David Duguid

The timetable for the Infected Blood Inquiry is a matter for the Chair of the independent statutory Inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff. Sir Brian has publicly recognised the need to achieve a proper balance between speed and the need for thoroughness, and has made clear that the Inquiry will complete its work as quickly as a thorough examination of the facts allows.

As set out in our Net Zero Strategy demand pathway, in 2035, demand for oil and gas may be just over half of 2022 levels.

Whilst our domestic production is expected to decline by 7% year-on-year, new licensing will limit our import dependency to around 60% instead of 70% by 2035.

By 2050, oil use will concentrate in aviation. Gas will be used with CCUS abatement, generating cleaner electricity and hydrogen.

The Government has been clear in its support for the upstream oil and gas sector. The recent announcement of the first 27 licences from the 33^rd Offshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round and our new Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, requiring annual licensing, support this.

Since 2010, the UK has seen £198 billion of investment into low carbon energy. The Government recently announced that its flagship scheme for supporting renewable electricity projects, the Contracts for Differences scheme, would see significant uplifts to the maximum price for offshore wind projects and other renewables in next year's auction.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero works closely with the Department for Business and Trade and other relevant Government departments to attract investment in offshore wind manufacturing.

The UK remains an attractive market for offshore wind investment. SeAH Wind’s new monopile factory and JDR Cables’ subsea cable facility are expected to complete their construction and begin operations by the end of 2024.

The Department is also delivering the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS), worth up to £160 million, to support investment in the port infrastructure needed to deploy large-scale floating offshore wind turbines.

The Government does not intend to extend the Renewables Obligation scheme beyond the end dates for support in 2027 and 2037, depending on when the generating station was accredited. However, finding efficient ways to re-use existing stations that otherwise might decommission could be important for reducing methane emissions, as recognised in the Biomass Strategy. The Government is exploring the most appropriate revenue support mechanism for repowering existing stations across all technology types where this delivers value to the consumer.

The Government does not intend to extend the Renewables Obligation scheme beyond the end dates for support in 2027 and 2037, depending on when the generating station was accredited. However, finding efficient ways to re-use existing stations that otherwise might decommission could be important for reducing methane emissions, as recognised in the Biomass Strategy. The Government is exploring the most appropriate revenue support mechanism for repowering existing stations across all technology types where this delivers value to the consumer.

We have already announced twelve Project Gigabit contracts, to extend gigabit-capable networks in rural and hard-to-reach areas of the UK. More contracts are set to be awarded in the coming months.

Support is also available through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 for residents and businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband through local community broadband projects.

Through the Shared Rural Network, we are also jointly investing over £1 billion to increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the UK.

The Energy Emergencies Executive Committee (E3C), of which the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is a member, is responsible for implementing actions set out in the Storm Arwen Review Final Report. This follows successful practice following previous reviews with cooperation with industry partners, as appropriate.

Oversight by officials of BEIS will be achieved through a newly established Storm Arwen Implementation Steering Group to ensure timely and effective delivery of these actions.

The UK is a world leader in the deployment of offshore wind and development in Scottish waters, as supported through the Contracts for Difference Scheme and the Renewables Obligation Certificate. The Crown Estate Scotland’s recently announced “ScotWind” seabed leasing round, which released almost 25GW of additional capacity in Scottish waters, including 15GW of floating offshore wind. This places Scotland in a good position to continue benefitting from the growth of offshore wind into the 2030s and beyond.

To continue to capitalise on this booming sector, the Government is investing up to £160 million for new large-scale floating offshore wind ports and factories. This funding, boosted by private sector investment, will develop industrial capacity capable of mass-producing floating offshore wind turbines and installing them out at sea, creating thousands of new jobs in the UK’s industrial heartlands. This investment also presents huge opportunities for Scotland’s coastal communities as well as communities up and down the UK, and will build on Scotland's lead as a technology hub for offshore wind.

The Government’s goal is to have a domestic nuclear market that maximises commercial opportunities in all parts of the UK including Scotland. The Government is committed to ensuring that all of the UK supply chain has the opportunity to compete for high-value contracts, that new nuclear developers share supply chain information with industry early, and to creating the right environment for UK companies to prepare to bid for these opportunities including Scotland. Companies from across the UK have an integral role to play in the creation of new nuclear power and the Government is focussed on supporting them to do so. Scotland has an excellent civil nuclear tradition, and the Government wants to see that continue.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy engaged with the Scottish and Welsh Government throughout Storm Arwen.

The Scottish and Welsh Governments, as members of the Energy Emergencies Executive Committee, will be engaged in the post-incident review of Storm Arwen that has been commissioned by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has commissioned a post-incident review into Storm Arwen to identify lessons and best practice for system resilience, consumer protection and additional response support. The terms of reference are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/storm-arwen-electricity-distribution-disruption-review.

Ofcom is responsible for measuring 4G coverage and provides data at constituency level. Ofcom’s Connected Nations summer update report, shows that 44% of the Scottish landmass had 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile network operators (MNOs), with 81% from at least one operator. Comparatively, the UK has 69% coverage from all four MNOs, and 92% from at least one operator.

