Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the support available for UK-based downstream steel companies that are seeking to decarbonise their industrial processes.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are developing a suite of policies to enable industry, including UK-based downstream steel companies, to deliver savings through fuel switching from fossil fuels to low carbon alternatives. As we do so, we are closely engaging with industry, both with sector trade associations as well as with manufacturers directly, to identify and understand the challenges, barriers and costs of their decarbonisation pathways. For example, we published a summary of responses to our Call for evidence on Enabling Industrial Electrification in September 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/enabling-industrial-electrification-a-call-for-evidence).
To give longer-term confidence for industry to decarbonise, a renewed Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy will set the strategic direction for our approach to working with industry towards a competitive and low carbon industrial base in the UK, ensuring growth opportunities are captured in tandem with emissions reductions.
More widely, we are determined to work towards a bright future for steel through our steel strategy. The Government stands by our manifesto commitment to invest up to £2.5bn in steel through the National Wealth Fund and other routes.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received from the UK oil refining industry on the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales from 2030.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Department has regular contact with the UK Petroleum Industry Association and individual refineries on the role of the downstream oil sector in meeting the UK’s target of net zero emissions by 2050. Most recently discussions focused on the UK Petroleum Industry Association’s October report “Transition, Transformation and Innovation: Our Role in the Net-Zero Challenge”, including the potential for the sector to make a contribution in the areas of low carbon liquid fuels, hydrogen, CCUS, and other innovative technologies.
As regards the Government’s announcement to end the sale of new diesel and petrol cars in the UK by 2030, all sectors had the opportunity to make representations in the consultation led by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
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 economic effect on the UK oil refining sector of the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales from 2030.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Department has regular contact with the UK Petroleum Industry Association and individual refineries on the role of the downstream oil sector in meeting the UK’s target of net zero emissions by 2050. Most recently discussions focused on the UK Petroleum Industry Association’s October report “Transition, Transformation and Innovation: Our Role in the Net-Zero Challenge”, including the potential for the sector to make a contribution in the areas of low carbon liquid fuels, hydrogen, CCUS, and other innovative technologies.
As regards the Government’s announcement to end the sale of new diesel and petrol cars in the UK by 2030, all sectors had the opportunity to make representations in the consultation led by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with UK oil refiners on the provision of additional support for the industry to adapt their operations ahead of the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales from 2030.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Department has regular contact with the UK Petroleum Industry Association and individual refineries on the role of the downstream oil sector in meeting the UK’s target of net zero emissions by 2050. Most recently discussions focused on the UK Petroleum Industry Association’s October report “Transition, Transformation and Innovation: Our Role in the Net-Zero Challenge”, including the potential for the sector to make a contribution in the areas of low carbon liquid fuels, hydrogen, CCUS, and other innovative technologies.
As regards the Government’s announcement to end the sale of new diesel and petrol cars in the UK by 2030, all sectors had the opportunity to make representations in the consultation led by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff in his Department are working primarily on (a) fossil fuels, (b) renewables, (c) energy efficiency and (d) nuclear energy.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Department currently employs the following numbers of staff working primarily in these areas:
Upstream oil and gas policy | 26 FTE |
Downstream oil resilience | 15 FTE |
Gas policy | 23 FTE |
Coal policy (including staff working on the domestic & international transition away from coal) | 6 FTE |
Liabilities from the former nationalised coal industry | 7.4 FTE |
The Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning, based in Aberdeen | 90.5 FTE |
Renewable energy | 104.6 FTE |
Renewable heat | 79 FTE |
Energy efficiency | 237 FTE |
Nuclear energy | 201.1 FTE |
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff in his Department are working primarily on (a) fossil fuels, (b) renewables, (c) energy efficiency and (d) nuclear energy.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Department currently employs the following numbers of staff working primarily in these areas:
Upstream oil and gas policy | 23.3 FTE |
Downstream oil resilience | 18.5 FTE |
Gas policy, including security of gas supply and the future of the gas market | 14.1 FTE |
Coal policy, including closure of unabated coal-fired generation by 2025, emissions limits for fossil-fuelled generation technologies, and the emissions performance standard | 4.5 FTE |
Liabilities from the former nationalised coal industry | 8.4 FTE |
The Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning, based in Aberdeen | 92.6 FTE |
Renewable energy | 107 FTE |
Energy efficiency | 115 FTE |
Nuclear energy | 205.4 FTE |
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that oil price reductions are passed onto the motorist.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The downstream oil market is subject to UK competition law; where it is not the role for Government to set the price of petroleum products in an open competitive market.
In January 2013, the Office for Fair Trading published the results of a Call for Information to investigate whether or not competition problems existed in the road fuels market. This included investigating concerns that pump prices rise quickly when the wholesale price goes up but fall more slowly when it drops. Their analysis found very limited evidence of this, and in general found that at a national level competition in the market is working well.