Angus Brendan MacNeil

In DECC’s most recently published reference scenario, Carbon Capture and Storage would generate one per cent of electricity in 2020. The UK has a carbon budget for the period 2018-22 which requires a 37% reduction in emissions on 1990 levels, which we are on track to meet and over-perform by 51 MtCO2e.

The Government’s view remains that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has a potential role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s power and industrial sectors. There are also potential opportunities for the oil and gas and CCS industries to work together.

The Wood Review identified a range of key issues faced by the maturing UK continental shelf, which the Government and industry must jointly address to deliver maximum economic recovery (MER) of UK petroleum. In response, the Government has established the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) as a body focused on delivering MER. This has attracted strong industry support.

The OGA is considering the role of CCS in the technology and decommissioning strategies it is developing and will engage with the CCS industry to ensure that opportunities between the industries are identified and explored wherever possible.

DECC will continue to engage with industry and academia, to understand the potential for any future schemes to enhance oil recovery from the North Sea.

The provision of ring-fenced capital support for CCS was judged against other Government funding priorities as part of the Spending Review. My department has paid £78.6m between 2011/12 and November 2015 on the CCS Competition including the investment in Front End Engineering and Design (approximately £60 million), independent professional technical, legal, financial and commercial advice and civil service staff.

The Government continues to view CCS as having a potential role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s power and industrial sectors, and considers that the investment to date remains value for money to the UK.

In 2009 the Don Valley Project was awarded a €180m European Energy Programme for Recovery grant which contributes towards the feasibility and design phase of the project's development. The award is still in place and ~€125m has so far been claimed. In 2013 the White Rose CCS project was awarded up to €300m in potential NER300 funding. This award, which remains available, is subject to the project being able to successfully store carbon dioxide before the end of June 2020.

The CCS Competition opened in April 2012, with bids invited by July 2012. Eight bids were submitted: North East Oxyfuel Project, Peterhead CCS, Teesside Low Carbon, White Rose (Capture Power), Captain Clean Energy Limited, Don Valley CCS, National Grid Humber Cluster and National Grid Teesside Cluster. Four full chain projects were shortlisted in October 2012. On 14 January 2013, shortlisted bidders submitted revised proposals and later that year the Government announced two preferred bidders, Capture Power Ltd’ White Rose Project and Shell’s Peterhead Project, who were later awarded contracts to undertake Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies. Captain Clean Energy and Teesside Low Carbon, the remaining two shortlisted bidders, were appointed as reserve projects until such time as FEED contracts were signed.

Each supplier is responsible for managing complaints about delayed switches. Suppliers must have in place a process for handling complaints, including those concerning delayed switches. This process includes a requirement to explain to the customer the remedies available, including compensation and remedial action.

Ofgem will take enforcement action against suppliers who unjustifiably block customers switching to a new supplier and can instruct suppliers to pay compensation to customers who lose out financially.

Ofgem published data on average switching time for domestic customers in Great Britain. It is available online at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/chart/average-switching-time-domestic-customers-gb

On 1 June 2015 (latest published data available) the average switching time for domestic electricity supplies was 15.7 days and 15.5 days for gas.

The UK is required to hold stocks of oil for use in response to substantial disruptions to oil supply through its membership of the European Union and the International Energy Agency. In the UK we manage our obligation by directing companies who are substantial suppliers of oil to the UK to hold stocks which can then be released if required in an emergency. The Department of Energy and Climate Change collects detailed data on a monthly basis from these companies on the stocks. This is then checked and verified before the Department then reports to the European Commission and International Energy Agency. Our processes ensure we have clear oversight of our emergency oil stocks. We also regularly review these processes to ensure they are as efficient as possible and do not place unnecessary burden on industry.

The consultation on the future of the FIT scheme closed on the 23rd October. We are currently analysing feedback submitted during the consultation. We will publish a government response to the consultation in due course.

We are in the first phase of a negotiation with Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay PLC for a Contract for Difference (CFD) for the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project.

This first phase is a due diligence exercise to establish a better understanding of the project, including detailed scrutiny of its costs, timescales and potential benefits.

Being in a bilateral negotiation does not mean that an agreement on a strike price will be reached or that a CFD will necessarily be awarded.

If there were to be a decision to offer a CFD, it would be subject to strict value for money considerations, the funds available within the Levy Control Framework at the time of a decision and be subject to State aid approval by the European Commission.

The Cabinet Office contracted Engine Partners LLP to provide communications support work for the Scottish independence referendum. The relevant tender documents and contract are available on the UK Government’s transparency portal, Contracts Finder, on the following web page:

https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20Notice.aspx?site=1000&lang=en&NoticeId=1674856.

Information about the costs of this work is already publicly available as part of our routine transparency publications at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

Market research conducted by Ipsos Mori on attitudes in Scotland was shared with Engine Partners UK as part of their contract for provision of communication services.

