Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support he is providing to businesses in the pharmaceutical sector to (a) expand their premises and (b) manufacture more products.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
In 2021, the Government published the Life Sciences Vision, which set out an ambition to create a globally competitive environment for Life Science manufacturing investments. To help meet these ambitions and incentivise globally mobile manufacturing investments in the UK, the Office for Life Sciences launched the £60 million Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) in March 2022. The LSIMF will provide capital grants for investment in the manufacture of human medicines (drug substance and drug product), medical diagnostics and medical technology products. The fund has received a large number of high-quality applications and we expect to announce the successful grant awards from spring 2023.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to make a decision on development consent for the East Anglia Green Energy Enablement project.
Answered by Graham Stuart
No planning application has yet been made, so I cannot answer that directly.
We are working flat out to minimise the impacts of network infrastructure on my Rt hon Friend’s constituents, and I pay tribute to her for championing their interests so assiduously.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits providing support for an offshore energy grid rather than the new overhead powerlines and pylons proposed as part of the East Anglia Green Energy Enablement project.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Private network operators, in this case National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), are responsible for delivering network infrastructure necessary to meet consumer needs. This includes identifying preferred options for the infrastructure, considering a range of factors.
In the case of East Anglia Green, NGET recently published a letter to MPs outlining the total estimated lifetime costs of the onshore route, costing £1,136m, and the equivalent offshore option, costing £7,332m. Given the Secretary of State’s role in the consenting process for nationally significant infrastructure, no assessment has been made by the Department which would prejudice the outcome of the independent planning processes.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to make available financial support for businesses using heating oil.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is in discussions with electricity suppliers and delivery bodies and will set out the timings for payments as soon as possible.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
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 withdraw the planning consent given to the Rivenhall Incinerator in 2010.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has no plans to withdraw the planning consent given to the Rivenhall incinerator.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the development of offshore electricity grids; and whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing an offshore electricity grid and ring main to connect offshore wind turbines to the grid in (a) East Anglia and (b) London as an alternative to the overheard electricity cables and pylons proposed in the East Anglia Green Energy Enablement project.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Electricity System Operator’s Holistic Network Design provides the first step towards a strategic approach to offshore network planning. Projects too advanced to be included, due to pre-existing connection contracts, can voluntarily opt-in to coordinate. Two such ‘Pathfinders’ have been announced and five other projects have committed to exploring coordination in East Anglia.
Alternatives to East Anglia GREEN have been considered by National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) which showed an equivalent offshore network would have a lifetime cost of £7.8bn compared to £1.1bn. No final decision has been taken. NGET will launch its statutory consultation in early 2023.