Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 help (a) off-grid homeowners and (b) businesses access the support with energy bills.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Alternative Fuel Payment will provide £100 to support households, who do not use mains gas for heating, with the rising price of fuel this winter in addition to a number of other government support schemes.
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. Eligible non-domestic customers do not need to take action or apply to the scheme – support will automatically be applied to bills.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 will take to assess levels of local consent for fracking.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government expects industry to work closely with local communities in order to build support for new developments.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help support small and medium sized businesses with the increase in the cost of energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government announced a new six-month scheme – the Energy Price Guarantee for Businesses (EPGB) – to protect all businesses and other non-domestic energy users from soaring energy costs. It will offer comparable support to that being provided for consumers and more details will follow shortly. After this initial six-month scheme, the Government will provide focused support for vulnerable sectors, targeted to make sure those most in need get support.
The Government is also providing a 50% business rates relief for businesses across the UK and reducing employer national insurance.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the resilience of the rural electricity network to severe weather events in light of the planned replacement of traditional boilers with heat pumps for off-grid properties.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government is committed to maintaining high levels of energy resilience as the sector decarbonises. Great Britain has one of the most robust energy systems in the world, however, risks from climate-related hazards will become more common as dependence on electricity grows and the variability of its weather increases.
The Government is working with the industry to continually improve and maintain the resilience of old and new energy infrastructure, networks and assets, to reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents- taking into account future system changes and climate change risks
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 Boiler Upgrade Scheme, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the resilience of the rural electricity network during severe weather events.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government is committed to maintaining high levels of energy resilience as the sector decarbonises. Great Britain has one of the most robust energy systems in the world, however, risks from climate-related hazards will become more common as dependence on electricity grows and the variability of its weather increases.
The Government is working with the industry to continually improve and maintain the resilience of old and new energy infrastructure, networks and assets, to reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents- taking into account future system changes and climate change risks
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 the ability of the rural electricity network to support the planned replacement of traditional boilers with heat pumps for off-grid properties.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government and Ofgem jointly published an Electricity Networks Strategic Framework on 4 August 2022, which sets out a vision for the transformation of the electricity network as decarbonise and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Network regulation, including ensuring that the rural electricity network has sufficient capacity to meet demand is a matter for Ofgem. The Government engages regularly with Ofgem and electricity network operators to discuss their plans to support connections of low carbon technologies, including heat pumps for off-grid properties.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate capacity in the rural electricity network to support the planned replacement of traditional boilers with heat pumps for off-grid properties.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government and Ofgem jointly published an Electricity Networks Strategic Framework on 4 August 2022, which sets out a vision for the transformation of the electricity network as decarbonise and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Network regulation, including ensuring that the rural electricity network has sufficient capacity to meet demand is a matter for Ofgem. The Government engages regularly with Ofgem and electricity network operators to discuss their plans to support connections of low carbon technologies, including heat pumps for off-grid properties.