Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the contribution of motorcycles to road wear compared with cars.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the contribution of motorcycles to road wear compared with cars.
Guidance for local authorities already highlights the need for maintenance plans to account for changes in circumstances. The main guidance for local highway authorities on asset management is the Code of Practice for Well-Managed Highways Infrastructure, published by the UK Roads Leadership Group and funded by the Department for Transport. The guidance sets out a national framework for how local highway authorities should manage their networks using a risk-based, evidence-led approach, taking account of current and expected highways usage. The Department is currently reviewing the Code of Practice, including to ensure it considers the implications of different vehicle types, their increasing weights, and traffic composition on road maintenance. An updated version will be published by the end of this year.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current grid reserve capacity as renewable generation increases.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is confident that Great Britain’s electricity system continues to maintain high levels of resilience and strong security of supply. System operators have the tools they need to effectively manage the system in a wide range of scenarios as renewable generation increases.
This includes ensuring sufficient negative and positive reserves on the system to manage changes in generation or demand.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of intermittent renewable energy generation on grid stability.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is confident that Great Britain’s electricity system continues to maintain high levels of resilience and strong security of supply. System operators have the tools they need to effectively manage the system in a wide range of scenarios as renewable generation increases.
This includes ensuring sufficient negative and positive reserves on the system to manage changes in generation or demand.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what estimate he has made of how much of the 10 GW of offshore wind capacity unlocked has already been contracted but not yet constructed.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence carried out in-depth analysis of the UK’s offshore wind pipeline to understand which offshore wind farms had radar dependencies and would be unlocked by an upgraded air defence radar system that protects both national security and energy security. The 10 GW of offshore wind capacity unlocked consists of relevant projects successful at Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7 and others that will support the Government’s clean power mission which are at varying stages of development.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Future Homes Standard on housing affordability.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Future Homes Standard (FHS) has now been published and will come into force on 24 March 2027.
The Department is intending to monitor the impacts of the standard following implementation, including impacts on developers and housing affordability.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of fuel duty on a) inflation and b) the cost of living.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the impact of fuel costs on household budgets and is already taking action to help keep fuel prices down. Since Autumn Budget 2024, the Government’s decisions to freeze fuel duty will save the average motorist around 8 to 11 pence per litre, compared to the plans inherited from the previous government.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out the impact of policy measures on inflation in its Autumn Budget 2025 forecast, including the fuel duty freeze extension announced at that Budget. The OBR forecast that this measure will reduce CPI inflation by around 0.13 percentage points in 2026/27.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the role grid-scale energy storage will play in maintaining electricity supply when renewable generation is low.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Grid-scale storage helps to balance the electricity system at lower cost, maximise the output from intermittent low carbon generation, and provide electricity security.
The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets out ambitions for 23-27 GW of grid-scale batteries and 4-6GW of long duration electricity storage (LDES) by 2030. Batteries enable us to manage intraday variability, and LDES technologies enable us to cover multi‑hour to multi‑day energy deficits.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what estimate he has made of the amount of offshore wind capacity that has been delayed or constrained due to radar-related issues.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As part of a mission led Government, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence and have worked together to assess the impact of offshore wind on the UK’s radar systems and the potential for delays to offshore wind deployment. This collaborative effort informed the procurement of the new specially designed air defence radar systems, which will facilitate the co-existence of up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity, enabling the Government to deliver its clean power mission whilst protecting national security.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence in previous years regarding the impact of offshore wind on radar systems.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As part of a mission led Government, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence and have worked together to assess the impact of offshore wind on the UK’s radar systems and the potential for delays to offshore wind deployment. This collaborative effort informed the procurement of the new specially designed air defence radar systems, which will facilitate the co-existence of up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity, enabling the Government to deliver its clean power mission whilst protecting national security.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of radar-related constraints on previous offshore wind project delays.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As part of a mission led Government, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence and have worked together to assess the impact of offshore wind on the UK’s radar systems and the potential for delays to offshore wind deployment. This collaborative effort informed the procurement of the new specially designed air defence radar systems, which will facilitate the co-existence of up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity, enabling the Government to deliver its clean power mission whilst protecting national security.