Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of bioplastics in replacing non-biodegradable plastics.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
We have been working closely with the British Plastics Federation and other major stakeholders to promote the sustainability of the plastics industry and encourage its contribution to the circular economy. In the recent Industrial Strategy White Paper we committed to publishing a new UK Bioeconomy Strategy. This will provide a framework within which government, industry and the research community can support the development of bio-based products and processes, including bioplastics.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to amend the regulations on the use of fireworks.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
On 29 January, the Government set out its approach to firework safety in a Westminster Hall Debate triggered by an E-Petition calling for changes to the laws governing the use of fireworks. There is no current plan to change the legislation.
The newly established Office for Product Safety and Standards will be responsible for collating information and data about the safety of consumer products, including fireworks. This will provide an evidence base and enable the Government to keep the issue under review.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to make funding available for the delivery of the Government’s clean growth strategy to homes and businesses in North Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Claire Perry
I would like to start by recognising the role your constituency and especially Wadebridge, have long played in delivering innovation and strong community focus on low carbon initiatives. This has been achieved with the support of funding from UK Government through Innovate UK and the Rural Community Energy Fund as well as over £78m Local Growth funding and over £115m through the European Regional Development Fund. Cornwall has also agreed a Devolution deal with Government which has a strong focus on energy and low carbon support.
These funding streams on the whole remain active and open until 2020 and are available for Low Carbon activity across the County of Cornwall. It remains for the most part the role of the Local Authority and the Local Enterprise Partnership to determine the priority projects and locations for their area.
In the Clean Growth Strategy we announced the launch of the Local Energy Programme, which has already made available funding for a local energy strategy for Cornwall to help plan future low carbon projects and additional funding for capacity support to help local areas deliver their priority low carbon projects at scale.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to make funding available for the delivery of the Government’s clean growth strategy to homes and businesses unconnected to the gas grid in North Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Claire Perry
Funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) of £4.5 billion has been agreed to support low carbon heat technologies in homes and businesses, on and off the gas grid, between 2016 and 2021. Over the scheme lifetime, we expect payments to be around £23bn.
As at the end of December 2017, 1985 domestic and 370 non-domestic installations have been accredited within Cornwall. The Department does not hold data specifically for North Cornwall.
Beyond the RHI, our ambition is to help homes off the gas grid to start to move to cleaner heating options during the 2020s. We will work with consumers as we develop policy, starting with new build, and will consult further on policy options during 2018.
A key focus of our policy development will be the cost difference between low and high carbon technologies. We are investing £10 million in an innovation challenge fund to support low carbon heating systems, which will help drive down costs.
Alongside Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments, policies such as the Warm Home Discount and Energy Company Obligation deliver vital support to millions of low income and vulnerable homes each year with heating and insulation measures as well as direct reductions in their energy bills. As set out in the Autumn Statement, a domestic supplier obligation with a value of £640m, will continue to be in place until 2022.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding is available for research and development on energy extraction from recycling plastic.
Answered by Claire Perry
The BEIS Energy Entrepreneurs Fund recently ran a funding call to which such technologies could apply if they could demonstrate that they boosted the UK’s energy security, lowered carbon emissions, or improved energy efficiency. Other Government programmes for which such technologies could be eligible include those operated by Innovate UK including the Energy Catalyst and the “Open” Innovation call. Innovate UK typically run two calls a year under these programmes.
An example of a company currently supported by Government who recycles end of life plastics into heavy fuel oil and other high value products is Recycling Technologies, based in Swindon.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he will consider the mining of Lithium in Cornwall as part of the industrial strategy.
Answered by Claire Perry
Our Industrial Strategy is about driving growth right across the whole country. We will work with places to build on their particular strengths and to address barriers to growth.
The Government is aware that Cornwall has been identified as a having potentially valuable lithium resource, which is a key element in battery technology. That technology has great potential, which we are backing with £246m through a Faraday Challenge to boost expertise in the UK.
The current exploration for lithium ore reserves and research to extract lithium from geothermal brines has potential to provide a UK source, though it is for the private sector to demonstrate there are commercial opportunities and this sort of opportunity, clearly linked to a location, underpins the department’s local industrial strategy policy.