Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the maintenance of sufficient numbers of energy sector staff to ensure energy supplies in the event that the covid-19 outbreak escalates to peak levels of infection.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
BEIS is maintaining daily contact with the energy sector. All critical energy operators have existing pandemic influenza contingency plans, which they have put into action to respond to Covid-19. BEIS and critical operators are working together to ensure they can maintain sufficient staff to continue to deliver essential services.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure the future of (a) Hartlepool and (b) other nuclear power stations.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Nuclear energy currently provides around 20% of the UK’s electricity needs, powering homes and businesses in this country for over 60 years. It will continue to have an important role to play in the UK’s energy future as we transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The UK’s existing fleet of eight nuclear power stations are owned and operated by EDF Energy, and we expect EDF to generate electricity from these stations for as long as it is economically viable and safe to do so.
Hartlepool is currently expected to operate until 2024. When EDF’s nuclear power stations come to the end of their generating life, they will need to be decommissioned, which will continue to provide jobs at the sites.
New nuclear projects in the UK are developer-led and it is for developers to decide whether or not to pursue building a nuclear power plant at a specific site.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the promotion of merchant ship recycling facilities in the UK to the international shipping industry after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
There have been no discussions with Cabinet colleagues about the promotion of merchant ship recycling facilities in the UK to the international shipping industry after the UK leaves the EU.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to meet senior representatives from the Civil Nuclear Police Federation to discuss a realistic retirement age for its members; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Civil Nuclear industry is a priority area for me and I value the work that the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) does in securing our nuclear sites. The issue of pension age for CNC officers is an extremely important matter and I met with Mike Griffiths, the Chief Constable of the CNC and Vic Emery, the Chair of the Civil Nuclear Police Association (CNPA) on 9th August, following a change in BEIS Ministerial portfolios, to discuss this matter with them and to hear their concerns about a higher pension age for CNC officers.
Parliament defined ‘members of a police force’ in the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 in such a way as to exclude CNC officers from the arrangements that were made for other police forces under that Act. This interpretation was confirmed by the High Court in August last year following a Judicial Review by the Civil Nuclear Police Federation (CNPF).
I intend to meet with the CNPF early next year. In the interim, I am more than happy to review any written representations, which raise any new points, submitted by the CNPF. I can assure the hon Member that I will fully consider all relevant evidence when considering whether or not to seek a change in Government policy.
Asked by: Mike Hill (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to introduce an energy price cap.
Answered by Margot James
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published a draft Bill to put a price cap on standard variable and default tariffs – meeting Government’s manifesto promise and bringing an end to unjustifiably high prices.
We will ask the BEIS Select Committee to undertake pre-legislative scrutiny.