Lord Offord of Garvel

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) traded carbon values for modelling purposes are used to estimate the financial cost of purchasing allowances in the United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) under different scenarios. These values are owned by DESNZ and not by the UK ETS Authority which governs the UK ETS.

The most recent set of traded carbon values for modelling purposes, for 2024, were published on the Government’s website on 17^th December 2024 and are attached. The assumptions are listed on the publication.

I refer the Rt Hon Lord Offord of Garvel to the answer provided by the Secretary of State on 10 December 2024 to Question 18202.

In England and Wales, the Planning Act 2008 requires developers to demonstrate that they have consulted adequately with communities before they submit applications for consent. Developers are also required to show they have fairly considered alternatives to their proposals in their applications. In Scotland, the Scottish Government’s good practice guidance sets out the expectations and requirements for consultation.

The Government is committed to ensuring that communities who live near new clean energy infrastructure also benefit from it and are currently considering how to most effectively deliver this. This includes developing guidance on community benefits for electricity transmission network infrastructure, which we will publish in due course.

The Government has made clear in planning guidance that, wherever possible, solar developers should utilise brownfield sites. All projects are subject to rigorous planning examination, in which any impact on agricultural production is considered.

The Government recently announced £30 million of additional budget for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for 2024-2025 in response to increased uptake of the scheme. It was also confirmed that the scheme budget for 2025-2026 will be almost doubled to £295 million, so that more families can benefit from £7,500 off the cost of a heat pump.

In addition, we are reforming air source heat pump permitted development rights in England, investing in UK manufacturing through the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator programme and introducing a reformed Clean Heat Market Mechanism next April, making heat pumps an even more attractive choice for households.

We will continue to support industry and consumers to make the switch to zero emission vehicles, with over £300 million announced in the Budget to drive uptake of electric vehicles and £2 billion to support the transition of domestic manufacturing and supply chain.