Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Energy Bills Discount Scheme will include businesses delivering animal health and welfare standards in livestock production.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All non-domestic energy consumers using electricity or gas from the grid will be eligible for support under the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the £600 payment to Northern Ireland households for energy costs (a) can be split between gas, oil and electric bills or (b) must be used for a single form of energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The £600 payment is going to Northern Ireland households with a domestic contract with an electricity supplier. The payment comprises the Energy Bills Support Scheme (£400) and the Alternative Fuel Payment (£200), recognising the widespread use of other fuels for heating in Northern Ireland. The £600 payment can be used for any fuel; direct debit customers receive the payment direct to their bank account. Credit or keypad prepayment meter customers are receiving vouchers which can be redeemed at a Post Office and paid into a bank account. If necessary, the sum can be taken as cash.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 assessment of the potential impact of strikes in the healthcare sector on the timing of the £600 payment to households in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is monitoring the situation closely and does not anticipate the strikes will have an impact on the timing of the scheme. Payments started on 16 January and are made up of £400 under the Energy Bills Support Scheme Northern Ireland (EBSS NI) and £200 under the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) scheme. This will go to all households in Northern Ireland irrespective of how they heat their home.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 it his policies to extend the energy price cap relief scheme for (a) the Scouts and (b) other charities.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will introduce the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme from April 2023. All eligible businesses, charities and the public sector will receive a discount on high energy bills until 31 March 2024. The scheme will provide a discount on high energy costs to give businesses certainty while limiting taxpayers’ exposure to volatile energy markets.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 made an assessment of the potential merits of deep sea drilling in the ocean.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) grants licences that confer exclusive rights to ‘search and bore for and get petroleum’ on the UK Continental Shelf. Oil and gas fields, after being licensed, require a number of consents issued by regulators before they can begin production.
Licensees require a consent before a well foundation or other equipment is installed in advance of drilling operations and a well is spudded, side-tracked or drilling recommences.
Guidance on requirements and the considerations that the NSTA take into account for each type of well operation can be found here.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to ensure that tenants in Northern Ireland receive the £600 energy rebate from landlords.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has introduced regulations to ensure that intermediaries, including landlords, pass on the Energy Bill Support Scheme and Alternative Fuel Payment Northern Ireland benefit to end users in a just and reasonable way.
These regulations came into force on 12 January 2023. The regulations are available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/10/contents/made.
The Government has also issued guidance available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-provided-to-intermediaries/guidance-on-the-pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-in-great-britain-provided-to-intermediaries.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he will take steps to help ensure that landlords in Northern Ireland who receive the £600 energy payment pass it on to tenants.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave him today to Question 118932.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason the allocated percentage of ECO+ funding was targeted at the low-income eligibility group; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of targeting all ECO+ funding at low-income households on the Government's ability to meet its fuel poverty targets by 2030.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government published a consultation on the design of ECO+, which proposed a requirement for a minimum of 20% of the obligation to be delivered to low-income households. The Government has not restricted the amount of low-income households that can be supported through the scheme. The remaining obligation is available to both low-income households and a wider customer base who are not eligible for any support through other government energy efficiency schemes.
The Government is analysing responses to the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the first meeting of the Local Net Zero Forum will take place.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The first meeting of the Local Net Zero Forum was held on 20 June 2022. The Forum has met twice and will meet again early this year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 implications for his policies of the report by UK100 on Local Net Zero Delivery Progress Report: Local Powers.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Net Zero Strategy sets out the Government's commitments to enable local areas to deliver net zero as it recognises that local authorities can, and do, play an essential role in driving local climate action.
UK100’s Local Net Zero Delivery Progress Report forms part of a growing body of evidence and views on Local Net Zero.