Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has had discussions with Exxon Mobil Corp on the potential impact of rising carbon costs on the viability of UK refineries since its evidence to Parliament in October 2025.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including oil refining within the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government recognises that refineries play a role in energy security and the UK’s industrial base, and will publish a call for evidence on the fuel sector. The government is also considering the feasibility and impacts of including refined products in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in future.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has considered providing temporary relief from CO₂ compliance costs for UK refineries, in the context of two of the six UK refineries closing.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the vital role UK refineries play in energy security and continues to work closely with the industry. The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), incentivises cost-effective decarbonisation, and the ETS Authority decides any changes to it. The Free Allocation Review Response published in November confirmed the sector remains eligible for free allocation, with current benchmarks maintained until 2028, allowing time to develop supportive policy. The Government is committed to mitigating carbon leakage risk and, as announced at Budget is considering the feasibility and impacts of including refined products in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in future.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s current regulatory framework for supporting cleaner hydrogen production for industrial sites.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Low carbon hydrogen will play a vital role in decarbonising industry, enabling the transition to a low carbon economy while protecting jobs and driving growth across the UK’s industrial heartlands.
The current regulatory framework provides a strong foundation, including the framework to award Hydrogen Production Business Model support to producers to enable deployment.
The Government will continue to ensure suitable regulatory frameworks for hydrogen as the industry develops, working with Devolved Governments and regulators. For instance, the Government published a response to consultation on an economic regulatory framework for hydrogen pipelines on 3 December.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to expand the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to cover international shipping.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK ETS Authority has published a consultation on expanding the UK ETS to international maritime voyages from 2028. We propose that 50% of emissions from international maritime voyages are covered by the scheme. The consultation runs until 20th January 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether, following the Government’s decision to abolish the Valuation Office Agency and transfer its functions into HM Revenue and Customs, she plans to maintain the current Valuation Office Agency methodology for assessing business-rates valuations.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Budget 2025, the government published a Call for Evidence on Business Rates and Investment which will explore concerns raised by a small number of ratepayers whose properties are valued on the ‘Receipts & Expenditure’ methodology and options to improve predictability and stability.Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Air Passenger Duty in the Autumn Budget 2025 on the competitiveness of the UK aviation sector compared to other European countries.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to the long-term future of the aviation sector in the UK and recognises the benefits of the connectivity it creates between the UK and the rest of the world. The government remains committed to maintaining a competitive and dynamic aviation sector that supports jobs, skills, and innovation across the UK.
Following previous increases to Air Passenger Duty (APD) rates to account for below inflation rates, the government will uprate APD rates in line with RPI from 1 April 2027 and rounded to the nearest penny. This constitutes a real terms freeze.
This will continue to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free, and aviation fuel incurs no duty.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates increases at airports on i.) passenger ticket prices and ii.) airline route planning.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to enabling investment so that airports can play their full role in the growth mission.
Properties seeing large bill increases as a result of the business rates revaluation - including airports - will benefit from a redesigned transitional relief scheme worth £3.2 billion over the next 3 years.
At Budget 2025, the government also published a Call for Evidence on Business Rates and Investment. It will explore the concerns that airports and a small number of other ratepayers have raised around the ‘Receipts & Expenditure’ valuation methodology and its impacts on long-term, high value investments. The government is seeking to address issues raised ahead of the 2029 revaluation, aiming to conclude this work in sufficient time before pre-list discussion commences.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an estimate of the cost to port operators of surveying mudflats required under (a) environmental assessment and (b) marine licensing processes; and whether she has made an assessment of the (i) consistency and (ii) proportionality of those requirements across England.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Costs for surveying mudflats vary. If surveying is a condition of a marine licence, the Marine Management Organisation charges a fee, to review evidence provided as part of a condition on a marine licence.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information below relates to Defra and the Environment agency only.
Since 4 July 2024, the Department and its arm’s length bodies have spent £996k on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities.
Since 4 July 2024, the Department and its arm’s length bodies have spent £278k on the purchase of electric vehicles.
The Department estimates that the capital cost of the electric vehicles purchased is approximately £50k (£4.1k per vehicle) higher than comparable diesel models.
The Department is working towards a government target of 100% Zero Tailpipe Emissions by 31 December 2027.