Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to support the carbon capture and storage project, HyNet, to (a) safeguard manufacturing jobs in the North West and (b) position the UK as a global leader in clean growth.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The 2019 Manifesto and Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution position the UK as a global leader which will create and safeguard thousands of jobs.
We have already supported Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) deployment in the North West, with an award of over £30m of development funding to HyNet, earlier this year, through the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge.
In our Ten Point Plan, the Government set out that we would deploy four CCUS clusters by 2030, at the latest. In May this year, BEIS launched Phase-1 of the CCUS Cluster Sequencing Process. An announcement on the results of Phase-1 in October of this year; as the process is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the outcome at this stage.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
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 his Department has made of the ability of the UK to achieve net zero by 2050; and whether the UK is currently on track to meet that target.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Over the last three decades, the UK has achieved record clean growth and has met its world-leading climate change commitments. Between 1990 and 2019, our economy has grown by 78% while our emissions have decreased by 44%, this is the fastest reduction in the G7.
The UK over-achieved against the first (2008-12) and second (2013-17) carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that we are on track to meet the third (2018-22). We recognise the need for further action to meet the fourth (2023-27) and fifth (2028-32) carbon budgets. Our sector decarbonisation strategies, and wider plans to deliver a green economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, will contain further proposals to support delivery of carbon budgets 4 and 5.
We have already published the Energy White Paper, Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, Transport Decarbonisation Plan and Hydrogen Strategy, and will publish the Heat and Building Strategy in due course. We will also publish a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy ahead of COP26, setting out the Government’s vision for transitioning to a net zero economy. This will raise ambition as we outline our path to meet net zero by 2050, our Carbon Budgets and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of biofuels, including the burning of wood pellets in the UK, on the loss of biodiversity and deforestation overseas.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK only supports biomass which complies with strict sustainability criteria. This considers a range of environmental issues including protecting the biodiversity of forests from which the biomass is sourced, irrespective of its location.
Where biomass is sourced from forests, it is typically waste wood and residues from commercial forestry operations that already occur, and it is a requirement that the relevant legal requirements to protect biodiversity and the environment are adhered to. The evidence does not show that deforestation or biodiversity loss have occurred in the areas from where UK electricity generators source their biomass.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the compliance of the Insolvency Service’s rules on annual leave carry-over with the Working Time (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Insolvency Service has delegated authority for annual leave from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The Insolvency Service has reviewed its policy and guidance and is content that it is compliant with the Working Time (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) medium and (b) long-term effect of automation on (i) the labour market and (ii) new job creation.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is continuing to monitor the impact of automation on the labour market. The World Economic Forum estimate that robots will replace 75 million jobs globally between 2018 and 2022 but create 133 million new ones – a “net positive”.
We are committed to capitalising on this opportunity. The launch of the Robotics Growth Partnership will support our national ambition to put the UK at the cutting edge of the smart robotics revolution, turbo-charging economic productivity and unlocking benefits across society.
The Government also recognises that demand for skills will continue to change, in part in response to automation. We have committed to improving the UK's system for training in digital skills, ensuring that working people have the support they need to navigate the challenge of automation to a higher-wage future. This includes fully funding adults to take their first full level 3 qualification and a new entitlement to flexible loans over a lifetime, boosting opportunities to retrain and enhancing the nation’s technical skills.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of tidal energy projects in Britain's estuaries.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
We have recently launched a Call for Evidence on supporting marine projects, including tidal stream and tidal range, to gather evidence on the scope for innovative marine energy technologies across Great Britain.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government is taking steps to (a) help ensure energy independence and (b) limit the role of overseas state actors in the supply of (i) nuclear and (ii) other forms of energy.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
UK energy supplies are currently derived from a wide range of sources; progress towards the UK’s target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will further diversify our energy system.
The Department has supported measures and programmes to support the production and use of renewable energy infrastructure. For example, the Offshore Wind Sector Deal will support the delivery of up to 30GW of offshore wind by 2030 in Great Britain; the Government has made a £3 billion investment to support low-carbon innovation in the UK up to 2021; and there is an ongoing commitment to developing the UK’s domestic hydrogen sector.
Whilst inward investment into the UK energy sector is welcomed, all foreign involvement in critical national infrastructure undergoes the highest level of scrutiny. The UK civil nuclear sector has a strong regulatory system and companies involved in the industry are required to meet robust standards overseen by independent regulators.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to expand the nuclear energy sector.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The construction of Hinkley Point C in Somerset is well underway, employing thousands of workers and having already invested almost £1.7 billion in the regional economy.
In September 2020, the UK nuclear industry issued an update on progress towards the commitments and targets contained within the £200 million plus Nuclear Sector Deal. the industry also issued a report which set out how to cut the cost of new nuclear plants.
Building on the advanced nuclear spending commitments of the Nuclear Sector Deal, we have developed a package of funding now worth approximately £100 million, designed to turbocharge the UK’s advanced nuclear industry. This includes the initial £36 million received last year by the UK Small Modular Reactor consortium, led by Rolls-Royce, to further develop their design, as well as this year’s investment of £40 million in projects focused on developing advanced modular reactors and upskilling our world-class regulators.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what consultative arrangements are in place between trade unions and his Department to discuss sustainability issues at his Department.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Department has a range of consultative practices in place to ensure regular and meaningful engagement with our Departmental Trade Unions on internal policy matters, including sustainability considerations.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will place in the Library his Department's plan to reduce its carbon emissions.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
Work is in progress to reduce the Department’s carbon emissions and become net zero in the earliest possible timeframe, and by 2050 at the latest. BEIS has already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 65% from a 09/10 baseline.