Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to complete the process of delivering £600 in energy support payments to all households in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 19th December, the Government announced that all households in Northern Ireland will receive support with their energy bills this winter through a single payment of £600. This is made up of £400 of the Energy Bills Support Scheme and £200 of the Alternative Fuel Payment. This will be delivered through electricity suppliers, with payments starting in January and concluding as soon as is reasonably practicable.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions (1) ministers, and (2) civil servants, have had with Members of Parliament representing seats in Northern Ireland in each of the last six months about the Energy Bills Support Scheme and its implementation in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Government has been working at pace with a range of different stakeholders to deliver this support to households in Northern Ireland. BEIS Ministers have engaged in debates and drop-in sessions with MPs to share progress and answer questions.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government (1) when, and (2) by which mechanisms, households in Northern Ireland will receive financial assistance with their energy bills.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £700 this winter. This is on top of existing government plans to give all households £400 off their energy bills through the Energy Bill Support Scheme. A comparable scheme to the Energy Bill Support Scheme is being developed to deliver £400 to households in Northern Ireland. Details of how this will run will be announced in the coming weeks and payments will be backdated to October.
The government is working with electricity suppliers to explore how the £100 Alternative Fuel payment could be delivered to homes in NI that use alternative fuels for heating, such as heating oil or LPG, instead of mains gas via electricity bills under a similar delivery model.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish further details of how the £39.8 billion research and development budget for the financial years 2022–23 through to 2024–25 will be allocated; and when the first tranche of grant funding will be made available to bidders.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 26 October (HL2999), when they last communicated with the government of Russia regarding the gas supply from that country to the UK; and when the next discussion at ministerial level is planned.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK benefits from diverse sources of gas supply, including domestic production, pipeline imports from reliable suppliers like Norway, and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). BEIS has held no discussions with Russia on gas.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 26 October (HL2999), when they last communicated with the government of Norway regarding the gas supply from that country to the UK; and when the next discussion at ministerial level is planned.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK benefits from diverse sources of gas supply. While we do not have the ability to intervene in international markets, we maintain a working level dialogue with key energy partners such as Norway. In addition to this, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State held a call with his counterpart in Norway, the Norwegian Energy Minister Tina Bru, on 20 September 2021.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with (1) Amazon, and (2) other suppliers, about the fall in volume of goods being delivered from Great Britain to Northern Ireland since the agreement of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland in December 2020.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has been speaking with businesses regularly regarding shipment of goods to Northern Ireland (NI), including parcel operators and online marketplaces. We have working groups with business where they are updated on the latest guidance and have the opportunity to seek further clarity on operational related issues. Assistance is also available from the Trader Support Service, which guides businesses trading with NI through all import processes at no additional cost.
Furthermore, the Brexit Business Taskforce has held regular meetings between my noble Friend the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office (the Rt. Hon. Lord Frost), other Ministers, and key business sectors.
HMRC held constructive engagement with the postal and parcel industry in the run up to the 31 December 2020 announcement of temporary arrangements for express operators to continue moving the majority of goods with minimal requirements. This engagement will continue for the duration of the temporary arrangements.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Bombadier about that firm's decision to sell its Belfast operations.
Answered by Lord Henley
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Minister for Business and Industry, and government officials have had discussions with Bombardier, and will continue to do so, about their decision to sell the Northern Ireland Aerostructures and Engineering Services operation to focus its aerospace division on business jets.
The Belfast plant, its expertise and its highly skilled and dedicated staff will be highly sought after. The Government will work with potential buyers to ensure this successful and ambitious business is positioned for future growth.