Every parliamentary written question tabled by John Hayes this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 99 · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
What assessment his Department has made of recent trends in levels of (a) petrol and (b) diesel prices in Lincolnshire.
Fuel price trends are monitored nationally and published in the Department’s weekly statistics on GOV.UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) oversee market transparency and compliance and publish quarterly and yearly reports on GOV.UK.
What steps he is taking to ensure that people in Lincolnshire can access competitive fuel prices through the Fuel Finder scheme.
The Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025 were debated in the House of Commons on 4 November 2025 and the House of Lords on 4 December 2025. The Regulations should be in place from 18 December 2025. Once launched, our analysis suggests that households who own a car could save an average of around £40 a year.
What steps his Department is taking to reduce energy bills for (a) households and (b) businesses in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.
The affordability crisis is the biggest issue facing this country. That is why the Autumn Budget acted to take £150 of costs off people’s energy bills. This support comes on top of the £150 off energy bills provided for around 6 million families under the Warm Home Discount this winter, cutting fuel poverty. We’re also driving forward with home upgrades, with £1.5 billion increased capital in this Budget for our Warm Homes Plan. This Government is tackling energy costs at every avenue, to drive growth. This builds on our Modern Industrial Strategy, which is slashing industrial energy bills by up to £420million for electricity-intensive businesses and will cut costs for 7,000 more businesses in 2027. We are repairing a broken energy system. Funding more of the investment we need from public spending is the right and progressive thing to do and takes pressure off bills.
How much OFGEM has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.
Ofgem has compiled and shared the following information with the Department: Financial year Spend (£) (nominal)20/21 3,790.0021/22 6,840.0022/23 3,348.3524/25 2,260.8025/26 (to date) 7,214.28
If he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2023.
DESNZ values the work our Staff Networks do to support and include colleagues. All DESNZ Staff Network events are in line with cross-Government guidance and signed-off by relevant officials. Civil Service Networks operate across the whole of Government. We do not keep a record of Civil Service Network events.
How many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its premises.
The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency in its office locations, and does not hold a record of the number of single-sex or gender-neutral bathroom facilities provided there.
What measures his Department has in place to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has established a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) that is designed to ensure the continuity of departmental critical services in the event of a major disruption. Our BCMS aligns with industry best practice and is subject to regular review and testing.
If he will make an estimate of the number of households that are not on the smart meter network in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.
The Department does not hold statistics on smart meter penetration on a constituency level. The latest statistics to include the percentage of domestic electricity smart meters by local authority are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/smart-meters-in-great-britain-quarterly-update-march-2025.
What steps his Department is taking to recover funds fraudulently obtained under the Energy Company Obligation.
Where fraud is identified under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme, as energy suppliers fund the measures, they are expected to recover any fraudulent payments that have been made to their supply chain. The Government's aim is to both increase our ability to prevent fraud before it occurs and to take action against those committing fraud.We will ensure that lessons learned from the current ECO4 scheme form part of our considerations for the successor scheme. We are introducing a new system of consumer protections, with clear centralised oversight to ensure proper installer accountability and better outcomes for consumers.
What estimate his Department has made of the level of suspected fraud on the Energy Company Obligation since 2022.
The NAO reports that DESNZ and Ofgem have lacked data to estimate fraud levels. However, an independent reporting in May 2025 found weaknesses in the design, operation and oversight of ECO4 that expose it to fraud. The Department contracted public and private sector expertise to improve its understanding of fraud in ECO4 and how to prevent it. With greater use of technology, we will work with industry partners to identify and better target fraud and enforce greater consequences on those committing fraud. We are introducing a new system of consumer protections, with clear centralised oversight to ensure proper installer accountability.
What steps his Department is taking to monitor the proportion of solar developments in Lincolnshire that incorporate biodiversity net gain requirements.
Officials closely monitor planning applications and examinations of such projects. Defra recently consulted on extending biodiversity net gain to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in England, and confirmed it will apply from May 2026.
What information his Department holds on the number of rooftop solar panels in use in Lincolnshire.
The Government does not have data for the number of rooftop solar panels in total by parliamentary constituency; however, we do hold figures for domestic solar installations across parliamentary constituencies, and these are available online. Our latest figures show that Lincolnshire, across all eight parliamentary constituencies, has 134MW of solar capacity across 34,060 domestic installations. Boston & Skegness is currently out in front with 23MW and 5,731 installs, and South Holland and The Deepings is not far behind with 18.9MW and 4,982 installs.
With reference to the Answer of 10 September to Question 74317 on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Social Media, how much his Department has spent on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024 by influencer.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. The information requested by the Rt hon Member includes commercially sensitive information received from contracted agencies (3rd Party Marketing Agencies). As such, we are unable to provide a breakdown of spend by influencer.
How many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.
The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency in its office locations, and the Agency is responsible for the flying of flags, including when the Union Flag is flown. The Department does not therefore keep a record of this.
Whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.
Whether his Department has investigated the causes of fires at electrical substations in the last 12 months.
Maintaining the resilience and security of energy infrastructure is a top Government priority. Although rare, substation fires do occur, and we are aware of multiple recent incidents. These are reported to Government when there is a potential or actual impact to customer supplies. We are monitoring these incidents closely, as part of our normal processes for infrastructure incidents. Due to the impact on Heathrow Airport following the fire at North Hyde Substation, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero commissioned the independent National Energy System Operator (NESO) to review the incident. NESO’s report was published on 2 July 2025 and the Department will respond in due course.
What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the estimate in the report by the OBR entitled Fiscal risks and sustainability, published in July 2025 of the fiscal cost of climate change mitigation.
In its most recent ‘Fiscal risks and sustainability report’ (2025), the OBR is clear that the costs of climate damage are getting higher, while the cost of the net zero transition is getting lower. Only by investing in the transition now can we reduce costs in future.
How much Ofgem has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Ofgem is a non-ministerial government department. It has its own policies regarding the procurement and provision of equipment. The total spent on ‘working from home’ equipment reflects an increased headcount to deliver additional remit for key government priorities, and steps to reduce its London office footprint to save money. In each of the last three financial years Ofgem spend is: YearTotal £2022-202365,698.082023-2024122,779.652024-2025208,008.53Totals396,486.26
Whether (a) wood pellets and (b) other biomass has been imported from North Korea in the last 10 years.
The UK does not import wood pellets or biomass from North Korea for fuel or electricity generation. There are no plans to import wood pellets or biomass from North Korea.
Whether the UK has imported (a) wood pellets and (b) other biomass from Afghanistan in the last 10 years.
The UK does not import wood pellets or biomass from Afghanistan for fuel or electricity generation. There are no plans to import wood pellets or biomass from Afghanistan.