Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support for pensioners in single-person households who have higher per-person energy costs than those in households with more than one person.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households which are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power. The Department’s Warm Home Discount (WHD) provides a £150 rebate off winter energy bills for eligible low-income households. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from next winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs.
The Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point. In the interim, one of the biggest practical barriers to providing help to households that need it, is the availability of the right data to target financial support and advice. The Department is working closely with other Government Departments to unlock the data that will enable us to more effectively target support to those who need help with their energy bills.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he made a comparative assessment of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers with and other hydrogen (a) storage and (b) transport methods to inform the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government continues to review the range of potential hydrogen carriers, including liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), and their role in the long-distance transport, storage and trade of hydrogen. Our ongoing assessment highlights the need for further research, demonstration and learning from deployment in order to optimise carrier options, whilst ensuring environmental and safety concerns have been fully considered and mitigated. This assessment will help to inform the potential of hydrogen carriers in enabling hydrogen deployment and their contribution to delivering the infrastructure needed to unlock hydrogen’s role in clean power, providing new home-grown energy and good jobs in our industrial heartlands.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make a comparative assessment of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers with other hydrogen (a) storage and (b) transport methods, to inform the 2025 update to the UK Hydrogen Strategy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government continues to review the range of potential hydrogen carriers, including liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), and their role in the long-distance transport, storage and trade of hydrogen. Our ongoing assessment highlights the need for further research, demonstration and learning from deployment in order to optimise carrier options, whilst ensuring environmental and safety concerns have been fully considered and mitigated. This assessment will help to inform the potential of hydrogen carriers in enabling hydrogen deployment and their contribution to delivering the infrastructure needed to unlock hydrogen’s role in clean power, providing new home-grown energy and good jobs in our industrial heartlands.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers in facilitating the green transition of fossil fuel infrastructure.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government continues to review the range of potential hydrogen carriers, including liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), and their role in the long-distance transport, storage and trade of hydrogen. Our ongoing assessment highlights the need for further research, demonstration and learning from deployment in order to optimise carrier options, whilst ensuring environmental and safety concerns have been fully considered and mitigated. This assessment will help to inform the potential of hydrogen carriers in enabling hydrogen deployment and their contribution to delivering the infrastructure needed to unlock hydrogen’s role in clean power, providing new home-grown energy and good jobs in our industrial heartlands.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment made of the potential merits of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers in the development of the hydrogen economy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government continues to review the range of potential hydrogen carriers, including liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), and their role in the long-distance transport, storage and trade of hydrogen. Our ongoing assessment highlights the need for further research, demonstration and learning from deployment in order to optimise carrier options, whilst ensuring environmental and safety concerns have been fully considered and mitigated. This assessment will help to inform the potential of hydrogen carriers in enabling hydrogen deployment and their contribution to delivering the infrastructure needed to unlock hydrogen’s role in clean power, providing new home-grown energy and good jobs in our industrial heartlands.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Stockport District Heat Network on energy costs for households in fuel poverty.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Stockport Council have applied for support from our Green Heat Networks Fund for their district heating network. To be eligible for support from the scheme, applicants must demonstrate that their networks will cause no detriment to domestic customers. This means that householders in fuel poverty should be no worse off.
We are also taking action to strengthen consumer protection by introducing Ofgem regulation of heat networks from January 2026, providing protections for vulnerable customers, and ensuring fairer pricing.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the sale of fossil fuels in international energy markets on his Department’s support for North Sea oil operations.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Oil and gas is traded on international markets, therefore domestically produced oil and gas does not mean cheaper prices and leaves British consumers exposed to unstable fossil fuel markets. On 5 March the Government launched a consultation that progresses the commitment to not issue new licences to explore new oil and gas fields while managing existing fields for their lifespan. It also sets out the next steps to make the North Sea a world leading example of an offshore clean energy industry, which is vital for delivering the best outcomes for workers and communities, energy security, and sustainable economic growth.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 support a just transition for workers in the oil and gas sector; and what steps he has taken to support (a) retraining and (b) reskilling them for jobs in the renewable energy industry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Office of Clean Energy Jobs (OCEJ) is engaging widely with industry, experts, and trade unions for a clear assessment of the skills opportunities and challenges. It is working closely with Skills England to ensure that skills systems reforms support the clean energy transition.
The OCEJ will also set out targeted interventions to support specific skills needs in the clean energy workforce. It has recently launched the initial version of the Energy Skills Passport to support oil and gas workers into new roles in the clean energy sector like offshore wind. In phase two, we are exploring opportunities to expand it into other clean energy sectors such as CCUS and Hydrogen.