Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions her Department has had with industry stakeholders on the proposed Energy Bill Relief Scheme final reconciliation date in May 2024.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department values strong working relationships with both industry trade bodies, and the individual energy suppliers that they represent. The Department hosted a roundtable on 6 March 2024 with energy suppliers and industry bodies to discuss the final reconciliation arrangements of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS).
Since then, taking on board feedback received from suppliers and trade bodies, the Department has shared further details on a proposed revised reconciliation approach with energy suppliers, and in early May officials met with the I&C Shippers and Suppliers (ICoSS) and Energy UK (gas and electricity industry trade bodies) to also share the proposed approach.
A further roundtable with all suppliers and trade bodies was held on 22 May, where officials shared current thinking on the EBRS reconciliation and offboarding approach.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to amend fiscal rules to (a) incentivise and (b) reward spending on climate change mitigation measures.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to sustainable public finances and delivering on the priority of getting debt falling over the medium-term. To deliver on this priority, the Government has fiscal rules – the rules require underlying debt to be falling and borrowing to be below 3% of GDP in the fifth year of the rolling forecast period. The fiscal rules are comprehensive, and targeting public sector wide measures means the impact of Government decisions on the public finances is clearly reflected.
The Government is committed to ensuring fiscal decision making is aligned with achieving net zero and our legally binding environmental targets. The Green Book requires departments to assess the climate and environmental impacts of policy proposals, with major bids and proposals at fiscal events assessed according to these impacts, and Spending Review 2021 was developed alongside the Net Zero Strategy to ensure our plans were funded.
Spending Review 2021 committed £30 billion of domestic investment for the green industrial revolution. Since then, we have committed a further £6 billion for energy efficiency in the next parliament, up to £20 billion of long-term funding for early deployment of carbon capture, usage and storage, and over £1 billion for green industries supply chains through the Green Industries Growth Accelerator.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the proposal from Planetary Technologies and South West Water to perform a carbon sequestration trial by adding magnesium hydroxide into treated wastewater outlet pipes.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Greenhouse gas removal (GGR) technologies are technologies that seek to remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Technologies such as Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) are currently being considered under this category. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change now considers GGR technologies to be essential in limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. The Government has an ambition to reach 5MtCO2/year of removals by 2030, potentially rising to 23MtCO2/year by 2035.
Reaching Net Zero and achieving good environmental status in the seas is a priority for Defra. Trials which advance GGR technologies, such as the proposed trial by Planetary Technologies and South West Water, could bring us closer to being able to deploy these technologies at a large scale. Reaching Net Zero will have benefits for ocean health and ecosystems. GGR technologies such as OAE may also benefit ocean health in other ways, for example, they may temporarily help combat local ocean acidification and the related negative impacts on species and ecosystems, such as calcium carbonate dissolution of calcifying species.
Planetary Technologies have informed the Environment Agency that they wish to delay their formal application for their proposed trial for a period of approximately 6 to 12 months. A new application will be considered as and when it is received.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has taken steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to increase the offshore wind capacity delivered in the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6 compared to Allocation Round 5.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 6 March 2024, the Government confirmed over £1 billion of budget will be available in the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6 auction, including £800 million allocated to offshore wind. This followed the announcement in November that the administrative strike prices for fixed and floating offshore wind had been increased by 66% and over 50% respectively, since the previous allocation round.
This budget announcement makes this the largest round yet, with four times more budget available to offshore wind than in the previous round.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many acres of prime farmland have been used for solar farms, what assessment they have made of impact such practices, and what assessment they have made of the proportion of land used for solar farms in particular areas.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While the Government does not currently publish the figures requested, the WMS laid before parliament on 15 May commits that the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will expand the Renewable Energy Planning Database to include additional information on the types of agricultural land used by existing projects and those in the planning pipeline. This will enable us to carefully monitor the use of land by renewable projects in all regions of the UK.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is a Disability Confident Leader. While there are no dedicated roles working on Disability Confident, several teams lead work to support the scheme. This includes the recruitment team that ensures activity is compliant with the scheme, and all recruiting managers are provided with information on how to apply the scheme. The department monitors data regularly to ensure that the scheme is effectively applied. DESNZ provides prospective candidates with information on reasonable adjustments that can be made in line with our legal obligations. The department’s Disability Confident self-assessment has been validated and is regularly reviewed.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to decarbonise transport infrastructure further towards the goal of net zero; and what measures they propose to achieve this aim.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT) formed the Infrastructure Decarbonisation Division in April 2023 to drive action on the decarbonisation of transport infrastructure. DfT requires all transport infrastructure projects that it funds to produce carbon management plans that include a comprehensive whole life carbon assessment, and a plan to reduce carbon across the project lifecycle in line with industry standards (the British Standards Institute’s PAS 2080:2023 and the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyor’s Whole Life Carbon Assessment guidance).
DfT maintains frequent engagement with its Arm’s Length Bodies to support progress against their own carbon reduction plans.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the Net Zero Research and Innovation Delivery Plan on the UK's target to become a science and technology superpower by 2030.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Net Zero Research & Innovation Delivery Plan supports the UK's target to become a science and technology superpower by setting out government investment of approximately £4.2 billion in research and innovation that is directed towards creating strategic advantage in net zero technologies and aims to boost private sector investment in this space. This investment forms a key part of the government's commitment to increase public expenditure on R&D to £20 billion per annum by 2024/2025 and helps maintain the UK's spend on R&D in this space compared to other leading OECD countries.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support research into sustainable materials, including those limiting emissions along entire material and product lifecycles.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government are committed to supporting the research and development of sustainable materials, notably where it enhances our commitments to net zero. The Government set up the Henry Royce Institute in 2015, the UK’s centre for advanced materials research with an initial £235m in investment provided by HMG. In 2022 an additional £95 million was provided to the Royce Institute.
The cross-government Innovation Accelerator Programme through InnovateUK has funded a two-year pilot for a Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS), part of wider programme that will see £100 million invested across 26 transformative R&D projects.
The UK government through UKRI has awarded the Foundation Industries Sustainability Consortium £19.5 million to run the Economic Material Innovation for Sustainable and Efficient use of Resources (EconoMISER) programme. The funding provides the UK’s Foundation Industries, who contribute 10% of the total CO2 emitted by UK homes and businesses, with the essential tools needed to decarbonise.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he has taken with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to ensure that the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6 delivers more offshore wind capacity than Allocation Round 5.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 6 March 2024, the Government confirmed over £1 billion of budget will be available in the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6 auction, including £800 million allocated to offshore wind. This followed the announcement in November that the administrative strike
prices for fixed and floating offshore wind had been increased by 66% and over 50% respectively, since the previous allocation round. This budget announcement makes this the largest round yet, with four times more budget available to offshore wind than in the previous round.