Oral Answers to Questions

Amanda Solloway Excerpts

Tuesday 4th July 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Heather Wheeler (South Derbyshire) (Con)]

6. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of additional support for energy and trade intensive industries.

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

Wholesale energy prices have fallen significantly since the peak of the energy crisis, so the energy bill discount scheme strikes a balance between providing support and certainty to business and limiting the impact on public finances.

[Mrs Wheeler]

I thank my hon. Friend for a proper Derbyshire answer. Can she give more information on how the Government are working to help wedding venues and hospitality in general with extreme costs for electricity and gas, particularly where businesses have signed long-term contracts in the face of falling world prices?

[Amanda Solloway]

I thank my hon. Friend from South Derbyshire—it is a great county to live in, with great hospitality—for her question. Businesses, including the hospitality sector, have already benefited from the energy bill relief scheme, which ended on 31 March and provided £7.4 billion of support. We are mindful of the fixed-term contracts, which are a supplier issue, and we are constantly engaging with stakeholders and suppliers on that.

[Catherine McKinnell (Newcastle upon Tyne North) (Lab)]

Last week I attended the opening of the first phase of a new solar farm at Newcastle airport. It was 50% funded by the regional development fund, which post Brexit we no longer have access to. The further three phases are vital to ensure that the airport meets its net zero target and the Government meet their solar target, so what are the Government doing to ensure that those further three phases will be supported in some way by the Government?

[Amanda Solloway]

I thank the hon. Lady for that information. With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will take that question away and find out more details.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)]

The director general of UK Steel said this week:

“There are huge question marks over if government really wants to sustain steel, the backbone of British manufacturing, or just leave it to shrink and rely on other nations’ supply.”

He is right to say that. It is four years since the Government promised the green steel fund, but not a penny has been paid. Why are the Government failing our steel communities so comprehensively?

[Amanda Solloway]

That is absolutely not true; we are legislating for that at the moment. It is incredibly important to the Government that we combat that and support the energy and trade-intensive industries.

[Kerry McCarthy]

The Committee on Climate Change said last week that

“the Government has high ambitions for decarbonisation but no policy to deliver it”.

We have been slow to react to the US Inflation Reduction Act and to the EU’s proposed green deal industrial plan. The right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), who, for the benefit of the Minister, is not from the Labour Benches, said:

“Where the UK once led, we are now falling behind.”

When will Ministers snap out of their appalling complacency and come up with the strategy and timeline that we need to support the UK in the global race for green jobs and investment?

[Amanda Solloway]

We have met all our carbon targets and will continue to do so. The Government have made the commitment to continue hitting and progressing on those targets.

[Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)]

7. What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the adequacy of the planning system for clean energy projects.

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[Stephen Farry (North Down) (Alliance)]

11. What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of workforce skills for delivering net zero projects.

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

We recognise that having the right skills within the workforce is critical, which is why we established the green jobs delivery group.

[Stephen Farry]

The Climate Change Committee has expressed concern that the UK is falling behind on a range of net zero commitments, including on skills. A skilled workforce, alongside new green jobs, is a key component of the green new deal, but the workforce plan is not due until 2024. In the light of the urgency of addressing climate change, will the Government commit to bring that forward to some time later this year?

[Amanda Solloway]

We are working as quickly as we can on ensuring this. The new skills that will be required are really beneficial for the UK economy, so we are keen to work with the green jobs delivery group and the Department for Education in looking at apprenticeships and how we can push this forward as quickly as possible.

[Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East) (Con)]

12. What steps he is taking to encourage private sector investment in clean energy technologies.

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[Anna Firth (Southend West) (Con)]

15. What energy cost support his Department has provided to customers on traditional prepayment meters.

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

The Government have provided support to customers on traditional prepayment meters through the energy bills support scheme and energy price guarantee.

[Anna Firth]

I very much welcome the measures that the Government have announced to support those on traditional prepayment meters, but many residents in Southend West, such as those living in Trafford House in Leigh-on-Sea, are on communal heat networks. They are still facing higher prices and have no control whatsoever over their heating. What are the Government doing to encourage heat suppliers to apply for the energy bill discount scheme ahead of the deadline at the end of this month, which will benefit my constituents who have no control over their energy bills?

[Amanda Solloway]

My hon. Friend is a great advocate for all her constituents, and she will be interested to hear that the Government are committed to supporting domestic heat network customers with their bills. That is why we introduced the energy bills discount scheme heat network support, which aims to ensure that heat network customers do not face disappointingly higher bills compared with customers in equivalent households.

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

Can the Minister tell us the value of prepayment meter vouchers not cashed by the 30 June deadline? What can the Government do to ensure that support reaches those people who are eligible to get it?

[Amanda Solloway]

All hon. Members will know how abhorrent we found the use of forced entry to people’s houses over prepayment meters. However, we have worked hard and consistently to ensure that all those on prepayment meters are treated fairly and given support.

[Mr Rob Roberts (Delyn) (Ind)]

16. What steps he is taking to introduce small modular nuclear reactors into the energy mix.

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[Hannah Bardell (Livingston) (SNP)]

18. What plans he has to support households with energy costs in winter 2023-24.

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

The Government are committed to cheap energy for all. Last winter, we covered half a typical energy bill through the combined support of the energy price guarantee and the energy bill support scheme since October, with a typical household saving around £1,500 by the end of June.

[Hannah Bardell]

There is a huge gulf between the reality and the practice of the Government. The Public Accounts Committee has warned this Tory Government about their lack of planning on support for consumers with the cost of energy this winter. Lack of preparedness seems a serious ailment within this Government. Given that Sense research has found that more than 30% of disabled people are cutting back on their use of medical equipment, when will we get a proper plan from this Government, instead of the profiteering off the backs of the most vulnerable, as we see from so many energy companies?

[Amanda Solloway]

We are of course making plans, and I do not accept that we are not planning. We are also talking to stakeholders and ensuring that we are giving the best support we can to all those who will be vulnerable in winter 2023-24.

[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

T1.   If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

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[Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con)]

T5.   Many businesses across my constituency, including Lishman’s butchers and Clip ’n Climb in Ilkley, have kindly contacted me about needing additional support to help with their energy prices. The Government have done a huge amount to support domestic users, but will the Minister outline what more support can be provided to small independent businesses?

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

My hon. Friend will be interested to hear that the Government provided more than £7.4 billion of support to businesses—more than £35 million a day—through the energy bill relief scheme last winter.

[Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham) (Lab)]

T6. Mine water heating is an emerging technology that employs the heat stored in former mines to heat buildings. It is low-carbon and efficient, and it could be a boon for our country, especially in deindustrialised areas such as County Durham that experience high levels of fuel poverty. What forms of support is the Minister offering? Will he meet me to discuss how we can take this forward in the north-east?

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[Dame Nia Griffith (Llanelli) (Lab)]

Following a debate in Westminster Hall on making heritage buildings more sustainable, will the Secretary of State undertake to meet his colleague the Minister with responsibility for culture to push for the urgent revision of guidelines to allow greater flexibility in the siting of solar panels and other renewable installations on heritage buildings, in order to make them more environmentally sustainable and economically viable?

[Amanda Solloway]

Speaking for myself, I would be delighted to have a meeting on that subject.

[Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con)]

At a time when the cost of generating electricity is falling thanks to the increasing use of renewables, my constituents do not understand why the price of electricity remains linked to the price of gas. I know that the Government are undertaking a review of electricity market arrangements. When might they expect to see a change?