Rupert Lowe Portrait

Rupert Lowe

Reform UK - Great Yarmouth

1,426 (3.5%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


Rupert Lowe is not a member of any APPGs
Rupert Lowe has no previous appointments


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Rupert Lowe has voted in 39 divisions, and 1 time against the majority of their Party.

3 Dec 2024 - Elections (Proportional Representation) - View Vote Context
Rupert Lowe voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 1 Reform UK No votes vs 3 Reform UK Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 138 Noes - 136
View All Rupert Lowe Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Keir Starmer (Labour)
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
(4 debate interactions)
Yvette Cooper (Labour)
Home Secretary
(4 debate interactions)
Rachel Reeves (Labour)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
(3 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Home Office
(5 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(4 debate contributions)
Department for Education
(4 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Rupert Lowe's debates

Great Yarmouth Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petitions with most Great Yarmouth signatures
Rupert Lowe has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Rupert Lowe

23rd October 2024
Rupert Lowe signed this EDM as a sponsor on Wednesday 23rd October 2024

Exiting the European Union

Tabled by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Windsor Framework (Retail Movement Scheme: Plant and Animal Health) (Amendment etc.) Regulations 2024 (S.I., 2024, No. 853), dated 8 August 2024, a copy of which was laid before this House on 9 August 2024, be annulled.
8 signatures
(Most recent: 14 Nov 2024)
Signatures by party:
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Conservative: 2
Traditional Unionist Voice: 1
Independent: 1
Reform UK: 1
View All Rupert Lowe's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Rupert Lowe, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Rupert Lowe has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Rupert Lowe has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Rupert Lowe has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Rupert Lowe has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
14th Nov 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the Crown Prosecution Guidance on the definition of online hate speech in the context of protecting freedom of speech.

The Government is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime, and ensuring that police and prosecutors can spend their time dealing with the issues that matter most to our communities.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has existing guidance on communications offences. As with all guidance, they keep that guidance under regular review. This guidance explains the relevant law and how the CPS applies that law, including to offences committed online which constitute hate crime. It includes clear protections and provisions for the fundamental right of freedom of speech.

Sarah Sackman
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
2nd Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in how many years the ONS estimates on immigration to the UK been revised upwards in each of the last 20 years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 2 December is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
26th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) the Prime Minister and (ii) his staff since 5 July 2024.

As was the practice under the previous Government, information about official overseas ministerial travel will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
26th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was paid to thebigword by all Departments in each of the last ten years.

All Government Departments are responsible for determining their own requirements for language services and ensuring these deliver good value for money for the taxpayer.

Details on how much is paid to individual suppliers, including thebigword, is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
21st Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Prime Minister has spent on foreign travel since taking office.

As is longstanding practice, information about official overseas ministerial travel will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
21st Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was paid to DA Languages by all Departments in each of the last ten years.

The Cabinet Office does not hold information relating to other Departments’ expenditure.

The Cabinet Office has not incurred any spend with DA Languages in each of the last ten years.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
18th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a department for government efficiency.

There are currently no plans for a Department for Government Efficiency. The Budget set out plans for an Office for Value for Money which will work alongside other reforms such as the 2% Efficiency target aimed at improving savings, efficiency and productivity for all government departments by using technology more effectively and joining up services. Together, these reforms will deliver change for working people.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
15th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many public contracts were awarded without competitive tendering by each Department in the last financial year; and for what reason each contract was awarded without competitive tendering.

Details of all Government contracts, including the procurement procedure used, are published on Contracts Finder, and Find a Tender above a certain threshold. Details can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
14th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants were dismissed for poor performance by Department in each of the last five years.

Information on how many civil servants were dismissed for poor performance is not available centrally.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
14th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent on bottled water by each Department in the last financial year.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
12th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths listed (a) covid-19 as the main cause of death and (b) covid-19 as a contributory cause of death since January 2020.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 12 November is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyber security breaches there have been in each Department in each of the last ten years.

The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of civil servants work from home on each day of the week.

Data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. Data for the latest period for which data is available can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data



Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of staff turnover on the cost to the public purse of (a) recruitment, (b) training and (c) reduced productivity in each Department in the previous year.

Civil Service Turnover data is published annually through the Civil Service statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024

Civil Service departments are responsible for managing their own workforces and ensuring they have the right skills to deliver the Government’s priorities. The Civil Service People Plan commits to ensuring the best people are working in Government, and that the Civil Service offers an enriching career path which rewards excellence in public service.



Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff working in 10 Downing Street have diversity in their job title by pay band.

No staff in 10 Downing Street have the word ‘diversity’ in their job title.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what hardware was lost by each Department in each of the last ten years; and what the value was of that hardware.

The Cabinet Office does not hold data on losses of hardware by other government departments.

