Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue new exploration licences for the potential extraction of gas by fracking, and what advice they provide to the holders of existing exploration licences.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Oil and Gas Authority operates the licensing regime that gives companies exclusive rights to search, bore for and get petroleum and it stewards existing onshore exploration licences to ensure they fulfil agreed work commitments.
The Government’s position on hydraulic fracturing is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 4 November 2019 [HLWS68]. As set out in the Statement, the shale gas industry should take the Government’s position into account when considering new developments.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their most recent assessment of (1) the contribution that the Bowland Shale Formation can make to meeting the energy requirements of the UK, and (2) the proportion of such requirements during the next 10 years that will be met by shale gas fracking.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
BEIS and Ofgem’s joint annual Statutory Security of Supply Report provides an assessment of the current availability of secure, affordable electricity, gas and oil for meeting the needs of consumers. The latest report, published on 18 December 2020, does not use hydraulically fractured shale gas in any of its security of supply assessments. Please see attached.
In October 2017, BEIS published a report summarising gas security over the next 20 years, including consideration of the role of shale gas in general. Please see attached.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they are providing (1) to owners, and (2) to occupiers, of older terraced houses and similar properties on ways of insulating external walls to modern standards.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Access to accurate and up-to-date information tailored to occupants and owners is a key part of improving the energy performance of homes effectively.
The Simple Energy Advice Service (SEA), launched in 2018, is a digital and phoneline service to provide homeowners, landlords and tenants with impartial and tailored advice on energy efficiency measures. This includes advice on insulating external walls.
At a local level, the Government is also supporting skills development and advice provision through a number of local supply chain demonstration pilots, which are testing new approaches to delivering home energy retrofit in the able-to-pay sector and recognises the importance of locally provided advice.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (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 performance of Royal Mail in providing a universal postal service during the COVID-19 pandemic; how many instances they have recorded of a failure to provide such a service in specific areas; and (1) where, and (2) when, any such failures have occurred.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Royal Mail, a private company, has well-established contingency plans to mitigate disruption to postal services which are overseen by Ofcom, the independent regulator responsible for monitoring the delivery of the universal postal service.
In its statement of 14 January 2021, Ofcom recognises that the pandemic is an emergency under its regulatory framework and that it is continuing to monitor Royal Mail’s performance carefully, remaining in close contact with the company to ensure it is providing the best service it can to customers. The full statement is available on Ofcom’s website.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (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 case for including emissions from military sources in targets for carbon emission reductions; and what plans they have to support their inclusion in international agreements during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There is no exclusion for reporting emissions from military sources under the Paris Agreement. The UK sets its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory in accordance with international guidelines and emissions from some military sources (e.g. aircraft and shipping) are already included.
At COP26, Parties will develop the products required for full implementation of the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement. This includes the tables and formats Parties will use to report their GHG emissions in accordance with international guidelines.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessments they have made of the effects on the ecology of (1) the seabed, and (2) the intertidal zone, of the construction of (a) powerlines between turbines, (b) powerlines between turbines and the coast, and (c) other associated structures, as a part of offshore windfarm developments.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Offshore wind developers are required to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment as part of any planning application. The Environmental Impact Assessment affords protection to the environment by ensuring that the planning authority considers any significant effects as part of the decision-making process and that the local community are informed of any impacts.
Planning applications for offshore wind projects in England and Wales above 100MW capacity are determined by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime. In respect of these, details are publicly available on the Planning Inspectorate’s website: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/.
In addition, DEFRA has undertaken strategic assessments of the environmental impacts of offshore wind developments, including assessments of the marine environment and ecology, cabling impacts, and underwater noise. Given the Government’s ambitions for offshore wind, BEIS and DEFRA are working closely with other Government bodies, the Crown Estate, industry and wider stakeholders. This work will prepare for and mitigate against the environmental impacts of growth in this sector. Included in this is the Offshore Wind Enabling Actions programme, a £4.3m action programme to be jointly run by DEFRA and BEIS and the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme (a partnership between BEIS, DEFRA, The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland) to deliver upon its aims.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (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 impact of large-scale offshore windfarms on (1) the ecology of the seabed, (2) the ecology of the sea, (3) birdlife, and (4) maritime geomorphological processes whether undersea or coastal.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Offshore wind developers are required to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment as part of any planning application. The Environmental Impact Assessment affords protection to the environment by ensuring that the planning authority considers any significant effects as part of the decision-making process and that the local community are informed of any impacts.
Planning applications for offshore wind projects in England and Wales above 100MW capacity are determined by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime. In respect of these, details are publicly available on the Planning Inspectorate’s website: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/
In addition, DEFRA has undertaken strategic assessments of the environmental impacts of offshore wind developments, including assessments of the marine environment and ecology, potential compensatory measures, and net gain. Given the Government’s ambitions for offshore wind, BEIS and DEFRA are working closely with other Government bodies, the Crown Estate, industry and wider stakeholders. This work will prepare for and mitigate against the environmental impacts of growth in this sector. Included in this is the Offshore Wind Enabling Actions programme, a £4.3m action programme to be jointly run by DEFRA and BEIS and the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme (a partnership between BEIS, DEFRA, The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland) to deliver upon its aims.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by Rolls-Royce that it plans to move aero engine manufacturing overseas, what action they plan to take to maintain advanced manufacturing at Rolls-Royce Barnoldswick.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government understands that Rolls-Royce do not intend to close the site at Barnoldswick but will continue production of fan blades for some of their engines and retain a fan blade product development and technical support centre. Rolls-Royce has also announced proposals to bring back work into the UK. For example, it is proposing to withdraw from its Singapore Assembly & Test facility for widebody engines, consolidating all widebody engine Assembly & Test capability in the UK. It has also closed a site in the US consolidating any future workload in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (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 impact of the UK's departure from the EU on the decision by Rolls-Royce to transfer production of aero-engine manufacturing from Britain to Spain.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Rolls-Royce has made clear that the restructuring and global site review reflects the change in medium-term market conditions which have been impacted by the global COVID19 pandemic. Rolls-Royce has announced proposals to consolidate work into the UK including consolidating all widebody engine Assembly & Test capability in Derby, as well as closing a site in the US and consolidating the advanced manufacturing capabilities into Derby and Washington, Tyne & Wear.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have given to local authorities in relation to the use of antisocial behaviour legislation to reduce local nuisances caused by the use of fireworks; whether they have received representations that other legislation has been assessed by such authorities as not being effective in doing so; and what their response has been to any such representations.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (‘the 2014 Act’) provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour. The powers in the 2014 Act are deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances.
We receive representations from a wide range of stakeholders, all with a broad range of views on the issues and what action they would like to see. This includes representations from Local Authorities and Councillors and we are engaging with them to understand the issues they face with regards to fireworks.