Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Graham Stuart and Philip Dunne

Tuesday 28th November 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee.

[Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend mentioned that he will go to COP28 next week. Could he remind Members of the House, particularly those on the Opposition Benches, of the measures taken in last week’s autumn statement to help to promote the green energy agenda in this country?

[Graham Stuart]

My hon. Friend is quite right. We must never forget the parlous state of this country in 2010. Less than 7% of our electricity came from renewables—that was the legacy of the right hon. Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband). In the first quarter of this year, that was nearly 48%. Opposition Members raised the issue of people being cold and unable to pay their bills, but just 14% of homes were insulated properly; now, it is 50%. In last week’s autumn statement we heard announcements about the grid and—

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Graham Stuart and Philip Dunne

Tuesday 28th February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con)]

10. What steps he is taking to increase renewable energy production.

[The Minister of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Graham Stuart)]

I am pleased to tell my right hon. Friend that growth in the renewables sector continues year on year, with the latest data showing that 3.4 GW of new renewable electricity capacity was installed last year alone. We will build on that further: we have now taken our highly successful contracts for difference scheme and put it on an annual basis, so allocation round 5 will open next month.

[Philip Dunne]

Oil and gas producers benefit from an investment allowance for investment in renewable projects in the UK, but existing renewable generators do not. Will my right hon. Friend make representations to the Chancellor, so that he can level up that anomaly and enable my right hon. Friend’s admirable renewable energy ambitions to be realised?

[Graham Stuart]

I thank my right hon. Friend for that question. As he knows, tax policy is a matter for the Chancellor, but I am working closely with him, along with the Secretary of State, to ensure that the electricity generator levy strikes the right balance when supporting households and businesses struggling with their energy bills. It is worth remembering that, as I have just mentioned, our main mechanism is the CfD, which provides support for renewable generators in a way that is certainly not true of those in the oil and gas sector.

Electric Vehicle Battery Production

Debate between Graham Stuart and Philip Dunne

Wednesday 18th January 2023 Commons Chamber

[Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend is aware that, last month, electric vehicle sales overtook diesel and were one third of all new vehicle sales in the month. There is demand for electric vehicles, and we need to ensure that there is an automotive industry here making them. We have lithium in Cornwall, and members of my Environmental Audit Committee visited the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth (Cherilyn Mackrory) and saw the lithium mine there. We have natural assets. We have the site that the Minister is interested in and I encourage him to visit it. We visited Blyth and met the Britishvolt management there, who pointed out that the interconnector that serves the site provides electricity from Norway that is 100% fossil fuel-free. So there is a considerable asset in that site, and I urge him to do all he can to engage with the automotive industry to re-establish a credible proposition.

[Graham Stuart]

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend on the importance of the site, and we are absolutely committed to working with potential investors to ensure that it is developed.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Graham Stuart and Philip Dunne

Wednesday 2nd November 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee.

[Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con)]

As the Prime Minister will no longer be chairing the Climate Action Strategy Committee, what structures working across Government Departments does the Minister expect the Prime Minister to use to drive delivery of the nationally determined contributions to the COP programme and net zero Britain?

[Graham Stuart]

I thank my right hon. Friend for his excellent question. As he will doubtless be aware, we are working across Government—as represented here today; people can see just how cross-Government our efforts are. The Climate Action Implementation Committee, which met only a couple of weeks ago and on which I and multiple Ministers sit, is very much driving forward reviewing our carbon budgets and ensuring that we have the policies to stay on track.