Asked by: Lord Naseby (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 levels of UK-made content in the supply chains of Hydrogen Allocation Rounds 1 and 2; and what measures they will take to ensure higher levels are used in future rounds.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Developing domestic supply chains is a government priority, as demonstrated through our Industrial Strategy and comprehensive public financial institution offer which will provide direct support to UK hydrogen supply chains.
DESNZ collects supply chain data through the Hydrogen Allocation Rounds and welcomes the industry’s voluntary 50% local content ambition.
We are developing options to strengthen our approach to domestic supply chains in future allocation rounds and will be launching our HAR3 market engagement exercise setting out our proposals in due course.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (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 job-creation potential in the UK hydrogen and fuel cell technology manufacturing sector by 2050.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The sector is nascent but is expected to grow significantly; the global hydrogen market could exceed $1 trillion by 2050, with the UK well positioned to capture a substantial share.
We intend to publish a revised Hydrogen Strategy which will include the latest hydrogen jobs estimates and set out plans to optimise the job creation and economic benefits delivered by the UK hydrogen economy.
We will continue to engage with stakeholders across the hydrogen value chain; working together with industry and unions to identify actions that support the skills and workforce needs of the UK’s low carbon hydrogen economy.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure National Wealth Fund investment benefits increase research and development in the UK hydrogen and fuel cell technology manufacturing sector.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The NWF is the Government’s principal investor and policy bank with operational independence and a total £27.8bn to catalyse private investment in capital intensive projects. The NWF will commit at least £5.8bn over this Parliament to green hydrogen, carbon capture, ports, gigafactories and green steel sub-sectors.
To crowd investment into supply chains, the Government has announced a £1bn Clean Energy Supply chain fund aligned with the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan and a £4bn British Business Bank Industrial Strategy Growth Capital initiative. DESNZ has also spent around £160m from the now complete £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio on hydrogen R&D.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the report by the North Sea Transition Authority Reserves and Resources as at end 2024 published 17 October, whether they plan to review their policy not to issue any new drilling licences.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has committed not to issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields. In the ‘Building the North Sea’s Energy Future’ consultation, it sought views on how to implement that commitment.
The Government is considering evidence from a wide range of sources as part of that process, including the latest evidence from the North Sea Transition Authority.
The Government will issue a response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost of subsidies for the installation of heat pumps in the UK in the financial year 2024–25.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Between April 2024 – March 2025, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme paid out 25,144 vouchers for heat pumps (air source and ground source), to the cost of ~£189 million.
Other schemes delivered by the department such as the Home Upgrade Grant and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, do not provide a breakdown of funding costs specific to heat pump subsidies alone, as these schemes support a range of retrofit energy efficiency measures. The Government does publish data showing the average contribution costs for measures under these schemes, including for heat pumps.
This data is available at: Heat pump deployment statistics: June 2025, Home Upgrade Grant statistics: August 2025 and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund statistics: September 2025
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost of oil and gas imports for the financial year 2024–25.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The value for crude oil imports into the UK in 2024 was £22,745 million, and the value for natural gas imports in 2024 was £13,615 million. These are on a calendar year basis and financial years are not available. These data are sourced from Table 1.2 of the Department's Digest of UK Energy Statistics which are published annually and available via the internet.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are reviewing the policy of not allowing companies to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has committed to not issue new licences to explore new fields while managing existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan.
Our ‘Building the North Sea’s energy future’ consultation, which closed earlier this year, sought views on how we should implement these commitments. We are analysing responses to the consultation and will issue a response in due course.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government why they plan to dispose of the plutonium stockpile at Sellafield.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
The Government took the decision to immobilise the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory based on strategic, economic, technical and safety and security considerations. Immobilisation will put the material into a form which both reduces the long-term safety and security burden during storage and ensures it is suitable for disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). Implementing a long-term solution for plutonium is essential to dealing with the UK’s nuclear legacy and leaving the environment safer for future generations. Furthermore, all current and planned UK reactors use uranium-based fuels.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with advanced modular reactor developer Newcleo, who previously stated their intention to use UK plutonium in their technology.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
DESNZ has engaged with several nuclear companies seeking to invest in the UK, including having discussions with Newcleo on their ambitions to deploy their nuclear reactor technology in the UK. The department is currently reviewing Newcleo’s application to enter the Generic Design Assessment regulatory process.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government how a decision about the plutonium stockpile at Sellafield was made; and what work has been done to establish the potential of technology that could produce mixed oxide fuel from plutonium.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
The Government decided to immobilise the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory based on analysis of strategic, economic, technical and safety and security considerations. This included both immobilisation and re-use in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel options. No UK reactor projects use plutonium-based fuel and the UK’s MOX fuel plant closed in 2011.
Immobilisation will deliver the Government’s objective to put this material into a safer and more stable form for long-term storage and ensure it is suitable for disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).