Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of GB Energy providing temporary back-up sources of power for homes impacted by long power cuts.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government works closely with electricity networks to improve and maintain energy infrastructure resilience. In the event of a disruption, electricity network operators have well practiced response plans in place to minimise disruption to customers. Great British Energy (GBE) will speed up the deployment of technologies to support Government’s aim of decarbonising our electricity system, whilst ensuring we can meet future demand and provide energy security. The GBE Bill outlines that activities for ensuring security of energy supply are within GBE’s scope, which could include supporting energy storage projects. As GBE will be operationally independent, the exact mix of technologies it chooses to invest in will be determined in due course, influenced by available opportunities and alignment with the strategic priorities that government sets out.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many meetings of the Net Zero Innovation Board have taken place since February 2023.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Net Zero Innovation Board provides strategic oversight of government funding of net zero innovation programmes and has met four times since February 2023 – in July, October and December 2023 and March 2024.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Net Zero Innovation Board last met.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Net Zero Innovation Board provides strategic oversight of government funding of net zero innovation programmes and has met four times since February 2023 – in July, October and December 2023 and March 2024.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the average energy bill was for households in Mid Bedfordshire constituency in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
Data on average household electricity and gas bills are published as part of the Quarterly Energy Prices statistical series here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics
The Department collects this information at a regional level (in Tables 2.2.3 and 2.3.3) but does not hold data at the constituency level. Initial estimates for annual bills for 2023 are scheduled for publication on 21 December 2023.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding for renewable energy projects in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has provided significant additional funding for renewable energy projects this autumn. Provisions include support via the next Contracts for Difference Allocation Round, funding for manufacturing for Windfarms and Networks and investment tax measures.
Grant funding for renewable innovation or community-based renewable schemes is open for both local authorities and private investors to bid on.
The Government encourages projects in Mid Bedfordshire to apply for these schemes as relevant to their proposals.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households have been awarded funding for energy efficiency installations under the ECO4 scheme in (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and (b) Bedfordshire.
Answered by Graham Stuart
ECO4 does not award funding to households, it is an obligation set by Government on large energy suppliers to install energy efficiency measures.
To the end of June 2023 (the latest available data by parliamentary constituency), ECO4 has supported 10 households in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency and 1,241 households in Bedfordshire (Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton Local Authorities combined).