Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 41–53 of 53 · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 53535 on Arms Length Bodies, if he will list those delivery options.
The options referred to in that response, including delivery options for decarbonisation, are being finalised. Further information will be announced in due course.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58273 on DESNZ: Aviation, if he will publish details of his domestic travel since 5 July 2024.
Details of internal domestic flights are not published.
How many office desks are allocated to staff in GB Energy; and how many staff are employed by GB Energy.
Great British Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, recognising the expertise, skilled workforce, and diversity of projects already in place. In the interim, Great British Energy is headquartered in DESNZ’s second headquarters in Aberdeen, Crimon Place, to ensure the organisation can get to work as quickly as possible.A total of 39 staff are currently working on the setup of Great British Energy. That number is set to increase when the organisation is fully operational.
With reference to paragraph 2.97 of HM Treasury's publication entitled Spending Review 2025: Departmental Efficiency Plans published on 11 June 2025, what the evidential basis is that insourcing will drive down costs by 40 to 60 per cent.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will reduce its reliance on external consultants and contractors by building internal capability in key corporate functions. DESNZ benchmarking and commercial frameworks show external consultants and contractors typically attract significantly higher day rates in comparison to permanent staff. With targeted investment in skills, smarter talent deployment, and improved retention, the department can realise associated efficiencies of 40–60% in specific functions.
How many times he has taken a domestic flight for official travel purposes; which locations he has travelled to; and what the cost was for those flights.
Data on ministers’ travel is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/desnz-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of China General Nuclear Power Corporation’s involvement in the construction of Hinkley Point C on cyber-security.
To build and operate a nuclear site, a security plan, which includes cyber security, must be put in place and approved by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). The ONR, an independent regulator, then ensures that plan is effectively enforced. The security of nuclear facilities will continue to remain paramount for ONR and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 48042 on Great British Energy: Staff, if he will publish the declaration of interests of each of those appointments; and which of those appointments are regulated public appointments.
All appointments were direct appointments, based on Great British Energy’s (GBE) set-up phase needs.All appointees have declared their interests to the Department as part of the appointment process. The Department and GBE are both committed to transparent and accountable governance and will publish expectations to this end in GBE's framework document later this year.
Whether appointments to Great British Energy will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the chair will be classified as a significant appointment.
Once Great British Energy (GBE) is formally designated following Royal Assent of the GBE Bill, we will consider whether to propose an amendment to the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the GBE Chair will be classified as a significant appointment.
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason his Department intends to establish Great British Energy as an arm’s length body.
It is our intention that Great British Energy will be a publicly owned energy company and an Arm’s Length Body in line with Cabinet Office guidance. Setting up GBE in this way will ensure the right balance between operational independence and accountability to Parliament.
Whether he plans to lay an Official Statistics Order to include Great British Energy.
The Department does not expect to amend the Official Statistics Order 2023 to include Great British Energy (GBE), because GBE will be an operationally independent energy company and we do not anticipate it will produce the sorts of statistics expected of bodies included in the order.
What comparative assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) importing coal from overseas and (b) mining coal in the UK on the environment.
On 14th November 2024 the Government announced its intention to restrict the licensing of new coal mines: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-11-14/hcws215 The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the environmental impact of mining coal domestically set against importing product from overseas but notes that imports fell 45 per cent in comparison with 2022 to 3.4 million tonnes in 2023. This is a trend expected to continue following the closure of the last coal fired power station at the end of September, which reduced coal’s contribution to UK electricity supply to 0%’.
Whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the potential environmental impact of (a) importing coal from abroad for domestic consumption and (b) mining coal in the UK.
In line with our net zero target, we committed to phasing out unabated coal-fired power generation by 1st October 2024, a year earlier than the original 2025 target, and on September 30th Great Britain’s last coal fired electricity power plant, Ratcliffe-upon-Soar, closed. This means we have reduced coal’s share of our electricity supply from around a third, to zero in the space of only ten years. Most imported coal is used by industry, including steel making, cement and chemical industries, and patent fuel manufacture. Coal production and import information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a7a172a3c2a28abb50d8be/DUKES_2024_Chapter_2.pdf
Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2024 to Question 1982 on Coal: Imports and Production and the Answer of 30 August 2024 to Question 3169 on Coal: Railways, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of granting further coal mining licenses, in the context of trends in the level of demand for coal in the rail industry.
Our manifesto was clear on our intention to not grant new coal licences and we are exploring avenues to achieve this.