Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support will be available to schools to decarbonise following the closure of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
More than £1 billion in public sector decarbonisation funding is still being invested through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) and Integrated Settlements with Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities through to 2028. Additionally, the government and Great British Energy committed approximately £80 million to support around 200 schools in England to install rooftop solar panels and complementary technologies. Each school on average could save up to an estimated £25 000 per year.
11 schools have already installed solar panels which is estimated to save £175 000 on their total energy bills. Great British Energy also awarded £10 million in grant funding to mayoral strategic authorities to roll out clean energy projects at the centre of communities. A significant proportion of this will be used for solar panels for schools across England.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of decoupling electricity and gas prices.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As unabated gas generation is displaced and transitions to a reserve role, wholesale electricity prices will increasingly decouple from the price of gas. Accelerating the deployment of renewable generation, as we are through our Clean Power 2030 Mission, will reduce the frequency with which gas sets the marginal price, helping to rapidly decouple electricity from gas prices without the need for more complex arrangements. This will in turn reduce consumer exposure to volatile international gas prices.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce a social energy tariff for community organisations.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.
The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy with less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030.
In the short-term, the Government wants to provide businesses and community organisations with better protection from being locked into unfair and expensive energy contracts, and more redress when they have a complaint. Last year, the Government launched a consultation on introducing regulation of Third-Party Intermediaries (TPIs), such as energy brokers. This is aimed at enhancing consumer protections, particularly for non-domestic consumers. The Government published a summary of consultation responses earlier this month, and a Government response will follow in due course.
Since 19 December 2024, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 50 employees have been able to access free support to resolve issues with their energy supplier through the Energy Ombudsman. This means that 99% of British businesses can now access this service with outcomes ranging up to £20,000 in financial awards.
For domestic customers, we recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we delivered the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households last winter. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from next winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the barriers faced by charitable organisations, financial or otherwise, when looking to join heat networks; and whether they will provide support to charitable organisations to overcome these barriers.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Charitable organisations use a diverse range of buildings, thus there is no one-size-fits-all solution for how they decarbonise their buildings. In high-density urban areas, heat networks are often the lowest-cost, low-carbon heating solution.
The Government has a number of schemes to support the development and growth of heat networks, including the Green Heat Network Fund, which provides funding to develop new and existing low carbon heat networks across England.
We are working across Government and with the National Wealth Fund to explore further funding opportunities for the heat networks sector that will catalyse more private investment and support more connections.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial barriers faced by charitable organisations when looking to change the heating in their buildings from oil and gas systems to renewable systems; and whether they will provide support to charitable organisations to overcome these barriers.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Charities may access various forms of energy efficiency support, including funding for energy-saving upgrades, tailored advice. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) continues to provide grants up to £7,500, to encourage property owners to replace existing fossil fuel heating with more efficient, low carbon heating systems for domestic and small non-domestic buildings, including charitable organisations. The maximum capacity for a single system installation under the BUS remains 45kWh.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in aiding the implementation of the Baku to Belém Roadmap in preparation for COP 30.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is working closely with the Brazilian and Azerbaijani COP Presidencies and international partners to support the development of the Baku to Belém Roadmap. Officials have participated in all consultations held with countries to date and discussed the Roadmap with partners in a range of international meetings. In April, in response to a call for submissions, the UK outlined ideas for the vision and direction for the Roadmap. The UK will continue to engage in international discussions and Ministers look forward to engaging in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their policy is for licensed but undeveloped sites for offshore oil and gas drilling, and whether they plan to implement a moratorium on issuing of development consents for those sites.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
Oil and gas will continue to be a key component of Britain’s energy mix. The Government is taking urgent steps to update guidance for industry in response to the Supreme Court’s Finch judgment, which requires developers to assess end use greenhouse gas emissions in Environmental Impact Assessments for new oil and gas projects. Meanwhile, we are deferring the assessment of environmental statements for development consents for offshore oil and gas projects (which have already secured a licence). The Government intends to consult on new guidance shortly, providing clarity to industry, and publish in Spring 2025, when assessments of environmental statements will resume.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Climate Compatibility Checkpoint, and what plans they have to revise it.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
The Climate Compatibility Checkpoint was developed under a previous administration and was designed to run in advance of new oil and gas licensing rounds. There are currently no new licensing rounds planned, and we will consult later this year on the implementation of our manifesto position not to issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields.
The Government’s priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea, in line with our climate and legal obligations.