Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy that the proposed changes to the subsidy regime for CHP biomass plants allow schemes pre-accredited under the Renewable Heat Incentive to continue to benefit from that scheme.
Answered by Nick Hurd
This change has been made to provide value for money for the taxpayer. It will apply to new participants on the basis of when they fully qualify for the scheme. Those who fully qualified on or after 1st August will be subject to the change.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with Rio Tinto on that company's strategic review of its smelter operations in Lochaber.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The future of the Lochaber smelter is largely a devolved matter, but the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has discussed Rio Tinto’s strategic review with the Scottish Government and will maintain these contacts as the situation develops. There have been no direct contacts with Rio Tinto, but BIS officials have discussed this matter with the Aluminium Federation, which represents the aluminium industry in the UK.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department plans to take to extend the levels of support being given to the aluminium industry to the same level as that given to the steel industry.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The actions taken by the Government to support the steel sector, for example in respect of support for Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) with their energy costs, will also benefit the UK aluminium industry. We have paid nearly £2.8 million compensation to date to companies producing aluminium since the EU Emissions Trading System and Carbon Price Support schemes began.
We look forward to the Aluminium Federation’s constructive involvement in establishing the Metals Council, which will work with Government to address opportunities and challenges facing the UK metals sectors. The Metals Council is an outcome from the Metals Strategy, to which both the Aluminium and Steel sectors provided key contributions.