Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive regarding the use of renewable energy in Northern Ireland.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working closely with Northern Ireland’s Department for the Economy and is committed to exploring options for Northern Ireland to join the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme – the UK’s main support mechanism for large-scale renewable generation. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State also recently met with the Northern Ireland Assembly's Minister for the Economy Gordon Lyons where, amongst other issues, there was a discussion around Northern Ireland and the CfD scheme. Current work is considering a range of issues, including impacts on consumer bills and wider implications for how the scheme operates currently in Great Britain.