners beyond Government and work with many bodies representing the broad range of hydrogen and fuel cell interests, including industry groupings, regional groups, infrastructure providers, and network operators.
This engagement and our ongoing assessment of the developing evidence base, shortly to include new advice from the Committee on Climate Change on meeting the UK’s long-term climate change targets, is important in informing Government ambition on hydrogen and fuel cells. We recognise the valuable role that Task Forces often have in shaping action to deliver Government ambition, and in that light we will keep the need for a specific hydrogen and fuel cell task force under review.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
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 ban businesses found to have mis-sold green deal products from setting up (a) similar and (b) linked businesses again.
Answered by Claire Perry
Green Deal Providers, who are responsible under the scheme for selling Green Deal Plans, must be authorised by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. The authorisation process involves assessment of a wide range of factors, including the ability to comply with the Green Deal Framework Regulations and Code of Practice, in which past history of the applicant and its principals can be taken into account. Authorisation can be withdrawn if a firm is found to have breached the terms of the scheme or other consumer protection legislation.
In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) can remove or restrict a firm’s permission to engage in FCA-regulated activities, including consumer credit lending or broking, or take other supervisory or enforcement action against regulated firms and individuals.
The Government is reviewing the Green Deal scheme and the interests of the consumer will be foremost in the review. We will consult on any significant changes to the scheme.