Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to (a) publish a revised timeline for the track-2 cluster sequencing process and (b) provide funding for non-pipeline carbon capture projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government announced its support for the Acorn and Viking clusters in the Spending Review and is providing the development funding to advance their delivery. We've been working with clusters to understand what they need to keep them progressing to a final investment decision (FID) this Parliament, subject to project readiness and affordability.
Non-pipeline methods of CO2 transportation (for example, road, rail and ship) will play an integral role in achieving decarbonisation across multiple regions and sectors of the economy, to meet our carbon budget targets and net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Funding for NPT projects will be subject to future project selection processes and associated deliverability and value for money considerations.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department plans to take to help prevent waste leakage offshore following the inclusion of Energy from Waste in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme; and whether his Department plans to take steps to help support local authorities with the financial implications of this decision.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Authority consulted on expanding the UK ETS to the waste sector in 2024, including asking for views on managing the risk of increased diversion of waste to export abroad. The interim Authority Response published in July 2025 stated that policy positions are being developed to ensure that waste export is not used to avoid ETS costs and details will be set out in due course.
The Government recognises the challenges that the expansion of the scheme will place on local authorities and will confirm proposals to help them manage the impacts of the scheme in due course.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the national grid to support projected growth in electric vehicle charging demand over the next decade.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is working closely with Ofgem to ensure that its price control framework supports the necessary investment in the electricity network to deliver our clean energy and growth missions. This includes ensuring that the distribution network has sufficient capacity to meet projected demand from electric vehicles into the future.
The current price control, RIIO-ED2 (2023–2028), enables forward-looking investment aligned with and incorporates uncertainty mechanisms to allow networks to respond flexibly to rising demand. The next price control, RIIO-ED3 (2028–2033), will be informed by Regional Energy Strategic Plans to support more strategic, anticipatory and coordinated investment.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what meetings he has held with the offshore energy sector to discuss incentivising investment in the UK.
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: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of UK's offshore energy regulatory framework on levels of investment.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The clean energy transition creates an opportunity for our expert offshore industry and workers to play a central role in the next generation of energy supply. Our commitments to deliver clean power by 2030 and to accelerate to net zero will guarantee our country’s energy security and create jobs, with gas continuing to play an important role in ensuring security of supply during the clean power transition.
Together, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, and the upcoming response to 'Building the North Sea's Energy Future' consultation provide a clear mission to drive investment certainty. These plans ensure the UK becomes a global leader in clean energy innovation, supply chains, manufacturing and deployment.
We have directly responded to the investment and regulatory barriers prohibiting growth for the sector. Measures include £5.8bn National Wealth Fund for high-cost infrastructure and ports investment; Clean Industry Bonus expansion; £1bn GBE Supply Chain Fund, planning and consenting reform; and targeted R&D funding.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 barriers to investment in offshore energy in the UK.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The clean energy transition creates an opportunity for our expert offshore industry and workers to play a central role in the next generation of energy supply. Our commitments to deliver clean power by 2030 and to accelerate to net zero will guarantee our country’s energy security and create jobs, with gas continuing to play an important role in ensuring security of supply during the clean power transition.
Together, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, and the upcoming response to 'Building the North Sea's Energy Future' consultation provide a clear mission to drive investment certainty. These plans ensure the UK becomes a global leader in clean energy innovation, supply chains, manufacturing and deployment.
We have directly responded to the investment and regulatory barriers prohibiting growth for the sector. Measures include £5.8bn National Wealth Fund for high-cost infrastructure and ports investment; Clean Industry Bonus expansion; £1bn GBE Supply Chain Fund, planning and consenting reform; and targeted R&D funding.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what incentives he is considering to stimulate investment in the UK's offshore energy sector.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The clean energy transition creates an opportunity for our expert offshore industry and workers to play a central role in the next generation of energy supply. Our commitments to deliver clean power by 2030 and to accelerate to net zero will guarantee our country’s energy security and create jobs, with gas continuing to play an important role in ensuring security of supply during the clean power transition.
Together, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, and the upcoming response to 'Building the North Sea's Energy Future' consultation provide a clear mission to drive investment certainty. These plans ensure the UK becomes a global leader in clean energy innovation, supply chains, manufacturing and deployment.
We have directly responded to the investment and regulatory barriers prohibiting growth for the sector. Measures include £5.8bn National Wealth Fund for high-cost infrastructure and ports investment; Clean Industry Bonus expansion; £1bn GBE Supply Chain Fund, planning and consenting reform; and targeted R&D funding.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking with the transport and logistics industry to identify where new energy infrastructure will be required to support the transition to electric vehicles in (a) commercial freight, (b) delivery and (c) other networks.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is introducing new strategic spatial planning processes, at national level (the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan) and regional level (Regional Energy Strategic Plans), to help ensure energy infrastructure meets future demand, including that of transport. The Government is encouraging transport stakeholders, such as the Freight Energy Forum (an expert advisory body led by the Department for Transport), to engage with the producer of these plans (the National Energy System Operator) and Ofgem to provide clarity and evidence on transport and electric vehicle requirements.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 potential contribution of drone technology to the net zero strategy.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy
Drones are useful in inspecting energy infrastructure such as offshore wind turbines and overhead electrification lines which are difficult to reach using other means. As part of DESNZ’s Net Zero Innovation Programme, we have funded UK companies looking to develop drones for these types of inspections.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the support provided by (a) his Department and (b) energy suppliers for people with chronic ill health for the cost of energy.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government believes the only way to protect consumers permanently is to speed up the transition towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030.
The Warm Home Discount provides a £150 rebate off winter energy bills for eligible low-income households. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point.
We continue to monitor energy prices and the price cap and are working to ensure bills are affordable for consumers in the long-term, including through our work with Ofgem to reform standing charges, and through our Warm Homes Plan which will upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run.