The Cabinet Office only holds data on the loss of laptops, mobile phones and MiFi/tablets by Cabinet Office staff, including staff working for the Crown Commercial Service, the Government Property Agency, and the Office for the Secretary of State for Scotland (to whom the Cabinet Office supplies the IT platform and IT equipment only)

since 2018. This data is provided below.

The data does not include Number 10, which has separate supply arrangements in place.

Information on the value of the hardware lost could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Cabinet Office staff are responsible for keeping all portable devices assigned to them safe and secure and must immediately report any loss or damage of their IT equipment. When losses are reported, devices are disabled to ensure they are unable to access any Cabinet Office data.


Year

Laptop

Mobile Phone

MiFi/Tablet

2018

54

80

8

2019

86

176

27

2020

57

114

11

2021

49

118

7

2022

63

147

7

2023

54

157

12

2024

66

154

109

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil service staff are employed in (a) communications and (b) public relations roles.

Please see the documentation published at the following location which provides details on the number of civil service staff employed in the communication profession: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

For reference, public relations is classified as a subset of communications.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent on LGBT+ lanyards in each Department in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not centrally held.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what flags are owned by each Department.

For the properties operated by the Government Property Agency (GPA), where flag flying forms part of its service, all buildings with flagpoles have the union flag. In addition, buildings will have a variety of other flags depending on their function in Government. The GPA also has a procured service whereby non-stocked or ad hoc flags can be provided and hoisted by a specialist company for the required duration.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) gender neutral, (b) male and (c) female toilets there were in each Department in each of the last 10 years.

Cost and asset data relating to these questions are not held centrally by the Government Property Agency.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent in total on (a) design, (b) installation and (c) signage of gender neutral toilets by each Department.

Cost and asset data relating to these questions are not held centrally by the Government Property Agency.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many excess deaths there have been in each month of the last ten years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 8th November is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent in Number 10 on alcohol since 3 July 2024.

Official receptions in 10 Downing Street are hosted by Ministers across Government, with details published each quarter as part of the Government's transparency returns. The cost of hospitality in 10 Downing Street is published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-disclosure agreements were signed by each Government Department in financial year 2023-24.

Departments are required to report to the Cabinet Office on an annual basis the number of confidentiality clauses used in connection with special severance payments, however full information on the use of non-disclosure agreements is held by individual departments.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil service staff earned above £100,000 a year in (a) January 2024 and (b) the latest period for which data is available.

Civil Service Statistics (Table 35) provides information on the number of civil servants earning over £100,000 and in other bandings. The latest information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024

The previous administration did not publish a 2023 list. The Cabinet Office will publish this in due course following the usual process.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what percentage of the food served at receptions in Number 10 Downing Street is domestically produced.

10 Downing Street hosts a variety of events and catering is tailored accordingly, often using events to showcase British produce.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many days were lost to strike action in the Civil Service in each of the last five years.

This information is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office. Each department is responsible for the management of their workforce.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse is of the covid-19 inquiry; if he will make an estimate of the anticipated total cost of the inquiry; and whether the inquiry is running to budget.

It is important that lessons are learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic and the response to it. The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is independent of government and it is right that we allow the Chair to continue her important work. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work, and she has been clear in her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible. Quarterly financial reports are published every quarter on the official UK Covid-19 Inquiry website.

Nick Thomas-Symonds
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of introducing performance related pay reviews on all senior leadership positions in the Civil Service.

The performance management process for Senior Civil Servants already provides the opportunity for performance related pay to recognise high performance.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse is of the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration.

The UK Commission on Covid Commemoration was established on 21 July 2022 to secure a broad consensus from across the whole of the United Kingdom on how to commemorate the COVID-19 pandemic and mark this distinctive period in our history at a UK and community level. The Commission submitted its report to the Government in March 2023 and came to a close on 31 March 2023. Eleven Commissioners were appointed to serve on the Commission. The Commissioners were not remunerated.

The Commission spent £9,942 excl VAT. In addition to this, the Commission was supported by a team of four Cabinet Office officials, who were the Secretariat to the Commission and managed its budget.

Nick Thomas-Symonds
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil service staff worked on Whitehall in (a) January 2024 and (b) the latest period for which data is available.

Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy data is collected and published on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. Post-election period, publications now happen on a quarterly basis.

Data for the latest period for which data is available can be found here.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
29th Oct 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants earn (a) over £100,000 and (b) more than the Prime Minister.

Civil Service Statistics (Table 35) provides information on the number of civil servants earning over £100,000 and in other bandings. The latest information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024

The previous administration did not publish a 2023 list. The Cabinet Office will publish this in due course following the usual process.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
15th Oct 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce the costs associated with the covid-19 inquiry.

It is important that lessons are learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic and the response to it. The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is independent of government and it is right that we allow the Chair to continue her important work. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work, and she has been clear in her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Nick Thomas-Symonds
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many positions in his Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.

