Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
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 the competitiveness of the UK's refined petroleum industry.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the challenges facing the refining sector in the UK. The Government continues to engage with the fuel industry to explore what steps can be taken to further support the sector, including considering the feasibility and impacts of including refined products in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in the future.
The government has just launched a call for evidence to shape the UK’s long-term strategy for the downstream oil sector. This will gather industry views on the opportunities and barriers to transition, issues and risks to energy security and what Government support may be needed to promote a managed transition.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether any ministerial redundancy payments have been repaid to her Department since 2019.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero did not exist between 2019 and January 2023, we are unable to provide data on ministerial redundancies for this period.
The Department has reviewed its records and do not have any evidence of the repayment of ministerial redundancy payments since its formation in February 2023.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
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 level of competition in the fuel distribution services industry.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
There are multiple companies involved in the distribution of both transport and heating fuels to petrol forecourts and end-user premises.
For road fuels, there are at least 11 significant haulage companies distributing fuels to petrol forecourts. The Competition and Markets Authority 2023 market study ‘Supply of road fuel in the United Kingdom’ did not identify issues with competition in the distribution of fuels.
For heating oils, there are commercial price comparison sites allowing households to find the best value for money. The industry estimates that most households in mainland Britain will have at least four different distribution companies with depots within 25 miles.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral Answer of the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero to the Question from the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston of 19 September 2023, Official Report, column 1231, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The then Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Rt. Hon. Graham Stuart, wrote to the Hon. Member on 11 April 2024.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
What estimate her Department has made of the cost to leaseholders of complying with the proposed heat network technical standards requirements.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
All heat network regulation is designed to be proportionate, to deliver better quality of service, and to reduce costs in the longer term.
The Department continues work on introducing effective technical standards for heat networks while protecting consumers from excessive costs.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the press notice by her predecessor Department entitled BEIS in the Autumn Statement, published on 18 December 2022, what her planned timetable is for assessing the potential merits of (a) introducing social tariffs and (b) wider retail market reforms in the energy sector.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
A social tariff is fundamentally about supporting the most vulnerable with the cost of energy and this is what we have delivered. Between 2022-25 we are delivering a package of support worth £108 billion, or £3,800 per household on average, across 2022-25.
In 2023-24 we have supported millions of vulnerable households with up to £900 in further cost-of-living payments. Despite the Quarter 2 2024 Ofgem price cap falling nearly 60% since its 2023 peak, we have committed to supporting households past April, by cutting National Insurance, and increasing benefits and the National Living Wage.
We have also been working with Ofgem on their new involuntary prepayment meter rules and a long-term solution to end the prepayment meter premium. I met with suppliers at the end of last year to outline my expectation that they support vulnerable customers and improve their customer service.
The Government published a vision for a reformed retail energy market in July 2023 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-a-better-energy-retail-market/delivering-a-better-energy-retail-market-a-vision-for-the-future-and-package-of-targeted-reforms-html) and set out further reform measures in a package of publications on 23 February 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-package-of-measures-to-help-families-save-even-more-on-bills).
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when her Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled New ecodesign requirements for lighting products, which closed on 4 April 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
I refer the Hon Member to the reply I gave to him on 19 September 2023 to Question UIN 198720.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Answer of 23 June 2023 to Question 189629 on Warm Home Discount Scheme, whether the evaluation of the reformed Warm Home Discount scheme included an impact assessment.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The evaluation of the scheme is ongoing and will span three years. It is due to conclude in Autumn 2026.
The Government produced impact assessments for the consultation in 2021 on expanding and reforming the Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales and for the publication of the Government Response in 2022, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/warm-home-discount-better-targeted-support-from-2022
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her planned timetable is for completing the review of the (a) emission trading scheme and (b) sale of unused credits by companies that have closed down factories in the UK.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
We have published the review of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme this week, available on gov.uk.
In the UK ETS, sites at risk of carbon leakage are given a proportion of their allowances for free, helping manage the risk that UK businesses’ decarbonisation efforts could be undermined by higher-carbon imports.
The scheme sets out rules around free allowances, including on their reduction and return where sites’ production and emissions levels decrease. We have published a consultation this week reviewing these rules, with proposals to ensure that surplus allowances are not retained by companies that have closed down in the UK.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her predecessor had discussions with (a) his Indian counterpart and (b) other stakeholders on the production or procurement of steel when he visited India 9 -23 March 2023.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The then Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero visited Mumbai and New Delhi from 19-22 March 2023. The then Secretary of State did not discuss the production or procurement of steel with India’s Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Raj Kumar Singh. He met a range of other government and business representatives during the visit, where discussion topics included the need to accelerate the pace of the transition to clean energy in hard-to-abate sectors like steel and cement.