Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions have taken place between bodies associated with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man regarding potential transboundary impacts of activities associated with the planned construction of a geological disposal facility for the storage of high-level radioactive waste.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), a division of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, is the delivery body for the geological disposal facility (GDF). NWS meets with officials from the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man under the auspices of the regular UK-Ireland Contact Group to update them on the siting process for a GDF, including sighting them on potential impacts of activities it undertakes to identify a suitable location. The community consent-based process to identify and select a site in England is at an early stage. Currently, four possible areas are under consideration – three in Cumbria and one in Lincolnshire.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to undertake an assessment of the contribution of community energy; and what discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on the value of community energy in helping to deliver (a) lower bills, (b) energy security and (c) net zero.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As promised in the Net Zero Strategy, the Government has created a Community Energy Contact Group to discuss policy and delivery issues relevant to community energy, including the contribution that community energy can make, to strengthen engagement with the sector.
Ministers and officials regularly meet with Ofgem to discuss a range of issues relating to the energy market.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to promote community energy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government encourages community energy groups to work closely with local authorities to support the development of UK-wide growth funding schemes. The Government is working with the sector to deliver a programme which will support local authorities develop community-led energy groups and projects. The Government has provided £10m funding to community energy groups through the Rural Community Energy Fund.
The Government has not made a formal assessment of the role of community energy in reducing household energy bills.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential role of community energy in reducing household energy bills.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government encourages community energy groups to work closely with local authorities to support the development of UK-wide growth funding schemes. The Government is working with the sector to deliver a programme which will support local authorities develop community-led energy groups and projects. The Government has provided £10m funding to community energy groups through the Rural Community Energy Fund.
The Government has not made a formal assessment of the role of community energy in reducing household energy bills.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government is planning to introduce a cap on the price per litre of heating oil for domestic heating.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has carefully considered the introduction of a price cap to help heating oil customers with high fuel prices. However, government analysis indicates that a cap would not be in the long-term interests of consumers.
The existing gas and electricity price cap was designed to protect consumers on default tariffs from the loyalty penalty, which the Competitions and Markets Authority warned was causing customers to be overcharged. The structure of the heating oil market is different and imposing a price cap below wholesale costs would drive companies out of the market, reducing competition and possibly result in supply shortages.