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Written Question
Private Rented Housing: Energy Bills Rebate
Tuesday 26th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how private tenants who pay their council tax or energy bills as part of their rent will be able to claim their energy bills support grant if (1) their rent has already risen this year, and (2) it has not already risen this year.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

There are rules which can protect tenants and ensure they receive the benefit of this policy. A copy of Ofgem’s guidance on how to ensure customers are being charged no more than they should when they buy the electricity through their landlord, including what to do if they think there has been a mistake, is attached.


Written Question
Companies: Carbon Emissions
Thursday 21st July 2022

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to encourage greater transparency among UK companies accused of exaggerating their environmental commitments, commonly termed as greenwashing, to prevent this from adversely impacting the Government’s Net Zero strategy.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Businesses have a vital role to play in helping us to meet our net zero target and are encouraged to join the UN-backed Race to Zero, with 7,552 already setting credible and robust targets and outlining plans to deliver on these targets.

‘Greening Finance: A Roadmap to Sustainable Investing’ sets out how the Government will ensure decision-useful information on sustainability is available to financial market decision-makers, helping to combat potential “greenwashing”. The UK is also requiring asset managers, regulated asset owners and listed companies to publish transition plans that consider the government’s net zero commitment or provide an explanation if they have not done so.


Written Question
Tidal Power
Monday 27th June 2022

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop a tidal lagoon to help meet energy needs.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines. Any such scheme would need to demonstrate strong evidence of value for money in the context of other low-carbon sources of generation before the Government could take a view on its potential.


Written Question
Peter Marquez
Thursday 29th April 2021

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any potential conflicts of interest relating to their reported planned appointment of the head of space policy at Amazon to a government advisory position.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

All prospective government advisory appointments are subject to rigorous vetting and appointment processes, to determine, amongst other things, Conflicts of Interest.


Written Question
OneWeb and SpaceX: Satellites
Wednesday 28th April 2021

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the risks to low-earth-orbit spacecraft, following the reported near miss between a OneWeb Satellite and a SpaceX satellite in April.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK is committed to ensure increasing level of commercial activity in space is carried out sustainably. We are working with industry to develop regulatory frameworks that promote safety and helping to facilitate international consensus on responsible behaviours in space.

Alongside our partners from the space sector, the Government are working with the UN and the European Space Agency to improve sustainability guidelines and to develop new ways of reducing the risk of collisions in space and removing space debris and have raised space sustainability as an issue for discussion at this year’s G7 meeting.


Written Question
OneWeb: Satellites
Wednesday 28th April 2021

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what engagement they have had with (1) the Royal Astronomical Society, (2) the European Southern Observatory, and (3) other relevant stakeholders, about the planned increases in the number of OneWeb satellites in the sky.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

OneWeb has met with the Royal Astronomical Society as well as representatives from the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency to discuss the potential impact of its operations on astronomy.

BEIS and the UK Space Agency will continue to support the UK science and astronomy community.

The community is working with colleagues from the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the European Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union to clarify what actions could be taken to mitigate interference for the UK community and our international partners.


Written Question
Solar Power
Thursday 21st January 2021

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of energy generated from solar power each day in the UK.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

On average in 2019, solar PV generated 35 GWh of electricity per day in the UK. This is calculated as the total amount of electricity generated by solar PV in 2019 divided by the number of days. The 2019 generation figure is published by BEIS in DUKES 6.4 (copy attached).

In addition, on average in 2019, 0.148 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent of solar thermal energy was produced per day in the UK. The 2019 figures is published by BEIS in DUKES 6.1 (copy attached).

Full statistics for 2020 are not yet available. Provisional statistics will be published on March 25th on the GOV.UK website.


Written Question
Wind Power
Thursday 21st January 2021

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of energy generated from wind power each day in the UK.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

On average in 2019, wind generated 176 GWh of electricity per day in the UK. This is calculated as the total amount of electricity generated by onshore and offshore wind in 2019 divided by the number of days. The 2019 generation figure is published by BEIS in DUKES 6.4 (copy attached).

Full statistics for 2020 are not yet available. Provisional statistics will be published on March 25th on the GOV.UK website.


Written Question
Public Houses: Coronavirus
Monday 14th December 2020

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - 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 future viability of pubs in (1) Tier 2, and (2) Tier 3, areas.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

On the 2 December 2020 the coronavirus national restrictions were replaced by a system of more localised interventions, based on three tiers.

The pandemic is having a serious negative impact on many businesses, including pubs, and this is why we are providing an unprecedented package of support including an extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until 31 March 2021 and additional financial support through the Local Restrictions Support Grant, businesses which pay business rates and have been required to close due to local or national restrictions will be able to claim the following additional levels of support:

  • £1,334 per month for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
  • £2,000 per month for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
  • £3,000 per month for businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 or over

Also £1.1bn is also being given to Local Authorities for one-off payments to enable them to support businesses more broadly.

As well as, for example, a one off £1,000 grant for wet-led pubs and grant schemes for pubs to access in Tiers 2 and 3.


Written Question
Companies: Meetings
Thursday 22nd October 2020

Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - 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 annual company meetings being closed to physical attendence on the ability of small shareholders to hold companies to account.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

BEIS officials have worked closely with colleagues in the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) which, on 6 October, produced a report entitled, “AGMs: An Opportunity for Change”. The report examines the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on company behaviour and shareholder experience over the course of the 2020 AGM season.