Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support car dealers in Northern Ireland unable to access the UK market for vehicles due to manufacturers choosing not to dual approve under the UK–NI type approval system.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to meeting our obligations under the Windsor Framework relating to the approval of vehicles for the market in Northern Ireland, and to ensuring that dealers and consumers in NI are not restricted in their choice of vehicles.
Since the requirements for vehicle approval in Great Britain are derived from the EU's it makes sense to consider amendments made by the EU favourably. This government closely monitors those amendments and takes an explicit presumption in favour of alignment with them.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many people impacted by the Horizon IT system failure received settlements lower than their original claims.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government does not hold this information in a way that allows for reliable reporting. Each claim is assessed individually, and settlement offers vary depending on the specific circumstances of each case. As such, providing a figure would be misleading.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much the Government paid in its settlement to Sir Alan Bates.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is unable to disclose amounts awarded to individual GLO claimants.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to publish a list of (a) sectors and (b) companies eligible for the 90% relief under the revised Network Charging Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The eligibility criteria of the Network Charging Compensation Scheme has not changed, only the level of relief offered to current eligible firms supported by the British Industry Supercharger. A list of these firms, as at 16 September 2025, is available on the GOV.UK website and will be updated should any more firms receive support. The eligibility criteria are based on the pre-existing Energy Intensive Industries (EII) Exemption scheme. A list of sectors eligible for support can also be found on the GOV.UK website, within the guidance to the EII Exemption Scheme.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the uplift in compensation for energy intensive industries does not lead to increased costs for other electricity consumers.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will bear down on costs across the energy system to ensure that the uplift of the relief offered by the Network Charging Compensation Scheme does not lead to a net increase in electricity bills for domestic and non-domestic energy consumers. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published a consultation seeking views on the proposal to amend the inflation indexation of the Renewables Obligation (RO) from the RPI to the CPI. If implemented, this may contribute to that goal.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the uplift in Network Charging Compensation Scheme relief on small and medium-sized manufacturers not eligible for EII status.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will bear down on costs across the energy system to ensure that the uplift does not lead to a net increase in electricity bills for domestic and non-domestic energy consumers, including small and medium scale non-energy intensive manufacturers. Additionally, in October 2025, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published a consultation seeking views on the proposal to amend the inflation indexation of the Renewables Obligation (RO) from the RPI to the CPI. This may contribute to this goal.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has conducted a regional impact assessment of the Network Charging Compensation Scheme uplift on industrial competitiveness across the devolved nations.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government understands the pressures facing our energy intensive industries (EIIs), across the nation, including high electricity prices. Our recent announcement of the uplift of relief offered by the Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90% will benefit EIIs across England, Wales and Scotland. However, the Scheme will not apply to EIIs in Northern Ireland. The Government consulted widely on this policy, our proposal to proceed with this uplift was informed by feedback from energy industry stakeholders across the UK.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is planning to take to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the effectiveness of the 90% compensation rate in supporting (i) decarbonisation and (ii) energy efficiency in energy intensive industries.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government consulted a wide range of stakeholders from across the energy industry on the proposal to uplift the level of relief offered by the Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90%. Industry stakeholders were broadly in favour of this measure as a supportive means during their decarbonisation transition by encouraging electrification through reducing industrial electricity prices. The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders and recipients to assess the effectiveness of this support and to inform potential targeted, proportionate and effective support in future.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase to the Energy Profits Levy announced in the Autumn Statement 2024 on (a) investment, (b) employment and (c) operations in the oil and gas sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024 the government confirmed that from 1 November 2024, the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) rate would increase by 3 percentage points to 38%, the EPL investment allowance would be abolished, and the EPL decarbonisation allowance rate would be adjusted to 66%. The government also confirmed an extension to the period the levy applies from 31 March 2029 until 31 March 2030. To support jobs in future and existing industries, including in the supply chain, the government decided to make no additional changes to the availability of capital allowances in the EPL. Following these changes the overall level of tax relief available to the oil and gas sector for capital investments is £84.25 for every £100 of investment, with additional relief available for decarbonisation expenditure.
At the time of the announcements the government carefully considered the impact of these EPL changes. The summary of impacts for these changes can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-profits-levy-reforms-2024.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the uplifted Network Charging Compensation Scheme on the UK’s industrial electricity price competitiveness relative to other G7 economies.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Raising the level of compensation delivered by the Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90% will reduce electricity prices for the average energy intensive industry (EII) business by a further £7-10/MWh. This increased discount will bring electricity prices in this country closer in line with those in other G7 countries, including France and Germany. This support will provide meaningful electricity cost relief for eligible businesses to help them remain competitive and support them to decarbonise.