Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timeframe is for the eligibility review for the Nuclear Test Medal.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As directed by the Defence Secretary, the review of the eligibility criteria for the Nuclear Test Medal is already underway. The Ministry of Defence is prioritising this work and will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the steps her Department has taken to increase the number of people claiming Pension Credit on the cost to the public purse of expenditure on that benefit.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government announced on the 29 July 2024 that eligibility for Winter Fuel payments will be linked to those on Pension Credit or other means tested benefits for pensioners from Winter 2024. We have received around 38,500 Pension Credit claims in the 5 weeks since the announcement on 29th July (which is up to and including w/c 26th August). This is compared to around 17,900 Pension Credit claims in the 5 weeks preceding the announcement. This represents a 115% increase in Pension Credit claims received by the Department in the past 5 weeks compared to the 5 weeks before. These published statistics can be found here: Weekly Pension Credit claims received from 1 April 2024 to 1 September 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). It is not currently possible to estimate the expenditure that will result from this.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the number of kilometres of new energy transmission lines that will be required to decarbonise the grid by 2030.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State and Head of Mission Control wrote to the Electricity System Operator (ESO) on 23rd August to formally commission advice regarding the key requirements for the Government to meet its clean power commitment by 2030. This includes the transmission network.
More detail will be provided in the autumn.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the development of fusion technology.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fusion supports the Government’s missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. The commercial process for the STEP powerplant programme is in train, we are investing in cutting-edge research programmes and facilities, and are implementing the UK’s proportionate regulatory framework, strengthening the UK’s role as the global hub for fusion innovation. Together, this will support investment and job creation and help deliver a thriving UK fusion industry.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
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 (a) reliability of supply chains for and (b) resilience to price shocks in the zinc market in the context of his energy policies.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Taking action to ensure that our clean energy supply chains are resilient is a key priority across our missions - both to make the UK a clean energy superpower and kickstart growth.
The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC), sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered with the British Geological Survey, is currently undertaking an updated criticality assessment, which will assess the economic vulnerability and supply risk of over 80 candidate materials, including zinc.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the quantity and proportion of the copper that will be required to decarbonise the grid by 2030 that will be sourced from overseas markets.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Significant infrastructure investment is required to meet the Government’s mission for clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The equipment, such as cables and transformers, to enable transformation of the grid will be reliant on copper and its associated supply chain. We also recognise the vital role of copper in making wind power possible.
The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by the British Geological Survey, is undertaking studies to forecast the UK’s demand for critical minerals including copper in our clean energy technologies and energy infrastructure. They will be published later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the quantity of copper that will be required to provide 60 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Significant infrastructure investment is required to meet the Government’s mission for clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The equipment, such as cables and transformers, to enable transformation of the grid will be reliant on copper and its associated supply chain. We also recognise the vital role of copper in making wind power possible.
The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by the British Geological Survey, is undertaking studies to forecast the UK’s demand for critical minerals including copper in our clean energy technologies and energy infrastructure. They will be published later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the tonnes of copper that will be required to decarbonise the National Grid by 2030.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Significant infrastructure investment is required to meet the Government’s mission for clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The equipment, such as cables and transformers, to enable transformation of the grid will be reliant on copper and its associated supply chain. We also recognise the vital role of copper in making wind power possible.
The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by the British Geological Survey, is undertaking studies to forecast the UK’s demand for critical minerals including copper in our clean energy technologies and energy infrastructure. They will be published later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of decarbonising the grid by 2030 on demand for copper.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Significant infrastructure investment is required to meet the Government’s mission for clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The equipment, such as cables and transformers, to enable transformation of the grid will be reliant on copper and its associated supply chain. We also recognise the vital role of copper in making wind power possible.
The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by the British Geological Survey, is undertaking studies to forecast the UK’s demand for critical minerals including copper in our clean energy technologies and energy infrastructure. They will be published later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to bring pensions for Gurkha soldiers who retired before 1997 in line with the standard British Army pension.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Government greatly values the service of all members of the Armed Forces, including the Gurkhas, who have a long and distinguished history of Service to the UK, both here and overseas. The Government takes its responsibilities to our Gurkha veterans very seriously and is committed to providing Gurkha veterans with a fair pension.
The 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme is different to other Armed Forces Pension Schemes, but these differences are objectively and reasonably justified. The legal basis for Gurkha pensions has been upheld by three Judicial Reviews since 2003, including a case that went to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
The Government maintains that the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme continues to provide a good income for our Gurkha veterans living in Nepal, in accordance with the original scheme design.
As a Minister new to the Gurkha Pension issue, I look forward to meeting with the Ambassador of Nepal and the Gurkha veteran representatives in due course.