Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will launch an independent inquiry into the British non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands
The National Audit Office undertook a review of the Renewable Heat Incentive in 2018. The Government does not intend to carry out a independent inquiry.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the total lifetime payments to participants under the British Renewable Heat Initiative scheme through to 2042 for the (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Renewable Heat Initiative (RHI) will pay participants until March 2041 and BEIS has so far committed £6,414million for expenditure until financial year 2022/23. The total lifetime payments estimates are inherently uncertain as they depend on the future volume of heat that will be produced and on the future tariffs at which the heat produced will be paid.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how people who are not connected to the electricity grid and rely on diesel generators will receive their entitlement through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government is aware that not all households have their electricity provided through a domestic electricity supply contract and are connected to the electricity grid. This was covered the Government’s technical consultation (Energy Bills Support Scheme – Managing the impact of the energy price shock on consumer bills) which closed on 23 May. Households without a domestic electricity supply contract are not eligible for the Scheme and the government is exploring options for other ways in which they might receive similar support. Responses to the consultation are being analysed and the Government’s response will be published in the summer.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how LPG consumers who are not also domestic electricity customers will receive their entitlement through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government is aware that not all households have their electricity provided through a domestic electricity supply contract and are connected to the electricity grid. This was covered the Government’s technical consultation (Energy Bills Support Scheme – Managing the impact of the energy price shock on consumer bills) which closed on 23 May. Households without a domestic electricity supply contract are not eligible for the Scheme and the government is exploring options for other ways in which they might receive similar support. Responses to the consultation are being analysed and the Government’s response will be published in the summer.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2022 to Question 10044 on Fuel Oil: Rural Areas, how heating oil consumers who are not also domestic electricity customers will receive their entitlement through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government is aware that not all households have their electricity provided through a domestic electricity supply contract and are connected to the electricity grid. This was covered the Government’s technical consultation (Energy Bills Support Scheme – Managing the impact of the energy price shock on consumer bills) which closed on 23 May. Households without a domestic electricity supply contract are not eligible for the Scheme and the government is exploring options for other ways in which they might receive similar support. Responses to the consultation are being analysed and the Government’s response will be published in the summer.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2022 to Question 5668 on Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, what steps he is taking to ensure that members of the Mineworkers’ pension scheme receive their fair entitlement of moneys from that scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands
I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2022 to Question 344, on Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, if he will publish the timeframe for mineworkers receiving full entitlement to their pensions.
Answered by Greg Hands
Members of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme are already receiving their full entitlement plus bonus pensions.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's Response to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee’s Sixth Report of Session 2019–21, Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, published on 29 June 2021, HC 386, What his timescale is for ensuring that Mineworker’s pensions are paid and scheme members receive their full entitlement.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government guarantee ensures that all members of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme receive their full entitlement.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how the Better Regulation Executive oversees the regulatory framework for approving nutritional borderline substances.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) approves and recommends borderline substances supplied by the NHS. The Committee's recommendations are listed in the Borderline Substance list in the Drug Tariff (Part XV).
The regulatory framework for approving nutritional borderline substances is out of scope of the Better Regulation Framework which oversee regulatory measures that relate to the regulation of business activity.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from energy suppliers to ensure eligible customers are still able to access the warm home discount once their previous energy supplier has ceased trading.
Answered by Greg Hands
When an energy supplier leaves the market, in almost all cases, Ofgem appoints a Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) to take over its customers. SoLRs are not obliged to provide the Warm Home Discount to transferred customers; however, all SoLRs have honoured this obligation in the past and the Government would expect that any future SoLRs would continue to honour these obligations. The Warm Home Discount is one of the factors that Ofgem considers when appointing a SoLR. In rare cases, the Special Administration Regime (SAR) process may be a more appropriate option to protect customers of large energy suppliers. Warm Home Discount recipients are unaffected during the SAR process.
The Government concluded a consultation on the future scheme last summer. Under the proposals, the vast majority of households would receive their rebates automatically, without having to apply. This would make it easier for SoLRs to make the Warm Home Discount rebate payments to newly transferred customers. BEIS will publish the Government’s response to the consultation in the spring, with the reforms coming into force from the 2022/23 scheme year.