Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he will publish specific energy bill support for households connected to communal heat networks; and whether that support will be equivalent to the two-year cap for other UK households.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government wants heat network consumers to receive equivalent support to mains gas and electricity consumers. That is why on 21 September the Energy Bill Relief Scheme was announced, which will see energy prices for non-domestic energy customers such as businesses, charities and public sector organisations cut – protecting them from rising energy costs. These discounted prices for wholesale gas and electricity will ensure lower prices for customers on communal heat networks and the Government intends to publish a review of the scheme in 3 months' time to inform decisions on future support.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the support scheme for energy bills will apply to existing fixed-term energy contracts agreed by public sector organisations.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will be available to all business, voluntary sector and public sector organisations who are on existing fixed price contracts, agreed on or after 1 April 2022.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 further details on how the energy bills support announced on 8 September 2022 will apply to (a) schools and (b) other public sector organisations.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic customers was announced on 21 September and details can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers. The scheme will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers, including businesses, the voluntary sector and the public sector, including schools. This support will be equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the support scheme for energy bills for (a) schools and (b) other public sector organisations will cap the unit price of (i) gas and (ii) electricity.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic customers, including schools and other public sector organisations, was announced on 21 September and details can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers. To administer support, the Government has set a Supported Wholesale Price, which is a discounted price per unit of gas and electricity. The supported wholesale prices are expected to be £211 per MWh for electricity and £75 per MWh for gas, less than half the wholesale prices anticipated this winter, but will be confirmed on 30 September.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 the Prime Minister's oral contribution on 8 September 2022, Official Report, column 398, whether (a) early years providers, (b) schools, (c) colleges and (d) universities will be included in the sectors provided with further support with their energy bills beyond the initial six-month period.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic customers was announced on 21 September and details can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers. The scheme applies to all non-domestic customers, including education establishment. The Government will publish a review of the scheme in three months, which will consider how best to offer further support to customers who are the most vulnerable to energy price increases, beyond the initial six months of the scheme. Continuing support to those deemed eligible would begin at the end of the initial six month support scheme, without a gap.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date he expects the energy bills support scheme announced on 8 September 2022 for schools and other public sector organisations will be implemented.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic customers, including schools and other public sector organisations, was announced on 21 September and details can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers. The scheme will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers. It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, running for an initial six-month period. The savings will be first seen in October bills, which are typically received in November.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing the energy bills support scheme announced on 8 September 2022 to (a) businesses and (b) public sector organisations.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government will set out more details on the costs of the Government’s support in Friday’s fiscal event.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of onshore wind on (a) the price of energy bills and (b) energy security.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The costs of onshore wind have fallen dramatically, and it is around 50% cheaper than in 2015. More low-cost renewables like onshore wind on the system will limit household electricity bills by ensuring that Britain is less affected by fluctuations in volatile global gas prices. As set out in the Energy White Paper and Net Zero Strategy, a low-cost net zero system of the future will be predominantly comprised of wind and solar. To achieve this, the Government will require a sustained increase in locally supported onshore wind to 2030 and beyond, alongside other renewables such as solar and offshore wind.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking steps to re-skill workers for jobs in the green economy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Net Zero Strategy sets out the Government’s plans to work with industry to help retrain workers for jobs in a low carbon economy. This includes offering green skills bootcamps in housing retrofit, solar, nuclear energy and vehicle electrification, alongside delivering a Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Free Courses for Jobs Offer.
The Government has also established the Green Jobs Delivery Group, headed up by Ministers and business leaders, to act as the central forum for driving forward action on green jobs and skills.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 the Levelling Up White Paper, if he will make it his policy to undertake a Government consultation before making any changes to the Research Evaluation Framework.
Answered by George Freeman
In reference to the Research Excellence Framework, the four UK higher education funding bodies are currently undertaking a comprehensive review of the UK’s national research assessment system. The Future Research Assessment Programme includes in-depth evaluation of the current Research Excellence Framework, exploratory work on future models, and advice from an independent group of international experts. The review will consider a wide range of issues relevant to the Levelling Up White Paper, including how best to recognise and reward the contribution that research carried out in UK higher education providers makes to society and the economy locally, nationally and internationally. This programme of work includes open consultation with those who work in and engage with research carried out in UK higher education providers. The consultation will be launched by the HE funding bodies in the coming weeks.
Background
This answer assumes that the question refers to the “Research Excellence Framework”, as we don’t recognise “Research Evaluation Framework”.