Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much and what proportion of receipts recovered from Glencore Energy UK Ltd through the asset recovery incentivisation scheme following its conviction for bribery in November 2022 accrued to his Department.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Glencore Energy UK Ltd were ordered to pay £280,965,092.95. This included a confiscation order of £93,479,338.95, fines totalling £182,935,392, and payment of the SFO’s prosecution costs of £4,550,362.
We cannot comment further on individual cases.
Asked by: Selaine Saxby (Conservative - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many businesses received support through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme; and what the total amount of support received was, by parliamentary constituency.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government’s intervention meant that many businesses saved around half on their wholesale energy costs during Winter 2022/23, with £7.52 billion being delivered through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). For more detail on the expenditure incurred by the EBRS and other departmental energy schemes, I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 22 April, Official Report, HCWS421.
Information on the number of businesses receiving this support and levels of support broken down by parliamentary constituency is not held centrally, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to increase domestic steel production to levels that would make the UK self-sufficient.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises the importance of steelmaking in the UK. However, there are many types of steel products needed by consumers, and it is not always economically viable for any nation to be wholly self-sufficient. This means that the UK imports certain types of steel and also exports certain steel product to other countries.
We have taken action to enable a competitive landscape and level playing field, including reducing energy costs through the British Industry Supercharger, access to energy efficiency and decarbonisation funding, and remedies against unfair trading practices, while balancing the need to remain a fair and open market.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2024 to Question 23954 on Energy: Debts, what allowance for servicing consumer debt is permitted by Ofgem in setting the level of the Default Tariff Cap.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Ofgem has announced a one-off price cap adjustment of £28 (equivalent to around £2.33 per month) to be applied between April 2024 and March 2025 for direct debit and standard credit customers. This is intended to enable suppliers to recover reasonable costs as a result of increased levels of bad debt, ensuring the retail energy market remains resilient and suppliers are able to offer consumers an appropriate level of support in managing their debts.
Asked by: Selaine Saxby (Conservative - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Table 16 of the Impact Assessment for the Carbon Budget Order 2021, published on 16 April 2021, if she will publish an annual undiscounted table of the costs and benefits of each option.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Impact Assessment compared the costs and benefits of meeting net zero in 2050 for different options for the level of the Sixth Carbon Budget, including the level recommended by the Climate Change Committee which has since been voted into law. Costs and benefits were aggregated over 2020-2050 to reflect uncertainty around the precise annual profile. Given this uncertainty, the table below sets out the undiscounted costs and benefits over 5 yearly increments.
Table 1. Costs and benefits breakdown by sixth carbon budget options, Core pathway only
| Costs and benefits relative to Option 1 (Do Nothing baseline of 2100MtCO2e) | 2021-2025 | 2026-2030 | 2031-2035 | 2036-2040 | 2041-2045 | 2046-2050 |
Costs (incl. capital & finance) | Option 2, Looser, 1105Mt | 34 | 88 | 160 | 217 | 277 | 381 |
Option 3, CCC level, 965Mt | 37 | 91 | 186 | 256 | 309 | 395 | |
Option 4, Tighter, 865Mt | 38 | 94 | 206 | 301 | 328 | 389 | |
Benefits (incl. fuel & emissions savings) | Option 2, Looser, 1105Mt | 2 | 68 | 182 | 357 | 526 | 739 |
Option 3, CCC level, 965Mt | 4 | 71 | 168 | 401 | 554 | 757 | |
Option 4, Tighter, 865Mt | 12 | 98 | 174 | 387 | 540 | 762 |
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help increase domestic steel production.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises the vital role that steel plays within the UK and has taken steps to increase competitiveness and a level playing field. We have provided over £730 million in energy cost relief since 2013; the British Industry Supercharger is now in place to reduce energy costs. The sector has been able to bid for Government funds worth hundreds of millions of pounds to support energy efficiency and decarbonisation, and we have announced a joint £1.25bn investment project with Tata Steel.
We have a robust trade remedies framework to protect domestic industries, including steel, from unfair trading practices and unforeseen surges in imports. Last April, we published an updated public procurement note to help the UK steel sector be well positioned when competing for public contracts. The Government is consulting on a UK CBAM to tackle carbon leakage risk.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2024 to Question 23316, whether energy charges by suppliers to consumers include debt servicing.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The setting of tariffs is a commercial matter for each energy supplier. However, in setting the level of the Default Tariff Cap Ofgem include an allowance for servicing consumer debt. This allowance is intended to enable suppliers to recover reasonable costs incurred for servicing consumer debt and ensure that suppliers can offer consumers an appropriate level of support in managing their debts, whilst ensuring the retail energy market remains resilient.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the press release dated 15 April 2024 issued by the company Framatome, entitled Framatome has signed contracts worth multi-billion euros for Sizewell C in the UK, what the monetary value is of the contracts referred to; and for what reason the contracts were signed in advance of a final investment decision for the construction of a new nuclear power station at Sizewell.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Agreeing contracts with major suppliers like Framatome means that the Sizewell C project can agree pricing and confirm manufacturing slots within the supply chain. This will help maintain the project’s schedule and manage overall costs, supporting Sizewell C’s value for money.
The value of these contracts is commercially sensitive, and the timing of payments under these contracts will be subject to Notices to Proceed that will be issued by Sizewell C Limited.
Asked by: Selaine Saxby (Conservative - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the levelised cost of electricity from hydrogen fired power stations that are due to be commissioned before 2030.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Electricity generation costs 2023 report published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sets out the assumptions for a hydrogen-fired Combined Cycle Hydrogen Turbine (CCHT) power plant commissioned between 2025-2030. The cost of the electricity was stated as £111/MWh for a baseload CCHT commissioning in 2025 and £108/MWh for 2030.
Hydrogen to Power is an emerging technology and as such all figures are subject to change. We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-generation-costs-2023.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is providing additional support to carers to help with rising energy costs.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Energy prices have fallen significantly since last winter, and the Q2 2024 price cap has fallen by nearly 60% since Q1 2023 when the price cap peaked.
The Government’s cost-of-living support package between 2022 to 2025 is worth £108 billion, or £3,800 per household on average, one of the largest support packages in Europe.
In addition, the Government continues to provide support through the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible low-income households with an annual £150 rebate off their energy bill every winter.
Carer’s Allowance is also available to provide a measure of financial support to those not able to work full time due to their caring responsibilities. The rate of Carer’s Allowance is £81.90 a week. In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers on low incomes can claim income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit.