Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people have been made redundant in the solar industry sector in the North West since 2015.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) produces datasets covering the low carbon and renewable energy economy, including estimates of the number of people employed on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis in the UK solar photovoltaic sector, which can be viewed online at:
The ONS estimates that in 2014 the UK solar photovoltaic sector supported 10,000 FTEs and 16,000 FTEs in 2015, with further jobs supported in the supply chain. The ONS hasn’t yet provided estimates for 2016 or 2017, and does not produce these estimates broken down at a regional level.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what resources he has allocated within his Department to prepare contingency plans to cope with all possible outcomes of the UK's negotiations with the EU.
Answered by Margot James
It is not possible to estimate the resources allocated specifically to the preparation of contingency plans due to interdependencies between this and other work undertaken as part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Straegy’s preparations for EU exit.
The Department will continue to ensure there is an appropriate level of resource to deliver its EU exit work.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department plans to offer to small businesses who encounter supply chain delays after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Margot James
The Department has engaged with over 500 businesses across the UK to understand the impact at the border of the UK’s exit from the EU.
Government will continue to work closely with businesses and trade associations to support business through any changes required as a result of the implementation of our future trading relationship with the EU.
We are working with the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Treasury to minimise disruption and maximise certainty for business.
Our Industrial Strategy will also help ensure UK industry continues to prosper as we exit the EU.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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 increase production of renewable energy.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Clean Growth Strategy set out a number of steps we are taking to increase production of renewable energy. These include up to £557 million for further Pot 2 Contract for Difference auctions, with the next one planned for spring 2019, and working with industry as they develop an ambitious Sector Deal for offshore wind, which could result in 10 gigawatts of new capacity, with the opportunity for additional deployment if this is cost effective, built in the 2020s. The Feed-in Tariff scheme also remains open to support smaller-scale electricity generation.
The Renewable Heat Incentive is funded until 2020/21, with a budget of £4.5 billion between 2016 and 2021 to deploy renewable and low carbon heat to businesses and homes.
In addition, heat networks will play a vital role in the long term decarbonisation of heating in all of the illustrative 2050 scenarios as outlined in the Clean Growth Strategy. The Department is supporting the deployment of heat networks, through a £14 million budget provided for feasibility and project development for over 200 schemes across 131 local authorities.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he expects the amount of renewable energy generated in 2017 to be greater than that produced in 2016.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Final figures for renewable electricity generation will not be available until 2018. However, the most recent statistics show renewable electricity generation for the first two quarters of 2017 combined was 47.5 terawatt hours, an increase of 9.4 percent on the 43.4 terawatt hours generated in the same period of 2016. (Source: Energy Trends, September 2017)
For renewable heat, the Department has not yet received complete data for 2017, however for the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive the total heat generated and paid for in 2016 was 6,041 gigawatt hours. So far in 2017 (up to the end of October) the Non-Domestic Scheme has supported 6,379 gigawatt hours of generated heat.
Payments in the Domestic scheme are paid on deemed heat, rather than metered. The number of accredited installations up to end October 2017 is 7,007. This is slightly lower than the same period in 2016, where there were 7,351 accredited applications.
The Department publishes data on both renewable heat schemes on a monthly basis: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rhi-deployment-data-october-2017
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the amount of renewable energy generated in the UK in 2016 was lower than that produced in 2015.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Electricity generation in the UK from renewable sources fell marginally by 0.2 per cent between 2015 and 2016, to 83.2 terawatt hours. Lower rainfall and wind speeds resulted in lower hydro and wind generation, more than offsetting a 16 per cent increase in total capacity, to 35.7 gigawatts in 2016. (Source: DUKES 2017)
Under the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, the cumulative total number of domestic accredited renewable heat applications in 2015 was 43,535, while the cumulative total number of domestic accredited renewable heat applications in 2016 was 52,048. Payments in the domestic scheme are paid on deemed, rather than metered heat.
The renewable heat generated and paid for on the non-domestic scheme in 2015 was 3,772 gigawatt hours, and the corresponding figure for 2016 was 6,041 gigawatt hours.
Further information on renewable heat deployment can be found on https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rhi-deployment-data-october-2017
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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 reassure small businesses on investment plans during the Government's negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Margot James
This government is committed to supporting investment in small businesses. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in the Autumn Budget, we will establish a new £2.5 billion Investment Fund incubated in the British Business Bank. By co-investing with the private sector, a total of £7.5 billion of investment will be supported. We will also invest in a series of private sector funds of funds of scale, with up to £500m allocated to the first of potentially three investment rounds. We are also extending the British Business Bank’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee to March 2022 and expanding the programme to support up to £500 million of loans per annum. These measures are in addition to the existing £3.7bn already allocated to the British Business Bank. We are also significantly expanding the support that innovative knowledge-intensive companies can receive through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs).
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has contingency plans to assist small businesses' supply chains in the event of there being no deal at the end of UK negotiations to exit the EU.
Answered by Margot James
Although the changes business will face are subject to negotiations with our EU partners, we are committed to minimising disruption and giving as much certainty as possible. That’s why the Government is pursuing a time-limited implementation period to allow business the time they need to adapt to new arrangements.
Government will be working alongside trade associations and others to communicate to businesses the changes in the UKs trading relationship with the EU, ensuring that they are ready for day one of exit regardless of the outcome of the negotiations.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received from small businesses on the question of a no deal exit from the EU; and what response he has made to those representations.
Answered by Margot James
The Government recognises that a strong relationship with business and industry is absolutely vital in ensuring the best possible deal for the UK. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy therefore regularly engages with a number of businesses organisations on issues including the UKs exit from the EU.
The Withdrawal Bill was introduced in July 2017, designed to ensure that the UK exits the EU in a smooth and orderly way. In line with this, the Government is also pursuing a time-limited implementation period to allow small businesses the time they need to adapt to new arrangements, and more generally pushing to ensure the best possible deal for UK citizens and businesses.
In the highly unlikely event of a no deal, the Government is making plans to ensure that the UK has made all the relevant preparations in advance of the UK’s exit from the EU.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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 assist the renewable energy sector in Leigh constituency.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
This Government has put Clean Growth at the heart of the Industrial Strategy, and our policies are helping support the growth of renewable and low carbon energy across the country.
For example, as of 30 September 2017 over 6,400 solar photovoltaic installations are supported under the Feed-in Tariff scheme in the Manchester area, and the domestic RHI scheme has accredited 323 installations within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. Within the non-domestic RHI scheme, there have been 11 accredited installations and 1.8MW of installed capacity in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. The Department does not hold information on which of these fall within the constituency of Leigh, but schemes to support low carbon and renewable energy, such as the Feed-in Tariff, Contracts for Difference and Renewable Heat Incentive are open to participants from across England, Scotland and Wales.
Greater Manchester is a leader in taking a ‘whole systems’ approach to the energy system and, through the Greater Manchester Devolution deal, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has committed to work with Manchester to support its ambitious decarbonisation agenda.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has launched a new £6.95m Local Energy programme to support local areas in England to play a greater role in decarbonisation. This will increase local capacity and capability across England and provide on the ground practical support and expertise to unlock local energy opportunities. It is envisaged that the Manchester will benefit directly from this.
Greater Manchester is also one of three pilot locations for the Energy Systems Catapult’s Smart Systems and Heat Programme, participating in the £35m multi-year programme to develop and trial approaches to low carbon heat.