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Written Question
Natural Gas: National Grid
Monday 24th October 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households off of the mains gas grid in (a) each parliamentary constituency, (b) each council area and (b) the UK.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

BEIS publishes the numbers of domestic properties not connected to the gas network down to Local Authority level. This includes properties where a gas grid connection is possible but no connection has been made. These estimates state that 4,128,000 (14 per cent) of domestic properties are not connected to the gas network in Great Britain. Equivalent data is available at Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) and Middle Layer Super Output Area (MSOA) levels, but not by constituency or council area. For Northern Ireland, data on gas connections is available via the Annual Retail Energy Market Monitoring report.


Written Question
Energy Bills Rebate
Tuesday 18th October 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department plans to provide the £400 energy payment to people in households that are off grid.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

On 29 July the Government set out further details of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) and confirmed that further funding would be available to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for the small percentage of domestic energy consumers not reached by EBSS. This will include those who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an energy supplier including off grid homes.


Written Question
Solar Power: Exports
Tuesday 20th September 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding the Smart Export Guarantee scheme to enhance the facilitation of owners of small numbers of solar panels to sell their energy into the marketplace.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a cost-reflective and market led mechanism and it is for suppliers to determine the value of the exported electricity and to take account of the administrative costs associated when setting their tariffs.


Written Question
Energy: Charities
Tuesday 20th September 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

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 include (a) charities that provide housing and (b) community groups, including village halls, in future Government energy efficiency schemes.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Charities that provide housing could be eligible under the Local Authority Delivery Scheme, provided they meet certain criteria. Moreover, further funding via the Energy Bills Support Scheme will be available to support households not currently in scope. Details will be announced this Autumn.

Charities and non-profit organisations may be also entitled to a reduction in VAT, and exclusion from the main rates of the Climate Change Levy on the energy they use for non-business purposes.

Officials remain in close contact with representatives from the charity sector to monitor the situation and assess how and where additional support can be provided.


Written Question
Energy Company Obligation
Thursday 30th June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the details of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) Scheme to help householders will be released.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Statutory Instrument for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) Scheme was laid in Parliament on 22 June and is subject to the affirmative procedure.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has published ECO4 scoring details is expected to publish other delivery and administrative guidance in the coming weeks.


Written Question
Renewable Energy
Thursday 30th June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what Government grants or support are available for (a) residential and (b) commercial properties for (i) solar, (ii) wind and (iii) ground source heat energy.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Schemes including the Local Authority Delivery, Home Upgrade Grant, and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund enable installing solar panels and ground source heat pumps.

VAT on installing solar panels, including with storage in Great Britain’s residential settings is now 0%. The Smart Export Guarantee enables small-scale renewable electricity generators, including from solar panels and small wind turbines, to receive payment for what they export.

The Government offers tax-relief to businesses installing solar panels, including for onsite-renewable generation, and will review existing permitted development rights that, subject to conditions, allow solar on and around domestic and commercial buildings without planning permission.


Written Question
Petrol: Prices
Wednesday 22nd June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

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 help ensure that petrol stations do not apply unreasonable mark-ups for consumers.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government has asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to conduct an urgent review of the fuel market, as well as a longer-term market study under the Enterprise Act 2002, to explore whether the retail fuel market has adversely affected consumer interests. As part of this, the Government has asked for the CMA’s advice on the extent to which competition has resulted in the fuel duty cut being passed on to consumers and the reasons for local variations in the price of road fuel.


Written Question
District Heating: Prices
Tuesday 7th June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

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 merits of introducing a price cap for people in community heat networks; what his timeframe is for introducing that price cap; and what interim support for energy costs his Department is providing those people.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Queen’s Speech on 10th May, confirmed that the Government has now committed to legislating to regulate the heat networks market in this parliamentary session as part of the Energy Security Bill. The legislation will provide the BEIS Secretary of State with powers to introduce a price cap should it be necessary to protect consumers from anti-competitive behaviour. The Government has announced a package of support to help households with rising energy bills: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-support/cost-of-living-support-factsheet-26-may-2022.


Written Question
Energy: Prices
Tuesday 7th June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an energy price cap for (a) oil, (b) liquefied petroleum gas and (c) solid fuel used by off-grid homes, similar to the energy price cap for on-grid homes; and whether his Department has taken steps to help support off-grid homes in the context of increases in energy costs resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises that, as a result of volatile international crude oil prices as well as the conflict in Ukraine, heating oil and liquefied petroleum gas prices have risen steeply over the past year.

The Government has carefully considered calls to introduce a price-cap for these fuels. The heating oil, liquefied petroleum gas and solid fuel markets are not natural monopolies with high fixed and start-up costs and are not difficult for customer switching. The Government does therefore not deem it appropriate to introduce a price cap at this point in time. Nevertheless, the Government recognises the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has set out a generous £22 billion package of support.


Written Question
Iron and Steel
Thursday 28th April 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

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 help ensure an adequate supply of cobalt steel for UK industry following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

It has not proved possible to respond to my hon Friend in the time available before Prorogation.