Written questions by Anderson.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of energy efficiency standards in private rented homes in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Government is looking to raise minimum energy efficiency standards across the private rented sector to deliver warmer, cheaper to heat homes. Government has published its response to the consultation on minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector on 21 January 2026. The Government Response is accompanied by the Department’s Impact Assessment which includes a regional breakdown of private rented sector properties and the estimated impact of the policy.

How his Department plans to measure the impact of the Warm Homes Plan on levels of fuel poverty in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

DESNZ’s annual sub-regional fuel poverty statistics estimate the rates of fuel poverty in constituencies within England, and will therefore reflect the impacts of the Warm Homes Plan in time. The Department will publish monitoring statistics and evaluation of policies announced in the Warm Homes Plan. DESNZ currently publishes statistics covering the uptake and impacts of energy efficiency measures here.

What steps his Department plans to take with (a) local authorities and (b) other Government Departments to help ensure that tenants in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency are aware of their rights under the Warm Homes Plan.

The government is standing up for tenants through our new minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) in the private rented sector, and proposed standard for the social rented sector, which will lift around 650,000 households out of fuel poverty. We estimate that tenants could save an average of £210 on their annual energy bill. Landlords should provide clear communication about changes being made, and government will provide guidance for landlords and tenants so that tenants know what to expect. The government will also provide support to local government to enable successful Warm Homes delivery at the local level. This includes through the new Warm Homes Agency, which will offer households clear advice and a consistent, quality-assured service.

If he will make an estimate of the potential number of firms in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that may request support to improve their energy management practices.

In order to keep the level of reporting on businesses to a minimum, DESNZ does not collect information detailing the uptake of energy management improvements by businesses. However, Buckinghamshire Business First is a local organisation that works closely with Buckinghamshire Council and has so far provided support to 3,600 businesses in the local area to date to help businesses reach net zero targets. Small businesses can search for other local grant and advice schemes on the finance and support for businesses page on gov.uk.

What assessment his Department has made of energy-related cost pressures on low-income households in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency referenced in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Thanks to decisions in the Government's Autumn Budget, and as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy, the Government will deliver an average £150 of costs off household energy bills from April 2026. As a result of this action, people in Buckingham and Bletchley can expect to make a significant saving on their bills. In addition, in 2024-2025, 3,489 households (7.8%) in Buckingham and Bletchley benefited from the Warm Home Discount - a £150 discount on their energy bill. This winter, we are expanding this discount so that around 6 million low-income households will receive this support, including an approximate additional 350,000 households in the South East region. We will also be publishing a new fuel poverty strategy for England to ensure that many more fuel poor households are protected by 2030, in parallel to the Warm Homes Plan.

How he monitors EU implementation of Trade and Co-operation Agreement provisions on energy market access.

The Government monitors EU implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including provisions within the Energy Title, through the Agreement's established governance structures, in this case the Specialised Committee on Energy, the Trade Partnership Committee and the Specialised Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade as applicable. The Partnership Council, which oversees the attainment of the objectives of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, provides strategic direction to this governance framework.

What estimate his Department has made of the potential share of Great British Energy’s portfolio to be allocated to early-stage clean energy technologies by 2030.

Great British Energy will begin investing in projects this year – kickstarting its work in the development of nascent, clean energy technologies and helping to deliver a secure, clean homegrown energy supply for the UK that will support skilled jobs and supply chains across the country. The Statement of Strategic Priorities requires Great British Energy to look across the clean energy technology spectrum, including in established technologies and nascent technologies (Technology Readiness Levels 6-9). The government expects GBE to work towards building a portfolio that balances the UK’s short- and long-term clean energy needs, which also provides social value and generates a return.

What criteria will be used to determine community access to Great British Energy (a) capacity-building and (b) financial support.

Great British Energy is an operationally independent company and will make its own decisions on how it supports the community energy sector. We expect initial plans to be published as part of the Local Power Plan, which will be published in due course. The Local Power Plan is a joint DESNZ and GBE strategy which will drive the long-term growth of the UK’s local and community energy sector over this Parliament.

How he plans to (a) evaluate and (b) report on the linking of UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The Government will provide updates on negotiations where appropriate. Once any agreement is made to link the UK and EU ETS, the Government will consider the process to evaluate and report on the link consistent with the agreement reached, as well as with other reset priorities under UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The Government aims for negotiations to link the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to begin as soon as possible.

What financial targets his Department has set to ensure that Great British Energy is self-sustaining by 2030.

The government has set a target for Great British Energy to start generating a portfolio-level return from its commercial activities by 2030, in support of its longer-term goal to be profitable and its wider policy objectives. The government has also tasked GBE with having a plan for becoming self-financing in place by 2030.

