Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 merits of requiring (a) financial institutions and (b) other FTSE 100 companies to include information on their employees' commuting emissions within planned publications on carbon footprints.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) policy requires quoted UK companies and large unquoted UK companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) to disclose specified energy and emissions (generally Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, with some limited Scope 3 requirements such as business travel for unquoted businesses) in their annual reports. The costs, benefits and practicalities of wider Scope 3 emissions reporting requirements - including employee commuting emissions – is being assessed to help inform the Government’s decision on whether to endorse the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards in the UK. The Government will provide more information in due course.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will publish all written representations made by the Crown Estate on proposals for Great British Energy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 25th July Government published the Great British Energy Founding Statement, which outlined how the partnership between Great British Energy and The Crown Estate will bring forward and derisk new offshore wind developments, stimulate new technologies in new clean energy sectors and invest in ports and clean energy supply chains. We will set out further detail in due course, as the partnership develops.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 regulating embodied carbon to help meet net zero targets.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Last year, the Government consulted on the possible introduction of Mandatory Product Standards, in other words regulations to limit the embodied emissions of products.
In response, the previous Government set out it would not commit to introducing Mandatory Product Standards for any specific sector at that stage. Instead, it was planning to focus on introducing Voluntary Product Standards, which would be a necessary first step.
Voluntary Product Standards will establish definitions of low carbon products that can be used as a basis for policies such as green public procurement. The Government plans to consult on these standards in due course.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 progress by (a) the oil and gas sector and (b) her Department towards meeting (i) targets and (ii) commitments under the North Sea Transition Deal.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with trade unions on workers' needs in the context of the transition from oil and gas to renewable energy.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will request that Shell publishes its environmental impact assessments in respect of the areas of the Niger Delta where SPDC currently operates.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
Environmental Impact Assessments for Shell’s activities in Nigeria since 2014 are published on the company’s website. Please see https://www.shell.com.ng/sustainability/environment/environment-impact-assessments.html
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to help ensure that Shell has in place plans for the safe decommissioning of its infrastructure in Nigeria prior to selling its Nigerian operation SPDC.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
SPDC is a Nigerian registered subsidiary of Shell whose operations in the Niger Delta are as a member of a Joint Venture in which it has a minority stake (the majority - 55% - stake is held by Nigerian state-owned company NNPC Ltd). This Joint Venture operates under a regulatory regime set and enforced by the Government of Nigeria. It would not be appropriate for His Majesty's Government, as a foreign government, to seek to influence the regulatory process.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data her Department holds on the average energy costs paid by consumers who (a) received heating from a heat network and (b) did not receive heating from a heat network and whose bill was subject to the energy price cap in 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Department currently does not routinely collect heat network customer tariffs. However, we did collect tariff information under our Heat Network Consumer and Operator Survey 2022. This survey found that heat network customers reported paying on average less than those not on heat networks. The energy price cap for the period 1 October to 31 December 2023 is £1,834 a year for a typical household who use gas and electricity and pay by Direct Debit, for non-heat network consumers who were eligible.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 requirement to pass on energy price support to end users under section 19 of the Energy Prices Act 2022, whether she has made an assessment of the number and proportion of intermediaries who have received support under the (a) Energy Price Guarantee, (b) Energy Bills Support Scheme and (c) Energy Bill Relief Scheme and (i) have and (ii) have not passed on that support since the introduction of those schemes.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The legislation was introduced to ensure that intermediaries who received energy price support were legally required to pass through the benefit. The regulations allowed end users to pursue recovery of benefits from their intermediary as a debt through civil proceedings. Should a court rule in the end user’s favour, they will be entitled to the payment, plus interest.
Such an assessment is not possible as data is not held in this way. We believe in the majority of cases energy price support was passed on to the consumer. We are aware of a small number of cases which have been escalated and are currently being investigated by the authorities.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department has taken to enforce the requirement to pass on energy price support to end users under section 19 of the Energy Prices Act 2022 in relation to the (a) Energy Price Guarantee, (b) Energy Bills Support Scheme and (c) Energy Bill Relief Scheme.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The legislation was introduced to ensure that intermediaries who received energy price support were legally required to pass through the benefit. The regulations allowed end users to pursue recovery of benefits from their intermediary as a debt through civil proceedings. Should a court rule in the end user’s favour, they will be entitled to the payment, plus interest.
Such an assessment is not possible as data is not held in this way. We believe in the majority of cases energy price support was passed on to the consumer. We are aware of a small number of cases which have been escalated and are currently being investigated by the authorities.