Cabinet Office does not routinely collate information on specific words within job titles and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
6th Sep 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) costs and (b) merits of each of the restrictions during the covid-19 pandemic.

The previous Government spent up to £400 billion on pandemic related interventions and programmes including 11.7 million employees that were furloughed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, at a cost of £70 billion. 2.9m people on the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme received grants at a cost of £28bn.

The Chancellor has announced that she will appoint a Covid Corruption Commissioner, fulfilling a manifesto commitment. The main focus of the Commissioner will be pandemic PPE contracts. They will make sure everything that can be done, has been done, to get the public purse what it is owed.


The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has now been established. As set out in its Terms of Reference, the Inquiry will examine, consider and report on preparations and the response to the pandemic. In doing so, the inquiry will help identify lessons learned. The Inquiry published its Module 1 report, focussing on resilience and preparedness in July 2024. The government will carefully consider the Inquiry’s findings and recommendations, and will respond within six months.

Nick Thomas-Symonds
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
28th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here:

Ministers - DBT: ministerial gifts, hospitality, overseas travel and meetings - GOV.UK

Senior Officials - DBT: senior officials’ business expenses, hospitality, and meetings - GOV.UK

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
15th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many companies were (a) registered and (b) liquidated on each day in 2024.

Official statistics on company incorporation and liquidation are published quarterly. These are made publicly available online by Companies House. We have excerpted and reproduced the relevant figures for your convenience below:

Date

Incorporations

Total Liquidations

2024 Jan-Mar

244,717

7,622

2024 Apr-Jun

217,815

9,115

2024 Jul-Sep

191,683

8,658

The most recent complete datasets can be found here:

Incorporated companies in the UK July to September 2024 - GOV.UK

Statistics for previous periods are available here.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much his Department spent on first class flights in each year since its creation.

Since its creation on 7 February 2023 and up until 31 March 2024, the Department for Business and Trade has incurred no first-class air travel expenditure as it is not permitted under the travel policy.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many positions in his Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.

Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of the Bounce Back Loans scheme; what proportion of the loans have been (a) returned and (b) written off; and whether all data related to the scheme has been recorded in OSCAR II.

Businesses have drawn a total of £46.59 billion under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. 12.97% of facilities by volume have been repaid and 59.44% of facilities by volume are on schedule. 19.77% of facilities by volume have been settled under the Government guarantee. The Department publishes performance data on the COVID-19 loan guarantee schemes on a quarterly basis.

The final year-end outturn is recorded in OSCAR II for years 22-23 and prior. The 23-24 data is still pending final updates based on the finalisation of DBT’s accounts for 23-24.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
26th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on what proportion of days is (a) meat and (b) dairy available in canteens in his Department.

The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA). GPA is the landlord or building manager at the Department’s office occupations, where the space is often shared with several other tenant organisations. The Department buys catering services, or a share of, from GPA alongside all other building services. This information is therefore not held by the Department.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
26th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of food provided in canteens in his Department that is produced in the UK.

The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA). GPA is the landlord or building manager at the Department’s office occupations, where the space is often shared with several other tenant organisations. The Department buys catering services, or a share of, from GPA alongside all other building services. This information is therefore not held by the Department.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
26th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the proportion of energy used by his Department, broken down by energy source.

The Department collects data on its energy use, broken down by energy source, and reports this to Defra on a quarterly basis as part of the Greening Government Commitments.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
26th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) air miles and (b) flights he has completed since 5 July 2024.

Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/desnz-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-meetings-april-to-june-2024

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
18th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many delegates the Government has sent to attend COP 29; and what the cost to the public purse is of the Government's involvement in COP 29.

The final list of COP29 delegates should be published by the UNFCCC shortly. The UK delegation includes officials (some already based in Baku) and Ministers as well as businesses, Arm’s Length Bodies, Devolved Administrations, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, parliamentarians and civil society speakers. Many attended at their own cost, with the UK providing accreditation. The Government currently estimates that nearly 470 people have attended COP29 in person with UK accreditation.

Until travel and expense claims are confirmed, the overall cost of Departmental attendance cannot be calculated. The Department will not hold this information for other Government departments.

The UK Pavilion and Delegation Office are fully funded through private sector sponsorship.

Kerry McCarthy
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the (a) value and (b) volume of coal imported into the UK was in each of the last five years.

Data showing the value and volume of coal imported into the UK is presented in the following table:

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

UK coal imports (million tonnes)

5.4

3.7

4.5

6.6

2.9

Value of UK coal imports (£m)

574

318

470

1,573

519

Source: HMRC trade data

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
21st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the system of standing charges for utilities.

The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them.

The setting of standing charges is a commercial matter for suppliers. Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated.

We will continue to support Ofgem in this work and ensure that standing charges are reduced.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many positions in his Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost. Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts.

The Department is committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion through its diversity networks.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)