Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to publish up-to-date carbon usage for each local authority.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK local and regional greenhouse gas emissions national statistics, 2005 to 2020 set out emissions data down to the local authority level.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate he has made of when the Aston Grange solar and energy storage project will be connected to the power grid.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government does not hold information on, nor has it estimated, the network connection date for this project. The latest publicly available information on the connection of the Aston Grange project is provided on the Scottish Power Energy Networks Embedded Capacity Register:
https://www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/pages/embedded_capacity_register.aspx.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of delays in providing the Alternative Fuels Payment to people in Weaver Vale constituency.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Over 85% of eligible households have received the payment automatically via their electricity supplier during February. Most households did not need to take any action to receive the support. A small proportion of households will need to apply for the AFP, for example because they do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier. Applications for this Alternative Fund opened on 6 March through a GOV.UK portal which includes an overview of eligibility and what steps households need to take to apply for support.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people in Weaver Vale constituency have received the Alternative Fuels Energy Support Payment.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Regional data, such as for Weaver Vale, is not yet available. Electricity suppliers, who delivered the automatic enrolment element of the scheme, are providing MPAN-level delivery data to Government, and further details will be published in due course. The Alternative Fund for the Alternative Fuel Payment, the element which requires an application, launched recently on 6 March and early data is still being collected. Transparency data also will be published in due course.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households have received the Alternative Fuels Payment as of 18 April 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The vast majority of the estimated 2 million households in the UK who use alternative fuels for heating will have received their payment automatically from their electricity supplier in January / February (Northern Ireland) and February (Great Britain). The application schemes for those households who did not receive an automatic payment but are eligible for support opened on 27 February (Northern Ireland) and 6 March (Great Britain).
Transparency data will be published in due course.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much hydrogen is produced in the UK each year by type; and what is the (a) CO2 footprint and (b) total tonnes of CO2 generated by the production of that Hydrogen in each year.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Current UK hydrogen production is mostly high carbon ‘grey’ hydrogen, including that produced as a by-product of another industrial process, with an estimated annual production of 21TWh. In these cases, emissions data held by Government is based on overall site emissions, so it is not possible to estimate the direct contribution of hydrogen production. Government is supporting industrial decarbonisation and new low carbon hydrogen production as part of the Net Zero Growth Plan, with around 4-5MW of electrolytic hydrogen already in operation. The UK’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard will ensure any production supported by Government meets strict emission thresholds.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make it his policy to remove the proposed hydrogen levy in the Energy Bill.
Answered by Graham Stuart
There are no plans to remove the proposed hydrogen levy from the Energy Bill.
The purpose of the levy is to provide long-term funding for the hydrogen production business model. This could unlock significant private sector capital by 2030, create thousands of jobs, grow CCUS and hydrogen supply chains, and deliver carbon savings which help meet net zero.
The provisions in the Bill will not immediately introduce a levy. They will only enable Government to introduce a levy through secondary legislation. The decision to introduce the levy will take into account all relevant considerations, including energy bill affordability.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
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 made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed hydrogen levy on the level of fuel bills; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The precise impact of a new hydrogen levy on energy bills will depend on future policy design choices and market conditions. This means there is currently uncertainty regarding possible consumer bill impacts.
The Government will consult on the detailed levy design before laying regulations that introduce the levy. The Government intends to publish an Impact Assessment alongside the first set of regulations that is expected to provide information on the potential impacts of the levy on consumers’ energy bills.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether underspend from the first year of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will be returned to the Treasury.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) budget is £450 million, split equally over three financial years (2022-2025). The Government explored options to carry over unused budget from year 1 of the scheme, but due to the accounting rules for capital spending, the Government does not expect this to be possible and the underspend will be returned to HM Treasury.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to extend the Alternative Fuel Bill Support Scheme to people permanently living on house boats.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
House boats with a permanent residential mooring can receive the Alternative Fuel Payment via the Alternative Fund where otherwise eligible. To check eligibility and apply, people need to search for “Apply for the alternative fuel bill support if you do not get it automatically” in the search bar on GOV.UK or in an internet search engine.
The Government is also keen to support those without fixed address. The Government is currently working to find an acceptable method for these households to provide proof of eligibility, whilst protecting public funds, so they can claim the AFP AF support.