Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of promoting community-owned energy projects in the East of England to (a) help achieve Net Zero targets and (b) provide greater support for infrastructure construction in localities affected.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Community projects will play a crucial role in the Government’s mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower, by saving families money and improving communities’ energy security.
Through the Government’s Local Power Plan, which will be delivered by Great British Energy, we will put local communities and stakeholders at the heart of the energy transition. Great British Energy will collaborate with private energy companies, local authorities, and cooperatives to roll-out small and medium-scale clean energy projects. This will save families money and ensure communities directly benefit from local developments.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 providing (a) £10,000, (b) £40,000 and (c) £100,000 per kilometre of underground line to local authorities affected by new electricity infrastructure projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The previous government’s response to the consultation on community benefits for transmission network infrastructure was published in November 2023. This document outlines that, when combined with bill discounts and additional benefits for overhead cables and substations, these levels of wider benefits could lead to benefits to society with an estimated value between £1.5bn - £7.8bn if improved acceptability reduces delays to network build. These benefits come from reduced network constraint costs and emissions savings.
It is important for this Government that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they should directly benefit from it. We are currently considering how to ensure communities benefit from living near new onshore electricity transmission infrastructure.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 providing (a) £50,000, (b) £200,000 and (c) £500,000 per kilometre of overhead line to local authorities affected by new electricity infrastructure projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The previous government’s response to the consultation on community benefits for transmission network infrastructure was published in November 2023. This document outlines that, when combined with bill discounts and additional benefits for underground cables and substations, these levels of wider benefits could lead to benefits to society with an estimated value between £1.5bn - £7.8bn if improved acceptability reduces delays to network build. These benefits come from reduced network constraint costs and emissions savings.
It is important for this Government that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they should directly benefit from it. We are currently considering how to ensure communities benefit from living near new onshore electricity transmission infrastructure.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 encourage communities to support renewable energy network connection infrastructure in their localities.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It is important for this Government that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they should directly benefit from it. We are currently considering ways that ensure communities benefit from living near new onshore electricity transmission infrastructure.
Strategic network planning will reduce the overall impact of infrastructure through coordination where appropriate. Networks plans take account of environmental and community impacts, alongside deliverability and economic cost, at every stage of network planning.
National Grid Electricity System Operator is developing the Electricity Transmission Design Principles.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the financial impact of rural crime on the agriculture sector in Norfolk.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are committed to stamping out crime and disorder in rural areas and we will ensure countryside communities blighted by organised crime, rural theft and antisocial behaviour will be protected.
The Home Office provided a startup grant of £300,000 to set up the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU).
The NRCU supports forces nationally in their responses to rural crime, such as the theft of farming or construction machinery, livestock theft, rural fly tipping, rural fuel theft and equine crime. The unit aims to help police forces tackle rural crime priorities through the provision of specialist operational support, as well as through sharing best practice and encouraging regional and national approaches to tackling rural crime. The NRCU helps police across the country tackle organised theft and disrupt organised crime groups, as well as working closely with the National Crime Agency.
The Home Office also directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to provide intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime which can affect the agriculture sector.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was allocated to (a) each police force in England and Wales, (b) each government department, (c) each local authority and (d) other bodies through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme in each year since 2010.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Allocations from the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) with breakdowns for police forces, government departments, local authority and other bodies that participate in ARIS is only available from financial year 2016/17 to 2022/23
Published data from financial year 2016/17 to 2021/22 can be found in tab 9 of the data tables: Reporting force and agency data - assets recovered: September 2022.
Published data from financial year 2017/18 to 2022/23 can be found in tab 10 of the data tables: Asset Recovery Statistics, financial years ending 2018 to 2023: Data Tables.
The total value of ARIS allocations to police forces, government departments, local authority and other bodies from 2016/17 to 2022/23 is £679.7m
The next publication covering financial year 2023/24 is due to be published in September.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Network Rail on (a) the status of the Ely area capacity enhancement and (b) its potential impact on rail capacity for the Cambridge to Norwich route.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Both the Rail Minister and I are early in our tenure as Transport Ministers, and he is yet to speak to Network Rail regarding the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement. However, as Transport Ministers we recognise the benefits the scheme could bring for freight and passenger rail services in East Anglia, including the Cambridge to Norwich route. The Rail Minister looks forward to discussing these proposals with Network Rail and other stakeholders in due course.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help people living in rural villages to benefit from safe active travel routes to larger urban areas to access (a) schools and (b) retail and other services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England (ATE) provides funding and support to all local authorities in England, including those in rural areas. For example, ATE provides training on infrastructure design guidance and is developing specific guidance for good practice application in rural areas. In 2024, ATE also provided £1 million to the ten National Parks in England to help them develop better links to rural towns and villages.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Network Rail on the status of the Wymondham train station accessibility upgrades.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Both the Rail Minister and I are early in our tenure as Transport Ministers. As such, he has yet to speak to Network Rail regarding the status of the Wymondham station accessibility project. The Department looks forward to discussing these proposals with Network Rail and other stakeholders in the near future.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of of the potential merits of providing long-term financial compensation to communities which host the installation of pylons to improve the transmission of renewable energy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The heart of the Government’s agenda is to make Britain a clean energy superpower, boost energy independence and reduce bills through clean power by 2030, and our electricity network is key to this success. It is important for this Government that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they should directly benefit from it. We are currently considering ways that ensure communities benefit from living near new onshore electricity transmission infrastructure and are committed to ensuring fair and beneficial outcomes in alignment with our overall mission.