Dave Doogan

Great British Energy has as one of its key functions the delivery of the Local Power Plan which will provide funding and support to communities to meet the government's goal of 8GW of community energy by 2030.

The GBE Bill is still making its way through Parliament and the Autumn 2024 budget allocated £125m to set up the company in FY 25-26. We will have more to say on GBE's first investments in due course.

The Government recognises the importance of a smooth transition for consumers away from Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters. The Government is working closely with Ofgem, industry stakeholders, and energy suppliers through the RTS Taskforce which is working to upgrade all RTS meters before the switch off in June 2025. We will continue to work closely with Ofgem and the RTS Taskforce to tackle this issue and to ensure that consumers get a good deal.

The UK will work closely with international partners to deliver our commitments to transition away from fossil fuels, as agreed at COP28, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, while ensuring our energy security. The Government has also just launched a Global Clean Power Alliance to accelerate the transition to clean energy.

The UK’s international engagement is based on strong domestic leadership. One of the Government’s missions is to deliver clean power by 2030, and the Government will consult later this year on implementing the manifesto position not to issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields.

GBE will benefit all four nations, creating jobs and building supply chains across the whole of UK. GBE’s funding envelope provides a total amount for it to operate UK-wide.

We are resetting the Government’s approach to working with the devolved nations. We are working with the Northern Ireland Executive, and Scottish and Welsh Governments on the scope and opportunities for GBE’s work across the UK. The vision statement between the Scottish Government and DESNZ is a key step towards progressing this collaboration, including exploring opportunities for GBE to partner with the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme to support local energy in Scotland.

Any developer of electricity network infrastructure projects undertakes an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for individual projects and EIAs for projects in rural areas will almost always include assessment of agricultural impacts. These assessments are then considered in the consenting process for projects. In addition, consultation on proposed projects includes engagement with relevant stakeholders, including farmers.

The Department does not hold these estimates.

According to ONS data^[1], direct jobs in oil and gas extraction fell by around a third between 2014 and 2022 (from c.42k to c.28k). Of all current direct offshore oil and gas jobs, roughly 80% are in Scotland^[2].

As Britain becomes a clean energy superpower, the Government is determined to create new high-quality jobs to ensure a phased and responsible transition in the North Sea.

^[1] ONS Business Register and Employment Survey - https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/industry235digitsicbusinessregisterandemploymentsurveybrestable2

^[2] ONS Business Register and Employment data from NOMIS - (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/select/getdatasetbytheme.asp?theme=27&subgrp=Previous+employment+surveys)

The Government keeps abreast of the various technologies that can be used to help us achieve clean power by 2030, including the various means of laying cable, but has not yet made an estimate of the relative costs of cabling since it came into power.

Great British Energy will be a publicly-owned energy company that will invest in, own and operate projects. Great British Energy will support the Government's clean power mission by partnering with industry, local authorities and communities.

The exact detail and timeline of specific projects will be set out as appropriate by Great British Energy itself, as an operationally independent company.

Great British Energy, through the Local Power Plan, will give local communities a stake in the transition to net zero, as owners and partners in clean energy projects. It will provide commercial, technical and project-planning assistance to Local and Combined Authorities and Community Energy Groups, increasing their capability and capacity to build a pipeline of successful projects in their local areas. As an operationally independent company, Great British Energy will work with stakeholders at the local level to decide ownership structures for each project.

Great British Energy will be an operationally independent company capitalised with £8.3 billion over this Parliament. The exact proportion of investment allocated to different priorities will be a decision for Great British Energy and investment to support early development work on projects will be an important part of its work. The Secretary of State will set out Great British Energy’s strategic priorities in due course.

Great British Energy will not seek to own electricity transmission infrastructure, instead it will be a publicly owned generation company that will own, manage, and operate clean energy projects across the country. This means Great British Energy will invest in and own renewable energy projects which will produce clean, cheap and homegrown energy and make Britain energy secure.

