Asked by: Simon Clarke (Conservative - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy what assessment he has made of the potential effects on the small-scale renewables industry of introducing (a) tax incentives, (b) government-backed loans and (c) removal of EU tariffs on imported solar panels after April 2019.
Answered by Claire Perry
We are considering options for small-scale low-carbon generation beyond 2019, and a consultation on the Feed-in-Tariffs scheme will be published in due course.
Asked by: Simon Clarke (Conservative - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
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 has made an assessment of the potential merits for consumers of national grid privatisation.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Network costs are now 17 per cent lower than at the time of privatisation (excluding inflation). Operating efficiency has increased, for example, real unit operating expenditure has fallen by approximately 5.5 per cent, per annum across the electricity distribution networks since privatisation. Capital investment in the electricity networks is higher on average than the period immediately prior to privatisation. The improvements this paid for have reduced power cuts by around 40 per cent since 2002. There are also record levels of customer satisfaction with local electricity and gas distribution networks.
Asked by: Simon Clarke (Conservative - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the profit margins of distribution network operators affect the cost of energy.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Electricity and gas networks are the transportation systems which convey energy from where it is produced or imported to homes and businesses. Network costs make up around a quarter of the average dual fuel bill.
Network companies are regulated by Ofgem in order to ensure that companies deliver a safe, reliable network whilst investing for the future and providing value for money for customers.
The regulation process is a matter for the independent regulator Ofgem and, by law, must be administered independently of Government.