Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to enable errors in the National Energy System Operator's connection contracts with generators and off-takers to be (a) identified and (b) corrected.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for issuing transmission level connection agreements under the connections reform programme. Customers can raise queries and potential errors through NESO's online portal.
The Department works closely with NESO and Ofgem to oversee delivery of the programme and monitor the rates of outstanding customer queries. Where errors are identified, NESO has processes in place to investigate and correct them, including reissuing offers where necessary.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 adequacy of safeguards to ensure potential material errors in the National Energy System Operator's connection contracts with generators and off-takers are independently reviewed and corrected.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is closely monitoring NESO’s implementation of connections reform, including the number of outstanding queries raised by customers and the number of connection offers requiring subsequent re-issue. These are important indicators of whether the accuracy and quality of offers is improving over time.
Ofgem, as the independent regulator, is ultimately responsible for monitoring NESO’s delivery performance and ensuring that appropriate safeguards are in place.
Where a customer remains dissatisfied, relevant disputes can be escalated to Ofgem, which has powers to determine certain disputes under the electricity licensing and regulatory framework.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 impact of the National Energy System Operator's status on its accountability to (a) government and (b) Parliament.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
NESO is an operationally independent public corporation. The Secretary of State is NESO's sole shareholder, exercises shareholder rights on behalf of Government, and is accountable to Parliament for matters relating to the organisation.
While the NESO Board retains responsibility for NESO's leadership, governance and corporate performance, Ofgem independently regulates NESO's delivery of its statutory duties and compliance with its licence obligations.
As set out in the NESO Framework Document, NESO is subject to parliamentary scrutiny, audit and reporting requirements. NESO's Chief Executive serves as the designated Accountable Person, with responsibility for stewardship of public resources and governance.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the safeguards in place to ensure that material errors in the National Energy System Operator's connection agreements can be (a) independently reviewed and (b) corrected.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department works closely with the National Energy System Operator (NESO), Ofgem and network companies to oversee the governance of the connections process and to monitor delivery of the reforms.
Customers who believe there is an error in their connection agreement should in the first instance raise this with NESO through its Connections Portal. NESO also provides complaints processes for customers to seek review of issues that have not been resolved through normal engagement.
Where a customer remains dissatisfied, relevant disputes can be escalated to Ofgem, which has powers to determine certain disputes under the electricity licensing and regulatory framework.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 publish Great British Energy – Nuclear’s assessment of Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish Great British Energy-Nuclear’s assessment of Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers have asked GBE-N to assess Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power, including around areas that have previously hosted nuclear stations, such as Torness and Hunterston. Scotland has made a significant contribution to British nuclear power and, having previously hosted nuclear power stations, we expect that areas of Scotland will have positive attributes for new nuclear.
Whilst the government is not in a position to share outcomes of GBE-N’s assessment, it remains open to discussions with the Scottish Government on deploying new nuclear technologies in Scotland.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of fuel price volatility on (a) the haulage industry, (b) the downstream construction supply chain, and (c) projected levels of new housebuilding in 2026.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The price of petrol and diesel are influenced by a range of factors, and whilst it generally takes several weeks for both rises and falls in the cost of crude oil to be reflected at the pump, events of this magnitude can generate short term price shocks. Although the UK maintains a diverse range of energy sources to bolster our resilience, oil is a globally traded commodity. This means that disruptions or uncertainty in any region can influence prices in the UK until global markets stabilise. We are engaging daily with refiners, importers and distributors to ensure any emerging risks are identified and managed promptly.
The Department for Business and Transport is also monitoring the situation, and is in regular contact with stakeholders, including through the Construction Leadership Council.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 fuel price volatility on UK construction and haulage firms; and what steps he is taking to protect businesses and consumers from sudden price shocks.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fuel markets are governed by competition and consumer protection law, overseen by the Competition Market Authority (CMA). The Government and the CMA are closely monitoring petrol and diesel prices in light of instability in the Middle East, and the Chancellor and Secretary of State recently met with fuel retailers to set out a clear message: unfair practices will not be tolerated.
We are also engaging regularly with refiners, importers and distributors to ensure any emerging risks are identified and managed promptly. The UK benefits from strong and diverse security of energy supplies, and there are no issues with fuel supply.
The Department for Business and Transport is also monitoring the situation and is in regular contact with stakeholders.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what fiscal steps he is taking to incentivise the uptake of heat pumps.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) provides grants to property owners to enable them to transition away from fossil fuel to low carbon heating. The grant available under the scheme for air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps is ÂŁ7,500, and ÂŁ5,000 is available for biomass boilers. Funding for the BUS has increased to ÂŁ295 million for this financial year.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) provides funding to support low carbon heating, including heat pumps, and the installation of energy efficiency measures.
The grants are in addition to the 0% rate of VAT on the installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers, which will last until March 2027.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 through the spending review to reduce electricity costs.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.
We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we delivered the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households last winter. On 25 February, we published a consultation 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 into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The consultation has now closed, and the Department is evaluating the responses.
The Government is continuing to work with Ofgem and energy suppliers to ensure energy bills remain fair and affordable while we transition to clean power by 2030.