As set out in Great British Energy’s Founding Statement, supporting British supply chains is one of the five key functions of this new publicly-owned energy company. Government is committed to supporting the transition to an affordable, decarbonised power system by 2030, built using domestic manufacturing and supply chains. Government will provide further detail as to the role that Great British Energy will play in due course as we continue to work towards putting a plan in motion to deliver a comprehensive package of support for domestic clean energy supply chains that will significantly boost the number of skilled jobs in these essential industries.

Government does not intend for Great British Energy to buy existing generation assets from private sector operators. Instead, Government anticipates that it will develop a portfolio of new assets, boosting Britain’s energy security whilst also delivering revenues to the British taxpayer. Government will do this by working in partnership with the private sector, local authorities and communities.

No. The Government does not intend Great British Energy to be an energy retail company or to supply energy directly to households. Great British Energy will invest in, own and operate energy projects which will produce clean, cheap and homegrown power that is sold to retail companies.

Electricity market reform work is key to delivering a decarbonised, secure, and affordable system. The new Government is currently assessing timelines, and we will provide more information in due course.

Great British Energy will work with institutions such as the National Wealth Fund and UK Infrastructure Bank to deliver the Government’s clean energy mission. The Government is currently developing the details of both Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund in consultation with industry stakeholders and is committed to providing further detail on these bodies and the interactions between them in due course.

The way that Great British Energy interacts with other existing and new government policies influencing the energy system, including the Contracts for Difference Scheme, will be determined in due course. Great British Energy’s activities will be compliant with the Subsidy Control Act and Windsor Framework.

Great British Energy will invest in, own and operate projects which will produce clean, cheap and homegrown energy and make Britain energy secure. It will be backed by a capitalisation of £8.3bn of new money over this Parliament.

Government will clarify the relationship between Great British Energy and existing technology investment schemes and initiatives, such as the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, in due course.

Electricity market reform work is key to delivering a decarbonised, secure, and affordable system. The Government will provide more information in due course.

Great British Energy will be a publicly-owned energy company that will invest in, own and operate projects, including generation assets, that expect a return on investments, generating revenue and delivering profits that will benefit the public. Any profit generated through Great British Energy will be channelled into creating further benefits for the UK taxpayers, billpayers and communities. Government does not intend for Great British Energy to be a retail energy supplier.

No. The 8.3bn of funding allocated to Great British Energy over the next five years will be an additional measure and will not replace the need for other government support mechanisms such as the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. The CfD Scheme is funded through a separate route via the CfD Supplier Obligation Levy. This government has increased the budget for allocation round six of the CfD Scheme by over 50%. The budget is now set at £1.555 billion.

Great British Energy will be a publicly-owned energy company that will invest in, own and operate projects. Great British Energy will support the Government's clean power mission by partnering with industry, local authorities and communities.

The exact detail and timeline of specific projects will be set out as appropriate by Great British Energy itself, as an operationally independent company.

Government does not intend for Great British Energy to buy existing generation assets from private sector operators. Instead, Government anticipates that it will develop a portfolio of new assets, boosting Britain’s energy security whilst also delivering revenues to the British taxpayer. Government will do this by working in partnership with the private sector, local authorities and communities.

Great British Energy will be a publicly-owned energy company that will invest in, own and operate projects. Great British Energy will support the Government's clean power mission by partnering with industry, local authorities and communities.

The exact detail and timeline of specific projects will be set out as appropriate by Great British Energy itself, as an operationally independent company.

Where parents frequently change employment, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can use alternative powers such as deducting child maintenance directly from their bank account. The CMS has a range of strong enforcement options that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve. Upon changing employer, the child maintenance liability will remain unaffected unless there is also a change to income which is greater than 25%.

The Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 delivered primary legislation to accelerate the enforcement process. The changes seek to introduce a simpler administrative process to obtain a liability order against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities, enabling the CMS to take faster enforcement action. We will monitor the effectiveness of this.

The CMS has a relatively low percentage of unpaid maintenance. Only 8% of the total maintenance due to be paid since the start of the CMS remains to be collected through the collect & pay service. This was as high as 17% in March 2015.