Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many departmental employees were on performance management plans in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Numbers on Performance Management Plans:
• 2024: Managing Poor Performance = 28, Performance Management = 2
• 2025: Managing Poor Performance = 20, Performance Management = 0
DESNZ was not created until February 2023, so figures are not available before this time.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many free allowances were granted to businesses under the Emissions Trading Scheme in each of the last three years.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The total number of free allowances distributed under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) in each of the last three years was as follows:
2024: 30,823,937
2025: 25,451,671
2026: 24,107,382
This information is publicly available on GOV.UK at UK ETS Allocation Table for operators of installations - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 individuals with high domestic power bills arising from complex medical needs, particularly in light of recent fluctuations in energy prices.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
From April, households will benefit from reduction energy bills thanks to the action that the Government took in the Budget, with the price cap falling by £117, giving households certainty on their bills until July.
The government have also announced £53 million for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. Funding is being delivered by local authorities through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
They may also be eligible for support such as the Warm Home Discount and I would urge anyone in such a challenging situation to contact their energy supplier or Citizens Advice to see what further support is available. Vulnerable consumers who need extra support are also able to sign up for the Priority Services Register for free.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 individuals with high domestic power bills arising from complex medical needs.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
From April, households will benefit from reduction energy bills thanks to the action that the Government took in the Budget, with the price cap falling by £117, giving households certainty on their bills until July.
The government have also announced £53 million for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. Funding is being delivered by local authorities through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
They may also be eligible for support such as the Warm Home Discount and I would urge anyone in such a challenging situation to contact their energy supplier or Citizens Advice to see what further support is available. Vulnerable consumers who need extra support are also able to sign up for the Priority Services Register for free.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration he has given to embedding independent architectural design expertise as a key pillar in developing retrofits funded through the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that good retrofit design is essential to high-quality home upgrades. The Warm Homes Plan takes a whole-house approach, supporting packages of measures including clean heat, solar, batteries and insulation, according to what is most appropriate and cost-effective for each property.
Product designers and installers will take architecture into account. The Government is also supporting improved skills, standards, and oversight across the sector to drive better outcomes for households and reduce bills.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress has been made towards the goal of delivering a 75% reduction in emissions from public sector buildings by 2037, compared to a 2017 baseline.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The goal of delivering a 75% reduction in emissions from public sector buildings by 2037 compared to a 2017 baseline was a target set by the previous Government.
Direct emissions from public sector buildings in the UK were 8.6 MtCO2e in 2017 and 8.8 MtCO2e in 2025 (provisional statistics).
Since 2020 the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has supported, and continues to support, over 1,400 projects to help public sector organisations decarbonise their estates, with funding allocated up until 2028.
Asked by: Joani Reid (Independent - East Kilbride and Strathaven)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has an estimate for the share of electricity in demand in Scotland met by nuclear generation for each of the last five years.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Electricity, including that generated from nuclear, is traded both nationally and internationally and is not constrained to geographical areas. No estimate has been made of the contribution of nuclear generation to Scotland’s demand.
Data on Scotland’s annual electricity demand and generation are published in the UK Energy Trends article: Energy Trends: December 2025, special feature article - Electricity generation and supply in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, 2020 to 2024 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Through our Clean Power 2030 mission, we are reducing dependency on volatile global fossil fuel markets and delivering a diverse, secure and clean energy system based on renewables and nuclear, backed by a supply of gas.
Our work to date - reforming the connections queue, taking a clear decision on REMA and publishing roadmaps for key technologies like Solar and Clean Flexibility - has given a clear signal to industry. And we have now delivered the most successful renewables auction in history, with AR7 securing a record-breaking 8.4 gigawatts of offshore wind, which will power the equivalent of around 12m homes.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
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 potential impact of the indexation of feed in tariffs to align with CPI rather than RPI from financial year 2026-27 on community energy schemes.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Changing indexation of the Feed‑in Tariffs scheme from RPI to CPI is estimated to reduce average revenue for a generator remaining on the scheme until 2036/37 by around 4.2%, compared with a scenario where indexation is unchanged. Generators that exit the scheme earlier would experience a smaller average impact. The available data does not allow for analysis on specific groups of generators such as community energy schemes. An analytical annex, including an assessment of the potential impacts of this policy, was published alongside the government response.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions Ministers and officials held with the Northern Ireland Executive and DAERA in the period immediately preceding the Assembly vote on the UK ETS maritime extension.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The ETS Authority, made up of the four governments work together for the implementation and ongoing maintenance of the UK ETS. There is regular dialogue between DESNZ and the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on ETS matters, including on maritime.
DAERA officials provide advice on ETS matters to the NI Executive and DAERA Ministers.