Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) former miners and (b) former miners' widows are in receipt of a mineworkers' pension.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As at 31 March 2024, the number of former miners in receipt of a Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme pension is 86,032 and the number of former miners’ widows/dependants in receipt of a pension is 23,253.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department has made of the average amount spent on energy bills per household in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Data on household electricity and gas energy bills are published as part of the Quarterly Energy Prices statistical series (here). The department collects this information at the regional level and does not hold it for smaller geographies.
Average annual domestic electricity bills for England and UK regions are presented in table QEP 2.2.3 and average annual domestic gas bills for GB regions are presented in table QEP 2.3.3 (here).
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 much has been spent through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund; and how many measures have been installed as a result of that expenditure, by parliamentary constituency.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) is a 10-year, £3.8bn 2019 manifesto commitment. To date, total committed grant funding awarded for SHDF and the associated demonstrator is over £1bn. SHDF Wave 1 awarded £179m in grant funding, Wave 2.1 awarded grant funding of £778m in March 2023 and £75.5m in grant funding under the SHDF Wave 2.2 top-up competition, was announced in March 2024. A further £1.25bn has been allocated to SHDF for delivery across 2025-28. The number of measures installed by region is provided in monthly official statistics releases, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/social-housing-decarbonisation-fund-statistics.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when her Department plans to submit its next nationally determined contribution to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; and if she will make it her policy that the next nationally determined contribution will set out how the UK will adhere to the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In line with the Paris Agreement, the UK will communicate its next nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change at least 9 to 12 months ahead of COP30 (i.e. between November 2024 and February 2025).
In communicating the NDC, the UK will take account of the Global Stocktake which encourages Parties to come forward in their next NDCs with ambitious, economy-wide emission reduction targets, covering all greenhouse gases, sectors and categories and aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5 °C, as informed by the latest science, in the light of different national circumstances.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take with the devolved Administrations to improve coordination of efforts towards achieving the UK's international (i) climate and (ii) biodiversity obligations.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ works closely with the devolved administrations (DAs) on international climate obligations and reporting to the UNFCCC. DESNZ worked with the DAs on the development of the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and this year will be seeking their views for the 2035 NDC. This reflects the role the DAs play in the UK-wide drive to decarbonise the economy. DESNZ accredited 20 delegates from DAs to attend COP28 and will accredit DAs delegates to attend COP29.
Through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, which advises UK-wide and international nature conservation, the four nations will coordinate to further our ambitious biodiversity agenda.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much remuneration the Trustees of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme receive for their roles on the committee.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2023, the remuneration was £91,500 per year for the Chair, £41,350-£72,650 per year for the Committee Chairs and £24,150 per year for other members of the Committee.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on what date the Government last made a contribution to the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme under British Coal.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has not needed to input funds to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme since becoming Guarantor.
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 much has been spent through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme; and how many measures have been installed as a result of that expenditure, by parliamentary constituency.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has made over £2.8 billion available over the financial years 2020/21 to 2025/26 to install heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures in public sector buildings. As of April 2024, the scheme has awarded grants worth over £2.7 billion to fund nearly 1,200 such projects. More grant funding is in delivery.
The Department does not hold a breakdown of installed measures by parliamentary constituency. However, information about all projects in each phase of the scheme is available through their respective summary reports, published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-sector-decarbonisation-scheme.
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 much has been spent through the Green Homes Grant; and how many measures have been installed as a result of that expenditure, by parliamentary constituency.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Full details on Green Homes Grant voucher scheme spend, and how many measures have been delivered by parliamentary constituency, can be found on Gov.uk: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/green-homes-grant-voucher-release-october-2022.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) former miners and (b) former miners' widows are in receipt of a mineworkers' pension in Easington constituency.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As at June 2023, the total number of members of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme in the Easington constituency was 3,563. The breakdown by former miners and former miners’ widows is not available.