Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
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 Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the warm home discount to people living in supported accommodation.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme is run by Charis Grants and is funded voluntarily by energy suppliers under the Industry Initiatives element of the Warm Home Discount scheme. The Park Homes scheme is intended to support fuel-poor households living in park homes who pay for their electricity to their site owner.
Energy suppliers can also provide additional support to households through Industry Initiatives, through measures such as financial assistance, debt write-off, and energy efficiency. This support can be provided to households, irrespective of whether a person is eligible for a rebate under the scheme.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing a person who has a power of attorney on behalf of a park home resident to appeal against a site licence condition which has been imposed by a local council.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
It remains appropriate that site owners, not residents or their representatives, have the right to appeal against conditions imposed on them by local authorities. Site licences and any conditions attached to them, are issued to site owners by local authorities, to ensure sites and amenities on them are adequately maintained.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has issued guidance to park home residents on what steps to take when the cost of insulating their homes exceeds the £15,000 price cap under phase two of the Home Upgrade Grant.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department has not issued guidance as part of the Home Upgrade Grant to park home residents on steps to take when the cost of insulating their homes exceeds the £15,000 price cap. The Department has however issued guidance to Local Authorities (LAs) on what steps to take when the cost of insulating park homes exceeds the £15,000 cost cap which is an average across the stock being upgraded. LAs can build funding ‘headroom’ on park homes which do not require as much funding, due to fewer or less expensive measures. LAs are therefore able to spend more than £15,000 on individual park homes where they have built up the headroom to do so.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to increase the £15,000 price cap for park home properties under phase two of the Home Upgrade Grant.
Answered by Graham Stuart
There are no current plans to increase the £15,000 price cap for park home properties in phase two of the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG). However, under HUG Local Authorities (LAs) may spend up to £15,000, on average, to install energy efficiency or low carbon heating measures in park homes. This means that LAs can spend less than £15,000 on park homes that need fewer measures, and more than £15,000 on those park homes that need more extensive work – so long as the average cost across the stock being upgraded is £15,000 or less.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will publish a best practice guide for park home insulation.
Answered by Graham Stuart
In addition to updating existing best practice guidance documents for insulation measures, the Department is working with industry to publish a best practice guide for park homes insulation. A date for publication of the park homes guide will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an estimate of the average lifespan of a park home, in context of potential opportunities for carbon cost savings.
Answered by Graham Stuart
While an estimate has not been undertaken by the Government of the lifespan of park homes, the Government supports park home residents in the transition to net zero through the Homes Upgrade Grant, Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation Scheme.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of insulating park homes under the phase two of the Home Update Grant.
Answered by Graham Stuart
£630m has been allocated to Local Authorities (LAs) for Phase 2 of the Home Upgrade Grant, which began in April 2023. So far around £1.5m has been released to LAs for 113 park homes. Under this Phase, up to 10% of the total homes improved by a LA may be park homes; LAs may spend up to £15,000, on average, to install energy efficiency or low carbon heating measures in park homes.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress her Department has made on the issuing of energy support payments to people in mobile homes.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Mobile homes on permanent sites were eligible to receive support through the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding which closed to new applications on 31 May 2023. After extensive research and stakeholder engagement, the Government have been unable to establish a robust method for mobile homes not on permanent sites to prove that their caravan is their main or sole residence, whilst protecting public funds against fraud.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to provide funding through the Energy Bill Support Scheme to people who did not apply before the deadline.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government does not currently plan to re-open the scheme. The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding launched on 27 February and closed to new applications on 31 May 2023. The Government used a range of methods to inform as many eligible households as possible that they needed to apply for support. This included press notices to highlight the scheme in national and regional media, roundtables with stakeholders who represented eligible households, and a request for local authorities to write to care homes and park home sites in their area.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the number of households that successfully applied for the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government used a variety of methods to ensure as many eligible households as possible were aware that they could apply for this support. This included press notices, engagement with relevant stakeholders, and a request for local authorities to write to care homes and park home sites. The government recommends that any household that was unable to access this support should visit the ‘Help for Households’ webpage on GOV.UK to view other support they may be eligible to receive - https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/.
The Department is working to ensure lessons are captured across its energy scheme portfolio.