Written questions by MacDonald.

What assessment his department has made of the potential merits of rebalancing policy costs levied on electricity bills across gas and electricity bills equally.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his department has made of the potential merits of equalising standing charges for electricity consumers across the United Kingdom.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his department has made of the case for extending the Common Tariff Obligation to apply across the whole of the United Kingdom, so that no comparable domestic consumer is charged higher electricity prices solely on the basis of their geographic location.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his department has made of the potential merits of introducing a price cap on domestic heating oil for households that are not connected to the gas grid.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his department has made of the potential merits of rebalancing policy costs currently levied on electricity bills across gas and electricity bills equally.

Awaiting answer.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the amount of community benefits paid to a) the United Kingdom, b) Scotland and c) the Scottish Highlands in 2025.

Awaiting answer.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the amount of community benefits paid to a) the United Kingdom, b) Scotland and c) the Scottish Highlands in 2025.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the Oral Question of 24th March 2026, what steps his Department is taking to introduce a trial for free wind power for people living near energy infrastructure.

In line with statements made to Parliament on 24th March 2026, the Department is working with UKRI to launch a trial this winter. The trial will test the removal of final consumption levies from increased consumer demand that responds to instances where there is abundant local renewable energy in grid constrained areas. This will enable energy suppliers and flexibility service providers to offer periods of discounted power to households and businesses in such areas so that more of this power can be used.

What estimate his Department has made of the total (a) energy and (b) water demands of all proposed AI data centres.

The Department’s published Energy and Emissions Projections include growth in power demand from computing services like data centres. To ensure a comprehensive view, the methodology projects at a broader sector level, not disaggregating specific estimates for data centres. Water use comes under the remit of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Its Water Delivery Taskforce is building an evidence base of data centre water use across England. The Government encourages data centre developers to consider use of non-potable water, embed water efficiency or reuse in design, and contact their proposed water and wastewater supplier early in the planning process.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure transparency from AI companies on the level of their energy usage.

Large AI companies in the UK must report energy and carbon use under The Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reporting (SECR) framework. Many companies also voluntarily report their Power Utilisation Effectiveness, which is the industry standard measure of efficiency of a data centre. Government is assessing the relevant technologies and metrics involved in its drive towards building a sustainable energy system as part of the AI Energy Council.

What guidance Ofgem provides to electricity network operators on timescales for rectifying infrastructure found to be operating above permitted noise levels.

Noise from electricity network infrastructure is not regulated by Ofgem. Ofgem’s remit covers the economic regulation of network operators and the protection of consumers.

What discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on the enforcement of noise standards for electricity transmission infrastructure.

Noise from electricity network infrastructure is not regulated by Ofgem. Ofgem’s remit covers the economic regulation of network operators and the protection of consumers.

What guidance his Department provides on escalation mechanisms available to communities where an electricity network operator has acknowledged non-compliance with permitted noise levels but remediation has not been delivered.

For operational infrastructure, in England and Wales any noise concerns should be raised to local planning authorities in line with the Environmental Protection Act 1990. You can report an noise nuisance via: Report a noise nuisance to your council - GOV.UK. For Scotland, powers in this act relating to noise and statutory nuisance are devolved to Scottish Government. In England and Wales where a project meets the threshold for an Environmental Impact Assessment, developers are required to assess and mitigate noise impacts. They are similarly required to do so at the planning stage in accordance with the National Policy Statement EN‑5 and the National Planning Policy Framework.

What discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on community benefit expectations for renewable energy developments, including the real-terms value of the £5,000 per installed megawatt per year figure referenced in Scottish Government guidance published in 2014.

As the government explores options for community benefits, we have engaged with stakeholders across Great Britain, including the Scottish and Welsh Governments.

What progress his Department has made since the publication of the working paper Community benefits and shared ownership for low carbon energy infrastructure on 21 May 2025.

The government is in the process of reviewing responses and intends to publish a response setting out our next steps in due course.

What recent discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on its public consultation on Community Benefits which ended in April 2025.

The government engages regularly with the Scottish Government regarding community benefits.

What discussions his Department has had on the potential impact of debit card payments on levels of customer credit balances.

The level of customer credit balances held by energy suppliers is a matter for Ofgem, as the independent regulator. Energy suppliers use credit balances as a way to smooth customer direct debit payments over a year, accounting for seasonal variations in usage. If a customer has concerns about their direct debit or the level of credit balance they should contact their energy supplier. Under the terms of Ofgem’s Standard Licence Conditions, customers may challenge increased direct debit payment amounts with their supplier and ask the supplier to justify how amounts have been calculated. Suppliers must explain clearly how they reached the figure they want to charge and give the meter readings used. Customers can ask their supplier to lower monthly direct debit payments to reflect the energy use more accurately and if a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they can ask their supplier to refund it.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of energy suppliers holding large aggregate customer credit balances on household finances.

The level of customer credit balances held by energy suppliers is a matter for Ofgem, as the independent regulator. Energy suppliers use credit balances as a way to smooth customer direct debit payments over a year, accounting for seasonal variations in usage. If a customer has concerns about their direct debit or the level of credit balance they should contact their energy supplier. Under the terms of Ofgem’s Standard Licence Conditions, customers may challenge increased direct debit payment amounts with their supplier and ask the supplier to justify how amounts have been calculated. Suppliers must explain clearly how they reached the figure they want to charge and give the meter readings used. Customers can ask their supplier to lower monthly direct debit payments to reflect the energy use more accurately and if a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they can ask their supplier to refund it.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of energy suppliers requesting increases to Direct Debit payments from customers who are already in credit on those customers.

The level of customer credit balances held by energy suppliers is a matter for Ofgem, as the independent regulator. Energy suppliers use credit balances as a way to smooth customer direct debit payments over a year, accounting for seasonal variations in usage. If a customer has concerns about their direct debit or the level of credit balance they should contact their energy supplier. Under the terms of Ofgem’s Standard Licence Conditions, customers may challenge increased direct debit payment amounts with their supplier and ask the supplier to justify how amounts have been calculated. Suppliers must explain clearly how they reached the figure they want to charge and give the meter readings used. Customers can ask their supplier to lower monthly direct debit payments to reflect the energy use more accurately and if a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they can ask their supplier to refund it.

What guidance his Department issues to energy suppliers on the level of customer credit balances that are considered reasonable for (a) domestic and (b) business energy accounts.

The Department issues no such guidance to energy suppliers. Requirements for how energy suppliers should treat customer credit balances are included within the Supplier Licence Conditions. These set out consumer standards, rules on credit balances, and what suppliers must do to stay financially stable, as set down by the industry regulator Ofgem. If a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they should contact their supplier and they can ask for a refund.