Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in gas prices on people living in properties supplied through communal heat networks.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Heat network operators buy the energy they need to provide heat to domestic consumers through commercial contracts.
The Department and Ofgem are actively monitoring the contract prices paid by heat network operators since the Middle Eastern crisis started and considering all options available to mitigate higher prices.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he will implement stricter Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards regulations for commercial properties from 2027, and whether the responsibility for complying with the regulations will lie solely with the property owner.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government consulted on strengthening the non-domestic PRS minimum energy efficiency standards to EPC C by 1 April 2027, and EPC B by 1 April 2030. We are currently reviewing the policy design, including the timelines, to ensure that it remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. We plan to publish a response to the consultation as soon as possible.
Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards apply to the property owner, regardless of any maintenance or improvement obligations set out in lease agreements.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the barriers faced by leaseholders in accessing Government funding for low-carbon heating upgrades.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that leasehold ownership can create additional complexity, as many must secure consent from freeholders before installations can proceed. The Warm Homes Plan committed to working with relevant organisations on how to remove barriers to low carbon heating installations in leasehold properties.
Announced on 21 April, the Government will consult this summer on expanding permitted development rights to make heat pump installation easier, including amending siting restrictions and seeking views on enabling more installations in flats.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant and Boiler Upgrade Scheme provide funding to support property owners, including leaseholders, to transition to low‑carbon heating.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the fuel finder service in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) Greater Manchester; and whether he plans to take steps to improve the coverage of the scheme, including by ensuring that all eligible fuel retailers participate.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fuel Finder has launched and this Government has made participation mandatory under the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) regulations. An aggregator has been appointed with powers to monitor non-compliance and pass on cases to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as enforcer of the scheme. The CMA are currently focussing on supporting compliance rather than enforcement.
Over 88% of retailers are participating and this number will increase as the enforcement period approaches in May.
The CMA has information gathering powers to monitor the road fuels market and will use Fuel Finder data to assess regional pricing.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Octopus Energy partnership with Ming Yang on national security.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We cannot comment on individual investment cases, but investment into the energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny, and we will continue to work closely with industry to build secure supply chains and ensure the UK remains one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 reduce reliance on Chinese-made components in UK energy infrastructure.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is committed to working closely across Government and industry stakeholders to take forward the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable, innovative and secure. The Government takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously with the UK being one of the most reliable and safest energy systems, and one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world. We take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing relations with China and will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people living in fuel poverty in Stockport constituency.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The latest statistics for the number of households in fuel poverty in parliamentary constituencies in England, can be found in the published sub-regional fuel poverty Official Statistics, in Table 4: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of National Grid capacity issues on Stockport constituency.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Upgrading electricity network capacity is a matter for the private network companies which build, own, and operate the network. The regulator, Ofgem, uses a price control framework to set the level of infrastructure investment for each network company to ensure sufficient capacity is available. Government is accelerating the delivery of higher voltage electricity infrastructure and improving the connections process so that projects can access the network more quickly through the Transmission Acceleration Action Plan and Connections Action Plan respectively, published in November 2023.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2023 to Question 6350 on Energy: Payment Methods, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying the Energy Price Guarantee to small businesses.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) provides all eligible businesses and other non-domestic energy users with a baseline discount on high energy bills for 12 months from April 2023 until 31 March 2024. The EBDS is helping businesses locked into contracts signed before substantial falls in wholesale prices manage their costs and provide others with reassurance against the risk of prices rising again.
A higher level of support is provided to some Energy and Trade Intensive Industries (ETIIs) that are particularly exposed to energy cost increases due to their energy and trade intensity.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of energy companies applying higher tariffs for customers who do not pay through direct debit.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
Since July 2023, the Government has used the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) to provide a discount, so as to levelise prepayment charges with those for direct debit customers. The EPG discount applies until the end of March 2024 and Ofgem is, at the request of Government, currently consulting on proposals to levelise charges from April on an ongoing basis.