Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the increase in energy bills on the most vulnerable households; and what steps they will take to mitigate the effects this winter.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In November Energy UK, in collaboration with the Government, published a Winter 2024 Commitment for this winter which promises £500m of industry support to billpayers this winter. It also outlines how fifteen energy suppliers representing almost the entire market will continue to provide a range of financial support tailored to the needs of their customers. Together with our Warm Home Discount, eligible households who are struggling to pay their energy bills this winter will receive £1 billion of support.

We will continue to provide substantial funding to Local Authorities to support those most in need. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced that £1 billion, including Barnett impact, will be invested to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England by a full year until 31 March 2026, and to maintain Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the rate of the warm home discount.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Warm Home Discount provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate off their winter energy bill and is expected to support over three million households this winter. There are currently no plans to increase the rate of the Warm Home Discount.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on developing energy from waste.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy, a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives. As part of this we will consider the role of Energy from Waste, including waste incineration, in the context of circularity, economic growth, and reaching net zero.

As we move towards a circular economy there will still be a need for the safe and sanitary management of residual waste. In accordance with the Waste Hierarchy, sending residual waste that cannot currently be prevented, prepared for reuse, or recycled to Energy from Waste plants is preferable to disposal in landfill.

Defra will publish an analysis of municipal residual waste treatment infrastructure capacity including exports, against expected future residual waste arisings in England, so we can understand what future capacity may be required following implementation of the packaging reforms. This analysis will support decision making relating to planning for new residual waste treatment infrastructure.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of household waste was (1) recycled, (2) reused, (3) sent to landfill, and (4) used as resource in 'Energy from Waste', in each of the past 3 years.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Figures for England have been taken from published statistics and also calculated from data held in the WasteDataFlow web portal. The information is provided in the table below:

Table 1: Percentage of household waste by main disposal route for the past 3 years in England

Source: WasteDataFlow

The percentages above will not sum to 100% as some household waste is sent to ‘Other' treatments or to non-energy from waste (EFW) incineration. Other treatment refers to input to mechanical biological treatment (MBT), residual material recovery facilities (MRFs), refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and other plants prior to treatment and disposal.

A separate figure for reuse is not available. Household waste sent for energy recovery does not include waste sent for non EfW incineration.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator particularly in relation (1) to permitting them to open an inquiry on their own initiative, and (2) to extending its remit to the dairy sector.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The report on the last statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), which was published in July 2023 concluded that a decision by the GCA to launch an investigation should be based upon some evidence or intelligence of non-compliance. The government will conduct the next statutory review of the GCA next year and all interested parties will have an opportunity to contribute their views.

‘Fair Dealings’ Regulations under the Agriculture Act 2020, including those which have already been introduced to cover the UK dairy sector, will be enforced by the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to regulate the operation of privately owned e-scooters in public spaces, and (2) to introduce mandatory insurance for them.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government understands the need to resolve the longstanding question of regulating micromobility devices such as e-scooters. We are carefully considering next steps on this.

As part of policy development, we are working with local authorities and industry through our e-scooter trials to inform options for future regulation. Any option requiring users of private e-scooters to have insurance will require careful consideration. No decisions have been made on the future regulation of e-scooters and the Government will consult before any regulations come into force.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to put road traffic offences for bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters on an equivalent basis to other vehicles.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options in this area.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase self-sufficiency in food; and what are the latest figures for self-sufficiency in (1) fruit, and (2) vegetables.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK’s self-sufficiency ratio has been stable for several decades, currently producing 62% of all the food we need, and 75% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. UK food security is built on supply from diverse sources: strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes.

UK food security is high and strengthening it by supporting our farmers and food producers is a top priority for this Government. This government will protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals; lower energy bills; use the Government purchasing power to back British produce; introduce a land-use framework, the first ever Cross-Government Rural Crime Strategy; and set up a new British Infrastructure Council.

The latest figures for 2023, as set out in the government’s official statistics, show that the UK is 53% self-sufficient for fresh vegetables and 16% self-sufficient for fruit.

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