Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to promote wider membership of the Energy Transition Council, in particular to include more African nations.
Answered by Lord Callanan
The Energy Transition Council currently works with eleven developing partner countries across Asia and Africa, including Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, and Kenya to accelerate their clean energy transitions. The Council’s mandate will continue to 2025, supported by a strategic partnership with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, which will allow for the expansion of the Council’s work and for wider membership, including from African nations.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average time between a judgment being made by the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and implementation of that judgment by the Home Office, in each of the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The requested information cannot be accurately extracted from our internal systems. To provide this information would require a manual trawl of successful appeals and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Where an appeal has been allowed in favour of the appellant, and is not subject to onward appeal, we take all reasonable steps to implement the allowed appeal in a timely manner.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to lead an international response to prevent widespread famine in (1) East Africa, and (2) the Horn of Africa.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The humanitarian situation across the Horn and East of Africa is extremely concerning. Conflict and drought are the main causes of humanitarian need. The region is experiencing one of its most severe droughts in history with more than 15 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia assessed to be acutely food insecure, according to the UN. Nearly 500,000 people in Ethiopia and Somalia are experiencing famine-like conditions.
The UK is a major humanitarian donor to the region. In 2022 the UK has provided £72 million to support more than one million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan affected by conflict, drought and flooding. Across the region UK funded humanitarian activities are making a difference and saving lives. In Kenya the UK is providing 26,000 children with life-saving nutritional support. In Ethiopia a further 200,000 children and pregnant and lactating women in southern and eastern regions will receive similar aid. The UK also played a critical role in convening the recent UN Horn of Africa Drought Roundtable which took place in late April in Geneva. This included working with states in the region and the UN to ensure appropriate levels of participation. It helped to bring much needed focus on the drought and it mobilised roughly US$400 million in new funding.
Our response to the drought builds on long-established resilience building programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. In Kenya this includes support to the Hunger Safety Programme, which has provided 600,000 people in drought prone areas with regular financial assistance. In Ethiopia, the UK funded Productive Safety Net Programme has benefitted some 8 million people via financial welfare provision and community public works projects. In Somalia the UK has been supporting over 220 rural communities in three large urban cities with durable solutions initiatives for internally displaced persons. These programmes, coupled with additional investments, have enabled the UK to reach nearly 8 million individuals as a part of our emergency humanitarian response.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what humanitarian assistance they are providing to the 5.7 million children in the Horn of Africa who are expected to suffer acute malnourishment this year as a result of the ongoing drought.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is a major humanitarian donor to the East Africa region. In 2022 the UK has provided £72 million to support more than one million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan affected by conflict, drought and flooding. Across the region UK-funded humanitarian activities are making a difference and saving lives. In Kenya the UK is providing 26,000 children with life-saving nutritional support. In Ethiopia a further 200,000 children and pregnant and lactating women in southern and eastern regions will receive similar aid. The UK also played a critical role in convening the recent UN Horn of Africa Drought Roundtable which took place in late April in Geneva. This included working with states in the region and the UN to ensure appropriate levels of participation. It helped to bring much needed focus on the drought and it mobilised roughly US$400 million in new funding.
Our response to the drought builds on long-established resilience building programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. In Kenya this includes support to the Hunger Safety Programme, which has provided 600,000 people in drought prone areas with regular financial assistance. In Ethiopia, the UK funded Productive Safety Net Programme has benefitted some 8 million people via financial welfare provision and community public works projects. In Somalia the UK has been supporting over 220 rural communities in three large urban cities with durable solutions initiatives for internally displaced persons. These programmes, coupled with additional investments, have enabled the UK to reach nearly 8 million individuals as a part of our emergency humanitarian response.
Asked by: Lord Oates (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 benefits of including all energy-saving technologies that reduce the cost of heating or hot water into the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).
Answered by Lord Callanan
The targets for the current iteration of ECO, ECO4, are based on the Home Heating and Cost Reduction Obligation (HHCRO) powers set out in the Electricity Act 1989, Section 41B, and Gas Act 1986, Section 33BD. This allows Government to set a target for the promotion of measures for reducing the cost to individuals of heating their homes. Therefore, measures which do not result in space heating savings are not within scope.
ECO4 is focused on installing energy-efficiency and heating measures in lower income and otherwise vulnerable households across Great Britain. The scheme will run from 2022 to 2026 and is valued at £1 billion a year. This is predicted to help an extra 450,000 families with green measures that reduce the cost of heating such as insulation.
Asked by: Lord Oates (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 role of water efficiency measures in helping achieve the government’s net zero aims.
Answered by Lord Callanan
As outlined in the Energy-related Products Policy Framework, the Government estimates 0.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent could be saved over Carbon Budget 5 through consumer behaviour change encouraged by a mandatory water label on taps and non-electric showers.
Defra has already committed to mandatory water labelling on taps and non-electric showers, among other products, and is working closely with BEIS officials to explore the inclusion of energy efficiency information on the labels in order to best support consumers to make energy- and money-saving purchases.
The Government will continue to explore the feasibility of other efficiency measures for these products.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether joint working is taking place between the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department and HM Treasury to explore bespoke funding pots to enable the roll-out of water saving technologies.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We are collaborating with BEIS to produce a joint water efficiency label to enable the roll-out of water saving technologies. Water companies are already funding water saving measures for their customers and we continue to work towards delivering our 2021 Written Ministerial Statement on reducing demand for water.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to support consumers who need to use electric medical devices at home, such as monitors or ventilators, given the impact of rising energy prices.
Answered by Lord Kamall
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with energy suppliers about the practice of automatically imposing rises in direct debits without prior discussion with consumers.
Answered by Lord Callanan
Ministers continue to engage extensively with Ofgem and senior representatives in the energy sector to understand the ongoing situation around rising energy prices. If customers do not receive prior notice of changes to their direct debit payments, they can make a complaint to their energy supplier.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - 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 require energy suppliers to consult with vulnerable customers before increasing their direct debit payments.
Answered by Lord Callanan
All suppliers must take all reasonable steps to ensure that customers’ direct debit payments are based on the best available information. Energy suppliers typically review their customers’ direct debit arrangements twice a year based on an actual meter reading to ensure payments are set at a level to avoid large credit or debit balances. A supplier should explain the reasons for changes made to a customer’s direct debit arrangement with 10 days advance notice before the next payment is taken. The customer may challenge a proposed increase and renegotiate the direct debit payment level.