Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will respond to the National Infrastructure Commission's National Infrastructure Assessment 2018, published in July.
Answered by Lord Bates
The government welcomed the publication of the National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA), and is considering the recommendations.
As set out in the National Infrastructure Commission’s Framework Document, the government will respond to the NIC’s recommendations as soon as practical, and endeavour to respond within 6 months, and no longer than a year.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation by the National Infrastructure Commission to introduce a target of 65 per cent recycling of municipal waste by 2030.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The UK Government is committed to increasing the amount of material we recycle across both households and businesses. The UK recycling rate has increased from 41.2% in 2010 to 44.9% in 2016 but we recognise that more needs to be done.
In our Resources and Waste Strategy, due to be released this autumn, we will outline our plans to increase recycling rates. We want to make it easier for households and businesses to recycle. We also want to stimulate markets for secondary materials to ensure there is a greater incentive to recycle. We will consider the recommendations set out in the 2018 National Infrastructure Assessment on municipal waste targets when composing the Strategy.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the process for the local community to access the Hinkley Point C Community Fund once it becomes operational.
Answered by Lord Henley
The then Minister of State for Energy's 2013 Written Ministerial Statement states that Community Benefit for Hinkley Point C is not due to begin paying out until the plant is generating electricity, scheduled to be 2025.
We are currently looking at the implementation of Community Benefit, including the process for accessing payments.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Building Regulations Establishments research finding that no boilers sold in the UK meet the minimum Energy Related Products efficiency requirement of 92 per cent as legislated for since the beginning of April under Boiler Plus.
Answered by Lord Henley
We do not recognise this claim, and BRE have confirmed that they do not agree with, and have never stated that, “no boilers sold in the UK meet the minimum ErP efficiency requirements of 92 per cent as legislated for”.
I can confirm that when the standards were set the majority of boilers on the market met or exceeded this minimum efficiency requirement. Since coming into force, all boilers installed in England must meet this standard.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of gas meters and smart meters.
Answered by Lord Henley
Gas meters used for billing must be of an approved design and be accurate. Accuracy limits for smart and ‘traditional’, non-smart meters are identical and set out in legislation.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards manages an annual in-service testing regime to test the accuracy of gas meter types. Testing is undertaken on the basis of sampling and to date all gas meter types sampled have passed.
In the event of a dispute over the accuracy of a meter, the law gives all consumers the right to have their gas meter independently checked and tested. The vast majority of meters tested as a result of consumer dispute are found to be accurate.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration is being given by the Office for Product Safety and Standards to the measurement of the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure in gas meters, to ensure more accurate readings.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Office for Product Safety and Standards is responsible for the regulatory system that delivers accuracy in measurement of gas consumed.
However, calculations relating to the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure that are applied to those measurements for the purposes of billing, are a matter for the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) under the Gas (Calculation of Thermal Energy) Regulations 1996. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the noble Baroness. I will place a copy of his letter in the Libraries of the House.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the efficacy of the smart meter programme in reducing the proportion of households in fuel poverty.
Answered by Lord Henley
No recent assessment has been made. However, BEIS research published in 2015 (the Early Learning Project) concluded that there is potential for households in all income groups to make energy and/or cost savings from smart metering. Previous research (the Energy Demand Research Project) had also identified a more positive response to smart metering from consumers in areas of relatively high fuel poverty.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the UK will transpose the European Commission Circular Economy Package into UK law within the timeframe to which they have committed.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We expect the final Circular Economy Package to be adopted shortly. The Government has confirmed that the UK will vote in favour of the final package. The Government is currently developing its approach to transposition and will set this out in the Resource and Waste Strategy later this year.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to lay the non-domestic renewable heat incentives regulations before Parliament.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations 2018 were laid in Parliament on 19 March 2018.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there is a loophole for electricity generating units of 3MWTh (MW thermal) under the EU Emissions Trading System.
Answered by Lord Henley
The government does not believe the 3MW (thermal) threshold constitutes a loophole. The current inclusion criteria of the EU ETS offer a good balance between environmental integrity of the System and avoiding disproportionate administrative burden for operators and administrators.