Written questions by Whittome.

If he will formally include air ambulance charities within national fuel resilience and prioritisation planning.

The UK benefits from a diverse and resilient fuel supply chain and remains well supplied across all fuel types. The Government regularly reviews which organisations provide essential services within the context of the National Emergency Plan for Fuel. This includes consideration of air ambulance charities, recognising the vital role they play in emergency response and patient care. A summary of the National Emergency Plan for Fuel is published on gov.uk and sets out measures to respond to fuel supply and distribution disruption. In the unlikely event of a sustained disruption, these arrangements enable fuel to be prioritised for essential services and critical supply chains. The Government does not assess that the current situation warrants, or is approaching, the threshold for the use of emergency powers.

What steps the Government is taking to return all future surplus investment returns in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to beneficiaries.

The Government and the Trustees have discussed the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees’ proposals for the future of the Scheme. DESNZ will now work with the Treasury to seek to reach an agreement that can be implemented at the next Scheme valuation in September 2026.

What estimate he has made of the number and proportion of the solar panels to be installed on new homes that will be manufactured in the UK; and what steps his Department is taking to support the domestic manufacture of solar (a) panels and (b) batteries.

Though the UK will likely require solar panel imports in the short to medium term, several firms are involved in assembling panels and manufacturing innovative solar, such as thin film. The recently published Solar Roadmap sets out actions for maximising opportunities arising from commercialisation of innovative solar technologies and upscaling production of balance of system components. As laid out in the recent Industrial Strategy's Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, Batteries is a frontier sector. We will invest £452m in support of Battery Innovation to compete in a challenging global marketplace and meet domestic demand across the supply chain.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a Government-backed zero per cent interest loan scheme to support the rollout of solar panels on homes.

Private finance can play a key role in helping us achieve our decarbonisation ambitions. As part of the Government’s ambitious Warm Homes Plan, officials are exploring the role of incentives and private finance for households to support homeowners with the upfront costs of energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon energy technology. This includes engaging with the finance sector on the potential for low-interest loans.

On how many occasions the Drax power station has claimed that 100% of the wood it burnt is from sustainable sources since 2012.

DESNZ does not hold detailed data on the sourcing of biomass. Drax’s compliance with sustainability criteria is overseen by Ofgem, the independent energy regulator, and the Low Carbon Contracts Company as the counterparty for the Contract for Difference Scheme. Government works closely with LCCC and Ofgem to ensure that generators only receive subsidies for biomass that meets our sustainability criteria.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Renewable Obligation system of (a) subsidies and (b) regulation in the context of the Ofgem investigation into Drax Power Limited.

Ofgem’s recent investigation related to a breach of annual profiling reporting requirements. Whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.

What steps he is taking to ensure that vehicle recycling sites are established across the country; and what steps he is taking to publicise incentives to ensure participation in scrappage schemes.

Under the End-of-Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005, vehicle manufacturers and importers have a responsibility to establish free collection systems.The regulations require that by weight, at least 85% of the materials from end-of-life vehicles must be reused or recycled. Additionally, another 10% by weight must be reused, recycled or used for energy recovery, bringing the overall target to 95%.Vehicle manufacturers must ensure that the vehicles they place on the market are recyclable to those levels.Currently, there are some city level scrappage schemes operating in the UK, which are administered and publicised by the relevant local authorities.

Whether his Department plans to take steps to (a) protect consumers who receive inaccurate bills from utility companies and (b) prevent utility companies from enforcing high usage bills without case investigation.

As a priority, the Government will support Ofgem to review the rules around billing accuracy and supplier billing practices to understand where improvement is needed and whether compliance action is required. Ofgem is also considering new rules to improve and incentivise better billing accuracy and debt support, including default monthly bills for households and reviewing the back billing rules to reduce how far back a supplier can bill a customer where the error was the supplier’s fault. We believe that when things go wrong, suppliers should successfully resolve issues as quickly as possible. Ofgem will work to review and improve the current complaint handling standards regulations to ensure that suppliers take ownership to manage and resolve complaints effectively and efficiently. It will also ensure there is better automatic customer compensation for failure to deter poor service and drive improvements. Under the guaranteed standards of performance (GSOPs), suppliers are required to make automatic compensation payments to customers if they fail to meet specific customer service standards.