Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 the extension of ECO4 being limited to December 2026 on insulation installers and the supply chain.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government recognises the closure of the supplier obligation schemes may present challenges for companies in the supply chain. The government is committed to supporting businesses to transition to new opportunities in the sector. The Warm Homes Plan sets out government’s plans to invest nearly £15 billion in home upgrades. The number of UK jobs supported in clean energy industries and their supply chains is estimated to increase from around 440,000 today to around 860,000 by 2030 and we are working closely with the sector to support its growth.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the Warm Homes Agency's scope will be; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that agency working within local authorities on the (a) impartiality, (b) independence and (c) trust in that service.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is currently refining the Agency’s scope, specifically exploring how to work with local partners to maximise the impact of place-based delivery. Maintaining impartiality, independence, and public trust is fundamental to the delivery of the Warm Homes Plan. These principles are central to the ongoing work to finalise the Agency’s core functions and operational specifications.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the potential impact of the United States leaving the Paris Climate Agreement on the global, collective effort to lower fossil fuel emissions and tackle climate change.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Decisions on participation in the Paris Agreement are for individual countries to make. The UK supports the UNFCCC and wants to see as many countries as possible participate.
The UK will continue to work with all countries to tackle the urgency of the climate crisis, and will pursue an energy policy that gives us energy security and helps get bills down for good.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Warm Homes Plan, published on 21 January 2026, what proportion of consumer loans will be zero-interest.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will set out further detail on the consumer loan offer in due course. Engagement with the lending industry is ongoing to support the development of a range of options suitable for different consumers and different technologies. Interest rates will vary across different types of products, all significantly discounted from market rates. This will ensure households have meaningful choice while keeping costs as low as possible. The Government's priority is to make these technologies affordable for households so that every family can access them and benefit from the associated bill savings.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how his Department plans to tackle skills shortages in retrofitting and home decarbonisation.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes Plan will create good jobs across the country, with 180,000 additional high-quality, well-paid, future-proofed jobs in energy efficiency and clean heating by 2030. We are investing £15 billion to upgrade up to five million homes by 2030; the biggest ever public investment to upgrade British homes. This demonstrates our commitment to ramp up retrofit delivery. Chapter Six of the plan outlines the actions that the Government will be taking to support and facilitate growth, jobs and innovation, including establishing a new Workforce Taskforce in partnership with the Trade Unions Congress.
The Plan will unlock £38 billion in total investment across the Parliament, and with additional funding for skills, innovation and UK manufacturing, we will ensure that British workers and businesses reap the benefits.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 merits of introducing social energy tariffs to reduce fuel poverty.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households which are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power. That is why the Autumn Budget acted to take an average £150 of costs off people’s energy bills. This support comes on top of the £150 off energy bills provided for around 6 million families under the Warm Home Discount this winter, cutting fuel poverty.
DESNZ is working closely with other Government Departments through the ‘Kickstarter’ programme to test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve access to government programmes. This project will help pave the way for better targeted help to ensure those who are struggling to pay their bills get the support they need.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of Crown Estate leasing costs on the strike prices for future Contracts for Difference auctions for offshore wind.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Crown Estate own and manage the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland. They run transparent, competitive processes that treat bidders equally and balance commercial outcomes alongside its wider environmental, social and economic objectives.
Delivering value for money is the Government’s top priority. The Government has made reforms to the Contracts for Difference auction to maximise competition between bidders and reduce the costs to consumers.
The Government won’t buy at any price and if specific projects or technologies aren’t competitive, we will look elsewhere.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 the Crown Estate's auctions for seabed leases on the cost of offshore wind contracts.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Crown Estate own and manage the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland. They run transparent, competitive processes that treat bidders equally and balance commercial outcomes alongside its wider environmental, social and economic objectives.
Delivering value for money is our top priority. The Government has made reforms to the Contracts for Difference auction to maximise competition between bidders and reduce the costs to consumers.
The Government won’t buy at any price and if specific projects or technologies aren’t competitive, we will look elsewhere.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure the effectiveness of funding for renewable energy projects through the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
An initial budget of £900 million is available for fixed-bottom offshore wind in Allocation Round 7, which is the largest ever initial budget for OFW. The Government has the ability to view unsuccessful bids and adjust the budget later, if it is good value for consumers. The Government has also confirmed budgets of £180m for floating offshore wind projects, £295 million for established technologies such as solar PV and onshore wind, and £15 million for emerging technologies. We expect the budgets and competitive bidding to drive a value for money outcome for billpayers.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his timeline is for launching the proposed framework to scrutinise additional costs and levies on consumer energy bills.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
At the budget, the Chancellor agreed to subject any additional costs, including new levies, to enhanced scrutiny under a new framework to ensure they are affordable, represent value for money and do not impose unnecessary costs on households and businesses. The development of this new framework is underway with HM Treasury and we will provide an update in due course.