What the role Great British Energy will be in energy (a) planning and (b) consenting when acting as a co-developer.

Great British Energy (GBE) will invest in, own, and develop clean energy projects throughout all stages of their life cycle, from early development through to successful operation. This will include leading on developing projects itself, as well as being an engaged and proactive co-developer with the private sector, public landowners, devolved and local government, community energy groups, and wider public finance institutions and bodies. Projects that GBE develops will be taken forward through the planning and consenting system in the same way as any other commercial project.

What steps he is taking to ensure consistency in his planning decisions on applications for solar farm with proposed generating capacity above 50 MW.

Decisions on consent applications for ‘nationally significant’ projects are made in accordance with legislation set out in the Planning Act 2008, and the relevant National Policy Statement made in accordance with that Act. For solar, this is the Renewable Energy National Policy Statement, which sets out how nationally significant solar projects should be assessed. For solar farms with a generating capacity below the ‘nationally significant’ threshold, planning decisions are made by Local Planning Authorities in line with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The threshold for solar projects is currently 50MW but is increasing to 100MW from 31 December 2025.

What comparative assessment he has made of the average time taken for planning decisions for solar farm applications in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) nationally.

Nationally Significant Infrastructure decisions are taken by this department and the majority of solar farm applications have been taken within the statutory deadline, although extensions are occasionally required. This department does not hold information on the time taken for solar application decisions taken by Local Authorities.

What assessment his Department has made of the resilience of energy storage infrastructure co-located with solar energy developments in Buckinghamshire.

The Department has made no specific assessment on this. We have outlined our plans for the deployment of battery storage in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and will work with industry, NESO and Ofgem to build on those actions through the Low Carbon Flexibility Roadmap announced in the Clean Power Action Plan. This will include actions to enable the deployment of batteries, on their own and co-located with generation.

What steps his Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of local authority engagement strategies with residents during the planning of solar developments in Buckinghamshire.

The Government does not set out or monitor how individual local authorities, including Buckinghamshire, engage residents in the planning of solar developments, in recognition of their autonomy and flexibility to deliver net zero according to each local area’s varying needs and opportunities. Nationally, Government engages with the public on solar and other low carbon technologies in the Public Attitudes Tracker, a triannual household survey tracking public awareness and attitudes relating to the Department’s policy areas. The Government is working with GBE to develop the Local Power Plan, to turbocharge the UK’s local and community energy sector. Charles Warren Academy in Milton Keynes was one of the first schools to receive solar panels funded by GBE alongside the Department for Education.

What estimate his Department has made of the proportion of community solar project applications in Buckinghamshire that have progressed to commissioning since 2022.

Solar is at the heart of the Government's mission to make the United Kingdom a clean energy superpower. In 2025/26, we have set up £5 million in grant funding through the Great British Energy Community Fund (GBE:CF), which is available to community energy groups to help communities develop their own clean energy projects, including solar-powered generation. Since 2022, the department has funded a hydro project in the Buckinghamshire region through the Community Energy Fund. No solar projects have been funded to date. However, the Greater Southeast Hub is currently reviewing applications from the window that closed on the 7th July.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of non-domestic rooftops with solar installation potential under the revised national solar deployment targets in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

No assessment has been made. However, the Government is aware of the significant potential that commercial rooftops have to play in our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. The recently published Solar Roadmap sets out actions for government and industry to unlock this potential including developing guidance for landlords and tenants to navigate the complex lease agreements that often hold back rooftop solar deployment.

What assessment his Department has made of the total area of low-grade agricultural land suitable for ground-mounted solar deployment in Buckinghamshire.

The Department currently monitors the geographical location of solar developments through the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). While we currently do not hold data on the type of land used in different counties, there are plans to broaden the scope of this database to provide information on the area and types of agricultural land used by existing solar projects and those in the planning pipeline.

What steps his Department is taking with distribution network operators to help reduce grid connection delays for solar projects proposed in Buckinghamshire.

We are working closely with Ofgem and the network companies to develop and deliver fundamental reform of the grid connections process. National Energy System Operator’s proposals for connections reform were approved by Ofgem on 15 April. These reforms will release up to 500GW of capacity from the oversubscribed connections queue. This will enable accelerated connections, including for solar projects in Buckinghamshire connecting at both transmission and distribution level, where they are ready and aligned with our strategic needs, as set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.

What steps his Department has taken to track the proportion of solar developments in Buckinghamshire that incorporate biodiversity net gain requirements.

Biodiversity net gain is a legal requirement under the Environment Act 2021. This means that, to acquire planning permission, biodiversity must increase by 10% compared to previous levels. This is currently only the case for projects being decided in the local planning system. Defra is consulting on mandatory biodiversity net gain for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and any changes in policy will be reflected in future updates to the National Policy Statements.