Oral Answers to Questions

Sonia Kumar Excerpts

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Katie White]

Thank you for the clarification, Mr Speaker, and I thank the right hon. Member for his question. Everything we do has an environmental impact, but clearly we want to make sure that we minimise the environmental impact of any infrastructure that we build. I cannot comment on any individual planning application, as the right hon. Member will well know, but I take his wider point on looking to minimise, in all places, the environmental impacts of any of our clean energy infrastructure.

[Sonia Kumar (Dudley) (Lab)]

12. Whether her Department is taking steps to implement a cold homes plan.

[The Minister for Climate Transition (Katie White)]

We all felt the impacts of climate change this summer, whether in our schools and classrooms or in our homes. The warm homes plan and the measures within it to ensure cooling as well as heating are available for the most vulnerable homes. In England and Wales, all eligible households can benefit from the expanded boiler upgrade scheme, which now includes air-to-air heat pumps that can heat and cool our homes.

[Sonia Kumar]

This summer, extreme heat was responsible for thousands of excess deaths across the United Kingdom. Though I commend the Department’s mission to tackle climate change and the root causes of extreme heat, does the Minister recognise that we must go faster and further in adapting and supporting households, especially vulnerable ones, with regard to extreme heat, and does she recognise that we need a cold homes plan across the country?

[Katie White]

I thank my hon. Friend for her excellent question. As we have mentioned a few times today, the intention to introduce some passive cooling measures, whether that be shading, shutters, reflective windows or cooler building materials, in the warm homes plan has already been announced. The delivery of the warm homes plan, which has been devolved to mayors, local government and communities, presents an opportunity to shape that in the most appropriate ways locally. We want to go faster to make sure that new homes are built to resilient standards. That is why we have committed to the net zero standards and why we are reviewing the overheating building regulations to ensure that our homes are fit for the future. I want to make sure that we build together heating and cooling options, so that we are thinking about the integration of climate mitigation and adaptation at the same time.

Oral Answers to Questions

Sonia Kumar Excerpts

Tuesday 7th July 2026 Commons Chamber

[Martin McCluskey]

I will share details of that with the hon. Lady. We are also undertaking the cost allocation review, which deals with those issues.

[Sonia Kumar (Dudley) (Lab)]

The UK’s green economy is worth more than £100 billion a year, and nearly half a trillion pounds in investment is in the pipeline. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that the contracts that his Department provides prioritise British firms and British jobs, so that we can prove our national capabilities and secure our energy?

[Ed Miliband]

That is something we take incredibly seriously. We are an energy policy and industrial policy Department. We have made progress on that and are determined to make further progress.

Oral Answers to Questions

Sonia Kumar Excerpts

Tuesday 24th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Michael Shanks]

The hon. Gentleman has framed that perfectly. The challenge is not just about being able to get clean power into homes and businesses; on the demand side, it is also about how we can connect these critical economic growth opportunities. That is partly why we have cleared out the connections queue, so that more projects can connect. We have also launched a consultation to look at how we reform the demand side of the queue. Fundamentally, though, we have to build more grid—we have not built the grid that is needed since the 1960s. We are now embarking on the biggest grid upgrade in a generation, which is how we unlock the potential in communities like the hon. Gentleman’s and right across the country.

[Sonia Kumar (Dudley) (Lab)]

3. What steps he is taking to help prevent increases in energy bills for households.

[Liz Jarvis (Eastleigh) (LD)]

4. What steps he is taking to help reduce household energy bills.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Ed Miliband)]

Families will be deeply concerned about the impacts they are facing as a result of the Iran conflict. This Government are determined to fight the people’s corner. As a result of actions in the Budget, the energy bill price cap will fall from next week and is guaranteed till the end of June. We have already provided £50 million of immediate support for vulnerable customers who use heating oil and will act to prevent unfair practices like price gouging. Above all, we will work to end this conflict, which is so essential and urgent for our national interest.

[Sonia Kumar]

Given that around one in five households in Dudley are in fuel poverty and that electricity levies fall disproportionately on low-income families, I welcome the Chancellor’s decision to remove some social and environmental levies from electricity bills. That has helped to shield some of my constituents from the impact of the war in the middle east. Does my right hon. Friend agree that rebalancing these levies can both support households and accelerate cleaner heating?

[Ed Miliband]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right about that. It is an important reassurance for understandably worried families that, from 1 April, the energy price cap will fall by £117 thanks to this Government’s actions. That happened not automatically, but because the Chancellor made decisions in the Budget to raise taxes on the wealthiest, which was opposed by the Conservative party. That decision is making possible that relief for families, including those in her constituency.

Oral Answers to Questions

Sonia Kumar Excerpts

Tuesday 10th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Chris McDonald]

The right hon. Member and I debated this at length in the Delegated Legislation Committee last week. On the impact of this measure on Northern Ireland, I am sure he will be pleased to welcome the fact that we are providing a 50% reduction on the carbon tax associated with the extension to domestic maritime for journeys to Northern Ireland, to ensure that they are not disadvantaged when compared with journeys to the Republic of Ireland.

[Sonia Kumar (Dudley) (Lab)]

This year Teddy Grays in Dudley celebrates 200 years in business, with five generations of the same family keeping that local sweetshop and mainstay in Dudley. However, as with many small businesses, energy bills are a constant threat to its success. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to ensure that Teddy Grays can enjoy another 200 years of sweet success, and will he meet me to discuss this further?

[Chris McDonald]

That was an extremely sweet question, and I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the issue further and outline many of the initiatives that the Government are taking to support small businesses. Perhaps it would be best to do that on site, where I can get my favourite chocolate limes.

Oral Answers to Questions

Sonia Kumar Excerpts

Tuesday 6th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sonia Kumar (Dudley) (Lab)]

T6. I am proud that Dudley is home to Brockmoor Energy and Environment Scheme, the first to be funded under the net zero neighbourhood programme by Richard Parker, the West Midlands Mayor. Will the Minister set out what further measures he is taking to improve energy efficiency, retrofit homes and upgrade energy infrastructure in Dudley, and whether he agrees that the scheme should be expanded?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Martin McCluskey)]

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the work of the Brockmoor Energy and Environment Scheme. I met Richard Parker recently, and I hope to come and see some of these projects myself in the future. We will soon publish the warm homes plan, which will set out further plans to support such projects, but we have already allocated £1.8 billion to local authorities and social housing providers through the warm homes local grant, and the warm homes social housing fund.