Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the green energy sector in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Local power generation is an essential part of the UK’s energy generation and increasing support will ensure local communities to benefit from clean energy projects as the UK supercharges its mission to become a clean energy superpower.
This is why backed by up to £1 billion, Great British Energy aims to support more than 1,000 local and community energy projects by 2030. This is not the pinnacle of our ambition but the start.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent progress his Department has made towards the publication of the Local Power Plan; and when he plans to publish that plan.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 10 February 2026, Great British Energy and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero published the Local Power Plan which sets out the UK’s largest ever public investment in locally owned clean energy.
Backed by up to £1 billion, the Local Power Plan aims to support more than 1,000 local and community energy projects by 2030.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 resilience of the electricity distribution network in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government works closely with industry, including Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, the Distribution Network Operator for Surrey Heath, to continually improve and maintain the resilience of electricity infrastructure, networks and assets. This is to reduce vulnerabilities and ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents.
Asked by: Martin Rhodes (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether consenting determinations for critical energy transmission infrastructure in Scotland will be made in line with the 52 week process needed to support the delivery of Clean Power 2030.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Consenting in Scotland is devolved to Scottish Government. The guidance at Priority Applications for Transmission Infrastructure guidance: Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 - gov.scot is owned and implemented by Scottish Government.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Clean energy funding to be tied to stronger workers’ rights, published on 4 February 2026, what mechanisms his Department will use to (a) monitor and (b) enforce compliance with the Fair Work Charter by offshore wind firms.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Signing the fair work charter will be a condition of Clean Industry Bonus eligibility at the point of application. Enforcement during the delivery phase will be set out in the Charter’s governance chapter. It will set out the dispute resolution process agreed by industry and trade union representatives.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans his Department has to help improve GP access to decarbonisation schemes in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to supporting the decarbonisation of the GP estate. Through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, GP facilities can receive £7,500 for heat pumps and £5,000 for biomass boilers. We also help fund the UK Business Climate Hub, an online resource supporting SMEs identify and implement changes to their energy use.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Clean energy funding to be tied to stronger workers’ rights, published on 4 February 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of new employment practices linked to clean energy funding on levels of employment.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Clean Industry Bonus will ensure public funding supports high quality jobs in offshore wind by requiring firms to sign a Fair Work Charter. The Fair Work Charter commits signatories to provide access to trade unions and to strive for best practice Health and Safety. The associated Impact Assessment , published on GOV.UK, highlights that the overall impact of changes to the Clean Industry Bonus scheme are expected to be positive. The Government estimates that the offshore wind sector will support up to 100,000 jobs by 2030.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Clean energy funding to be tied to stronger workers’ rights, published on 4 February 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of requiring offshore wind developers to sign up to the Fair Work Charter on workers’ rights.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Clean Industry Bonus will ensure public funding supports high quality jobs in offshore wind by requiring firms to sign a Fair Work Charter. The Fair Work Charter commits signatories to provide access to trade unions and to strive for best practice Health and Safety. The associated Impact Assessment , published on GOV.UK, highlights that the overall impact of changes to the Clean Industry Bonus scheme are expected to be positive. The Government estimates that the offshore wind sector will support up to 100,000 jobs by 2030.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 help ensure the accuracy of small businesses' energy bills in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is overseeing the roll out of smart meters to small businesses in Surrey Heath and across GB, and our latest data shows that almost two thirds of meters in non-domestic premises are smart or advanced meters. These meters enable accurate billing by automatically recording energy use at regular intervals, allowing bills based on actual rather than estimated usage.
Ofgem’s licence conditions require all suppliers to take all reasonable steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent to customers where these have been provided by a customer or obtained by the supplier.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the role of battery storage in reducing renewable curtailment.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Electricity storage has an important role to play in decarbonising the power sector by helping to balance the electricity system at lower cost. Electricity storage achieves this by charging when electricity is abundant and discharging when it is scarcer, thereby mitigating the need for grid reinforcement and reducing the curtailment of renewable generation. Efficient use of storage therefore offers opportunities for reducing constraint costs. The Government, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) are currently investigating options aimed at maximising the benefits of storage technologies in reducing system costs.