Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to introduce a discount for domestic electricity use where that electricity is used to power a heat pump.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We know that green, lower-carbon products are more efficient and therefore should be cheaper to run. However, current prices mean this not always the case. We want to make it easier for consumers to make the switch to green products by ‘rebalancing’ prices between electricity and gas to remove these distortions.
In ‘Powering Up Britain’, the government committed to outlining a clear approach to gas and electricity price rebalancing by the end of 2023/24 and making significant progress affecting relative prices by the end of 2024.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of support provided to decarbonise heat in rural communities; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential policy options available to help increase off-grid rollout of heat pumps.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department currently provides support for heat pump deployment through a range of schemes including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2).
The BUS up to November 2023, has recorded 57% of grants for heat pumps being redeemed for rural properties.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to provide further funding for the (a) upscaling of urban photovoltaics technologies and (b) connection of urban photovoltaics to the grid.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government currently has no plans to provide funding for urban photovoltaics, but we are exploring options in the Solar Taskforce for facilitating low-cost finance from retail lenders to help households and businesses with the costs of installation. This builds on a commitment made in the British Energy Security Strategy.
Government does not provide funding for connection of photovoltaics to the grid. However, the independent energy regulator, Ofgem, has reduced connection costs where distribution network reinforcement is required for connection applications from 1 April 2023.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the CPRE, the countryside charity's campaign entitled A rooftop revolution: turning possibility into reality, whether he plans to take steps to help ensure that (a) new car parks are built with solar photovoltaics as standard and (b) existing car parks are retrofitted with solar photovoltaics.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Following full technical consultation, the Government introduced changes to permitted development rights for solar equipment in December 2023. These changes included the introduction of a new permitted development right that allows for the installation of solar canopies in non-domestic, off-street car parks.
These changes simplify planning processes and enable more solar installations to benefit from the flexibilities and planning freedoms permitted development rights offer.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cattle were refused a cattle passport in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Rural Payments Agency registers in the region of 2.5 million cattle every year. In the time available we are not able to provide information on how many cattle passports were refused in each of the last five years. However, as of 11 January 2024 the number of animals in GB currently alive and issued with a CPP35 – Notice of Registration (Refused Passport) is 13,075.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cattle were (a) DNA tested and (b) refused a cattle passport in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Rural Payments Agency registers in the region of 2.5 million cattle every year. The total number of DNA appeals received by the Rural Payments Agency is given in the table below. In the time available we are not able to establish the number of cattle and the number of Passports refused following a DNA appeal being unsuccessful.
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
DNA Appeals Received | 736 | 590 | 506 | 466 | 479 |
Between 2019 and 2021 the data provided is for GB. From 2021 the data does not include appeals made in Scotland.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people appealed against decisions made by the Rural Payments Agency on the passporting of cattle in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Rural Payments Agency registers in the region of 2.5 million cattle every year. The total number of appeals made is given in the table below.
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
Appeals Received | 878 | 1173 | 1044 | 809 | 839 |
Between 2019 and 2021 the data provided is for GB. From 2021 the data does not include appeals made in Scotland.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides on whether British citizens residing in the Cayman Islands would be eligible for home fee status if they enter the UK (a) before 1 September, (b) on 1 September and (c) on the commencement date of their academic course later in September.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Students coming to the UK from specified British Overseas Territories will be eligible for home fee status in England if they have settled status on the first day of the first academic year of the course. Higher education providers in England are autonomous bodies, and they assess a student’s fee status in accordance with the Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations. Where a student does not meet the criteria for home fee status, a provider has the discretion to waive or reduce the fees where they consider it appropriate.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides on whether the date of entry into England or Wales can determine whether a British citizen ordinarily residing in the Cayman Islands qualifies for home fee status.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Students coming to the UK from specified British Overseas Territories will be eligible for home fee status in England if they have settled status on the first day of the first academic year of the course. Higher education providers in England are autonomous bodies, and they assess a student’s fee status in accordance with the Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations. Where a student does not meet the criteria for home fee status, a provider has the discretion to waive or reduce the fees where they consider it appropriate.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the timetable for approving the sale of tractors with Immobilisers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which gained Royal Assent on the 20 July. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes, to help prevent theft of this equipment and identify the owners of stolen equipment when it is recovered.
The Act provides a power for the Secretary of State to extend the scope of the Act, via secondary legislation, to other large agricultural machinery such as tractors. The necessary secondary legislation will be brought before Parliament in due course.
This legislation will make it harder for criminals to sell on stolen machinery, which will have a deterrent effect, and will have a significant impact on thefts of ATVs by breaking the current cycle of theft between farmers, insurers and manufacturers.