Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Greg Smith and Graham Stuart

Tuesday 28th February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Graham Stuart]

More than a million homes now have solar panels installed. According to data from the microgeneration certification scheme, a total of 130,596 solar panels were installed on UK rooftops last year alone, and that is more than 2019, 2020 and 2021 put together, but like the hon. Lady I want to see us go further and faster.

[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

Energy security and food security should have equal billing, yet the proliferation of solar farms across thousands of acres of agricultural land is taking away from our nation’s ability to produce food. Warehouses up and down the land want to put solar panels on their roofs, but find they cannot because of the grid connections. What steps are being taken to ensure that the solar revolution can come on rooftops, not agricultural land?

[Graham Stuart]

The planning system is designed to seek that balance with the need to secure a clean, green energy system. It is worth noting that ground-mounted solar has probably the lowest levelised cost of any form of energy in this country. The Government have clarified the definition of “best and most versatile” agricultural land as constituting lands in grades 1, 2 and 3a, and we do everything we can to incentivise that solar should go on brownfield land or land of lower agricultural value.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Greg Smith and Graham Stuart

Tuesday 29th November 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Climate (Graham Stuart)]

We consider all those that have left the energy charter treaty, but we have so far supported its modernisation. We keep that under advisement.

[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

T6. Does my right hon. Friend share my enthusiasm for synthetic fuels made from green hydrogen and atmospheric carbon capture as part of our route to decarbonisation? If so, what is his Department doing to support the UK pioneers in this sector, such as Zero Petroleum, to compete in what will surely be a multitrillion-pound global industry and huge export opportunity?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Greg Smith and Graham Stuart

Thursday 19th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[Graham Stuart]

The hon. and learned Lady is quite right; there are a lot of challenges. That is why, across Government, we have been making such an effort to work with other Departments to make sure that we do everything possible to inform business and to facilitate the border, including investing hundreds of millions of pounds in improving customs processes and others.

[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

  If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.