Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with Ofgem on (a) the level of standing charges for (i) gas and (ii) electricity in the North East and (b) regional variations in standing charges.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Although standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, and are regulated by Ofgem, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on them. The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them.
The Government understands that there is a degree of variance in electricity standing charges across the country. This arises from a regional variation in electricity distribution costs and reflects the different costs of maintaining and upgrading the distribution network in a specific area, and the number of consumers those costs are spread across.
Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving some supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated. Ofgem's publication can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/call-for-input/standing-charges-domestic-retail-options. The Government will continue to support Ofgem in this work and ensure that standing charges are reduced.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to compensate people affected by the surplus sharing agreement with the Mineworkers Pension Scheme.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Our Manifesto committed to reviewing the surplus sharing arrangements and work is already underway to initiate that process. We are committed to transferring the Investment Reserve and ending the injustice of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of the establishment of a data centre at the Cambois site on the availability of the industrial land to provide the additional electricity infrastructure needed for a gigafactory at that site.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Assessing the impact of new projects connecting to the electricity grid, such as data centres, and designing the network to do so, is the responsibility of licensed electricity network companies, regulated independently by Ofgem.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of potential trends in the cost of (a) petrol and (b) diesel in the next 12 months.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not forecast petrol and diesel prices. The Department does monitor trends in the global crude oil and related product markets.