Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield on 30 October (HL11095), what impact assessment, if any, they have conducted for wall insulation schemes.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government energy efficiency schemes deliver a range of measures. The government conducts impact assessments for its energy efficiency schemes, including those covering wall insulation.
The government also publishes regular evaluation reports for our energy efficiency schemes, including schemes that have conducted wall insulation.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
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 28 February 2025 to Question 31221 on Carbon Emissions: UK Trade with EU, if he will make a comparative estimate of the potential impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on the price of electricity in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain after 1 January 2026.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 28 February 2025 to Question 31221
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is in an implementation period until January 2026 and applies to exports of electricity to the EU but not electricity for the UK market. The EU Commission has said that it intends to finalise the regulation via legislation over 2025. It remains difficult to conduct an accurate assessment of any potential impacts.
The UK will continue to engage closely with the EU as it finalises the CBAM and will continue to raise the need for clarity on the practical implementation of the CBAM for trade in electricity, given the challenges involved. Alongside this, to support business readiness for the EU CBAM, the Department for Business and Trade offers a comprehensive support package through business.gov.uk, signposting to relevant European Commission resources.
Asked by: Claire Coutinho (Conservative - East Surrey)
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 on 5 November 2025 to Question 86737 on Energy: Prices, for what reason his intention to cut energy bills by £300 by 2030 was not included in his Department's publication entitled Carbon budget and growth delivery plan, published on 29 October 2025.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan sets out how the UK will continue to reduce emissions in a way that lowers bills and secures good jobs, in line with the landmark 2008 Climate Change Act.
In this document and those published alongside it, the government reconfirmed the commitments made in the Clean Power Action Plan to make Britain a clean energy superpower, and to get the UK off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices and onto clean, homegrown power that we control.
Our plan for clean power by 2030 will bring down wholesale prices and reduce energy bill volatility.
Asked by: Claire Coutinho (Conservative - East Surrey)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants from his Department will attend the COP30 summit in Belem in November 2025; and whether these figures apply to (i) his Department and (ii) other departments.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The full, confirmed list of delegates who attend COP is published by the UNFCCC each year, after COP has concluded.
The UK delegation to COP30 will be significantly smaller than the delegation to COP29 in Baku last year. The UK delegation includes Ministers and negotiators working together to represent the British people on the world stage fighting for investment, jobs, energy security, and action on the climate crisis.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has sought the advice of the office of the Financial Sanction Implementation on reported Russian-linked funding associated with the proposed Botley West Solar Farm.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking decisions on applications for development consent for energy infrastructure proposals, it would not be appropriate to comment on matters relating to specific proposals
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
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 oral contribution of the Minister of State for Energy during the Westminster Hall debate on Coal Tip Safety and Prohibition of New Coal Extraction Licences on 22 October 2025, whether the further work which has been done on mapping coal tips since 2020 has produced a new provisional figure for the cost of remediating coal tips in Wales.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Coal tips are a devolved matter and it would be for the Welsh Government to produce any updated estimate of the cost of remediating coal tips in Wales. The Welsh Government has done a considerable amount of work mapping recorded coal tips and they believe that £118m, which they have received from the UK Government and is additional to the funding they have already committed to coal tip safety, is a sufficient amount of funding that can be used to protect and help communities living near coal tips.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the financial viability of SolarFive Ltd and Photovolt Development Partners to undertake the development of Botley West Solar Farm.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
An applicant seeking development consent for an energy-related nationally significant infrastructure project must submit a Funding Statement as part of the application process.
Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking decisions on applications for development consent for energy infrastructure proposals, it would not be appropriate to comment on specific matters related to the individual projects, as this could be seen as prejudicing the decision-making process.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Planning Inspectorate and (b) Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project processes to safeguard against national security risks from investment by (i) inappropriate or (ii) hostile overseas sources.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
National security risk assessments are matters for the Investment Security Unit within the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he will announce Government plans for community benefit funds for solar developments following the Community Benefits and Shared Ownership for Low Carbon Infrastructure consultation which closed in July 2025.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This government has made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it.
We are in the process of reviewing responses to our community benefits and shared ownership for low carbon energy infrastructure working paper and intend to publish a response setting out our next steps in due course.
In the meantime, Solar Energy UK, the industry trade body, are planning to publish a voluntary community benefit protocol later this year.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Planning Inspectorate and Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project processes in evaluating the financial viability of funding commitments made by developers of major energy projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
An applicant seeking development consent for an energy-related nationally significant infrastructure project must submit a Funding Statement as part of the application process. This is assessed by both the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State prior to a decision on whether to consent the project being made.