Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2017 to Question 59977, on motor vehicle exhaust emissions, where the 12 hydrogen refuelling stations are; and what plans he has to support the expansion of that network.
Answered by John Hayes
The locations of the 12 hydrogen refuelling stations are as follows; seven in the Greater London area, one in Sheffield, one in Swindon, one in Port Talbot and two mobile refuellers based in the south of England. We are currently considering how Government can best continue to support the growth of hydrogen for transport and have been involving stakeholders in this process.
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of suspending the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The sale process was launched on 3 March 2016 and is currently ongoing. No final decisions have yet been taken.
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
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 develop the use of hydrogen as a source of low-carbon heating.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department is undertaking work to strengthen the analysis of the range of potential approaches to decarbonising heat. This includes work to consolidate and review the evidence base on the use of hydrogen for heating, and to enhance the Department’s ability to model the costs and benefits.
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
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 deploy new battery storage capacity in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government and Ofgem recently published a Call for Evidence on how to manage the transition to a smart energy system. This included a proposed approach to addressing policy and regulatory barriers to energy storage so that it can compete on a level playing field with other providers of flexibility. We will publish a Smart Systems Plan in spring 2017 setting out specific measures to be taken forward.
Since 2012, more than £80m of public sector controlled support has been invested in energy storage research, development and demonstration activities. This has helped to fund various storage technology demonstrators, including battery systems of different types and sizes. The 2016 Budget announcement committed at least £50 million to help innovation in energy storage, demand-side response and other smart technologies over the next five years.
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
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 deploy new hydroelectric storage capacity in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government and Ofgem recently published a joint Call for Evidence on how to manage the transition to a smart energy system. This included a proposed approach to addressing policy and regulatory barriers to energy storage so that it can compete on a level playing field with other providers of flexibility. We will publish a Smart Systems Plan in spring 2017 setting out specific measures to be taken forward.
Since 2012, more than £80m of public sector controlled support has been invested in energy storage research, development and demonstration activities. This has included a grant to a UK pumped hydro storage company to analyse the potential for developing new facilities in novel sites around Great Britain. The 2016 Budget announcement committed at least £50 million to help innovation in energy storage, demand-side response and other smart technologies over the next five years.
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
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 ensure that proceeds from the sale of the Green Investment Bank disposal assets are reinvested in the UK after the privatisation of that bank.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Government has set out its plans for the sale of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) in the document “Green Investment Bank: sale of shares” laid before Parliament on 3 March 2016.
As stated in that document, the Government has asked potential investors to confirm their commitment to GIB’s green values and investment principles and how they propose to protect them, as part of their bids for the company.
Moving GIB into private ownership will enable the bank to have greater access to capital and be free of the constraints of Government ownership including State aid restrictions. This means GIB will be able to play more of a role in supporting green investment.
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the level of investment in renewable energy generation in the UK was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Clean Energy Investment Fact Pack shows investment in UK renewable energy generation as follows:
UK Investment £bn | ||||
2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
6.7 | 8.8 | 9.8 | 15.6 | 15.6 |
Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance (Jan 2017) | ||||
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on the delivery of loan guarantees to companies operating in the oil and gas sector.
Answered by David Gauke
The Government is willing to consider proposals for using the UK Guarantees Scheme for infrastructure where it could help secure new investment in assets of strategic importance to maximising economic recovery of oil and gas.
Any proposals would also need to meet the existing criteria of the scheme, including in relation to commerciality and financial credibility. For commercial reasons, the Government cannot provide an ongoing commentary on any discussions in this area.
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the expected tax yield from oil and gas in the next financial year as a result of the recent increase in the price of oil.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The forecasted Exchequer revenues (Offshore Corporation Tax and Petroleum Revenue Tax) arising from the production and extraction of North Sea oil and gas from the UK and UK Continental Shelf are presented in Table 4.6 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) Economic and Fiscal Outlook: November 2016, which is available at: http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/Nov2016EFO.pdf
The OBR will be publishing updated forecasts on 8th March 2017.
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of fiscal changes made in the Budget 2016 on levels of employment in the UK oil and gas sector.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook (November 2016) includes the latest forecasts for oil and gas. The November Outlook indicates a downward trend in planned capital expenditure in the oil and gas sector, from £10.1 billion in 2016 to £3.7 billion in 2021. This reflects a lower oil price and its consequential effect on overall production.
The Government has taken unprecedented action to support jobs, investment and activity in the UK and UK Continental Shelf. Budget 2016 announced a £1 billion package of fiscal reform, supporting the industry through the challenging commercial conditions caused by the steep fall in oil prices. Lower tax rates will improve the economics of new investment and future discoveries. The basin-wide Investment Allowance, introduced in 2015, further reduces the effective rate of tax for many companies, including at the exploration stage.
As a result of these changes, the UK now has one of the most competitive tax regimes for oil and gas in the world, supporting jobs and investment.