Scotland will benefit significantly from the £1 billion Shared Rural Network which will see 4G geographic coverage from all four operators rise to a minimum of 74% and coverage from at least one operator increase to 91%. On 29 June we released further details of how this world leading programme will benefit both the people who live and work in Scotland, and at a regional level across the UK.

According to data from the latest Ofcom Connected Nations report (Summer 2021), there are 6,753 premises that are unable to access superfast broadband speeds of 30Mbps in the constituency of Banff and Buchan. The latest data from Thinkbroadband shows that 85% of premises in Banff and Buchan can access superfast broadband (>30Mbps), up from 74% in October 2016.

Superfast broadband coverage across Scotland will be extended further through the ‘Reaching 100%’ (R100) programme. The first funding commitment from the UK Government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit was announced in the summer to enable upgrades to gigabit speeds for over 5,000 premises which were within scope for superfast coverage via R100. The government will continue to work with the Scottish Government to extend gigabit coverage as far as possible through Project Gigabit.

Communities and businesses in rural areas not in line for commercial coverage or government-funded projects to provide gigabit coverage are also eligible for immediate help with the costs of installing gigabit through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme as part of Project Gigabit.

Those premises unable to access speeds of at least 10Mbps are likely to be eligible for support via the Universal Service Obligation, which gives every eligible premises the legal right to request a decent, affordable broadband connection, providing download speeds of at least 10 Mbps and upload speeds of 1Mbps.

Ofcom is responsible for measuring 4G coverage and it does not currently report on 5G coverage. In Ofcom’s Connected Nations summer update report, published on 9 September 2021, 87% of the Banff and Buchan constituency had 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile network operators, and 99.4% of the constituency had 4G coverage from at least one.

The government has invested heavily in the Rest of Scotland project area, where the Banff and Buchan constituency sits, with £50 million of central government funding allocated. Superfast coverage in the constituency stands at 84.8%, up from 1.1% in 2012

Today, there is 84.8% 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile network operators in the Banff and Buchan constituency, with 99.3% from at least one mobile network operator.

The Secretary of State met his Scottish counterpart, Michael Matheson MSP, in August 2018 shortly after assuming the office of Secretary of State. Officials from Broadband Delivery UK meet regularly with Scottish officials on behalf of the Department to discuss broadband rollout in Scotland, with the most recent meeting being held on 21 February.

We are supporting the long-term future of the UK’s fishing fleet, by developing Fisheries Management Plans, and investing through the £100 million UK Seafood Fund – including £3 million for the Scottish Seafood Centre of Excellence in Fraserburgh. Scotland will also benefit from an increase in fishing opportunities this year compared to 2023, as Scottish fisheries continue to see the benefits of our post-Brexit deal for fishing.

My officials regularly engage with counterparts in the Devolved Administrations, including the Scottish Government, to discuss policy developments and interactions. Earlier this summer we issued a Call for Evidence relating to the near elimination of biodegradable waste disposal in landfill in England from 2028. As part of this Call for Evidence we included two questions related to the inter-UK disposal of biodegradable waste in landfill.

This issue was discussed with the EU at the Trade Specialised Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, formed as part of the new Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and EU, in September 2021. The conclusion was to hold technical talks on the EU’s prohibition, which are expected to take place during February. Given that our regime already aligns substantially with the EU’s, we will continue to challenge the European Commission to reconsider its position in line with its own regulations.

The Government has taken significant steps to ensure the UK can enforce its fishing rights. These include, with respect to England via the Marine Management Organisation, increasing the number of frontline warranted officers by 50% (35 people) for 2019/2020; putting in place a framework to increase aerial surveillance by a maximum of two surveillance aircraft as risk and intelligence demands; and chartering two additional commercial vessels to enable an increase in routine sea-based inspections to supplement provision from the Royal Navy Fisheries Protection Squadron.

Fisheries control and enforcement is a devolved matter. As such, it will continue to be for each Devolved Administration to decide how best to control and enforce its waters, and what new arrangements may be needed. We continue to work closely with the Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure a coordinated approach to fisheries control and enforcement across UK waters.

Following careful consideration of evidence which demonstrated a sustained period of low prices, the European Commission took the decision to grant exceptional aid to the Irish beef sector. The Irish Government is entitled to provide additional money to match this fund under the same conditions which are linked to rebalancing the sector. At this stage it is too early to comment on what effect this has had on the markets, but my department continues to monitor the situation.

The Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) includes various instruments to protect British agricultural interests. Quotas on products such as beef set a maximum level for tariff-free imports for up to 10 years. Product specific safeguards for beef and lamb allow the UK to impose higher tariffs when imports exceed a certain threshold in years 10 to 15. On lamb, quota and safeguard volumes can be periodically reduced by 25% when fill rates are high. Additionally, a general bilateral safeguard mechanism allows for the temporary withdrawal of tariff preferences which will protect industry.