Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households not on the national grid for (a) gas and (b) electricity in each constituency in Scotland.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The department publishes estimates of the number of domestic properties not connected to the gas network in Great Britain by country, English regions, local authority and constituency.
For Northern Ireland, data on the total number of gas connections is available via the Annual Retail Energy Market Monitoring Report.
Equivalent figures for the electricity network are not published.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households not on the national grid for (a) gas and (b) electricity in Scotland.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The department publishes estimates of the number of domestic properties not connected to the gas network in Great Britain by country, English regions, local authority and constituency.
For Northern Ireland, data on the total number of gas connections is available via the Annual Retail Energy Market Monitoring Report.
Equivalent figures for the electricity network are not published.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households not on the national grid for (a) gas and (b) electricity in the UK.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The department publishes estimates of the number of domestic properties not connected to the gas network in Great Britain by country, English regions, local authority and constituency.
For Northern Ireland, data on the total number of gas connections is available via the Annual Retail Energy Market Monitoring Report.
Equivalent figures for the electricity network are not published.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 adequacy of regulatory frameworks in ensuring that rural communities have access to electricity grid connections.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government works with Ofgem to ensure grid investment supports all communities, including remote rural areas. Ofgem has allocated £22 billion for network upgrades under the current electricity distribution price control (2023–2028). The next price control (2028–2033) will require distribution network operators to produce long-term regional network plans.
Ofgem is also conducting an ‘end-to-end' review of connection obligations and incentives to improve customer service and network operator accountability, with proposals to be published later this year.
These measures enable timely upgrades and connections for rural communities, supporting low-carbon technologies while maintaining affordability for consumers.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 merits of introducing a support mechanism for electricity infrastructure projects in rural areas that face high connection costs.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I recognise that connection costs can be higher in rural areas that are distant from the wider electricity network. Under Ofgem’s price control framework, network companies are investing in new electricity network capacity ahead of need. This should reduce connection costs, including in rural areas. Ofgem has also reduced the proportion of connection costs that fall to the connecting customer where distribution network upgrades are required. In addition, connection customers can choose an Independent Connection Provider that can often deliver cheaper connections.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Ofgem on ensuring that grid investment strategies take into account the long-term sustainability of remote rural communities.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government works with Ofgem to ensure grid investment supports all communities, including remote rural areas. Ofgem has allocated £22 billion for network upgrades under the current electricity distribution price control (2023–2028). The next price control (2028–2033) will require distribution network operators to produce long-term regional network plans.
Ofgem is also conducting an ‘end-to-end' review of connection obligations and incentives to improve customer service and network operator accountability, with proposals to be published later this year.
These measures enable timely upgrades and connections for rural communities, supporting low-carbon technologies while maintaining affordability for consumers.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support electricity network operators to deliver connection upgrades in remote rural communities.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government works with Ofgem to ensure grid investment supports all communities, including remote rural areas. Ofgem has allocated £22 billion for network upgrades under the current electricity distribution price control (2023–2028). The next price control (2028–2033) will require distribution network operators to produce long-term regional network plans.
Ofgem is also conducting an ‘end-to-end' review of connection obligations and incentives to improve customer service and network operator accountability, with proposals to be published later this year.
These measures enable timely upgrades and connections for rural communities, supporting low-carbon technologies while maintaining affordability for consumers.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of difficulties in connecting remote communities to the national electricity grid on rural depopulation.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has not made an assessment of any relationship between connecting to the electricity network and changes in rural populations.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that electricity pricing structures support private sector investment in zero-emission transport infrastructure.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Our announcement on Reformed National Pricing in the summer set out a package of reforms that will deliver a more strategic and coordinated approach to the energy system, provide stronger signals for efficient siting of new assets and improve overall operation efficiency. This will support increased investment by industry in the coming years by encouraging market stability, reducing transitional burdens on industry and transport, and providing certainty for investors.
We will continue to work with stakeholders across industry through the development and delivery of these reforms, ensuring that any associated costs with changes to processes are kept to a minimum.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the (a) dates and (b) locations are of each of the radio teleswitch service switch-off phases.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Radio Teleswitch (RTS) signal has been switched off in some carefully targeted localised areas, where suppliers have the capacity to respond quickly in case of any issues.
Industry’s phase out plan is flexible and subject to change, as suppliers must demonstrate to Ofgem and Government that they are sufficiently prepared before they can proceed further.
Suppliers are continuing to contact households with RTS meters to arrange appointments to have them replaced in advance of any switch offs, but are also encouraging consumers to not wait, with over a quarter of a million meters having already been replaced across GB this year. Ofgem has also been contacting local authorities and members of parliament to inform them of planned activity in their area ahead of any switch offs.