Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the domestic tourism sector on his net zero targets.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, published in October, sets out how the UK will continue to reduce emissions across all sectors of the economy on the pathway to net zero.
The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero engages regularly on net zero with his colleagues in other departments.
Policy on domestic tourism is led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. In 2023, tourism contributed £58.2bn GVA (2.5% of the UK economy) and directly employed 1.2 million people. DCMS works with VisitEngland, destinations, local visitor economy partnerships (LVEPs) and industry to support sustainable tourism practices. The government is committed to supporting the sector through the forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Plan.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of of green levies on utility bills.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The key to bringing down energy bills in the long term is clean power. With gas prices still significantly higher than historic levels, our exposure to international fossil fuel markets is still the main driver of high energy bills.
Taken together, the actions announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor at the Budget take an average £150 of costs off people’s energy bills and deliver on funding more of the investment we need in our energy system through public expenditure rather than levies. £7 billion worth of the historic Renewables Obligation levy has been moved into public expenditure and the ECO scheme has been scrapped. The government is delivering the biggest public investment in home energy efficiency ever, increasing the settlement we received at the Spending Review.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to promote limestone insulation as an energy efficiency measure.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government does not promote one measure over another, instead energy efficiency measures installed under current Government energy efficiency schemes must be compliant with PAS 2035/2030 to ensure installations are done to the highest quality and the risk of unintended consequences, such as condensation or damp, are minimised.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help support households that are off the (a) gas and (b) electricity grid to improve their energy efficiency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We expect transitioning to clean heat will involve installing a heat pump for most off-gas-grid properties as these are cost-effective, proven technologies. The government has announced measures to support consumers with heat pump installations.
The government recognises heat pumps may not be a feasible option for all properties and we are committed to ensuring that there is the right solution for every household. Other low carbon heating technologies are available and the governments offers grants of £5,000 for biomass boilers under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Research is underway to collect data on the costs of different approaches to decarbonising the most complex housing archetypes.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help reduce petrol prices in rural areas.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government will implement the Competition & Markets Authority's recommendation to help drive down pump prices by introducing a statutory open data scheme, Fuel Finder, at the end of 2025. This scheme will increase fuel price transparency, enabling drivers to compare prices easily and make more informed decisions on where to buy petrol and diesel. By introducing this statutory open data scheme, petrol filling stations will face increased competition, leading to a reduction in fuel prices across the UK, including in rural areas.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he has taken to increase apprenticeship opportunities within his Department.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is expanding apprenticeship opportunities through its upcoming Talent Strategy. With 83 apprentices currently in post, the Department is broadening the offer by launching a Social Mobility Apprenticeship Programme, procuring new contracts aligned with its core delivery and mission priorities, and promoting opportunities through targeted outreach and engagement. It is also improving the apprentice experience through stronger networks and dedicated guidance. DESNZ continues to recruit through Civil Service schemes and remains fully committed to creating meaningful, high-quality early career pathways for both new and existing staff through a growing apprenticeship offer.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support vulnerable households with energy costs in off-grid communities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government believes the only way to protect billpayers permanently is to speed up the transition towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us harness clean energy, reduce our reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets, and enable us to meet our target to be a clean energy superpower by 2030.
We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power. This is why we delivered the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households last winter. We have recently consulted on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households on a qualifying means-tested benefit into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The consultation closed on 24 March and DESNZ is considering the responses received.
The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock, including those off gas grid, into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Energy Networks Association’s report entitled Our common sense plan for planning, published in December 2023, if he will make it his policy to (a) amend permitted development rights for the upgrading of the electricity distribution network infrastructure and (b) implement the nine point plan.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will consult this year on an ambitious package of reforms to land rights and consents processes for electricity network infrastructure based on responses to a 2022 Call for Evidence and proposals put forward by the Energy Network Association in their nine-point plan. The consultation will include proposals to expand planning consent exemptions to include low-voltage connections and upgrades in England and Wales. Any changes made to these processes will be developed with full consideration of the rights of landowners.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans his Department has to accelerate complementary reforms on the electricity distribution network to ensure that grid connections are accelerated, in addition to reforms to the planning regime for electricity transmission infrastructure.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will consult this year on an ambitious package of reforms to land rights and consents processes for electricity network infrastructure based on responses to a 2022 Call for Evidence and proposals put forward by the Energy Network Association in their nine-point plan. The consultation will include proposals to expand planning consent exemptions to include low-voltage connections and upgrades in England and Wales. Any changes made to these processes will be developed with full consideration of the rights of landowners.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to prevent solar panels from being placed on agricultural land.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Planning guidance makes clear that, wherever possible, solar developers should utilise brownfield, industrial, contaminated, or previously developed sites. Where the development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, lower-quality land should be preferred to higher-quality land.
The total area of land devoted to solar panels is very small. As of the end of September 2024, ground-mount solar PV panels covered an estimated 21,200 hectares (52,000 acres), which is only around 0.1 per cent of the total land area of the UK.