Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress her Department has made on the implementation of the electricity-bill discount scheme for households living near (a) new and (b) substantially upgraded transmission infrastructure.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Bill Discount Scheme will provide eligible households living near new or upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure with up to £250 a year off electricity bills for up to 10 years.
In March 2025, powers to establish the scheme were secured under the Planning and Infrastructure Act.
In May 2026, we announced the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) as the scheme administrator.
In July 2026, we published the scheme policy design.
The Government plans for the scheme to begin providing first payments to households in the first half of 2027, once necessary secondary legislation has been laid in Parliament.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the number of former mineworkers and dependants in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency impacted by the return of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme investment reserve.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As of 30 October 2024, there were 38 British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme members in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to households in Scotland for energy costs, particularly in rural and semi-rural communities.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the specific pressures faced by households in Scotland, including rural and semi-rural communities, and understands that many off-gas-grid households rely on heating oil. The Government has provided over £50 million in support for low-income households reliant on heating oil, including £4.6 million for Scotland delivered through the Scottish Emergency Oil Heating Scheme.
The Government has also increased Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants for air source heat pumps from £5,000 to £7,500, which can help off-gas-grid households move to cleaner, more efficient heating where suitable.
Tackling affordability is this Government’s number one priority. The Government has taken action to remove VAT from electricity bills from October, providing breathing space to households facing cost of living pressures. The Government also acted at last year’s Budget by taking on average £150 of costs off energy bills, with those decisions now factored into bills for the years to come.
In addition, 5.7 million households in Britain benefitted from our expanded £150 Warm Home Discount last winter, and this will remain in place for the rest of the decade. The Government has also been contingency planning for a range of scenarios since the conflict in the Middle East broke out. We will continue to look at what more we can do to tackle unaffordable bills and make life easier for working people.