Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 for the projected methane emissions reductions as a result of UK's Methane Memorandum; and whether these are consistent with our commitments made in the Global Methane Pledge.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK’s Methane Memorandum highlights the Government’s commitment to explore and implement measures to secure future progress in reducing methane emissions, including in energy, waste and agriculture sectors. The plans are part of, and consistent with, the UK’s Net Zero Strategy. The Government’s current projections estimate that UK methane emissions will be reduced by 64% on 1990 levels in 2030. The approach set out in the Memorandum is consistent with the Government's commitment under the Global Methane Pledge to take voluntary actions to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, as a global reduction target.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 sought assurances that suppliers are only installing pre-payment meters by warrant as a last resort after all other options have been exhausted.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The energy regulator Ofgem has rules in place that restrict the force-fitting of a prepayment meter on those in arrears, except as a last resort.
Suppliers are required to provide notice of at least seven days before installing a prepayment meter or changing a smart meter to prepayment mode.
Ofgem rules further require energy suppliers to assess whether installing a prepayment meter, including the remote switching of a smart meter, is safe and reasonably practicable for the customer. This assessment should include identifying any vulnerability.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 Answers of 28 September 2022 and 8 November 2022 to Questions 51588 and 74620 on Coal: Mining, what the evidential basis is for stating that there may continue to be domestic demand for coal in industries such as steel, cement and for heritage railways in the context of his Department having not produced estimates of future coal use by industry.
Answered by Graham Stuart
A breakdown of coal usage trends can be found in Chapter Two of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/digest-of-uk-energy-statistics-dukes-2022.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 have discussions with Royal Mail Group on the Board’s decision on the level of dividends and the potential impact on the Group’s financial position; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
Ministers and officials meet with Royal Mail regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the universal postal service provider. However, commercial matters including dividends are matters for Royal Mail’s management in which Government has no role.
Ofcom has the power and responsibility, under the Postal Services Act 2011, to regulate the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient UK universal postal service. It has in place a monitoring regime that seeks to identify any threats or risks to the universal postal service and it publishes an annual report summarising its monitoring programme on its website:
www.ofcom.org.uk/postal-services/information-for-the-postal-industry/monitoring_reports.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 analysis by the International Energy Agency which finds that at least 72% of energy sector methane emissions can be reduced with existing technologies, what steps is he taking to ensure that oil and gas operations in the North Sea urgently tackle their gas leaks and losses.
Answered by Graham Stuart
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for Swansea West on 27th October 2022 to Question 69484.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 implications for his policies of the withdrawal of (a) Germany, (b) France, (c) Spain, (d) the Netherlands, (e) Poland, (f) Slovenia and (g) Lithuania from the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other Contracting Parties. The Government will continue to do so as part of Its engagement with the Treaty’s modernisation process.