Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
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 ex-miners to access the pensions that they are entitled to.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is keen to reach agreement with the Trustees of the British Coal pension schemes on changes to the arrangements to benefit scheme members. The Government is mindful of the need to resolve this issue as swiftly as possible, and will make an announcement once agreement has been reached.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
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 homeowners with low to average annual incomes access loans and grants to make their properties more energy efficient.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a universal grant of up to £7.500 to help property owners replace fossil fuel heating systems with more efficient, low carbon alternatives such as heat pumps, with a recent uplift to up to £9,000 for off-gas-grid homes heated by oil or LPG.
We’ve committed to a new low-interest loans scheme backed by an initial £2 billion of Government support, helping households with upfront costs for various measures, and we’ll be providing more details on this soon.
The Government also provides targeted support for low‑income households worth £5 billion including through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.
All these schemes form part of the Government’s broader £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, which represents the biggest public investment in home upgrades in British history.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
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 ensure the safe disposal of solar panels and wind turbines at the end of their viability.
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: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps are being taken to provide funding to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Funding for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is being provided through the Government’s Spending Review (SR) settlement, confirmed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in June 2025, which allocated £13.9 billion of capital funding for the period 2025 to 2030.
The SR settlement is the largest ever capital investment in nuclear decommissioning and demonstrates the government’s commitment to keeping the UK’s former nuclear sites and facilities safe.
This funding enables NDA to continue to perform its core mission of keeping former nuclear sites safe and secure while progressing decommissioning and nuclear waste management.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
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 implement the recommendations of the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We will present a full implementation plan by the end of February 2026, taking account of international obligations, security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes. We aim to complete implementation within two years, subject to legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
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 merits of enabling energy networks to access a dedicated radio spectrum for enhanced operational communications.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofcom is responsible for the management of spectrum in the UK, including allocating spectrum. My officials are working with those in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and with regulators to establish and assess the evidence base for the future telecommunications requirements of the energy, water and transport sectors.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Great British Nuclear on the potential merits of developing new nuclear power generation on the site of the Dungeness Power Station.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Nuclear (GBN) acquired sites at Wylfa (Ynys Mon/ Anglesey) and Oldbury-on-Severn (Gloucestershire) in 2024, although no decisions have yet been taken on any projects to be deployed at those sites.
In terms of other potentially suitable sites, the government recently published a consultation on a refreshed planning framework for new nuclear reactors (EN-7). The proposed planning framework provides a robust set of siting criteria, and the government would welcome developer interest in identifying potentially suitable sites using the framework as EN-7 moves towards designation later this year.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
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 adequacy of the regulatory framework for approving nuclear projects.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy
The UK has an enabling and rigorous energy regulatory regime. The Government is taking steps to reform the planning process and will continue to work with the regulators to understand additional opportunities to streamline the regulation of new nuclear projects.