Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the potential effect on electricity prices of the Government's policy to expand offshore wind power by 2030; what assessment he has made of the effect of that policy on other low emission goals; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The effect on electricity prices of deploying 40GW of offshore wind by 2030 will depend on a number of factors including the relative costs between different technologies and how they evolve, particularly in offshore wind, the outcome of our upcoming Contract for Difference Auction rounds, network costs, how costs will be spread across different consumer groups, the roll out of flexible technologies like storage and the overall profile of electricity demand.
Offshore wind projects have low operating costs and so can supply electricity cheaply, putting downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices. Wholesale prices are one of many factors that influence consumer costs and the net impact will depend on how changes in these factors are passed on to consumers.
Accelerating the deployment of offshore wind will make a key contribution to our 2050 net zero target.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy made a Written Ministerial Statement about the announcement to increase our ambition to delivering 40GW of offshore wind by 2030 in the House on Tuesday 6 October.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK remaining on British Summer Time to (a) encourage travel, (b) extend the tourist season and (c) reduce energy usage as part of the recovery plan from the covid-19 outbreak; and with reference to the European Union's policy on Daylight Saving Time, if he will conduct a review of the time zone most appropriate for the UK to adopt in future years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. We do not believe there is sufficient evidence to support changing the current system of clock changes, including for travel, tourism and energy usage.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the average (a) wholesale and (b) retail margin of profit on sales of vehicle fuels since the covid-19 outbreak; what steps he is taking to ensure that the price paid for vehicle fuels is not kept artificially high; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Government monitors the national average retail prices of fuels. These are published at: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/oil-and-petroleum-products-weekly-statistics.
BEIS analysis shows that changes in the global price of crude oil is the primary driver of movements in the national average retail prices of fuels such as petrol and diesel. Other factors include currency exchange rates and the balance of supply and demand for these fuels in the wholesale petroleum products markets. Changes in the price of crude oil feed through to retail prices over the course of about 6 weeks. Since March, retail prices have broadly moved in line with movements in crude oil and wholesale product prices – falling initially as crude oil prices fell and then rising as oil prices recovered through June and July.
The UK has some of the lowest pre-tax prices in Europe for both petrol and diesel, and our evidence suggests that the?UK road fuels sector as a whole is competitive and ensures that consumers get a fair deal.
The Government believe that a competitive market is the best way to keep prices low. Retail fuel markets are subject to UK competition law under the Competition and Markets Authority.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will commission an independent judge-led investigation into the Post Office and its (a) management and (b) administration of the Horizon computer system.
Answered by Paul Scully
Government has committed to launching an Independent Review to consider whether the Post Office has learned the necessary lessons from the Horizon dispute and to assess its work to rebuild its relationship with its postmasters.
The findings outlined throughout the Horizon judgments provided an extensive insight as to what went wrong at the Post Office, including an independent view of the facts all sides have been looking for.
Government wants to be fully assured that the right lessons are learned for the future and concrete changes have taken place at Post Office Ltd to ensure that this situation will never be repeated. This is the purpose of the independent review we are in the process of setting up.
Full details of the Terms of Reference for the independent review have been set out in a Written Ministerial Statement that Minister Scully made on Wednesday 10th June. An independent chair will be announced in due course
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to bring into force the provisions of the Easter Act 1928 to fix the date of Easter.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government has no plans to bring into force the provisions of the Easter Act 1928 to fix the date of Easter.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that small businesses in East Yorkshire are prepared for the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department is maintaining efforts to ensure businesses across the UK are ready to leave the EU on 31 October. We are pursuing a range of actions to promote awareness and understanding of what businesses, including SMEs, need to do.
We have published an SME Brexit guidance leaflet and launched a series of Get Ready Roadshows. These specifically target SMEs with information and advice and ensure intermediaries, such as banks and accountants, have the information needed to support businesses. We also recently unveiled a £10 million Business Readiness Fund for business organisations and trade associations to support businesses across the UK in understanding the steps they should take to prepare for 31 October.
Along with key local partners, the Humber LEP and Growth Hub are playing an important role in helping to deliver events and provide information to support local businesses. We will also be hosting a Brexit Business Readiness Event in Hull on 3 October.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an annual estimate of the number of bats (a) killed and (b) injured by onshore wind turbines; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
BEIS does not produce estimates on the number of bats killed and injured by onshore wind turbines.
Updated guidance is available for developers and planners to ensure that onshore wind energy developments pose minimal risk to bats. This was produced jointly by Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, Natural Resources Wales, RenewableUK, and others. The guidance can be accessed through the Government’s Planning Policy Guidance on Renewable & Low Carbon Energy, or directly through this link: https://www.nature.scot/bats-and-onshore-wind-turbines-survey-assessment-and-mitigation
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has for the future of nuclear power in the UK as a result of the collapse of the NuGen consortium; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
This Government believes that new nuclear has an important role to play in the UK’s energy future as part of a diverse range of low-carbon technologies. However, we have always been clear that any technology must provide value for money for consumers and taxpayers. It was this Government that agreed a landmark Nuclear Sector Deal, as well as commissioning Hinkley Point C, the first new nuclear power station in a generation.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to raise the minimum legal safety requirements for for (a) fridges and (b) freezers.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
There are already strict product safety laws in place that apply to fridges and to freezers.
Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations, manufacturers must only place safe electrical goods on the market and they must continue to monitor safety in use and to take appropriate action if those products are subsequently identified as being unsafe.
The UK is leading on proposals to enhance the standard for fridges and freezers at an international level.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to bring into force the provisions of the Easter Act 1928 to fix the date of Easter from 2019 onwards.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
At present, Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon following the spring equinox. The Easter Act 1928, which remains on the Statute Book, would set the date for Easter to fall on the Sunday that follows the second Saturday in April (i.e. between 9 and 15 April). The Act has not been brought into force. To so would require an Order in Council, with the approval of both Houses of Parliament. The Act also requires that, before the Order is made, “regard shall be had to any opinion officially expressed by any Church or other Christian Body." I understand that the Archbishop of Canterbury has indicated that he is working with other Christian churches to agree on a fixed date for Easter. If the Christian churches were to agree on moving to a fixed date for Easter then the Government would consider, depending on what date is agreed, whether to bring into force the Easter Act 1928 or to make such other legislative provision as may be needed. However, there is no indication yet whether or when a date will be agreed or what that date would be.