Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the current operation of the UK energy market; and what plans they have, if any, to propose alternatives to the current operation.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has launched the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA), following a commitment in the British Energy Security Strategy. The consultation closed on 10th October. REMA is a major review into Britain’s electricity market design, and is considering a broad range of reforms, from changes to existing arrangements that can be delivered from the mid-2020s, to enduring transformational reforms.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Energy Bill Support Scheme will be rolled out in Northern Ireland in November this year.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Households in Northern Ireland will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills through the Northern Ireland Energy Bills Support Scheme (NI EBSS) this winter.
This offers the same level of support as households in Great Britain are receiving under the Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS). The Government is working at pace to deliver a solution which accounts for the Northern Ireland market and to provide the support as soon as possible this winter.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they provide to encourage (1) business, (2) industry, and (3) agriculture, to (a) participate in, and (b) install, alternative forms of energy generation such as wind, solar, or wood pellets.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government supports large-scale renewable generation through the Contracts for Difference Scheme.
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the Government scheme that ensures businesses, industry and agriculture can have a route to market for exported generation from small scale and eligible technologies such as solar or wind.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides upfront grants of £5,000 towards the installation of biomass boilers with an installation capacity up to 45kWth.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many doses of the (1) Pfizer, and (2) Moderna, vaccines they have purchased for children under the age of five; and when such vaccines will be made available to those children.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There are no Covid-19 vaccines for under 5s currently approved for use in the UK, and as such we have not specifically procured vaccines for this cohort. The Government will continue monitoring developments and seek the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation going forward.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review employment law following the decision of P&O Ferries to dismiss its employees via a pre-recorded video.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government wrote to the Insolvency Service on 23 March asking it to undertake an urgent and thorough enquiry into the recent actions of P&O Ferries, to determine whether the law has been complied with and consider prompt and appropriate action where it has not.
The Insolvency Service confirmed on 01 April that following its enquiries it has initiated both formal and civil investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries.
You will appreciate that while these investigations are being progressed it would not be appropriate to make further comment but the Insolvency Service will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of P&O Ferries' decision to terminate the employment of its workforce via a pre-recorded video.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government wrote to the Insolvency Service on 23 March asking it to undertake an urgent and thorough enquiry into the recent actions of P&O Ferries, to determine whether the law has been complied with and consider prompt and appropriate action where it has not.
The Insolvency Service confirmed on 01 April that following its enquiries it has initiated both formal and civil investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries.
You will appreciate that while these investigations are being progressed it would not be appropriate to make further comment but the Insolvency Service will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the decision to ban the import of Russian oil into the UK, what financial protection is available to UK companies who chartered Russian oil tankers to deliver fuel to the UK.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Russian ships have been banned from UK ports, following UK sanctions against Russia. The ban includes any vessels owned or operated by anyone connected to Russia.
The UK will also stop importing Russian oil by the end of this year, building on the Government’s package of international economic sanctions.
The Government is confident that this can be achieved over the course of the year, providing enough time for companies to adjust while ensuring consumers are protected. The Government is already providing support worth around £21 billion during this year, and next, to help people with the cost of living and will continue to monitor the economic impact of the conflict and keep its approach under review.
The Department for International Trade has expanded its Export Support Service (ESS) to act as a single point of enquiry for businesses and traders with questions relating to the situation in Ukraine and Russia. Any business that has question about trading with Ukraine or Russia can visit the GOV.UK website to contact the export support team, or call our helpline using the number 0300 303 8955.