Every parliamentary written question tabled by Catherine West this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–4 of 4 · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
When the decision as to whether to grant a licence to the Rosebank oil field project will be made.
The Secretary of State is responsible for determining whether to agree to the grant of consent for development of the project under the Environmental Impact Assessment regulations for offshore oil and gas and will make a decision in due course.
What steps is he taking to help mitigate and adapt the UK economy to help curb climate change.
On 29 October, we published the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan. This sets out how the UK will continue to reduce emissions in a way that lowers bills and secures good jobs, in line with the landmark 2008 Climate Change Act. This framework has been supported by Britain’s leading businesses, trade unions, and civil society organisations because it creates a stable environment for investment in clean energy.
What steps he is taking to assist home-owners whose property is not suitable for the installation of heat pumps.
Evidence gathered from the Government funded Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project showed that heat pumps will work well in the vast majority of homes. Moreover, modern heat pumps can increasingly be used in homes previously considered unsuitable for electrification. The Heat Pump Ready Innovation Programme previously funded a variety of projects, including those seeking to improve the ease of heat pump deployment in homes that are ‘complex to decarbonise’. The department has also commissioned research to collect data on the costs of different approaches to decarbonising the most complex housing archetypes, including the use of alternative low carbon heating solutions where they are required, and we expect to receive results from that research in early 2026.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) energy companies correctly bill consumers by default and (b) any billing mistakes are corrected promptly and without significant delay.
Ofgem, as the independent regulator, is responsible for ensuring good consumer outcomes, including accurate billing by energy companies. The government committed in its manifesto to strengthen the regulator to require higher standards of performance and ensure there is automatic customer compensation for failures. On 10 November Ofgem published plans to overhaul customer service standards, including a review of its Guaranteed Standards of Performance. These set minimum standards of performance that all suppliers must meet for specific services. If they fail to do so, they must pay £40 automatic compensation to affected consumers. In addition, the Government is consulting on reforms to the role and powers of the Energy Ombudsman to ensure that consumers have fairer, faster access to redress when things go wrong. This includes removing the barriers which prevent consumers from accessing the Ombudsman’s services, such as low levels of awareness and long waiting times.