Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has in place to monitor and review the benefits of the minimum energy standards post-implementation in 2018; and what assessment his Department has made of the scope for strengthening those plans.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015 require that all landlords of domestic (and non-domestic) privately rented properties in England and Wales ensure that, from 1 April 2018, their properties reach at least an energy performance rating of E before granting a tenancy to new or existing tenants, unless a prescribed exemption applies.
The regulations require Government to carry out a review of the operation and effect of these Regulations at intervals of no more than 5 years, and we are currently putting in place a programme of qualitative and quantitative research to inform this. Evidence collected will be used to determine the scope and timing of an assessment of the benefits from the regulations, and to help ensure they are implemented as effectively as possible.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has researched the use of stable salt reactor technology as part of the UK's energy mix.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government has considered the potential for molten salt reactor technology to contribute to the UK’s energy mix. In 2014 Innovate UK funded a study examining the feasibility of developing a pilot scale reactor for six molten salt reactor designs. In 2015 the Government commissioned the Techno-Economic Assessment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to which a molten salt reactor developer contributed evidence. There are currently a number of molten salt reactor vendors participating in the UK SMR Competition and Government officials have met with them to discuss their proposals.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on the award of Innovate UK Smart funding for Type 1 diabetes research of the outcome of the EU referendum.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Innovate UK has simplified the way it provides support to innovative businesses - through a new sector focus with two broad competitions in each sector per year. It also runs open programmes available to all businesses irrespective of the technology or sector in which they operate. Innovate UK’s first such competition opened in June 2016 and applications are now being processed. In the last 5 years, through the former Smart programme, Innovate UK committed around £553,000 into research for Type 1 diabetes, although technologies have also been supported which relate to the management and prevention of Type 2 diabetes. The outcome of the EU referendum is not expected to impact on the delivery of these programmes.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential benefit to (a) consumers, (b) the economy and (c) the environment of tidal stream technologies.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In the development of all its policies, including tidal stream, Government routinely considers the potential benefits and costs to the consumer, the economy and the environment as part of the overall energy mix.