Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 3 December 2024 to Question 16151 on Energy: Supply Chains, whether his Department is taking steps to include (a) trade unions and (b) civil society in the solar taskforce.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Solar Taskforce is working towards the publication of the Solar Roadmap in Spring 2025. This will outline the actions required to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable, innovative, and free from forced labour.
Solar Energy UK, the solar industry trade association that co-chairs the Taskforce, is leading the industry response on this matter by developing and launching the Solar Stewardship Initiative, in partnership with Solar Power Europe.
As part of this work, members of the Taskforce are engaging with relevant civil society groups and trade unions.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with refence to the oral contribution of 6 November 2024 by the Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security, Official Report column 70WH, how the solar stewardship initiative will support the delivery of the solar roadmap.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Solar Roadmap will set out the Government’s solar deployment ambitions as part of its mission to achieve Clean Power by 2030. It will outline the actions required to develop resilient, sustainable, innovative, and free from forced labour supply chains.
The UK’s main solar industry trade association – Solar Energy UK, who co-chair the Solar Taskforce - is leading the industry’s response on this matter by developing and launching the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), in partnership with Solar Power Europe. Members of the SSI have committed to applying its traceability standards and audits, while encouraging its adoption throughout their supply chain.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 Cabinet colleagues on potential steps to ensure UK energy supply chains are free from Uyghur forced labour.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government opposes all forms of forced labour, including the use of Uyghur forced labour, and is determined to ensure that all UK business do everything in their power to remove any instances of it from their supply chains.
Through the reconvened Solar Taskforce, the Government is working widely across Whitehall and closely with industry stakeholders to take forward the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable, innovative, and free from forced labour. These actions will be set out in the Solar Roadmap, which is expected to be published in Spring 2025.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department's biomass strategy will set out policies for using (a) waste wood and (b) other renewable baseload power generators to increase energy security.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The biomass strategy will review the amount of sustainable biomass materials, including waste wood, that is available to the UK and how this resource can be used to achieve the Government’s Net Zero ambitions and protect the environment. The biomass strategy will be published in Q2 2023.