Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
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 of the potential merits of reviewing the surplus-sharing arrangements of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government considers the current arrangements to be working well for all parties. We will consider any suggested changes to the arrangements in the usual way.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many applications under the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme there have been for an adult dependent pension under Rule 29 (1) (bb) where the dependant was financially partly-dependent on the BCSSS scheme member; and how many of those applications have been granted since the Scheme's inception in 1994.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Fourteen applications for an Adult Dependent Pension under Rule 29(1)(bb) have been considered by either the Trustees or the Scheme Secretary of which ten were awarded and four were rejected.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many pensions under the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme have been paid to dependents since 1994.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not hold this information. However, as of 31 March 2023, there were 11,589 pensions in payment to dependants.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has plans to encourage the use of blockchain technologies by business to help decarbonise the economy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Blockchain technologies may allow trading of low-carbon energy and account for emissions of greenhouse gases to facilitate decarbonisation. However, the concepts still need to demonstrate that they could offer advantages over technology using centralised ledgers in specific applications related to decarbonisation. Several companies have been funded by the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund Programme to innovate their blockchain decarbonisation concepts further and to demonstrate applications useful to achieving net zero.