Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to improve EPC rating metrics to more accurately assess low-carbon heating systems.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As highlighted in the Powering up Britain document, the government is currently working on proposals for improving Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) metrics and intends to consult on these in the coming months. The proposals will consider the recommendations from the Independent Review of Net Zero and the 2023 Climate Change Committee report, including that new EPC metrics account for wider benefits from low-carbon heating. The government also has a continuing programme of user research to improve the way in which information is presented on EPCs.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2024 to Question 14127 Wind Power: Seas and Oceans, when she expects the assessment of AR6 Supply Chain Plans to be completed.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The assessment of AR6 Supply Chain Plans was completed in late March.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
How many and what proportion of households have applied to the Great British Insulation Scheme.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department does not hold all of the data on who has applied to the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) through the different avenues. There have been over 120,000 referrals through the GBIS referral service up to March 2024.
However, the scheme is only a third of the way through, suppliers will have required time to adapt to changes and to accommodate new obligations imposed on them, and we expect the rate of installations to increase over coming months.
GBIS is one of a number of schemes improving the energy efficiency of homes across Great Britain. Its sister scheme ECO has installed 3.8m measures in 2.5m homes since 2013.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will take steps to ensure that people switching to heat pumps are not financially disadvantaged.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government increased Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant available for air source heat pumps (ASHP) by 50%. The £7,500 grant is available for both ASHP and ground source heat pumps, making it one of the most generous grant schemes of its kind in Europe. This is in addition to the 0% rate of VAT on the installation of heat pumps which is in place till March 2027.
BUS is part of a wider programme of measures supporting the deployment of heat pumps including the Home Upgrade Grant, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Energy Company Obligation Scheme.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make a comparative assessment of (a) the current number of employees and (b) the projected job growth by 2030,within the (i) oil and gas industry and (ii) renewable energy industry in the North Sea.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The oil and gas sector currently supports around 200,000 jobs. Research by Robert Gordon University predicts that the workforce may decline by 2030 as production from the North Sea declines, the scale of which depends on future commercial decisions.
The Offshore Wind Industry Council estimates that the total UK offshore wind workforce was 32,257 in 2022, and forecasts that the UK offshore wind industry could support over 100,000 jobs by 2030.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2024 to Question 9353 on Energy Charter Treaty, with which civil society stakeholders she has consulted as part of that review.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK is considering views from a range of stakeholders to inform its position on the Energy Charter Treaty, including civil society stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations, campaign groups, academia and thinktanks in the environment and development sectors.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent progress her Department has made on reviewing the UK's membership of the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 1 September 2023, the UK announced it would review its membership of the Energy Charter Treaty if the modernised Treaty was not adopted by November 2023. The Government is considering the views of stakeholders in business, civil society, and Parliament as part of this review.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department expects the proportion of heavy crude oil to increase as a proportion of the UK's North Sea oil production up to 2035.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department expects that the proportion of total UK oil production from heavy oil fields is likely to be broadly the same in 2035 as it is now.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department expects that new gas and oil produced in the North Sea will be allocated for domestic use.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is a net importer of both gas and oil. Gas produced in the UK is the equivalent to about half of our demand; offshore crude production is equivalent to around 90 per cent of refinery demand (5-year average 2018-2022). However, due to UK refinery specifications and global market conditions, around 80% of the oil produced in the UK is refined overseas into the products demanded by the UK market. It is not desirable to force private companies to “allocate” oil and gas produced in the North Sea for domestic use.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the press release entitled New opportunities for North Sea oil and gas, published by the Prime Minister's Office on 5 November 2023, if she will publish a breakdown of the more than 200,000 jobs supported by the combined oil and gas industry.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department does not have the breakdowns for workforce groups in the combined oil and gas sector. I refer the hon Member to the 2022 OEUK Workforce Insights Report which includes breakdowns of the workforce including by region and job description.