Written questions by Cane.

What steps he is taking to reduce energy bills.

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. 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. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from next winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs.

What steps he is taking to provide funding for renewable energy sources.

The Government has proposed a number of reforms to the next allocation round of the Contracts for Difference scheme, to ensure the auction can deliver significant renewable electricity capacity at a fair price to consumers. Great British Energy and Great British Energy – Nuclear will together invest more than £8.3 billion over the parliament in homegrown clean power. This includes a total £180 million investment from the Government and GBE to install rooftop solar panels on schools and hospitals, and £1 billion investment for clean energy supply chains. Through the government’s Warm Homes Plan, schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will also continue to provide upfront grants for property owners to make the transition to low carbon heating.

What plans he has to assess land use changes in applications for new energy infrastructure.

The implications of land use change are already considered as part of the examination and determination of all applications for new energy infrastructure. In future, optimal locations for energy infrastructure will be identified by the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP). We are ensuring that, in its development, the SSEP considers wider demands on land and sea, including (but not limited to) food production, transport, water supply, nature recovery and fisheries. The SSEP’s recommendations will not take precedence over other land uses but will exist alongside other sectoral spatial plans and frameworks.

What assessment he has made of the merits of applying the same ethical sourcing requirements that apply to Great British Energy to private sector solar developers operating in the UK.

This Government is clear that no company in the UK, whether public or private, should have forced labour in its supply chain. Legislation and guidance are already in place to help businesses take action against modern slavery, and DESNZ is working across Whitehall on this important issue to see where we can go further. The Government is also considering how to strengthen Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, including possible penalties for non-compliance. The actions needed to secure supply chains that are sustainable, resilient and diverse will be set out in the Solar Roadmap, due for publication shortly.

What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) the Sunnica scheme and (b) other solar energy projects do not use components linked to (i) forced and (ii) slave labour in their supply chains.

The Government does not comment on the details of specific projects. We are, however, clear that no UK company, whether public or private, should have forced labour in its supply chain. Legislation and guidance are in place to help developers take action, and we are exploring how we might go further, for example through strengthening Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, including possible penalties for non-compliance. Further details on the Government’s approach to securing solar supply chains that are free from forced labour will be set out in the Solar Roadmap, due to be published shortly.

What steps he is taking to verify the ethical integrity of supply chains in solar energy developments.

The Government is clear that no company should have forced labour in its supply chain and we are committed to ensuring that solar developers engage in ethical procurement. Legislation and guidance are in place to help developers take action, and we are exploring how we might go further, for example through strengthening Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, including possible penalties for non-compliance. The Procurement Act 2023 will enable public sector contracting authorities to reject bids and terminate contracts with suppliers known to use forced labour anywhere in their supply chain. Further details on the Government’s approach will be set out in the Solar Roadmap, due to be published shortly.

What plans he has to assess land use changes in applications for new energy infrastructure.

Land use changes arising from proposals for new energy infrastructure are subject to rigorous planning processes, which will involve a comprehensive Examination process for those that meet the criteria of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.

What steps he is taking to help improve the energy efficiency of homes.

The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future. We will upgrade up to 5 million homes across the country by accelerating the installation of efficient new technologies like heat pumps, solar, batteries and insulation. The Government has announced Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund in England, to support social housing providers and tenants, as well as the new Warm Homes: Local Grant to support low-income homeowners and private tenants. The Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency. We will publish further details on the Warm Homes Plan in due course.

What steps he is taking to increase grid capacity.

The Government is taking action to deliver a major expansion of the electricity network. We are working closely with Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator to speed up delivery of new network infrastructure through reforms to planning, support for communities and strategic network design. Government is also reforming the connections process to ensure projects that are ready to connect to the network and strategically aligned can connect first. These actions will result in greater capacity on the network to connect new generation and new demand side investment, securing our energy supply while boosting growth and decarbonisation.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle fuel poverty in winter 2024-25.

There are multiple targeted schemes in place to deliver energy efficiency measures to low income and fuel poor households. The Warm Home Discount provides £150 off bills to over 3 million low-income households. The Government has kickstarted delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, including an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years. We are also reviewing the 2021 fuel poverty strategy.

What steps he is taking to support community energy projects.

The Government recognises the role community groups play in our efforts to tackle climate change, Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan will also partner with and provide funding and support to community groups, Local Authorities and Mayoral Combined Authorities to develop renewable energy projects and up to 8 GW of cleaner power. This will build on our existing support for the community energy sector; this includes the £10 million Community Energy Fund, which enables communities across England to access grant funding to develop local renewable energy projects for investment.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on industrial lithium-ion battery storage safety.

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial Colleagues on a number of issues.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) number and (b) proportion of people in fuel poverty in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.

The latest statistics for the number and proportion of households in fuel poverty in parliamentary constituencies in England can be found in the published sub-regional fuel poverty Official Statistics, in Table 5: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty-data-2024-2022-data.There are targeted schemes to deliver energy efficiency measures, and bill support through the Warm Home Discount scheme, available to eligible low-income and fuel poor households. The Warm Homes Plan includes an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years. The 2021 fuel poverty strategy, which sets out how we will reach our fuel poverty targets, is currently under review.