Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
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 potential impact of an increase in energy costs on businesses in North Yorkshire.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has not made such an assessment specific to North Yorkshire. While the Government is tackling energy costs at every avenue, to drive growth, we also understand that some UK industries are struggling with the cost of energy.
The Government has a variety of schemes, already in place or due to be launched soon, that either directly support businesses by reducing energy costs or support them to reduce costs by making energy efficiencies and decarbonising.
Schemes that directly reduce energy costs include the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, which will reduce electricity prices by up to 25% for eligible businesses in electricity intensive manufacturing sectors in the Industrial Strategy and foundational sectors in their supply chain, and the British Industry Supercharger, which includes a series of targeted measures to bring down electricity policy costs for businesses in key energy intensive industries.
The Government is also providing funding to improve the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH), an online resource which will support SMEs to identify and implement changes to their energy use, resulting in decarbonisation and energy bill savings. Funding is also being provided to support a Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial, which will deliver a trial of online tools and services to support SMEs in hospitality across England to decarbonise and reduce their energy demand.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure households in (a) Skipton and Ripon constituency and (b) northern England can access reliable smart meter signal.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Data Communications Company (DCC) is obligated under its licence conditions to provide Wide Area Network (WAN) coverage to at least 99.25% of premises across Great Britain and 99.5% in the ‘North’ region, which includes the Skipton and Ripon constituency.
The DCC is required by licence conditions to assess opportunities to increase the overall level of smart meter Wide Area Network coverage and is examining several options to reach homes not currently able to get coverage as part of its Future Connectivity strategy, which includes consideration of a full range of technical solutions.