Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to open the online application portal for Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding; and whether he plans to offer back payments to match funding provided by other energy support schemes which have made direct payments to individuals.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The application portal for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding is due to open in January 2023. Once customers have applied to receive support and their applications have been processed and verified, eligible customers’ details will be shared with Local Authorities across England, Scotland and Wales. Local Authorities will deliver the one-off, non-repayable £400 of support in a single instalment.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason people receive less funding under the Energy Bills Support Scheme than people who have a direct relationship with their energy supplier.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Households in Great Britain that have a direct relationship with their electricity supplier are receiving a £400 non-repayable payment in six instalments under the Energy Bills Support Scheme as part of the £37bn cost-of-living assistance package announced in May 2022. The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF), which covers households in Great Britain that do not have a direct relationship with their electricity supplier, will provide equivalent support of £400 payable in a single instalment. The EBSS AF will launch later this month.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
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 taken recent steps to help support small businesses affected by high energy prices to switch easily between providers.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Contractual terms offered to business customers are a commercial matter for energy suppliers. The Government remains committed to a fair and competitive energy market. Ofgem is undertaking a review of the non-domestic market following reports of challenges faced by business customers. My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has written to Ofgem to ask for a progress update before the Budget on whether further action is required to secure a well-functioning market.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2022 to Question 98830 on Energy Bills Rebate, when he plans to announce these measures; and whether back-payments will be made to affected residents.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 19 December, the Government publicly announced the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vital-help-with-energy-bills-on-the-way-for-millions-more-homes-across-great-britain-and-northern-ireland. Once customers have applied to receive support and their applications have been processed and verified, eligible customers’ details will be shared with Local Authorities across England, Scotland and Wales. Local Authorities will deliver the one-off, non-repayable £400 of support this winter in a single instalment.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of households who do not have their own direct relationship with an energy supplier have received support from the Energy Bills Support Scheme as of 20 December 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Through the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) Alternative Funding the Government has ensured that the £400 is available to households that do not have a direct relationship with their energy supplier and will therefore not automatically receive the EBSS. The total number of households eligible for EBSS Alternative Funding is estimated to be 900,000.
Those who are eligible for the EBSS Alternative Funding will need to submit a short online form via GOV.UK, with the application portal due to open in January. A dedicated customer helpline will be available to assist customers who do not have online access, with further details to be released next month.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answers of 24 October 2022 and 29 November 2022 to Questions 65799 and 98830 on Energy Bills Rebate, what progress his Department has made on finalising the details of the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund for people without a domestic electricity contract; and whether those people have now received payments.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 19 December, the Government announced details of the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vital-help-with-energy-bills-on-the-way-for-millions-more-homes-across-great-britain-and-northern-ireland.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding will open for applications in Great Britain in January 2023. However, the exact date that an eligible household will receive support will depend on when the application is made and when the payment can be processed by the relevant local authority.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November to Question 79297 on Ukraine: Energy, what the (a) type and (b) capacity is of the generators provided to Ukraine.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy provided a total of 856 generators to Ukraine. There was a range of capacity in generators provided: 3-9kVA (380), 10-14kVA (42), 15-35kVA (138), 40-50kVA (91), 60-75kVA (91), 80-90kVA (40), 100-175kVA (52), 200-330kVA (19) and 500+kVA (3).
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 65799 on Energy Bills Rebate, what progress his Department has made on finalising the details of the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund for people without a domestic electricity contract.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is finalising the eligibility, delivery arrangements and timescales for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding and will be announcing details shortly.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to announce further details on the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund for those without a domestic electricity contract.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is working urgently with a range of organisations, such as local authorities, as well as Devolved Administrations and across UK Government, to finalise the details and have the process up and running for applications this winter
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he last discussed national security matters relating to the proposed electricity interconnector and data cabling project proposed by AQUIND with her French counterpart.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK works closely with international partners to ensure that investment in energy infrastructure meets the needs of all parties.
The protection of infrastructure and critical services is a key priority for the Department, and any new projects are assessed on a case-by-case basis which may involve a range of stakeholders. Foreign investment in critical national infrastructure undergoes the highest level of scrutiny.