Claire Coutinho MP: written questions

145 published records · newest first.

Written questions

  • Carbon Emissions: TaxationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61343More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of aligning with the EU Emissions Trading System on the price of carbon in the UK.

    Answer: The price of carbon allowances in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme is set by the market. Linking the UK and EU ETSs is expected to create a larger, more stable market, which will lower the costs of decarbonisation for UK businesses. Many industry stakehold...

    Answered 27 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Electricity: BusinessDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60232More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of total UK electricity consumption is used by businesses eligible for the British Industry Supercharger.

    Answer: The British Industry Supercharger was launched in 2024 and provides support to over 450 companies in energy intensive industries with some of the highest electricity costs.The government estimates that support on electricity prices for EIIs in the form of...

    Answered 19 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • ElectricityDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57731More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the total cost of procuring frequency control services was in each month since January 2022.

    Answer: The data requested is a matter of public record and is published by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) here under the headings “MBSS” and “MBSS Archive”.

    Answered 13 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Race Equality Engagement Group: Conflict of InterestsWomen and EqualitiesTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57730More

    Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether members of the Race Equality Engagement Group will subject to an assessment of any (a) potential and (b) actual conflicts of interest.

    Answer: The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.This government will publish the ...

    Answered 13 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Race Equality Engagement Group: PayWomen and EqualitiesTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57729More

    Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the members of the Race Equality Engagement Group will be remunerated.

    Answer: The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.This government will publish the ...

    Answered 13 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Race Equality Engagement Group: StaffWomen and EqualitiesTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57728More

    Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many full time equivalent civil service staff will be allocated to support the work of the Race Equality Engagement Group.

    Answer: The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.This government will publish the ...

    Answered 13 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Race Equality Engagement GroupWomen and EqualitiesTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57727More

    Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to publish terms of reference for the Race Equality Engagement Group.

    Answer: The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.This government will publish the ...

    Answered 13 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Race Equality Engagement Group: Public AppointmentsWomen and EqualitiesTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57726More

    Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to announce the members of the Race Equality Engagement Group.

    Answer: The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.This government will publish the ...

    Answered 13 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Race Equality Engagement Group: Public AppointmentsWomen and EqualitiesTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57725More

    Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what process will be used to appoint members of the Race Equality Engagement Group.

    Answer: The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.This government will publish the ...

    Answered 13 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Race Equality Engagement Group: Public AppointmentsWomen and EqualitiesTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57724More

    Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what process was used to appoint Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon as Chair of the Race Equality Engagement Group.

    Answer: The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.This government will publish the ...

    Answered 13 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Hydrogen: BusinessDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57391More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish his Department's hydrogen to power business model.

    Answer: In December 2024, the Government committed to implementing a Hydrogen to Power Business Model (H2PBM) to de-risk Hydrogen to Power investment by mitigating deployment barriers.Later this year, we will publish a H2PBM market engagement exercise outlining f...

    Answered 13 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Drax Power Station: SubsidiesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55015More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason his Department has not conducted an impact assessment of its proposed extension of the Drax Power Station subsidy arrangements.

    Answer: We are conducting a rigorous economic assessment of the proposed support for Drax, including detailed value for money analysis. Our current analysis shows that the new arrangement will halve the level of consumer subsidy compared to existing arrangements....

    Answered 9 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Drax Power Station: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55014More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the CO2 released annually by Drax Power Station on the ability of the UK to meet the emissions reduction targets included in the Clima

    Answer: CO2 emissions from the combustion of biomass at Drax Power Station are not included in the assessment of emissions in Carbon Budgets. This is consistent with international guidelines established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whi...

    Answered 9 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Drax Power Station: SubsidiesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55013More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the price per megawatt hour of the subsidies received by the Drax Power Station by 13% on his plans to reduce household ene

    Answer: The strike price for the proposed low carbon dispatchable CfD with Drax is £113 MWh (2012 prices) compared to £100 MWh (2012 prices) currently. This modest increase reflects that Drax’s fixed operating costs will be spread over far fewer units of generati...

    Answered 9 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Drax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55012More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2025 to Question 43723 on Carbon Emissions: Trees, if he will publish emails where the KPMG report was discussed.

    Answer: We have determined that it would not be in the public interest to release further information on this issue in this instance. Protecting commercially sensitive information facilitates the frank exchange of information between the private sector and govern...

    Answered 9 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Drax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55010More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2025 to Question 43723 on Carbon Emissions: Trees, if he will publish minutes of meetings with officials where the KPMG report was discussed.

    Answer: We have determined that it would not be in the public interest to release further information on this issue in this instance. Protecting commercially sensitive information facilitates the frank exchange of information between the private sector and govern...

    Answered 9 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Renewable Energy: FinanceDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55009More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2025 to Question 43723 on Carbon Emissions: Trees, whether it is standard practice for officials in his Department to receive time-limited access to documen

    Answer: DESNZ officials were granted access by Drax to review the KPMG reports in January 2025. These reports were internal fact-finding documents, commissioned by Drax under legal privilege to review their biomass supply chain against the sustainability requirem...

    Answered 9 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Drax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55007More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2025 to Question 43723 on Carbon Emissions: Trees, if he will ask Drax Group plc to share the interim KPMG report of December 2022 with Members of Parliamen

    Answer: The KPMG reports were commissioned by Drax as a confidential internal fact-finding exercise and are the property of Drax. The government does not hold them. It is for Drax to decide whether they wish to release them to Parliament or the public. Ofgem has ...

    Answered 9 Jun 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Renewable Energy: Electricity GenerationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49457More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 47816 on Renewable Energy: Electricity Generation, what the annual cost to consumers of the Offtaker of Last Resort scheme has been since 2

    Answer: Since its launch there have been no applications to the OLR scheme and no Backstop PPAs have been entered into. The only costs related to the scheme are the administrative costs incurred by Ofgem. The cost of the scheme for 2024/25 was £26,902. Details of...

    Answered 12 May 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Renewable Energy: Electricity GenerationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47816More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Offtaker of Last Resort scheme has been implemented.

    Answer: The Scheme was introduced on 1 October 2015 and is intended as a last resort to help renewable generators who have an Investment Contract or Contracts for Difference (CFD) contract, who cannot get a PPA through the usual commercial means. Ofgem administer...

    Answered 29 Apr 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Smart Export GuaranteeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47815More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of the smart export guarantee on annual costs to consumers in each year since 2020.

    Answer: The Smart Export Guarantee is a market-driven mechanism that captures the value of small-scale exported electricity and helps meet net zero commitments at the lowest net cost to consumers and businesses. This means that SEG tariffs are set by energy suppl...

    Answered 2 May 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Renewable Energy: Fees and ChargesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47814More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of Balancing Services Use of System charges that were caused by the management of renewable energy generation assets in each year since

    Answer: Balancing Services Use of System (BSUoS) charges are administered by the National Energy System Operator (NESO). The variable nature of renewable and low carbon intermittent sources of generation can require NESO to undertake additional grid balancing act...

    Answered 2 May 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Renewable Energy: Fees and ChargesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47813More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of Transmission Network Use of System charges that were caused by the (a) expansion and (b) reinforcement required for renewable energy

    Answer: The Government does not hold this information. Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges recover the cost of installing and maintaining the high-voltage transmission network, which are paid for by electricity suppliers and transmission-connected ...

    Answered 2 May 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Renewable Energy: VATTreasuryTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47812More

    Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of changes in the cost of (a) electricity, (b) goods and (c) services arising from (i) direct and (ii) indirect support to renewable energy on VAT receipts in eac

    Answer: The Government is committed to tackling climate change. The Climate Change Act (2008) made the UK the first country to introduce a legally binding, long-term emissions reduction target. Since then, the UK has halved its emissions, having cut them by aroun...

    Answered 2 May 2025

    Original Parliament record
  • Renewable EnergyDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47811More

    Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of the Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin scheme in each year since 2003.

    Answer: REGO certificates are issued by Ofgem to eligible generators for free, and certificates are then purchased by electricity suppliers to surrender in the Fuel Mix Disclosure process. This has generated a market for the sale and purchase of certificates. The...

    Answered 2 May 2025

    Original Parliament record

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