Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield on 27 June (HL 8452), whether the analysis by the National Energy System Operator drew directly on (1) information published in audited accounts of special purpose vehicles (SPVs), (2) Gordon Hughes' analysis of 247 SPVs for wind projects published in Wind Power Economics: Rhetoric and Reality, Volume 1 – Wind Power Costs in the United Kingdom published in 2020, or (3) Gordon Hughes' analysis of 301 SPVs for solar projects published in The economics of utility-scale solar generation published in 2022; and if not, what was the source for their estimates of the capital and operating costs of wind and solar projects
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is an operationally independent public body, and the Department does not hold information on the methodology used in their analysis. I have instructed officials to contact NESO to request a response to the noble Lord, and a copy of their reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of consignments of products of animal origin are subject to sanitary and phytosanitary checks (1) when entering the UK and (2) when exported from the UK to the EU, and what these checks entail.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on products of animal origin entering Great Britain are risk-based and focus on high and medium risk consignments, prioritising those that present the highest food safety and biosecurity risks. Port Health Authorities and relevant local authorities also have the power to inspect goods at their discretion or if they are deemed to pose a risk to biosecurity. Consignments of low-risk animal products are also subject to intelligence-led controls. The checks conducted will vary according to each individual consignment and commodity type and may range from visual inspections to lab sampling as appropriate. Defra does therefore not hold information on the precise proportion due to the dynamic nature of our biosecurity controls.
The EU determines the checks that are required for SPS goods entering the EEA at their Points of Entry. Exporters to and importers into the EU are obliged to present their goods to an appropriate Border Control Post, where the selection for checks is made. This data is held by the EU. GB imports are similarly required to present goods for checks at an appropriate BCP but clearance mechanisms are in operation to allow most of them to enter the UK without stopping at a BCP.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether exports of live animals (1) from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland and (2) from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland require an Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As has long been the case, such certification is required for export of bovine, ovine/caprine, porcine and poultry animals in both directions.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, as part of the EU–UK Reset Agreement, they have (1) committed to linking the UK to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme 2 (ETS2), (2) agreed to discuss linking the UK to the ETS2 without commitment, or (3) decided not to link the UK to the ETS2.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As part of the UK-EU Summit on 19th May, the UK and the EU have agreed to work towards linking the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). This will be subject to negotiations.
The Government has agreed with the EU that we will not be linking the UK to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme 2 (ETS2). EU ETS 2 is a separate scheme to the original EU ETS and covers emissions from buildings and road transport.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report published on 3 March by Gordon Hughes and Net Zero Watch, Will Net Zero Reduce Electricity Costs in 2030, in particular with regard to the impact of imports of electricity from the continent on UK wholesale electricity prices.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government has been clear that the answers to the challenges around energy security, affordability and sustainability point in the same direction – clean energy. The electricity market in GB operates on the principle of marginal pricing, whereby the price of electricity is set by the last technology needed to meet overall demand, often gas. The ever-increasing participation of renewables in the market means that over time, cheaper electricity produced by renewables will set the wholesale price more often than gas.
Interconnectors are, and will continue to be, an important component of GB’s energy capacity mix, supporting GB’s energy security and transition to net zero.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has analysed the accounts of special purpose vehicles for (1) offshore wind farms, and (2) solar energy farms, to calculate the cost of such ventures; and if so, whether they will publish the results.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The majority of offshore wind and solar projects are led by the private sector, with many structured through individual Special Purpose Vehicles whose financial accounts are either privately held or reported in a limited form. Analysis by the independent NESO shows that offshore wind and solar are core components of a clean power system which can protect billpayers from international gas price volatility for the long-term.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many N1 claim forms (CPR Part 7) were submitted in the most recent year for which figures are available, and how many of them indicated that the claim does, or will, include any issues under the Human Rights Act 1998.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The information requested is not held.
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the volume of claims received by claim type: Civil justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures (1) train operators, and (2) ferry operators, have to deal with fires caused by batteries in electric vehicles while in transit.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
There is no evidence to suggest that electric vehicle fires are more likely to occur than petrol or diesel vehicle fires.
Electric vehicles are currently only transported by rail via the Eurotunnel. As the infrastructure manager of the Channel Tunnel and operator of its shuttle services, Eurotunnel is responsible for the safety of passengers and has to maintain risk assessments for its operations, including developing procedures specifically for the carriage of EVs. These are regularly assessed and challenged by the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority and their inspectors. The safety authorities also facilitate regular dialogue between Eurotunnel and the UK and French emergency services to review operating procedures.
Fire prevention, fire detection, and fire fighting in electric vehicles is a developing area and the Government continually reviews its guidance and regulations in step with the development of best practice.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the cost of training (1) a doctor, and (2) a nurse; and how much of that cost is covered by student loans.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at the University of Kent estimates that the cost of training an individual doctor from the beginning of medical school through to the end of the foundation training programme is approximately £327,000. This includes salaries paid to the trainee during the foundation stage while they are working, living expenses and other costs of training. This includes costs borne by both the wider National Health Service and the individual undertaking the training.
PSSRU estimate the cost of training a nurse to be approximately £67,000. These estimates are published in their Unit Costs of Health and Social Care Manual.
The maximum amount that can be borrowed in student loans by an individual medical student is between £74,000 and £93,000 for a five-year course, depending on the individual’s living arrangements. From year five of an undergraduate course, and from year two of a graduate-entry course, medical students can also access the NHS Bursary. This is non-repayable and comprises payment for tuition fees and, where eligible, further grants and allowances.
The maximum amount that can be borrowed in student loans by an individual nursing student is between £53,000 and £67,000 for a three-year course, depending on the student’s living arrangements. In addition, since September 2020, all eligible nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students have received a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will be able to (1) zero rate, and (2) exempt, new goods and services from VAT under the terms of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Penn
The Windsor Framework establishes new freedoms for the UK to set VAT rates and thresholds in Northern Ireland that go far beyond those available before EU Exit. That includes the ability to zero rate additional goods for VAT.