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 his oral contribution in response to the Urgent Question of 22 September 2022 on Shale Gas Extraction, Official Report, column 806, what the evidential basis is for his statement that some of the opposition to fracking has been funded by Mr Putin’s regime.
Answered by Graham Stuart
In response to the Urgent Question, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State said, “I am well aware that there have been objections to fracking, but I would also note that there have been stories, widely reported, that some of the opposition to fracking has been funded by Mr Putin’s regime.”
Various claims have been made regarding attempts by malicious actors to mispresent the operations and impact of shale gas, which have been widely reported.
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 estimate he has made of the number of private renter households who are eligible for retrofit grants under (a) Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme, Phase 2 and (b) the ECO4 scheme, as of 22 September 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
a) Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme, Phase 2:
According to the 2020 English Housing Survey (EHS), there were 4.47 million privately rented households in 2020. 35% (1.57 million) would have been eligible for LAD Phase 2, as they had an EPC rating of D or below and an income below £30,000.
(b) The ECO4 scheme:
ECO has been in place since January 2013 and has delivered around 3.5 million measures in 2.4 million homes. The ECO4 final stage Impact Assessment estimates around 430,000 private rented sector homes would be eligible for ECO4.
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 steps he is taking to reduce the extraction of fossil fuels; what assessment he has made of the role that a global registry of fossil fuels could play in enabling (a) policy-makers, (b) investors and (c) others to make informed decisions to align UK fossil fuel production levels with those required to keep global temperature increases below 1.5°C; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Transparency has an essential role to play in supporting competition and sustainability in global energy markets. The Government welcomed what the Global Registry may be able to add to existing sources of information and will consider how to contribute to this initiative.
The UK is committed to its Net Zero target by 2050, to phase out unabated coal generation by 2024 and has introduced a Climate Compatibility Checkpoint for new oil and gas licensing rounds. Investment in North Sea production allows for continued reduction in production related emissions, contributes to an orderly management of declining output and replaces higher emission imports such as LNG.
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 Answer of 20 September to Question 45769 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Aramco, for what reason meetings, including with Saudi Aramco, attended by the then Secretary of State on a visit to Saudi Arabia on 30 and 31 January 2022 were not listed in the BEIS ministerial meetings transparency data published on 14 July 2022; and if he will place a copy of the minutes of those meetings in the Library.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The omission of meetings arose due to an administrative oversight. This data has since been updated with further details of engagements carried out during the visit in line with our commitment to transparency.
The minutes of the meetings are already available online following a Freedom of Information request.
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 it remains his policy that energy companies should repair or restore malfunctioning smart meter visual display units installed in homes.
Answered by Graham Stuart
When energy suppliers install a smart meter in a household, they are required to offer the customer an In-Home Display (IHD). Energy suppliers also have an obligation to provide support for IHDs, including a repair or replacement where necessary, within the first year of installing a consumer’s smart meter.
The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) is responsible for regulating energy suppliers against their licence obligations.
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 the Answer given on 10 March 2021 to Question 161735, on Fossil Fuels, what recent assessment he has made of the compatibility of extracting and burning (a) the remaining estimated 3,906 million tonnes of UK coal resources, including prospects, and (b) the remaining estimated 10 to 20 billion barrels or more of recoverable oil equivalent resources in the UK continental shelf, with meeting targets in (i) the sixth carbon budget and (ii) the Glasgow Climate Pact.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Any use of unabated fossil fuels in the UK will be compatible with carbon budgets under the 2008 Climate Act.
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 Answer of 26 July 2022 to Question 39801 on the Coal Authority, for what reason it is his policy to conclude that a low demand for new coal extraction projects does not require a revision of (a) the Coal Authority’s duties with respect to licensing coal extraction and (b) the statutory duty to promote an economically viable coal industry, as set out in the Coal Industry Act 1994; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is committed to phasing out coal from electricity generation by 2024. Demand for new coal licences has fallen away as a consequence. Parliamentary time is precious and the coal extraction industry is already in decline in the UK without further interventions. Although coal will soon no longer be part of our electricity system, there may continue to be domestic demand for coal in industries such as steel, cement and for heritage railways. The current licensing regime leaves room for projects to come forward that could potentially meet that demand.