Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of infrastructure in the UK to (a) capture carbon from woody biomass burning at scale and (b) transport and store carbon dioxide.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As part of the cluster sequencing process, the Department has previously undertaken assessments of the potential CCUS capabilities of industrial clusters across the UK. The guidance and eligibility criteria for these assessments is available on gov.uk. The UK holds an estimated 78 billion tonnes of theoretical CO2 storage capacity in the UK continental shelf.
Whilst Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is not currently operating at scale in the UK, a 2021 evaluation of greenhouse gas removal technologies found BECCS to be at a technology readiness level of six out of a possible nine.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to her Department's consultation on a transitional support mechanism for large-scale biomass generators, published on 18 January 2024, what steps she has taken to ensure that the subsidies proposed in that consultation would not allow biomass companies to receive subsidies without capturing any carbon.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The consultation on potential transitional support arrangements for large scale biomass generators is with the express intention of facilitating their transition to power BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) in future, which will deliver valuable negative carbon emissions.
Subsidies under the future power BECCS business model are not considered within the scope of this consultation on potential transitional support.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to her Department's consultation on a transitional support mechanism for large-scale biomass generators, published on 18 January 2024, what steps she has taken to (a) cost and (b) carry out a cost/benefit analysis of the options for new subsidies in that consultation.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Any potential transitional support mechanism must be affordable and will be subject to rigorous value for money assessments to ensure tax and bill payer money is spent wisely. Further details of the cost-benefit analysis can be found in the Impact Assessment which accompanies the consultation publication.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will bring forward a Race Action Plan to tackle (a) systemic inequalities affecting and (b) discrimination faced by (i) Romani, (ii) Roma and (iii) Irish Travellers in the (A) education, (B) economic, (C) criminal justice and (D) health sectors.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government takes its responsibilities and statutory obligations to all our communities seriously. Simultaneously we emphasise the importance of governing on behalf of everyone, irrespective of background, race, ethnicity or any other characteristics.
Constant attempts to atomise public policy making will neither be successful nor help the communities they erroneously purport to assist.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that the lived experiences of Romani, Roma and Irish Travellers are taken fully into account in consideration of policy affecting them.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government takes its responsibilities and statutory obligations to all our communities seriously. Simultaneously we emphasise the importance of governing on behalf of everyone, irrespective of background, race, ethnicity or any other characteristics.
Constant attempts to atomise public policy making will neither be successful nor help the communities they erroneously purport to assist.