Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the (a) value and (b) volume of coal imported into the UK was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Data showing the value and volume of coal imported into the UK is presented in the following table:
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
UK coal imports (million tonnes) | 5.4 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 2.9 |
Value of UK coal imports (£m) | 574 | 318 | 470 | 1,573 | 519 |
Source: HMRC trade data |
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Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the system of standing charges for utilities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them.
The setting of standing charges is a commercial matter for suppliers. Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated.
We will continue to support Ofgem in this work and ensure that standing charges are reduced.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many positions in his Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost. Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts.
The Department is committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion through its diversity networks.