Pippa Heylings MP: written questions
4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025
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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.
68 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Community EnergyDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59117More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans his Department has to publish a national strategy on community energy.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of communities being at the heart of the energy transition and the benefits of communities owning energy infrastructure in their own community. Great British Energy will take forward the Local Power Plan and workin...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity EnergyDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59116More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the merits of policy in (a) Denmark, (b) Germany and (c) other countries in increasing community energy.
Answer: My Department regularly looks to good practice from other countries and will continue to build on those experiences and lessons learned as we jointly develop the Local Power Plan with Great British Energy.
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity EnergyDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59115More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to publish clear guidance on the definition of community energy; what steps he is taking to tackle (a) capacity and (b) skills shortages in its development; and what steps he
Answer: The Government recognises the role community energy plays in ensuring that the public benefits directly from the energy transition and, in partnership with Great British Energy (GBE), is taking steps to maximise that role, including exploring a definition...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: Land UseDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59113More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting a spatial energy planning approach to better align land use planning with net zero objectives.
Answer: In October 2024, the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, jointly commissioned the National Energy System Operator to develop a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP): the first ever spatial energy plan for Great Britain, to support a more actively planned a...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Supply: Rural AreasDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59112More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that rural and off-grid communities are fully integrated into the UK’s grid transition.
Answer: Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) are upgrading local electricity distribution networks to enable the decarbonisation of households and businesses across Great Britain, including in rural areas. For the current electricity distribution price control (...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity Energy: FinanceDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59111More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to introduce additional regulatory mechanisms to ensure the financial viability of community energy schemes under the Great British Energy Bill.
Answer: The Government recognises the role community groups play in our efforts to tackle climate change. In March, we published a response to a consultation, started by the previous government, on the barriers to community energy. We will learn from the response...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon EmissionsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59110More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing statutory Locally Determined Contributions; and what assessment he has made of the resources that would be
Answer: The Government recognises the important role of local places in driving action to help realise our national net zero targets. Local government has autonomy and flexibility in how they choose to deliver net zero, according to the varying needs and opportun...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon BudgetsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56708More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to consult the public on his revised seventh carbon budget plan.
Answer: We have a clear mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. This transition will make people better off now and for generations to come. We remain committed to supporting people to realise the benefits and design policies that are responsive to thei...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTimber: SubsidiesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56447More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on what statutory basis his Department can prevent biomass companies from claiming renewable subsidies for burning wood from irreplaceable primary forests.
Answer: The Secretary of State has the statutory authority to determine the sustainability criteria for biomass subsidies either by secondary legislation such as regulations under the Renewables Obligation scheme, or by determining the terms of a contract under t...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSolar PowerDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56446More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of concerns from solar developers on the Government’s 2035 projections for their technology and the potential impact
Answer: My Department engaged extensively with Ofgem, NESO, and stakeholders on the 2031-35 solar capacity ranges figures in the Clean Power Action Plan. In April, we published an update to the Action Plan to reflect the recent trend of an increased solar project...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSolar Power: BatteriesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56445More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the 2035 Future Energy Scenarios-derived capacity ranges for solar and batteries in his Department’s Clean Power Action Plan connections annex are intended to be used by Ofgem and net
Answer: The 2035 capacity ranges present credible pathways to decarbonise our energy system and provide certainty to investors by ensuring a 10-year horizon for connection offers. NESO will use the ranges to underpin connection offers out to 2035. The 2035 figure...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: LicensingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what role the Treasury holds in approving new oil and gas fields.
Answer: The Oil & Gas Authority (operating as the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA)) are the licensing authority for offshore oil & gas. The NSTA are also responsible for granting consents and authorisations for subsequent activities (including develo...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: LicensingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44676More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who approves new oil and gas fields.
Answer: The Oil & Gas Authority (operating as the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA)) are the licensing authority for offshore oil & gas. The NSTA are also responsible for granting consents and authorisations for subsequent activities (including develo...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDrax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43730More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the trees burnt at the Drax power station are imported and transported on diesel freighters.
Answer: Drax sources the vast majority of its supply of biomass pellets from the US, with a small percentage from Canada, and elsewhere. It transports pellets to the UK by shipping them on bulk carriers, unloading at ports including Immingham, Liverpool and Port ...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDrax Power Station: SubsidiesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43727More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his proposed extension of subsidies for the Drax power station would raise the guaranteed strike price for the company from £100 MW/h to £113 MW/h.
Answer: The new CfD arrangement caps the volume of supported generation to an annual load factor of 27% compared to Drax’s current 65%. This incentivises dispatchable biomass generation only when the system needs it, ensuring consumers can benefit from cheaper wi...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDrax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43726More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has issued a response to BBC Panorama’s reports that the Drax powerplant has burned wood from primary forest sites.
Answer: Following the Panorama reports, Ofgem, as the independent regulator, conducted a comprehensive investigation into Drax’s sustainability arrangements and concluded that, whilst no subsidies were issued for unsustainable biomass, there was an absence of ade...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDrax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43725More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to stop unabated burning of wood at Drax power station.
Answer: The Government has agreed Heads of Terms with Drax for time-limited support from 2027 to 2031. The National Energy System Operator advised that without Drax we would face increased security of supply risks from 2027 to 2031. No decisions have been made on...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDrax Power Station: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43724More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to legislate to prevent the Drax power station burning wood from primary forests for producing non-subsidised electricity.
Answer: The Government only provides support for biomass sourced from forests which are sustainably managed.Under the agreed Heads of Terms for short term support from 2027-2031, Drax must source 100% of its biomass from sustainable sources, and must exclude prim...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon Emissions: TimberDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43723More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing hon. Members to access (a) the KPMG interim report of December 2022 and (b) the full NESO report on the alternatives to b
Answer: The KPMG report is an internal fact-finding document, commissioned by Drax to review their biomass supply chain against the sustainability requirements of existing arrangements. Whilst DESNZ Officials were granted time limited access to view the report, w...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon BudgetsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43722More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure the Climate Change Committee assesses the upcoming sixth carbon budget plan before it is published.
Answer: We value the CCC’s independent advice and expertise on progress against our targets. We will deliver an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all the sectors in due course. This will outline the polici...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHeat Pumps and Insulation: Low IncomesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43721More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support low-income households with the costs of installing (a) insulation and (b) heat pumps.
Answer: As the first step towards the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency.Government energy efficiency schemes such as the Energy Company Obligati...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordElectricity: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43720More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is taking steps (a) reduce and (b) remove policy costs on electricity bills.
Answer: The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. With this, the Government is also committed to ensuring a fair and affordable...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordClean Energy: Risk AssessmentDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for the Government’s Clean Power 2030 target of limiting the supply of solar and battery storage projects as a result of the 20
Answer: The Clean Power Action Plan (CPAP) sets out regional capacities for solar and battery storage required to achieve Clean Power by 2030. Regional capacities out to 2035 are also included to provide a 10-year time horizon for connections offers. 2035 capacit...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon Emissions: TaxationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40795More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of introducing a climate mitigation duty on mayoral strategic authorities.
Answer: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with Ministerial Colleagues on a number of issues. We also both engage with Mayoral Strategic Authority leaders on the delivery of net zero regularly, including through roundtables.
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordWarm Homes PlanDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39999More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is planning to take to provide support to (a) low-income and (b) vulnerable households through the Warm Homes Plan.
Answer: As part of the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, including £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes. There are multiple targeted sc...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
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4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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