Written questions by Stephenson.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled, Better deal for motorists and businesses with solar car parks, published on 7 May 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of making solar car parks mandatory for car parks on conservation areas.

DESNZ is seeking evidence and feedback on a proposal to mandate the installation of solar canopies on new outdoor car parks and explore opportunities for deployment on existing car parks, through a call for evidence which closes on June 18th. This includes evidence about exemptions to the proposal. Thorough assessments on how to take the policy forward, including the impact on conservation areas, will be made once the call for evidence has closed, and suitable evidence has been gathered and analysed.

Whether his Department plans to incentivise the use of (a) hydrated vegetable oil and (b) other biofuels in compatible boilers by (i) encouraging the availability of biofuels and (ii) (A) reducing and (B) removing taxes on biofuels; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on the (1) cost and (2) use of biofuels as a renewable alternative for heating buildings.

The Government expects most properties will ultimately switch to heat pumps as these are a proven technology and have been installed in high numbers in other countries.However, the Government is committed to ensuring that there is the right solution for every household. We have therefore commissioned research to collect data on the costs of different approaches to decarbonising the most complex housing archetypes, including the use of renewable liquid fuels, and we expect to receive results from that research in 2025. Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of fuels like hydrotreated vegetable oil, in heating, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstocks.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled, Better deal for motorists and businesses with solar car parks, published on 7 May 2025, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on potential reforms to the planning system to deliver solar car parks.

The government is assessing the potential for the construction of solar canopies on outdoor carparks over a certain size through a call for evidence, which is open until 18th June. At this stage, no decision has been made, but as this policy develops of course I will have conversations with other government departments and the Building Safety Regulator about implementation.

What recent estimate he has made of the potential impact of making the power grid net zero by 2030 on energy bills.

Our clean power target means transitioning to an electricity system that produces at least 95% of Great Britain’s generation from clean sources. NESO's analysis confirmed delivering clean power by 2030 is deliverable, more secure, and could see a lower cost of electricity, and lower bills. The Department accepts NESO's modelling that clean power by 2030 can be delivered without increasing costs to consumers, with scope for lower bills. Over this Parliament the government will be working relentlessly to translate the much cheaper wholesale costs of clean power into lower bills for consumers.

What steps he is taking to ensure the resilience of the electricity grid, in the context of fluctuating levels of power within the grid.

Great Britain has a highly resilient energy network with diverse sources of supply and maintaining the security of electricity supply is a key priority for Government. We are working with the energy industry, regulators and other stakeholders to continually improve and maintain the resilience and security of energy infrastructure. We work to reduce the vulnerability of networks and assets, taking into account a range of threats and future system changes. The National Energy System Operator has well-established tools to balance the system in a wide range of scenarios, including in the event of voltage and frequency fluctuations.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of making the power grid net zero by 2030 on jobs.

The Government’s initial assessment of the challenges of building the skilled workforce to deliver the Clean Energy Superpower Mission has been outlined in the Clean Power Action Plan. The Plan includes an Evidence Annex which provides a basis for government to better understand the 2030 workforce requirements and support targeted skills planning. DESNZ will publish our Clean Energy Workforce Strategy this summer. It will set out how we intend to grow and support the talent pipeline for Clean Power 2030 and net zero by 2050.The wider transition to net zero is expected to support hundreds of thousands of jobs, with Clean Power 2030 playing a key part in stimulating a wealth of new jobs and economic opportunities across the country.

If he will make an estimate of the potential impact of (a) manufacturing vehicles in and (b) importing vehicles from China on global carbon emissions.

The UK follows the agreed international approach for estimating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, which is for countries to report emissions produced within their territories.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs publishes consumption-based emissions statistics, including emissions from imported goods and services, which can be found here: Carbon footprint for the UK and England to 2022 - GOV.UK. The latest data show that emissions associated with goods and services imported from China were 85 MtCO2e in 2022, however this is not broken down by product type.

Whether it remains his policy to reduce energy bills by £300 a year.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. It remains our ambition to cut energy bills by up to £300 by 2030. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past. We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we are delivering the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households this winter. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The consultation has now closed and the Department is evaluating the responses.

What discussions he has had with the renewables industry on its reliance on imports of batteries from China.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's marketing campaign on heat pumps; and what the total cost was of (a) that campaign and (b) the associated photo shoot at Muncaster Castle.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero intends to publish information on campaign spend within the DESNZ annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, which is expected to be published later this year on GOV.UK. We will conduct a full evaluation of the Department’s activities to promote heat pumps and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in due course. Control of advertising, marketing and communications (AMC) expenditure ensures that, where taxpayer money is being spent on government communications, it is cost-effective, coordinated and reflects functional standards and professional best practices.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of importing coking coal on the environment.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Basildon and Billericay on 22 October 2024 to Question UIN 9066.

If he will make an estimate of the total value of fossil fuels in the UK which have not yet been extracted.

The volumes, commercial recoverability and ultimate value of unextracted fossil fuels in the UK are all influenced by several factors and as such, a single figure of total value has not been calculated by the Department.

What support his Department plans to provide to rural communities that are off the grid to connect to mains Gas Distribution Networks.

Any new gas mains connections to rural communities are a commercial decision between the relevant gas distribution network and the connecting property or properties. There are currently no plans to introduce new government support schemes for new gas connections, but the Government is committed to ensuring energy is affordable for all households and is working closely with Ofgem to ensure that consumers are put first. The only way to guarantee our energy security and protect vulnerable households permanently is to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29571, if he will publish the results of the package of research.

Yes, the results of the package of research will be published in due course. The results will complement the research published in January 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defining-and-identifying-complex-to-decarbonise-homes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25798 on Listed Buildings: Energy, if he will request data on listed buildings from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to enable an assessment to be made.

We are working on our ambitious Warm Homes Plan, to transform homes across the country by making them cleaner and cheaper to run, from installing new insulation to rolling out solar and heat pumps. Whilst we are not currently seeking additional data specifically on listed buildings, we have commissioned a package of research to collect data on the costs of different approaches to decarbonising the most complex housing archetypes. Historic England also provide advice on retrofit and energy efficiency in historic buildings, including guidance on installing heat pumps and heating systems that is relevant to listed properties off the gas grid.

If he will make an estimate of the number of off-grid properties which are listed buildings.

The Department does not hold data on listed buildings and so does not have estimates for the number of listed buildings that are not connected to gas or electricity networks. The department publishes estimates of the number of domestic properties not connected to the gas network in Great Britain at various levels of geography and analysis of large non-domestic buildings that are not connected to the gas network.

What estimate he has made of the number of off-grid properties that will benefit from the Warm Homes: Local Grant in Bedfordshire.

The Warm Homes: Local Grant will deliver upgrades to low-income homes both on and off the gas grid. Local Authorities (LAs) in receipt of the Grant will choose which homes to prioritise for upgrades, based on local needs and resident interest. LAs have submitted Expressions of Interest to participate in the Grant, which included non-binding indications of the proportion of off-gas grid properties to be treated. LAs have not yet been allocated funding. Until allocations have been confirmed, we cannot estimate the number of off-gas grid properties that will benefit from the scheme.

What steps his Department is taking to support off-grid properties to transition to clean fuels.

Currently, the Government’s Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) provides grants for energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating to low-income households living in the worst performing, off-grid homes in England. In September 2024, the Government announced a new Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) which will provide energy performance measures and low carbon heating to low-income households in England including privately owned EPC band D-G homes both on and off the gas grid. £500 million has been allocated as part of the Autumn Budget for the Warm Homes: Local Grant to be delivered from 2025 to 2028 by eligible local authorities.