Oral Answers to Questions

Theresa Villiers Excerpts

Tuesday 21st May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Justin Tomlinson]

That is simply not the case; we are leading internationally. Last year alone, there was £60 billion of funding for low-carbon technology; that is up 71% on the previous year. That is why other countries turn to our businesses and supply chain for their expertise—and to us, as we are leading with our policy framework.

[Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con)]

T5. The switch to electric cars and vans is crucial for improving air quality and reaching net zero. Will the Government update us on action being taken to deliver charging points in the right places, in consultation with residents? [R]

[Justin Tomlinson]

The Government have invested in the Faraday battery challenge, a £541 million programme to support the research, development and scale-up of world-leading battery technology in the UK. Since 2022, all new homes and homes undergoing major renovation in England have been required to have a charge point installed. That is why we welcome the year-on-year 49% increase in charge points.

Draft Strategy and Policy Statement for Energy Policy in Great Britain

Theresa Villiers Excerpts

Tuesday 19th March 2024 General Committees

[Amanda Solloway]

I will come on to that in a moment.

The Secretary of State and Ofgem must also have regard for the policy outcomes contained within the SPS, and both parties must carry out their respective regulatory functions in the manner which they consider best calculated to further the delivery of the policy outcomes.

NESO is expected to be established this year. The SPS serves an additional purpose of setting out and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of NESO alongside Ofgem and the Government. The SPS is intended to provide guidance to the energy sector on the actions and decisions that are needed to deliver the Government’s policy goals, and places emphasis on where the Government expect a shift in the energy industry’s strategic direction.

As the independent energy regulator for Great Britain, Ofgem cannot be directed by the Government on how it should make decisions. Similarly, NESO is being set out to be operationally independent and free from day-to-day Government control. However, the SPS will provide guiding principles for Ofgem and NESO when it is established. The strategic priorities and policy outcomes within the SPS do not include the creation of any new policies or duties.

[Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con)]

I would be very interested to hear how the SPS will focus on the switch to renewables. That seems to have been one of the big successes under the current Government, with the proportion of our electricity generated from renewables somewhere near 40%. Obviously, we want that progress to continue.

[Amanda Solloway]

Absolutely. That is the very reason we are doing this—to make sure that we achieve our net zero targets.

The statement will support strategic alignment between the Government, Ofgem, NESO and the industry, by making clear what the Government want to achieve in the energy sector. The legal framework of the Energy Act 2013 requires that Ofgem, NESO and the Secretary of State all have a duty to have regard to the strategic priorities within the SPS.

Ofgem must publish a strategy showing how it will further deliver the policy outcomes and its annual report must assess its contribution to deliver those outcomes. The SPS also acts as a tool to promote alignment between Government, Ofgem, NESO and industry. As per the Energy Act 2013, the SPS has completed two consultations. The first was undertaken with Ofgem and the Welsh and Scottish Governments, and the Government worked with all parties to make sure views were correctly captured before moving on to the second public consultation, which was held last summer.

COP28

Theresa Villiers Excerpts

Wednesday 29th November 2023 Commons Chamber

[Amanda Solloway]

As I have mentioned, we do take this issue incredibly seriously. If I think about some of the facts, as the hon. Member rightly mentioned, at the G20 the Prime Minister announced $2 billion to the green climate fund. That is the biggest single funding commitment that the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change. Half of that contribution will go to adaptation. We are committed, and that is why we have a presence at COP28. The House will see that senior members of the UK Government are there, as well as King Charles.

[Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con)]

This country has one of the strongest records in the world on reducing emissions, not least given our very successful COP26 summit in Glasgow. What progress is being made on delivering the historic commitment to tackling deforestation made by the leaders at that summit?

[Amanda Solloway]

I pay tribute to the work that my right hon. Friend has done on this subject. I will need to get back to her with the exact figures on deforestation, if I may. One of the things that the UK Government are doing at COP28 is making sure that we hit the five key areas of progress: finance, global stocktake, mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage—and, within that, nature.

Oral Answers to Questions

Theresa Villiers Excerpts

Tuesday 19th September 2023 Commons Chamber

[Amanda Solloway]

Having experienced fuel poverty myself when I was growing up, I do understand completely how the hon. Gentleman’s constituents feel. That is why the Government are absolutely committed to ensuring that we support people. We have given unprecedented support. We have the warm home discount and the cost of living payment, among many other measures, to help constituents through the cost of living.

[Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con)]

16. What steps she is taking to help promote the creation of high-skilled jobs in the renewable energy sector.

[The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Claire Coutinho)]

This is a crucial area. There are already over 400,000 jobs in the renewable energy sector and that will rise steeply over time. We are investing billions in skills, including green skills and including 26,000 training opportunities in energy efficiency and low carbon heating.

[Theresa Villiers]

May I urge the Government to give real priority to the creation of apprenticeships in the renewable energy and green sector? That way, we can use net zero to create great opportunities for young people and boost social mobility.

Oral Answers to Questions

Theresa Villiers Excerpts

Tuesday 18th April 2023 Commons Chamber

[Grant Shapps]

Just to correct the record, it comes to an end in April 2024, so that guarantee remains in place. Wholesale prices in the meantime, fortunately, have been falling—I noticed that they are £98 per therm this morning. We do think that things like a social tariff could be very helpful and the Chancellor has undertaken to look at that as well.

[Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con)]

It has made a huge difference to millions of families that the Government have been paying over a third of people’s energy bills, as part of a bigger package that is one of the most generous in Europe, but can the Minister assure us that the Government are doing everything possible to get inflation down and ensure that we have more sustainably priced energy in future?

[Grant Shapps]

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. She mentions a third; in fact, we have been paying around a half of the typical household energy bill this winter, at huge cost. Fortunately, we have seen the wholesale prices fall, and we will start to see that reflected in the energy prices, although we have extended the guarantee—the £2,500. But she is absolutely right in her wider point: it is essential that we get to the cheapest, most plentiful electricity in Europe, and the “Powering up Britain” document aims to do precisely that.