Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alistair Strathern and Miatta Fahnbulleh

Tuesday 15th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Miatta Fahnbulleh]

My hon. Friend makes a good point. Industry voices have been calling for that close alignment, particularly on the emissions trading scheme—we have heard that from UK Steel, the CBI, Make UK and the Energy Intensive Users Group—and we believe that those stronger linkages are the right thing to do to cut red tape at the border, to protect consumers from higher costs and, critically, to boost trade and growth, which the Government are absolutely committed to doing.

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

One way to drive down energy costs, including for energy-intensive industries, could be to help cut curtailment costs by encouraging the co-location of new energy-intensive industry sectors with some of the renewable sectors that we are currently having to pay to switch off. As we start to roll out more data centres across the country, what conversations have Ministers had about how such centres could be optimally located to help reduce our energy bills at the same time?

[Miatta Fahnbulleh]

My hon. Friend makes a good point, as always. We in the Department are working across Government—as part of the AI Council as well as with colleagues in the Department for Business and Trade—to ensure that we have the co-ordination and collaboration to support businesses on the ground.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alistair Strathern and Miatta Fahnbulleh

Tuesday 4th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Miatta Fahnbulleh)]

I am happy to meet the hon. Gentleman. We know that we have a job to do to ensure that all insulation is up to standard and that we have the right measures for every type of household. I am keen to engage with him and Members across the House.

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

The UK has a fantastic £26 billion clean tech sector, leading the way in innovation and carbon reduction for everything from clean power to sustainable agriculture. However, all too often, red tape and bureaucracy are locking in dependency on fossil fuels and foreign oil and gas. How can we work across Government to cut back on this unnecessary red tape, and ensure that our schemes support the leading tech and innovation that our best-of-British producers are bringing forward?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alistair Strathern and Miatta Fahnbulleh

Tuesday 8th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

T4. The previous Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has admitted that the last Government could have gone further and faster on insulating homes, but said that he would wait to see how the new Government tackle the issue. When it comes to insulating millions more homes across the country and reducing bills for millions of families, will we simply take a “wait and see” approach?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Miatta Fahnbulleh)]

Whether it is our ending of the onshore wind ban, the CCUS funding we announced last week, our plans for Great British Energy or our warm homes plan, we are hitting the ground running to deliver our clean power mission. The Conservatives spent 14 years dithering and delaying, leaving ordinary people to pay the price, but we will get on with the job of delivering energy security so that we can secure financial security for families, good jobs and climate action.