Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making a formal recommendation to HM Treasury on extending VAT relief to Microgeneration Certification Scheme-certified heat batteries.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Tax treatment is the responsibility of HM Treasury and they keep all taxes under review.
This Government has invested £15 billion in the Warm Homes Plan to help upgrade British homes and cut bills. Whilst we expect heat pumps to be suitable for the vast majority of properties, some may be less suitable and so we are supporting alternative low carbon technologies like heat batteries, air-to-air heat pumps, and biomass boilers.
We are also expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to provide more options, including heat batteries. To simplify the system for consumers and installers, Government has recently mandated Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) as the sole certification scheme for clean heat installations under DESNZ schemes.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps is the Government taking to protect rural and semi-rural households from fuel poverty resulting from increases in heating oil prices.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is closely monitoring heating oil supply and price in light of instability in the Middle East. International kerosene prices are >75% higher than they were before the conflict and this is putting pressure on heating oil prices.
The Secretary of State has written to the industry reminding heating oil distributors of their commitments under the UKIFDA Code of Practice, including the need for fair, transparent and justifiable pricing. Ministers have also spoken with the Competition and Markets Authority, who have announced they are reviewing evidence of potential unfair practices and anti-competitive behaviour.
We are keeping under review whether any further support or action is needed to protect consumers.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
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 impact of instances in the Capacity Market where consumers paid for capacity that did not materialise.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department has not made an assessment of this scenario because Capacity Providers are not paid for capacity that does not build out and therefore there is no cost to consumers. Payments under the Capacity Market are only made after a Capacity Provider has demonstrated that it is available to deliver. Where existing capacity fails to demonstrate availability or deliver during its obligation period, payments are suspended and the relevant Capacity Agreement is terminated.
From a security of supply perspective non delivery risk is factored into the way that targets are set within the Capacity Market based on historic data. This ensures that we can have confidence that we are securing the right level of capacity needed to maintain electricity security through a range of scenarios.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
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 projected funding required to meet the fuel poverty targets set out in the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England by 2030.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty. DESNZ will publish new fuel poverty statistics on 26 March.
As a result of decisions taken in the Budget, energy bills are set to fall by 7% or £117 from April. The expansion of the Warm Home Discount means nearly 6 million households are now eligible for the discount. We will continue to provide this until 2030/31.
We also made a £15 billion investment in the Warm Homes Plan. £5 billion of this is going to low-income and fuel poor households, initially delivered through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant. This is made up of £4.4 billion in direct capital grants and an initial £600 million from the Warm Homes Fund, our new strategic investment facility.
Our plans to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards in the private and social rented sectors will deliver long lasting change with around 650,000 households lifted out of fuel poverty.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made towards meeting the statutory fuel poverty targets by 2030.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty. DESNZ will publish new fuel poverty statistics on 26 March.
As a result of decisions taken in the Budget, energy bills are set to fall by 7% or £117 from April. The expansion of the Warm Home Discount means nearly 6 million households are now eligible for the discount. We will continue to provide this until 2030/31.
We also made a £15 billion investment in the Warm Homes Plan. £5 billion of this is going to low-income and fuel poor households, initially delivered through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant. This is made up of £4.4 billion in direct capital grants and an initial £600 million from the Warm Homes Fund, our new strategic investment facility.
Our plans to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards in the private and social rented sectors will deliver long lasting change with around 650,000 households lifted out of fuel poverty.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
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 increasing the low-income allocation within the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes Plan has committed a landmark £15 billion to low-income households, including an extra £1.5 billion from the Budget. In total, £5 billion is set aside to upgrade low-income households with solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation, which can save hundreds of pounds a year compared to gas boiler.
This will initially be delivered through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) and the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG). From 2027/28, we intend to integrate the WH:SHF and WH:LG into a single low-income capital scheme and we will say more about our plans for this in Spring 2026.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has received representations from the ambassador or any other representatives of the US administration relating to the suitability of the Wylfa site for gigawatt-scale nuclear energy production.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK and US Government regularly discuss a wide range of policy issues linked to nuclear energy in both the UK and US. In September we agreed the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy to unlock billions in private investment and accelerate the delivery of new nuclear projects in both countries.
The government has selected Wylfa as the site to host Britain’s first small modular reactors.
Meanwhile, to pursue the option of further large-scale nuclear, Great British Energy - Nuclear has been tasked with identifying suitable sites that could potentially host such a project
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what portion of the £15 billion Warm Homes Plan will be ringfenced for the installation costs of alternative heating systems in off-gas grid properties.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes Plan sets out in detail how the government's £15 billion investment into home upgrades will be allocated to individual schemes. While there is no specifically ring-fenced funding for off-gas grid homes, the package will support these homes to decarbonise in a variety of ways.
Additionally, the government has published a consultation on alternative heating solutions which explores the role these technologies could play in ensuring that every household has a suitable low-carbon option. The consultation closed on 10 February, and we will issue the Government response in due course.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that the Warm Homes Plan provides full grant coverage for the upfront installation costs of low-carbon heating for low-income households in off-gas grid areas.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As part of the Warm Homes Plan the government is investing £5 billion in direct support for low-income households. This will initially be delivered through the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF).
All eligible households in England and Wales can also benefit from the expanded Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), funded with £2.7 billion to 2030. This will provide more options for homes where a hydronic heat pump may not be the most appropriate solution, including air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries.
Additionally, the government has published a consultation on alternative heating solutions which explores the role these technologies could play in ensuring that every household has a suitable low-carbon option. The consultation closed on 10 February, and a government response will follow in due course.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether (a) he and (b) his Ministers have had discussions with the Foreign Secretary on the comments made by the US Ambassador on the suitability of the Wylfa site for gigawatt-scale nuclear production.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My Rt Hon friend has regular discussions with cabinet colleagues on a number of issues.
The government has selected Wylfa as the site to host Britain’s first small modular reactors. Meanwhile, to pursue the option of further large-scale nuclear, Great British Energy - Nuclear has been tasked with identifying suitable sites that could potentially host such a project.