Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the potential impact of linking the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes on the consistent treatment of island communities under the two schemes.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is currently negotiating with the EU on linking the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes. We are aiming to conclude negotiations ahead of a UK-EU Summit on 20 November, securing an agreement which is aligned with the UK's interests.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 26 October 2026 to Question 36344 on the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, what assessment her Department has made of the risk of the UK not recovering its proposed £400 million investment in full; and whether the Government will bear any losses arising from underperformance of the Tropical Forest Investment Fund.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is proposing to make a £400 million investment as a repayable investment to the Tropical Forest Investment Fund (TFIF), the investment arm of the TFFF. We are currently working with experts across Government and the TFIF Transition Committee to model and assess the Fund’s risk and return profile. This assessment will be fully considered ahead of Ministers making a final investment decision on whether to support the TFFF.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 16 June 2026 to Question 7486 on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Lanyards, how much her Department, excluding its executive agencies and arm's-length bodies, spent on lanyards in (a) 2025 and (b) 2026 to date.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The detail can only be ascertained at disproportionate cost because spend on lanyards is mixed in with all other external printing.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the total departmental underspend allocated to funding the reduction in bus fares had been identified before the announcement of that policy on 22 July 2026.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
At the point of announcement, DESNZ were clear that the vast majority (£400m) of the cost of the Bus Fares announcement could be met by switching funding that had been set aside for international climate finance projects into loans. We were clear that the rest would need to be absorbed through wider DESNZ reprioritisation, an approach to which was agreed ahead of the Budget.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 the cost of (a) grid connections and (b) network reinforcement on investment in the decarbonisation of road logistics operations.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem assesses proposed network reinforcement expenditure through the RIIO price control framework. As these costs are ultimately passed on to consumers, Ofgem scrutinises costs to ensure investment is necessary and efficient, protecting consumers from excessive costs while supporting the transition to low-carbon technologies.
The Government is committed to supporting timely and cost-effective connections and ensuring the network has the capacity needed to support the uptake of low-carbon technologies, while delivering value for consumers.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 19 October 2026 to Question 30489, how the Tropical Forests Forever Facility will count as a loan rather than a grant given "Funds that flow from the TFFF to forest countries will not have to be repaid.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s is proposing to make a £400 million investment as a repayable investment to the Tropical Forest Investment Fund (TFIF), the investment arm of the TFFF. The TFIF will invest this capital, with the returns generated used to make payments to eligible tropical forest countries for protecting their forests. These payments to forest countries will not need to be repaid.
The detailed financial model is being developed by the Facility and its partners, and the UK’s investment is expected to be repaid with a return, subject to final terms, due diligence and the UK’s conditions being met.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, further to the No10 press release, Cheaper travel for millions with a third off fares, of 22 July 2026, which international climate finance projects will have their funding converted into loans to fund the £454 million; whether the borrowing will core on the PSBR; and over what period the loans will be paid back.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is switching £400 million of grant funding set aside for future international climate finance projects into loans, providing more flexible ways to meet our international climate objectives.
This will support Government’s intention to invest £400m of loan finance into the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a new global forests fund which aims to preserve tropical forests, support forest communities and protect critical global ecosystems. Funds that flow from the TFFF to forest countries will not have to be repaid.
As we are investing in the form of a repayable loan, it is not funded through additional borrowing. The terms of this loan is subject to the Funds finalisation, completions of our due diligence checks and our conditions being met, in line with normal value for money and Official Development Assistance requirements.
We are continuing to engage with HMT on savings.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 15 July 2026 to Question 16609 on Aviation: UK Emissions Trading Scheme, if she will publish the (a) low, (b) central and (c) high scenarios modelled for the impact of UK ETS allowance prices on the cost of domestic flights between 2026 and 2050.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department has not published and has no current plans to publish estimates of the impact of UK Emissions Trading Scheme allowance prices on the cost of UK domestic flights between 2026 and 2050.
As set out in the answer previously provided to the hon. Member, the Department publishes traded carbon values for modelling purposes, which provide scenario-based projections of future carbon prices rather than forecasts. Owing to the uncertainty associated with long-term carbon price projections and emissions, any estimates of future impacts on air fares would be subject to significant uncertainty.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 13 July 2026 to Question 16636 on Department for Transport: Public Relations, how much was spent on 23rd's work on the Electric Vehicles campaign, and what services that expenditure covered.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The expenditure on 23red’s work for the Electric Vehicles campaign was met from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s budget for the Clean Energy Mission campaign. 23red is engaged primarily as a partnership agency supporting delivery of campaign partnerships and stakeholder engagement activity.
The Electric Vehicles campaign forms part of the wider cross-government Clean Energy communications programme to make the UK a clean energy superpower, which is led by DESNZ in partnership with the Department for Transport.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 13 July 2026 to Question 16636 on Department for Transport: Public Relations, from which Department's budget the expenditure on 23red's work for the Electric Vehicles campaign was met.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The expenditure on 23red’s work for the Electric Vehicles campaign was met from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s budget for the Clean Energy Mission campaign. 23red is engaged primarily as a partnership agency supporting delivery of campaign partnerships and stakeholder engagement activity.
The Electric Vehicles campaign forms part of the wider cross-government Clean Energy communications programme to make the UK a clean energy superpower, which is led by DESNZ in partnership with the Department for Transport.