Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to decouple the price of wholesale electricity from the cost of gas beyond moving more renewables into Contracts for Difference.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is determined to increase the share of renewables on the system so that the electricity price is set by cheaper clean power sources rather than gas. Every wind turbine we switch on and solar panel we deploy helps push gas off as the price setter.
The Contracts for Difference scheme remains one of our most successful initiatives for doing this. However, this sits alongside other flagship renewable energy policies, including removing the ban on onshore wind within 72 hours of taking office, and the most significant programme of investment in homegrown clean energy in British history – with £61.9bn in capital funding committed in the Spending Review.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has undertaken on the proposal put forward by Greenpeace UK and Stonehaven in their Power Shift report to move gas-fired power stations into a Regulated Asset Base strategic reserve.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This government has been clear that the answers to the challenges around energy security, affordability and sustainability point in the same direction – clean energy.
Under current market frameworks, technologies with the lowest marginal cost dispatch first. Unabated gas is already at the bottom of the merit order, meaning it already dispatches last.
By 2030 unabated gas will account for less than 5% of total generation. As low‑carbon technologies are deployed at scale, gas will increasingly shift to a reserve role in the system, meaning it will set electricity prices less often over time, reducing consumers’ exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices.
As the role of unabated gas diminishes, we will continue to explore how market and system arrangements can evolve to minimise its impact on consumer bills, including considering the potential benefits and risks of alternative market reforms.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of wide area network (WAN) coverage required for smart meter functionality in Waveney Valley constituency; what information her Department holds on the number of households in that constituency that were deemed ineligible for smart meter installation due to insufficient (a) WAN and (b) 4G connectivity; and what plans her Department has to help improve connectivity in rural areas.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not collect data on smart meter installations at a constituency level. The latest statistics are available here:
The Government is working closely with the Data Communications Company (DCC) - the licensed body responsible for providing communication and data services for smart metering in Great Britain - and energy suppliers to ensure smart meter connectivity can be extended to currently unserved properties in all regions as soon as reasonably possible. One solution currently being trialled will involve a Virtual Wide Area Network (VWAN) - a new option that, with their consent, uses customers’ broadband connections to carry smart metering communications.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has considered using GB Energy to invest in reducing the carbon footprint of the general practice estate.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy has funded rooftop solar for 250 schools and around 260 NHS sites. This is cutting bills for schools and hospitals, releasing money for frontline services.
For GPs that aren’t part of these NHS sites, they can access the Boiler Upgrade Scheme accessing £7,500 towards a heat pump and £5,000 towards a biomass boiler.
As set out in the Local Power Plan (Local Power Plan | Great British Energy) published on 10 February 2026 GBE will be announcing their new support schemes in Spring 2026. You can sign up on their website to find out more.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans his Department has to improve GPs access to decarbonisation schemes to help them meet NHS Net Zero targets.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to supporting the decarbonisation of the GP estate. Through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, GP facilities can receive £7,500 for heat pumps and £5,000 for biomass boilers. We also help fund the UK Business Climate Hub, an online resource supporting SMEs identify and implement changes to their energy use.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will review his Department's conversion factors for GHG reporting for (a) bioenergy and (b) WTT bioenergy in the light of the most recent remote sensing data from independent system(s) of Earth Observation measurements.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the hon Member to the answer given on 4 September to Question UIN 69532 which describes the review process used to update conversion factors. This includes for the conversion factors for bioenergy and well-to-tank bioenergy.
The UK is one of only a handful of countries currently reporting the validation of non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions based on atmospheric measurements. The National Inventory Steering Committee considers this information, alongside international review recommendations, emerging science, and external quality assurance of the inventory, when deciding priority areas of improvement to the inventory and, where relevant, resultant conversion factors.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the research entitled Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2024, published on 8 July 2024, if he will review his Department's conversion factors for (a) fuels and (b) well-to-tank fuels.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy
A proportionate risk-based approach is taken to reviewing and updating conversion factors, considering size of UK emission among other factors. As part of the annual peer review process, priority improvements for each year are advised by a Steering Group, consisting of Government officials, consultants and other key data providers. The Steering Group collate feedback and identify potential improvements from regular users of Conversion Factors from across industry and academia.
The conversion factors for fuels and well-to-tank fuels have been reviewed since 2015. All changes to direct and well-to-tank conversion factors for fuels and bioenergy in each year are available from the collection webpage. Conversion factors for natural gas, diesel, petrol and coal are updated regularly, including in the 2024 publication.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the research entitled Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2024, published on 8 July 2024, whether the conversion factors for (a) fuels and (b) well-to-tank fuels have been reviewed since 2015.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy
A proportionate risk-based approach is taken to reviewing and updating conversion factors, considering size of UK emission among other factors. As part of the annual peer review process, priority improvements for each year are advised by a Steering Group, consisting of Government officials, consultants and other key data providers. The Steering Group collate feedback and identify potential improvements from regular users of Conversion Factors from across industry and academia.
The conversion factors for fuels and well-to-tank fuels have been reviewed since 2015. All changes to direct and well-to-tank conversion factors for fuels and bioenergy in each year are available from the collection webpage. Conversion factors for natural gas, diesel, petrol and coal are updated regularly, including in the 2024 publication.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will set out the (a) review process and (b) changes for the greenhouse gas conversion factors for (i) bioenergy (ii) well-to-tank bioenergy each year since 2015.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy
A proportionate risk-based approach is taken to reviewing and updating conversion factors, considering size of UK emission among other factors. As part of the annual peer review process, priority improvements for each year are advised by a Steering Group, consisting of Government officials, consultants and other key data providers. The Steering Group collate feedback and identify potential improvements from regular users of Conversion Factors from across industry and academia.
The conversion factors for fuels and well-to-tank fuels have been reviewed since 2015. All changes to direct and well-to-tank conversion factors for fuels and bioenergy in each year are available from the collection webpage. Conversion factors for natural gas, diesel, petrol and coal are updated regularly, including in the 2024 publication.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the research entitled Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2024, published on 8 July 2024, how the conversion factors for (a) fuels and (b) well-to-tank fuels were developed.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero publish Government Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Conversion Factors for Company Reporting annually. Their scope is defined to be relevant to Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) regulations, following GHG Protocol guidance. The conversion factors for direct emissions from fuels and biofuels are based on the most recent data from the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Well-to-tank factors are based on external studies as updated by recent available data.
Further details on how direct and well-to-tank conversion factors for fuels and bioenergy are estimated and updated can be found in the annual methodology report.