Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which provider supplies energy to his Department; how much CO2 was emitted through his Department’s energy consumption in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria his Department uses to selecting an energy supplier includes how environmentally friendly the supplier is; and what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce CO2 emissions from its energy use.
Answered by Julian Smith
My Department receives a facilities management service for its office accommodation in Belfast and London. In Belfast the Landlord is the Department of Finance NI, and in London the landlord is HMT and utility usage is included within the HMT service charge. As a result, the department does not hold the information on utility providers and CO2 emissions.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will make it her Department's policy to sign up to the UK Steel Charter.
Answered by John Penrose
We have discussed the procurement of steel with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which has asked all Government departments to consider guidance on steel procurement and to notify of any upcoming opportunities for industry.
More broadly, the Government is committed to supporting the steel sector to realise the broader commercial opportunities that are open to it, which could be worth an additional £3.8 billion a year by 2030. We are establishing the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund – backed by up to £315m of investment – to help businesses with high energy use (including steel companies) to cut their bills and transition UK industry to a low carbon future. We are also providing up to £66m through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to help steel and other foundation industries develop radical new technologies.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether officials in her Department have had discussions with officials in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the UK Steel Charter.
Answered by John Penrose
We have discussed the procurement of steel with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which has asked all Government departments to consider guidance on steel procurement and to notify of any upcoming opportunities for industry.
More broadly, the Government is committed to supporting the steel sector to realise the broader commercial opportunities that are open to it, which could be worth an additional £3.8 billion a year by 2030. We are establishing the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund – backed by up to £315m of investment – to help businesses with high energy use (including steel companies) to cut their bills and transition UK industry to a low carbon future. We are also providing up to £66m through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to help steel and other foundation industries develop radical new technologies.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress his Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Northern Ireland Office does not carry out any function requiring the procurement of steel.