Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate her Department has made of the combined annual greenhouse gas emissions from new oil and gas fields approved between October 2023 and January 2024.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Emissions from UK oil and gas extraction are accounted for in our legally-binding carbon budgets. Projected future emissions from all licensing rounds are incorporated into the offshore sector’s North Sea Transition Deal commitments. The sector’s progress against these targets is monitored by the North Sea Transition Authority.
‘Scope 3’ emissions from the burning of oil and gas are accounted for in the country in which they are used, in line with guidance from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Emissions will be reduced by reducing our consumption of fossil fuels, not by placing restrictions on our oil and gas industry.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of North Sea oil and gas reserves when considering whether to grant new oil and gas licence areas.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Emissions from UK oil and gas extraction are accounted for in our legally-binding carbon budgets. Projected future emissions from all licensing rounds are incorporated into the offshore sector’s North Sea Transition Deal commitments. The sector’s progress against these targets is monitored by the North Sea Transition Authority.
‘Scope 3’ emissions from the burning of oil and gas are accounted for in the country in which they are used, in line with guidance from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Emissions will be reduced by reducing our consumption of fossil fuels, not by placing restrictions on our oil and gas industry.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to paragraph II. (A.) 28 (d) of the First global stocktake agreed at COP28 on 13 December 2023, what steps her Department is taking to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK has over-achieved against the first, second, and third carbon budgets. The transitions set out in the Net Zero Strategy and the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan keep us on track to meet Carbon Budgets 4, 5 and 6, our 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution, and net zero by 2050.
The Government will continue to use Contracts for Difference to grow renewables’ share of electricity generation which has already moved from less than 7% in 2010 to more than 40% today. Use of coal in electricity generation will be ceased by the end of this year - having been nearly 40% in 2012.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
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 impact on Small and medium-sized businesses of not being eligible for the additional Energy Bills Discount Scheme for Energy and Trade Intensive Industries.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme review took account of contributions from the private sector, trade associations, the voluntary sector and other types of organisations on sectors that may be most affected by rising energy prices based on energy and trade intensity. The outcome of the review informed the criteria for the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS).
Eligible SMEs will get the baseline discount. The higher ETII support will be provided to SMEs that meet the eligibility criteria. The EBDS reflects the scale of change in the energy market as prices continue to fall. The EBDS strikes the right balance by supporting businesses over the next year, ensuring fiscal responsibility and limiting the taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
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 to regulate the energy rates landlords charge tenants.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Under Ofgem’s Maximum Resale Price rules, landlords with a domestic contract with an energy supplier are required not to charge tenants more than they have paid suppliers for the energy.