Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ed Davey and Graham Stuart

Thursday 3rd April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davey]

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to point out that many households that are off the gas grid and the small number that are off the electricity grid suffer high energy bills. Interestingly, the new analysis we have done for our fuel poverty strategy shows much more clearly than the measures used under the previous policy that that is a key group of people we need to help. That is what we will be doing very soon when we produce our draft fuel poverty strategy, in which he will see a number of measures.

[Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley and Holderness) (Con)]

Further to the question asked by my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Sir Alan Beith), when will off-grid rural residents get a fair share of energy company obligation spending? Will the Secretary of State ensure that rule changes do not create another loophole by focusing on off-grid customers in general rather than off-grid rural customers in particular?

[Mr Davey]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. If he reads the consultation on the changes that we want to make to the energy company obligation, he will see that part of that would involve a much bigger part of the ECO going to off-gas grid households.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ed Davey and Graham Stuart

Thursday 13th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davey]

I can certainly reassure my hon. Friend that communities will be fully consulted. We have made it clear that the regulatory regime is strong, and it will be strengthened if need be. We have put in the co-ordination that will give her constituents the reassurances that they need.

[Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley and Holderness) (Con)]

What are the Government doing for those who are off-grid and use liquefied petroleum gas or oil-fired heating and have much higher bills than those on-grid? Those in rural areas suffer from poor support and funding for many public services, and they need extra help from the Government recognising their plight at this time.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ed Davey and Graham Stuart

Thursday 1st November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davey]

As the hon. Lady will know, the Government have already made a big commitment to carbon capture and storage, and we have announced the next stage of our £1 billion competition, with four of the original eight bidders going forward. It is not for me to set the investment priorities of the green investment bank; the purpose of it being at arm’s length from the Government is so that it can set its priorities.

[Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley and Holderness) (Con)]

This country accounts for 2% of global carbon emissions, and that level is falling. It is, therefore, essential that we engage with countries around the world that have larger emissions. When did a Minister from the Department of Energy and Climate Change last visit China?

[Mr Davey]

I will write to the hon. Gentleman with the exact dates of when a Minister from our Department last visited China. I recently met the relevant Minister from China in London, and in Seoul at the international climate change talks. We are working closely with the Chinese, and they have taken up our 2050 road map calculator for how we can plan to reduce carbon emissions in an ambitious way. Our relationship with China in that area is solid.