Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the eligibility, timescales and method of delivery for the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding will be announced.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding application portal will be available on GOV.UK this month. This will include an eligibility overview and information on what applicants need to do to apply for energy bills support under the scheme.
Initial information about eligibility, timescales and method of delivery is available in the Government's announcement on EBBS Alternative Funding on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vital-help-with-energy-bills-on-the-way-for-millions-more-homes-across-great-britain-and-northern-ireland.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether heat network consumers not able to access the existing Default Tariff Price Cap will have access to the discretionary fund to be established to provide financial support for those not eligible for the Energy Bill Support Scheme or the new Energy Price Guarantee announced on 8 September 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Households not on standard gas or electricity contracts, such as those on heat networks – and so outside of the support schemes – will receive support equivalent to both the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Support Scheme. The Government is working at speed to determine the most practical and tested routes to deliver this support.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy or Industrial Strategy, whether private renters whose energy bills are included in their rent payments will receive the £400 energy bills discount announced on 26 May 2022.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government expect landlords with a domestic electricity connection where tenants’ energy costs are included in their rental charges, to ensure that the £400 reduction is passed on to tenants. The Government held a technical consultation on the Energy Bills Support Scheme from 11 April to 23 May. The responses to this consultation are being analysed and a response will be published later in the summer.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
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 whether it is in the public interest that safety standards held by the British Standards Institution may not be accessed without payment; and what plans he has to make those standards freely available.
Answered by Paul Scully
The British Standards Institution (BSI) is a private body appointed by Royal Charter. It is a non-profit distributing company with profits being re-invested back into the business. Like most private standards bodies, the cost of producing standards is recouped by the subsequent sales of those standards. However, many public libraries provide free access to the BSI standards catalogue.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions his Department has had with HM Treasury on provisions to support small and medium-sized enterprises that offset the carbon impact of their employees through the tax system.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government always looking at effective ways to support small and medium-sized enterprises to reduce their carbon emissions, and has worked closely with HM Treasury, and other Departments, on initiatives including my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and the Net Zero Strategy to decarbonise all sectors of the UK economy.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Financial Secretary to the Treasury will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich of 3 February 2021 on his constituent’s concerns on long-term financial support to the hospitality sector.
Answered by Paul Scully
The hon. Member’s correspondence about financial support for the hospitality sector was transferred to BEIS from HM Treasury on 19 March. I will write separately in response to the hon. Member.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his Department's consultation on Aligning UK international support for the clean energy transition which closed on 8 February 2020, when he plans to announce which option will be used for implementing the policy shift to ending new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is considering its response to the consultation and will respond in due course. This includes the Government’s decision on the timing of the policy implementation.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the results of the consultation entitled, Aligning UK international support for the clean energy transition, which concluded on 8 February 2021, will be published.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is now considering the information received and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish an updated series of Carbon Values consistent with the Government's latest commitments under the Paris Agreement and Climate Change Act 2008.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
BEIS is reviewing the Carbon Values used to value emissions in government policy appraisal. Once this review is completed the updated values will be published later in the year.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to implement the Clean Steel Fund.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
In August 2019, the Government announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes. The Fund will help the sector towards achieving our target of net zero emissions by 2050, by maximising longevity and resilience while harnessing clean growth opportunities.
Steel industry stakeholders provided positive responses to our Call for Evidence, including responses on possible timelines for the Fund. Feedback generally indicated that companies could be ready with projects for funding by 2023 or 2024. A summary of the responses was published in December 2020. Officials will work with industry to decide the most appropriate timeline for the scheme.