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  • Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to simplify existing environmental, marine and agricultural regulations.

    George Eustice

    By contributing to Red Tape Challenge, Defra has reviewed over 1200 of its regulations. As a result of these reviews Defra has made commitments to revoke or improve nearly 800 regulations and as well as a number of significant non-regulatory changes that will directly benefit business and the wider public. These include the reform of all regulatory guidance produced by Defra and its agencies by spring 2015, so that users can quickly access clear information on what they need; changes to data reporting obligations, to remove any duplicate and unnecessary requests for information; and plans to explore opportunities to simplify and reduce the number of compliance inspections on farms.

    These reforms are being made without reducing existing protection of the environment or animal and plant health and are detailed in a report entitled “Defra better for Business: A Strategic Reform Plan for Defra Regulations” which was published on 9 April 2014[1]. Defra is working to deliver the vast majority of these proposals by April 2015 so that benefits can be felt quickly. Current estimates suggest that business could by then be saving £300million per year as a result of these reforms.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/302112/pb14166-defra-better-for-business.pdf

    “

  • Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will hold discussions with cavity wall insulation companies on potential job losses arising from changes in the Energy Company Obligation.

    Amber Rudd

    The Government will publish its response to the consultation on the future of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) shortly.

  • John Denham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    John Denham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Denham on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether his Department has made compensation payments to householders whose homes have suffered damage from work under the Affordable Warmth Obligation.

    Amber Rudd

    Consumer protection is an important aspect of any energy efficiency scheme. ECO is an obligation on the largest energy suppliers, and suppliers use in-house operation teams or contract third party installation companies to promote and install energy efficiency improvements in households. Compensation payments would therefore be provided through the energy suppliers or their contractors, not by Government.

    However, we have recently consulted on additional warranty provisions under ECO Affordable Warmth. We will announce the outcome of that consultation shortly.

    Consumers can also access the usual consumer protection routes such as Citizens Advice (08454 04 05 06) and Trading Standards.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the annual saving to the Levy Control Framework budget from closure of the Renewables Obligation to large-scale solar from April 2015; what that saving is as a proportion of that budget in (a) 2016, (b) 2017, (c) 2018, (d) 2019 and (e) 2020; and if he will make a statement.

    Amber Rudd

    In its consultation issued on 13th May 2014, DECC has proposed closing the Renewables Obligation (RO) to new solar PV capacity above 5MW from 31 March 2015. We consider this to be necessary because large-scale solar PV is deploying more rapidly than expected. This poses a substantial risk to our ability to manage the levy control framework budget, and therefore our ability to minimise costs of renewables deployment for consumers.

    The impact assessment published alongside the consultation set out the projected impact of proposed intervention on deployment and spend. Option 1 below assumes no action; option 2 is the proposed intervention:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-changes-to-financial-support-for-solar-pv.

    “

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of National Audit Office analysis indicating that £29 million will be available for Contracts for Difference contracts in 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

    Matthew Hancock

    Indicative CfD budgets, including for Contracts for Difference contracts in 2015-16, will be published later this month.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the total amount of Levy Control Framework budget spent on the Renewables Obligation in 2013-14; and what his forecast is for Renewables Obligation spend in 2014-15.

    Matthew Hancock

    Total expenditure on the Renewables Obligation (RO) in 2013/14 is estimated to be approximately £2.6 billion. This is calculated by multiplying the provisional obligation for the year, 61.5 million ROCs, by the buy-out price for that year, £42.02. The final obligation, and therefore overall spend, will not be confirmed until October 2014.

    Forecast expenditure on the RO in 2014/15 is approximately £3.1 billion. This is based on the provisional obligation for the year, 72.3 million ROCs, multiplied by this year’s buy-out price, £43.30.

  • Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what conversations he has held with (a) energy companies, (b) cavity wall insulation companies and (c) local authorities on the effect of the Government’s changes to the Energy Company Obligation on the UK’s ability to meet its carbon-saving obligations.

    Amber Rudd

    Ministers and officials have had meetings with many interested parties in recent months, including energy suppliers, insulation companies and local authorities, at which the Government’s proposed changes to the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) were discussed.

    These and other stakeholders, such as consumer organisations and Ofgem, are represented on the ECO Steering Group, which meets on a monthly basis. The terms of reference for the group, along with minutes of meetings and other papers, are made publicly available via Gov.uk:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/energy-company-obligation-eco-steering-group

    “

  • Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2014, Official Report, column 304W, on the Green Deal Scheme, what the average amount paid has been to households under the Green Deal Home Improvements Fund to date.

    Amber Rudd

    As at 14 July 2014, 6,607 vouchers have been issued under the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund with a maximum potential value of £36,484,100.

    Data on numbers of vouchers issued is currently published weekly on the Gov.Uk website at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-savings-advice-service-esas-calls-and-green-deal-webpage-views.

    “

  • Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2014, Official Report, column 304W, on the Green Deal Scheme, how many households have received money from the Green Deal Home Improvements Fund to date.

    Amber Rudd

    As at 14 July 2014, 6,607 vouchers have been issued under the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund with a maximum potential value of £36,484,100.

    Data on numbers of vouchers issued is currently published weekly on the Gov.Uk website at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-savings-advice-service-esas-calls-and-green-deal-webpage-views.

    “

  • Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2014, Official Report, column 305W, on housing: energy, how much of the financial support allocated to the Green Deal Programme in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 was spent in each year.

    Amber Rudd

    As of the end of March 2014, £186.7 million had been spent by DECC; £9.3 million in 2011-12, £62.6 million in 2012-13 and £114.8 million in 2013-14. There was also a small amount of Green Deal policy development prior to April 2011.

    In addition to implementing the core Green Deal framework, the figure given for total spend includes for instance that for the recently launched Green Deal Communities programme – an £88 million fund to support 24 local authority consortia (covering c100 local authorities in total) to deliver Green Deal on a street by street basis. It also comprises other schemes relating to wider energy efficiency work including the Energy Technologies List (ETL), Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP), Home Energy Efficiency Database (HEED).