Oliver Dowden MP: written questions
4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026
How these years work
Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
13 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Drax GroupDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14369More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he or any official or special adviser acting on his behalf has had any communication with the Financial Conduct Authority since 1 May 2026 on its investigation into Drax Group plc.
Answer: Neither the Secretary of State nor Special advisers have had any communications with the Financial Conduct Authority on this matter. On 18 June, the Financial Conduct Authority provided my departmental officials with a link to the FCA’s publicly available...
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordBiofuels and Carbon Capture and StorageDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 249More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he accepts the finding in Nature Sustainability on 20 April 2026 that bioenergy with carbon capture and storage could (a) increase electricity costs by around 3.5 times and (b) take more t
Answer: We do not recognise these claims.No final decisions around the deployment of large-scale bioenergy with carbon capture and storage projects have been made, and any support would need to provide value for money for taxpayers. Biomass, including woody bioma...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the findings of the paper published in Nature Sustainability on 20 April 2026 titled "Decades of increased emissions from forest-fuelled BECCS" conflict with the modelling underpinnin
Answer: The case for awarding the 2027-31 Low-Carbon Dispatchable Contract for Difference to Drax was based on short to medium-term security of supply needs as identified by the National Energy System operator (NESO). Longer-term system needs, and considerations ...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 247More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, (a) when the audit of Drax's supply chain ordered by Ofgem in September 2025 will be completed; (b) whether its findings will be published in full; and (c) if he will not agree final terms fo
Answer: Following its 2023-4 investigation into the company’s sustainability reporting, Ofgem required Drax to commission and fund a global supply chain audit. The progress of the audit – and any decision on whether to publish its findings - is a matter for Ofgem...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 246More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether, in agreeing new subsidies for Drax for 2027 to 2031, his Department sought assurances from the company that the letter it wrote to the Department on 10 October 2022 about the forests
Answer: In the letter Drax was responding to questions posed by DESNZ regarding its sourcing of biomass from Canada. DESNZ subsequently consulted Canadian officials and forestry experts on the issues and developed enhanced sustainability criteria, audit and assur...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power StationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 245More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, i) when his Department first saw the statement from Drax's General Counsel made on 12 December 2022 that the company's letter to the Energy Secretary dated 10 October 2022 might not "stand up
Answer: As part of its extensive investigation into Drax’s sustainability reporting, Ofgem considered a range of internal documents concerning the accuracy of public statements around the 2022 Panorama documentary. While the precise documents reviewed are a matte...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power: Disclosure of InformationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 244More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has asked his new permanent secretary i) if he has read the December 2022 report by the Drax company secretary on whisteblowing allegations ii) if he concluded that there was a cov
Answer: The Secretary of State has not asked the Permanent Secretary to reach conclusions on matters that are subject to Ofgem’s independent regulatory processes. Ofgem has confirmed that whistleblower accounts formed part of its extensive 2023-4 investigation in...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordBiofuels: SubsidiesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127814More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the suitability of Drax to receive biomass subsidy in the context of whistleblowing allegations against that company.
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power: Disclosure of InformationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126634More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the candour and transparency of the Drax power station in its dealings with the Government.
Answer: The Low Carbon Dispatchable CfD signed with Drax sets out consequences in the event Drax have misrepresented information provided to HMG used when agreeing the strike price. This includes the right to revise the strike price or terminate the agreement und...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power StationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders in the last month on the a) termination of the Drax power station contract, b) issuing of a licensing penalty and c) suitabi
Answer: Government has not had any such discussions with stakeholders.
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power: Disclosure of InformationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112928More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the December 2022 report by the Drax company secretary into whistleblowing activity including the transcripts of discussion
Answer: DESNZ has not seen and does not hold any such report relating to whistleblowers at Drax. As part of its 2023-4 investigation into Drax, Ofgem considered a broad range of documents and sources, including statements from whistleblowers. Ofgem's investigatio...
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power: RegulationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111732More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of Ofgem’s ability to scrutinise Drax.
Answer: We work closely with Ofgem to seek continuous improvement to scrutiny processes. Under Drax’s Low-Carbon Dispatchable Contract for Difference from 2027, day-to-day scrutiny of biomass sustainability will be provided by the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LC...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Power: FinanceDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111731More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) environmental and (b) ethical standards required for the continued provision of support to Drax.
Answer: In February 2025, DESNZ concluded a consultation on a “transitional support mechanism for large-scale biomass generators”. This included a comprehensive assessment of sustainability criteria for biomass used in the UK, as well as broader environmental and...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
Explore activity by topic or department
Written questions by answering department
4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
View as listWhat this shows and doesn't show
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →