Written questions by Pochin.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the timing of the announcement of successor arrangements to the Energy Company Obligation on the number of jobs at risk in the energy efficiency supply chain.

ECO4 has played a part in delivering clean heat technologies; however, issues identified by the NAO and PAC support a shift to a more direct, publicly-funded approach focused on technologies that cut bills and accelerate the transition to clean heat such as heat pumps, solar PV and batteries. The government is providing an additional £1.5 billion—taking planned capital investment to almost £15 billion—to upgrade low‑income homes and scale clean home‑energy technologies. Deployment will be further supported through wider policies and details of this will be set out soon in the Warm Homes Plan.

What steps his Department is taking to compensate local communities in Runcorn and Helsby constituency for potential impacts arising from the HyNet Scheme.

The government is working with a range of departments, regulators, and other public bodies to ensure the UK’s regulatory environment is well placed to support the deployment of CCUS and is committed to ensuring that the HyNet Cluster delivers tangible benefits for local communities. The first two capture projects in the cluster—Padeswood Cement Works and Protos Energy Recovery Facility—are now under construction and will directly support 500 skilled jobs as part of 2,800 roles across the wider HyNet network. These projects will generate significant local supply chain investment with substantial spend in the North West as part of the industry led, voluntary 50% UK content target and expand engineering apprenticeships, supporting regional growth and green employment opportunities.