Written questions by Maguire.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure the UK’s electric vehicle infrastructure keeps pace with the increasing number of electric vehicles on the road.

The Government continues to provide funding to local authorities, small businesses, schools and residential properties to support the installations of tens of thousands of public and domestic electric vehicle chargepoints. The Government is also making it easier, quicker and cheaper to install chargepoints. In December the Government announced: further changes to planning legislation to facilitate off-street chargepoint installations and to allow the use of street works permits for quicker charger deployment; guidance to help local authorities with cross-pavement charging solutions; and guidance to address common issues around EV infrastructure and grid connections.

What steps his Department is taking to address regional disparities in access to public electric vehicle charging points to ensure equitable access across the UK.

The £381 million Local EV Infrastructure Fund supports local authorities to work with industry and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking. The funding, backed by substantial private investment, will support the installation of tens of thousands of local chargers, ensuring the rollout continues at pace to support drivers in every part of the country.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that heat pumps are a viable option for homes and businesses currently off the gas grid.

We expect most off-grid properties will ultimately transition to heat pumps as these are a proven technology. We are supporting deployment through a range of other policies including supporting growth in the supply chain through the reformed Clean Heat Market Mechanism, investing in new heat pump manufacturing capacity through the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator, and helping installers train up through the Heat Training Grant. Our Boiler Upgrade Scheme also offers consumers £7,500 in grant funding for a heat pump, enabling consumers to purchase a heat pump at an increasingly comparable price to a gas boiler.

What discussions his Department has had with oil and gas companies on renewables policy.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

If he will commission an independent review of alternative renewable energy technologies.

The Secretary of State does not intend to commission a separate independent review of alternative renewable energy technologies. DESNZ monitors new developments through the Net Zero Innovation Programme. Additionally, since 2012 the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund has received proposals for alternative technologies, which are reviewed independently. The link to more of the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-entrepeneurs-fund