Topical Questions

Question

The consultation on renewable liquid fuels from September is welcome, but the Future Ready Fuel campaign showed that 88% of respondents from off-grid households actively want the option of switching to a renewable liquid fuel. Will my right hon. Friend work with me to ensure that we can get consumers the choices they actually want?

Question

After presiding over the scandal of forced installation of prepayment meters, the predecessor promised full compensation but only 150,000 out of 1.5 million people got it. Why has she failed to deliver justice?

Question

It is a year on; the right hon. Lady should deliver compensation but fails across the board: onshore wind ban remains, offshore wind market crashes, insulation schemes disaster, appeasing anti-net zero brigade.

Question

We have seen fuel price increases at petrol stations. The CMA looked into it, and Government is coming forward with Pumpwatch. Can we ensure an advertising campaign when this launches?

Question

We learned last year that no fewer than 200 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero jobs were going to transfer from London to Aberdeen. That was championed by the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Minister responsible for nuclear and renewables. It now transpires that only 35 jobs will transfer to Aberdeen. Is the Secretary of State content for that derisory transfer of jobs from her Department to Aberdeen?

Question

Residents in Cranbrook and Tithebarn have faced frequent energy outages and woeful customer service from E.ON's district heating networks. Will my right hon. Friend outline when this regulation will be brought in?

Question

Does the Minister acknowledge that delays in track 1 carbon capture and storage expansion and track 2 timelines endanger the Humber's status as a global leader in hydrogen and CCS, endanger £15 billion of private investment and jeopardise industrial decarbonisation and economic growth?

Question

I have been speaking to my constituents about the whole net zero agenda. Although they support cleaner and greener energy sources, their priority is energy security, self-sufficiency, and sovereignty. I am worried that many people cannot afford this extreme agenda which could end up giving China a competitive advantage and bankrupting our country.

Question

Did the former Energy Minister leave because he is worried about losing his seat to Labour at the next election, or because he could no longer bear to support the woeful energy policy of this Government?

Question

Will the Minister agree to visit to see how the centre is providing financial and research and development support to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies?

Question

Energy Security and Net Zero questions has once again proved to me how out of touch this place is with the rest of the country. The poorest 40% of UK households will be made much worse off by net zero policies, according to a report from York University. Can the Minister confirm how much net zero will cost?

Question

Does the Minister agree that solar farms are great but should not go on prime agricultural land?

Question

I have been contacted by a popular village pub that is struggling with its energy debt and astronomical energy bill. Such pubs are at the heart of our local communities and they are closing at an alarming rate. Will the Secretary of State consider measures to enable them to manage their historical debt by allowing them to pay it off more slowly, or supporting them in another way so that we can keep these important pubs open?

Question

On Ynys Môn, companies such as Mona Lifting in Llangefni, supported by the Green Digital Academy, which has been funded by £2.7 million from the community renewal fund, are working hard to use their businesses to help to deliver net zero with the installation of solar panels and charging points. Does the Minister agree that it is thanks to the UK Government that innovative, forward-thinking companies such as Mona Lifting are leading the way so we can deliver net zero?

Question

My constituent Joe Stean did the right thing and switched the family car to electric, but now the cost and lack of charging points have put him into fuel poverty. What are the Government doing to encourage charging options for people who do not live in detached homes? Is it true that the new Minister voted against the zero-emissions vehicle mandate?

Question

Energy security is national security, and food security is national security. Up and down the country there are plenty of rooftops, residential, industrial and agricultural, that are suitable for solar panels. Will my hon. Friend the Minister reassure the country that we will prioritise those sites for our solar footprint, rather than jeopardising prime food-producing land or, indeed, our precious greenbelt?

Question

Smart meters are vital to help families to cut bills and save money on their energy outlay, yet the Government's own figures show that 4 million smart meters are faulty. Is that not another catastrophic failure? When is the Secretary of State going to get a grip on the issue?

Question

The giant pylons—they are absolutely huge—associated with the transmission route have caused grave concern in the highlands. Can I have an assurance that strong consideration will be given to undergrounding the cables near the communities that are affected and, indeed, to going under the ocean where that is possible?

Question

Forty per cent. of properties in this country do not even have an energy performance certificate, and of those that do in the private rented sector, and in the private ownership sector, only 30% are EPC C rated. Last year, we made an improvement of only 1%. EPC C is the standard, so when does the Minister expect that we will ever get to 100% EPC C in our housing stock, and what are the Government doing to increase the speed of the process?