Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential of combined heat and power systems; both as an alternative to gas and in relation to climate change targets.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2020, CHP represented 7.7% of the UK’s total electricity generation and 8.5% of gas demand. Approximately 85% of fuel used in CHPs in 2020 was fossil fuel (72% of which was natural gas). CHP plants are used by a wide variety of sectors, in particular chemicals, food and drink, paper and refining industries. CHPs are also used in large commercial and civic buildings with high heat demands, such as hospitals, hospitality and leisure facilities, retail outlets and heat networks.
The Government recognises the benefits CHP can bring, such as primary energy savings associated with making use of the heat from power generation compared to separate heat and power generation, and grid stability.
The Government continues to develop policies to support the decarbonisation of CHP in the future and is reviewing the potential role for CHP using various fuel sources going forward. As part of this review, we have published a call for evidence on CHP: Pathway to Decarbonisation that closes on 20 December 2021. In the Heat and Buildings Strategy, Government proposed to regularly review the contributions of different technologies.
As outlined in the Hydrogen Strategy, analysis indicates that boilers and CHP installations could make up around two thirds of demand for hydrogen fuel switching by 2030 in industrial sectors.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they removed combined heat and power from the second phase of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. On the path to net zero, the Net Zero Strategy and the Heat and Buildings Strategy committed to an aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. We are clear that the continued use of fossil fuels for heating is not compatible with that ambition.
In order to help meet this ambitious emissions reduction target, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has a strong focus on reducing on-site emissions in public sector buildings. It is a scheme requirement that all funded projects remove a fossil fuel heating system and replace this with a low carbon heating system. This means that grant funding cannot be used to purchase any heating technology that runs on fossil fuels, including gas and oil Combined Heat and Power units.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund combined heat and power projects for public bodies, such as the NHS; and whether any such funds would be made available via government agencies, such as Salix Finance.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. On the path to net zero, the Net Zero Strategy and the Heat and Buildings Strategy committed to an aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. We are clear that the continued use of fossil fuels for energy is not compatible with that ambition.
Combined heat and power installations can encompass a range of different generation technologies and are fueled by fossil fuels or renewable sources such as biomass. Whilst those that operate using fossil fuels are not supported under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, there are a number of existing support mechanisms in place for CHP that meets defined efficiency thresholds, including environmental tax exemptions such as the Climate Change Levy. The Government continues to look to develop policies to support the decarbonisation of combined heat and power in the future and there is currently a live Call for Evidence on the pathway to decarbonisation for CHP that runs to 20 December 2021.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 12 October (HL2877), what information they have received from the 15 companies who have submitted a proposal to the Antivirals Taskforce.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The companies who have contacted the Antivirals Taskforce have provided a wide range of information to inform the Taskforce on the antiviral/s that they are developing. This includes, but is not limited to, detail on the antiviral’s mechanism of action, available evidence from completed studies, target patient populations and route of administration. This information helps the Antivirals Taskforce to further expand understanding on the most promising antivirals being developed worldwide.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following reports of people drinking alcohol-based hand sanitiser, what plans they have to withdraw those products from schools and replace them with effective alternatives.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has developed extensive guidance for all settings across the education, childcare and children’s social care sectors on how to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, including a range of protective and control measures for preventing the spread of the virus. There is information to support settings on their responsibilities that advises to clean their hands thoroughly, and more often than usual, as well as good basic hygiene, and the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach, which advises individuals to clean their hands with soap and water or use sanitiser: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-covid-19-operational-guidance#control-measures.
Ultimately, schools remain responsible for the products that they require and, as with other cleaning products, schools can access hand sanitiser through their existing supply chains. There are many alcohol- and non-alcohol-based hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants on the UK market and schools should base the use of any of these products on their own risk assessment, alongside existing guidance.
Our guidance signposts settings to the e-Bug COVID-19 website which contains free resources for settings, including materials to encourage good hand and respiratory hygiene. This information can be found at the following link: https://e-bug.eu/eng_home.aspx?cc=eng&ss=1&t=Information%20about%20the%20Coronavirus.
All education, childcare and children’s social care settings should follow the UK Health Security Agency, formally known as Public Health England, guidance on cleaning for non-healthcare settings outside of the home. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings.
Hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants are biocidal products. They are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive. The Health and Safety Executive publishes a list of authorised biocidal products, including hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants: https://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/uk-authorised-biocidal-products.htm.
The Cabinet Office and the Department for Health and Social Care published product specifications and standards associated with personal protective equipment at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/927550/Essential_technical_specifications_PPE_and_medical_devices-v0.3_Oct2020_accessible.pdf.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications for product assessment the Antivirals Taskforce has received.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The Antivirals Taskforce proactively develops a pipeline of priority antiviral candidates to be considered for research and procurement in the United Kingdom. The Taskforce monitors antiviral candidates at all stage of development, working collaboratively with stakeholders to identify the most promising products. In addition, the Antivirals Taskforce is contacted by a wide range of companies, academics and patients to discuss the potential suitability of antiviral products. To date, 15 companies have submitted a proposal to the Taskforce to provide more information on their product.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Antivirals Taskforce has taken to identify suitable treatments for patients who have been exposed to COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The Antivirals Taskforce proactively develops a pipeline of priority antiviral candidates to be considered for research and procurement in the United Kingdom. The Taskforce monitors antiviral candidates at all stage of development, working collaboratively with stakeholders to identify the most promising products. In addition, the Antivirals Taskforce is contacted by a wide range of companies, academics and patients to discuss the potential suitability of antiviral products. To date, 15 companies have submitted a proposal to the Taskforce to provide more information on their product.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the article in the Mail Online, published on 26 June which stated that "guidance on the use of non-alcohol sanitisers was 'confusing", whether they now intend to review that guidance; and which Task Force it was that was reported to have made that comment.
Answered by Lord Bethell
In response to the above statement made by the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform, there is adequate guidance on the use of non-alcohol sanitisers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, including on flexible approaches to regulation that they are taking during the COVID-19 outbreak. There are no plans to review this guidance at the current time.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the (1) remit, and (2) powers, of the COVID-19 Antivirals Taskforce; to whom will the Chair of the Taskforce report; and by what date.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Antivirals Taskforce was launched on 20 April 2021 with the aim of having two effective oral antiviral treatments which are deployable by autumn/winter 2021 to be taken in an outpatient setting.
The role of the Chair is to oversee the work of the Taskforce, ensuring it meets its core objectives and to work with a range of stakeholders to meet this ambitious timescale. The Chair also leads and is supported by the Antivirals Expert Advisory Group, which provides advice and recommendations to the Chair on various activities within the Taskforce. This is not a statutory appointment and there is no power to confer functions directly on the Chair. The Chair reports to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made with the establishment of their COVID-19 Antivirals Taskforce, announced on 20 April.
Answered by Lord Bethell
On 28 May 2021 it was announced that Eddie Gray will be the Chair of the Antivirals Taskforce. Significant work has been conducted in recent months to identify suitable antiviral candidates and engage with clinical and industry experts.