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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment her Department has made of the ability of the UK solar industry to meet service demand; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

As set out in the November 2013 Renewable Energy Roadmap Update, analysis indicated a potential deployment range of 7-20 GW (equivalent to 6-18 TWh) of solar PV at all scales, with 20GW being our estimate of the technical maximum level of solar PV deployment by 2020 on the basis of grid and other constraints. Solar PV in the UK was 8.007GW as of August 2015¹.

In the absence of cost effective storage, solar PV can make a contribution to meeting electricity demand but this will be limited by the nature of its diurnal cycle.

REF:

1. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-pv-deployment-august-2015

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many sites are approved for fracking in England and Wales; what the location is of each such site; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

Licensing and consent of onshore oil and gas activities in England is now a matter for the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA). Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences are not specific to shale gas. They grant exclusive rights to extract hydrocarbons, including shale gas but also other hydrocarbons, within a particular onshore area. A separate consent from the OGA is required before any drilling or hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can take place, as well as planning permission, environmental permits and review of the well design by the Health and Safety Executive.

The OGA does not have any undetermined consent applications.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment her Department has made of the role of fracking in meeting the future energy needs of the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

The Written Ministerial Statement by my rt. hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 16 September 2015 (Official Report, Column 34-38WS), sets out the Government’s view that there is a national need to explore and develop our shale gas and oil resources in a safe, sustainable and timely way, to help meet our objectives for secure energy supplies, economic growth and lower carbon emissions.

A successful shale industry could help create jobs and grow local economies. Investment in shale could reach £33billion and support up to 64,000 jobs in oil, gas, construction, engineering and chemical sectors. The opportunity to extract this energy, as well as to secure jobs and investment, cannot be ignored.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12252, what plans his Department has to increase the nutritional content of meals served to the prison population.

Andrew Selous

Meals offered to prisoners are nutritious, balanced, varied and in line with government recommendations on eating a healthy diet.

Last year, National Offender Management Service developed a model of cyclical four week menus, working closely withtheir food suppliers and nutritional technologists. As part of this process, a dietary and nutritional specialist was commissioned to review, analyse and make recommendations on the overall balance and nutritional content of the menus. These recommendations were incorporated and the menus are available to Prison Catering Teams.

Prisons are also encouraged to seek nutritional advice on any changes to menus to ensure they meet national standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12620, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of public subsidy for train operators in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry

The level of public subsidy paid to (or premiums paid by) train operators is determined by the franchising process, in which bidders compete for the right to run passenger services franchises. Franchise competitions are designed to allow train operators an adequate financial return while at the same time ensuring they can fulfil their franchise commitments and obligations in full. Last year the Department received net £1.2bn premium from franchised train operators. Further information can be found on the Gov.uk website

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-subsidy-per-passenger-mile).

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has carried out of the ability of road infrastructure to meet future demand; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones

The Road Investment Strategy (RIS) published in December 2014 sets out how £15.2 billion is being invested between 2015 and 2021 to improve the Strategic Road Network (SRN) – motorways and major ‘A’ roads in England. The RIS takes into account a range of possible outcomes for the future, underpinned by broad evidence which the Department will continue to build on and review. This includes an assessment of the trends that are likely to have a significant impact on road use and what these trends mean for traffic volumes on the SRN.

On the local road network it is for local highway authorities to make assessments of need and consider improvements.