Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when a Minister from his Department last made an official visit to Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituency.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I both live in Wales and serve Welsh constituencies. We have a consistent presence in Wales as we conduct many visits, events and meetings in Wales on a regular basis.
Details of Ministerial visits and meetings are published on the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales’ website and in Quarterly Ministerial Transparency Returns. In addition, visits and meetings conducted in support of the Wales Office priorities are published in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales Annual Report and Accounts.
The UK Government has provided extensive support to Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire. A typical household in Wales has received almost £2000 in UK Government support to help with the cost of living. This includes around 230,000 payments delivered in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. During the Covid-19 pandemic over 12,000 jobs were supported through the furlough scheme, around £33 million was claimed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and over £90 million was given to businesses through government-backed business loans.
The UK Government has also supported innovation within Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire with around £36.6 million awarded by Innovate UK since April 2019. Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire will also benefit from the Celtic Freeport, backed by £26 million from UK Government. The Celtic Freeport aims to attract significant inward investment including £3.5 billion in green energy as well as the creation of 16,000 jobs, generating £900 million in Gross Value Added by 2030.
In addition, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, the local authorities for the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituency, are receiving over £38 million and over £23 million respectively, from the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Carmarthenshire is also receiving over £36 million from the Levelling Up Fund to deliver the Tywi Valley active travel path, and new public service Hubs in Carmarthen and Pembroke. The constituency also benefits from the £235 million Swansea Bay City Deal, including £28 million invested in the Pembroke Dock Marine project.
This Government is investing in Wales like never before; over £790 million in four City and Regional Growth Deals covering the whole of Wales, £585 million for local authorities to invest through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, including over £100 million for the Multiply adult numeracy programme, £330 million in capital investment through the Levelling Up Fund and £3.2 million to preserve community assets through the Community Ownership Fund. Wales will benefit from two Freeports backed by £52 million, the British Business Bank’s new £130m Regional Investment Fund, and from Project Gigabit which will enable hard to reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit capable broadband.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that (a) communities and businesses in the South of England and (b) national industries are able participate in (i) carbon capture storage and (ii) the production of hydrogen and sustainable aviation and marine fuels.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Carbon capture and storage (CCUS) and low carbon hydrogen, which can be used to create sustainable aviation and marine fuels, offer economic opportunities across the country. In 2030, CCUS and hydrogen could support up to 50,000 and 12,000 jobs, respectively. The Government announced an unprecedented £20bn investment in the early development of CCUS and is supporting hydrogen projects across the UK through the £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, including three in the south of England, and the Hydrogen Production Business Model. Two projects in the south of England have progressed to the next stage of the first electrolytic hydrogen allocation round.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to hold discussions with G7 counterparts on memorandums of understanding for deep sea mining.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In conjunction with the recent G7 Summit in Japan, the G7 Ministers for Climate, Energy and Environment met at the G7 Hiroshima Summit in April 2023 and agreed a Communique on 16th April which included mention of deep seabed mining, that the G7 will "continue to actively engage in the development of a regulatory framework on deep seabed mineral exploitation under International Seabed Authority (ISA) that ensures effective protection for the marine environment from harmful effects which may arise from such activities, as required under the UNCLOS". The full G7 statement on deep sea mining can be found at www.env.go.jp.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the UK Armed Forces' ability to protect undersea cable infrastructure.
Answered by James Heappey
The Government takes the security and resilience of all at-sea infrastructure, including undersea cables, very seriously. The Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is the lead department for the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is the lead department for subsea energy cables. Detailing our assessments as to threats and our ability to protect undersea cables would be likely to prejudice the purpose of safeguarding their security and consequently national security. Subsea internet cables are specifically considered in the National Risk Assessment which is kept under review.
The Ministry of Defence constantly monitors activity within UK waters and its Economic Exclusion Zone to counter and deter detected threats. British warships frequently patrol throughout the UK marine area and are routed through the North Sea where possible, to deter and increase our visibility of potential threats.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many locations in the North Sea which the UK has licensed for oil and gas (a) exploration and (b) extraction overlap with (i) Marine Protected Areas and (ii) the Arctic region as defined by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The environmental impact of proposed offshore oil and gas developments is subject to rigorous regulatory assessment by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED), including a full environmental impact assessment and consultation with statutory nature protection bodies and the public.
The North Sea Transition Authority has published an interactive map of where oil and gas licences are on the UK Continental Shelf which can be found here.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
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 potential impact of allowing new oil and gas (a) licenses and (b) developments on the (i) health of Marine Protected Areas and (ii) target to protect 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has undertaken an Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment (OESEA4) of a draft plan for licensing and leasing areas for future offshore energy developments including offshore oil and gas, in relevant waters of the UK Continental Shelf. In advance of any licence award, a further Habitats Regulations and Marine Protected Area/Marine Conservation Zone Assessment will be undertaken.
Development proposals for offshore oil and gas are dealt with by the relevant regulators; the North Sea Transition Authority and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). As part of the regulatory process, OPRED considers the Environmental Impact Assessment for development proposals to ensure the impact on the environment, including marine protected areas is taken into account.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government on what timescales they expect a marine renewable consent can be achieved; and what specific steps they are taking to support a proportionate, streamlined and bespoke consenting process for marine renewables to accelerate the development and deployment of marine renewables within UK waters.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In February 2023 the Government published an Action Plan to deliver reforms to improve the planning system for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, which the Government is implementing. Five revised energy National Policy Statements, published in March 2023, are out for consultation.
Consenting time is around 20 months, although this varies depending on the specific circumstances. In the Action Plan, the Government outlined its intention to establish a fast-track consenting timeframe, which will be available for certain projects, where defined quality standards are met. Proposals for fast-track consenting, including for marine renewables, will be consulted on in spring 2023.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the mitigation hierarchy will be implemented in the planning process for offshore windfarms.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The mitigation hierarchy is an established principle of environmental and planning law. The Government is currently consulting on an updated National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure, including offshore wind, which states that applicants should always employ the mitigation hierarchy. The Government will be publishing updated guidance for offshore wind developers and regulators to further clarify how to work through and adhere to the mitigation hierarchy.
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill includes provision to replace Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment processes for national infrastructure projects, marine works and terrestrial planning with Environmental Outcome Reports (EORs). EORs apply to a range of consenting regimes and will assess any steps proposed to avoid, mitigate or compensate for effects of specified environmental outcomes that are not met and to what extent the mitigation hierarchy was followed.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that any changes to The Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Unloading and Storage (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2020 do not increase greenhouse gas emissions and marine impacts from oil and gas platforms.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Unloading and Storage (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2020 remain current and relevant to considering the environmental impacts of proposed offshore oil and gas exploration and production, offshore gas unloading and storage, and offshore capture and storage of carbon dioxide projects. Any future changes would seek to, as a minimum, maintain existing standards of environmental protection.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many officials are engaged in work to support marine energy reaching commercialisation.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There are four officials whose work is focussed on supporting marine energy commercialisation at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. They are supported by others across the Department who help deliver various renewable schemes and programmes.