We are not aware of any subcontractors that were used by Engine Partners UK LLP as part of the delivery of this campaign. Printing services were delivered by Williams Lea, an official government supplier and distribution was done by Royal Mail.

We cannot disclose the names of individuals in the private sector as privacy and data protection issues prevent us from doing so.

We are not aware of any subcontractors that were used by Engine Partners UK LLP as part of the delivery of this campaign. Printing services were delivered by Williams Lea, an official government supplier and distribution was done by Royal Mail.

We cannot disclose the names of individuals in the private sector as privacy and data protection issues prevent us from doing so.

The Cabinet Office has commissioned research into the level of understanding of the devolution settlement in Scotland to improve to public services, monitor efficiency and inform policy development.

The table below sets out the amount of funding the Department allocated to Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland in 2013-2014 together with funding levels as set out in their respective grant allocation letters for the current financial year (2014-15). Funding allocations for 2015-16 have yet to be confirmed.

Supporting off-grid households is an important principle in our approach to tackling fuel poverty. In England, the use of a new indicator – the fuel poverty gap – has highlighted the particular circumstances such households can face.

We are making a number of changes to policies to ensure increased levels of support to such households. For example, we have made changes to the operation of ECO to create incentives for energy suppliers to deliver more measures in these non-gas fuelled homes, including oil fired boilers replacements. While fuel poverty is a devolved issue, ECO operates across Great Britain, and these changes could have an impact in Scotland.

Furthermore, at Autumn Statement 2014, the Government announced new funding in England to support off-grid households (with Barnett consequentials).

As per the answer given to question 210492, the documents are being prepared for publication and will be published via the government’s transparency portal in the coming weeks. Further details on the Cabinet Office open data strategy, including commitments to publish such data can be found here: http://data.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Cabinet%20Office%20Open%20Data%20Strategy_10.pdf.

The Government introduced Contracts for Difference (CfDs) to provide efficient long-term support for all forms of low carbon electricity generation, including renewables. The specific strike price for onshore wind on the islands aims to bridge the funding gap identified as being a barrier to deployment. DECC intends that Scottish island onshore wind projects will be considered as a ‘non-established’ technology in group 2 for EMR allocation, subject to State Aid approval.

DECC is working through the Scottish Islands Renewable Energy Delivery Forum, involving the Islands Councils, Scottish Government, industry and other key partners, towards connecting the Scottish islands to the GB transmission grid and thereby enabling the development of renewable energy at scale.

Cabinet Office contracted Engine Partners LLP for the purposes of providing communications support work in relation to the Scottish independence referendum.

The documents requested will be ready for publication shortly. Information relating to the costs of this work is already publicly available as part of our routine transparency publications at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data.

The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement establishes a standard set of committees to oversee its operation. The Government is considering carefully the process around the establishment of these committees. Further announcements will be made in the usual way.

I refer the hon. Member to the oral statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 23 September about the Reasonable Worst Case Scenario planning assumptions which were published to support these planning activities.

An appointment will be announced in the usual way.

We do not currently hold data on roles in the Cabinet Office that would enable us to provide you with a response.

I can confirm that no current roles in both the Big Lottery Fund and the Crown Commercial Service have the word “trade” in their job title.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The Government has committed £1.1 billion to the Green Industries Growth Accelerator to support the expansion of domestic green manufacturing capacity and strengthen clean energy supply chains. At Spring Budget, we announced provisional allocations of up to £390 million for offshore wind and networks, up to £390 million for carbon capture, utilisation and storage and hydrogen and up to £300m to support domestic production of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for nuclear fuel.

The Government is conducting engagement with industry on the design of the Accelerator and more detail on eligibility and how to apply for funding will be shared in due course.

All decisions taken by the Secretary of State relating to energy planning applications for development consent are published on the Planning Inspectorates web-site and are publicly available. Since the Secretary of State's appointment in August 2023, a total of six decisions have been published and development consent was granted in all cases.

With the growth in heat pump demand encouraged by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) in combination with the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, Government expects to see continued real terms cost reductions over time.

Government actively engages with installers and suppliers participating in the scheme, and will continue to monitor BUS scheme data, wider industry data, and use the outputs of the BUS evaluation programme to understand price trends.

Ofcom are carrying out a review of the future communication needs of the utilities (electricity, gas, and water) that is due for publication in Q4 2023-2024. The Department will draw on the recommendations of that report and, if a spectrum solution is recommended, work with the Department for Science Innovation and Technology to assist industry partners in securing the relevant spectrum allocation.

Ofcom published a consultation on possible spectrum for the energy and water utilities in June, identifying 5 bands for the potential use by the energy sector (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/potential-spectrum-bands-to-support-utilities).

In response to this consultation, the Government has contracted Fraser Nash Consultancy to produce a report looking at the technical feasibility and indicative cost of each of the options Ofcom identified, together with other communication solutions that do not require new radio spectrum. This report will be published in due course.