Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her department has on the number of households in the Lewes constituency dependent on heating oil.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the particular pressures faced by rural and off-gas-grid households.
In the Lewes constituency specifically, around 5% of households depend on heating oil.
Recent heating-oil price rises have largely reflected higher wholesale costs. Earlier this year, £53 million of targeted support was announced for low-income households affected by higher heating-oil costs via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). The East Sussex county received £567,211 through the CRF to support households dependent on heating oil.
We continue to monitor supply and prices and engage with industry to support resilient supply and fair pricing.
On 13 October 2026, the Government published its response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s study and committed to regulating the heating-oil market for the first time, strengthening fair treatment, transparency, protections for vulnerable households and routes to redress while preserving competition and security of supply.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made on the affordability and availability of heating oil in the Lewes constituency.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the particular pressures faced by rural and off-gas-grid households.
In the Lewes constituency specifically, around 5% of households depend on heating oil.
Recent heating-oil price rises have largely reflected higher wholesale costs. Earlier this year, £53 million of targeted support was announced for low-income households affected by higher heating-oil costs via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). The East Sussex county received £567,211 through the CRF to support households dependent on heating oil.
We continue to monitor supply and prices and engage with industry to support resilient supply and fair pricing.
On 13 October 2026, the Government published its response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s study and committed to regulating the heating-oil market for the first time, strengthening fair treatment, transparency, protections for vulnerable households and routes to redress while preserving competition and security of supply.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps is her department taking to support households who rely on heating oil in the Lewes constituency.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the particular pressures faced by rural and off-gas-grid households.
In the Lewes constituency specifically, around 5% of households depend on heating oil.
Recent heating-oil price rises have largely reflected higher wholesale costs. Earlier this year, £53 million of targeted support was announced for low-income households affected by higher heating-oil costs via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). The East Sussex county received £567,211 through the CRF to support households dependent on heating oil.
We continue to monitor supply and prices and engage with industry to support resilient supply and fair pricing.
On 13 October 2026, the Government published its response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s study and committed to regulating the heating-oil market for the first time, strengthening fair treatment, transparency, protections for vulnerable households and routes to redress while preserving competition and security of supply.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to remove the Renewables Obligation (RO) levy from energy bills.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
From April 2026/27 to 2028/29, 75% of the domestic costs of the Renewables Obligation will be moved to the Exchequer. This reform shifts the balance from levies on bills to public spending. Along with the discontinuation of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, it will result in an average £150 reduction in costs on household energy bills in April.
Over three years, £7 billion worth of historic RO levies will be funded through public expenditure, providing short-term relief and greater long-term benefits for consumers.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of (a) the potential effectiveness of carbon capture technologies in reducing emissions and (b) whether investment in such technologies is the most (i) efficient and (ii) cost-effective way to meet the climate targets.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) technology has been proven in many countries across the world, and the Climate Change Committee have described it as a “necessity not an option” for reaching Net Zero. As a part of the initial assessment for choosing the first CCUS clusters, projects were assessed against five criteria including deliverability, under which technical viability was considered. It enables the lowest cost pathway to Net Zero and is a tried and tested technology that has been deployed across industry and power generation at scale. Geological carbon storage is a proven technology that has been in operation globally for decades.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to launch the consultation on technical issues for the renewable liquid heating fuel obligation under Section 159 of the Energy Act 2023; and what steps he is taking to support rural households using oil for heating to transition to (a) hydrotreated vegetable oil and (b) other lower-carbon alternatives.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expects to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation which have fewest options to decarbonise. Renewable liquid heating fuels (RLHF) are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.
Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of RLHFs, like hydrotreated vegetable oil, in heating, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstocks.