BEIS supports communities that wish to invest in renewable community energy. At the end of May, the Rural Community Energy Fund re-opened to support communities seeking to develop a wide range of low carbon activities. The £10m fund provides grants to communities for feasibility studies to scope out ideas, and where projects are viable, another grant to help develop the project to investment readiness.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Rural Community Energy Fund will be delivered through the Local Energy Hubs which were created as part of the BEIS Local Energy Programme. There are five Hubs across England, including one in the North West which is managed by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The Hubs also provide wider commercial, technical and project management support to enable communities and Local Authorities to develop low carbon energy projects.<\/p>
<\/p>
BEIS acknowledge the importance of a route to market for small-scale low-carbon generation for communities. On 10 June we launched the Smart Export Guarantee, which will ensure that small-scale low-carbon generators are paid for the power they export to the grid. The SEG provides space for innovative market solutions to come forward, and supports the uptake of flexible technologies such as batteries - reinforcing our smart energy agenda.<\/p>
<\/p>
Eligible community projects will be able to benefit from the SEG, however we recognise that it may be more suitable for some projects than others. We are continuing to consider what measures we could take to support the efforts of communities that wish to invest in low-carbon community energy.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4021", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chris Skidmore"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Kingswood"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Chris Skidmore"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1129789/answer/previousversion/121635", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4021", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chris Skidmore"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Kingswood"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Chris Skidmore"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-11T15:49:24.187Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Renewable Energy"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to support communities that wish to invest in renewable community energy.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4569", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim McMahon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Oldham West and Royton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim McMahon"} ], "uin" : "260088"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1129308", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1129308/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Whilst we are not formally consulting any councils or combined authorities at present, the Secretary of State has had conversations with the leaders of councils in Yorkshire, as well as the Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, about future devolution to Yorkshire.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4060", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Jake Berry"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rossendale and Darwen"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jake Berry"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-06T12:59:57.65Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Local Government: Devolution"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with which councils and combined authorities is the Government currently consulting on devolution.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4569", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim McMahon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Oldham West and Royton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim McMahon"} ], "uin" : "259374"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1129314", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1129314/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We encourage both India and Pakistan to uphold their international human rights obligations. Any allegations of human rights violations or abuses is concerning and must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently. We regularly raise the issue of human rights and Kashmir with the Governments of India and Pakistan. I discussed the situation in Kashmir with the Indian Foreign Secretary on my most recent visit to India in March this year. The Permanent Under Secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office also raised the situation in Kashmir with the Indian Foreign Secretary during bilateral talks last month (May). With the Pakistani Government, the Foreign Secretary discussed Kashmir with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in March and I raised the issue in a meeting with Pakistan's Special Assistant for Accountability in late May.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1405", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mark Field"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Cities of London and Westminster"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mark Field"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-06T16:48:57.9Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Kashmir: Human Rights"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indian and Pakistani counterparts on human rights violations in Kashmir since the publication of the UN Human Rights Council's report on the situation in Kashmir in June 2018.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4569", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim McMahon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Oldham West and Royton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim McMahon"} ], "uin" : "259375"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1129320", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Treasury"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1129320/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, I regularly hear from councils across the country on matters related to local government funding. I have also attended events organised by the sector to discuss local government funding.<\/p>
<\/p>
Future funding for local government will be considered at the next Spending Review.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4097", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Elizabeth Truss"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Norfolk"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Elizabeth Truss"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-11T10:46:14.457Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Local Government Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the 1 February 2019 Local Government Association's news article entitled £8 billion funding black hole by 2025 will swallow up popular council services, dated 1 February 2019, what representations his Department has received on funding for local government in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4569", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim McMahon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Oldham West and Royton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim McMahon"} ], "uin" : "259376"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1064346", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1064346/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
e-PIMS, the central database of properties and land, only holds asset values and rates payable in relation to specific programme requirements. We do not comprehensively record asset values as a matter of course and therefore are unable to provide the total book value. Rates payable information is only collected against individual properties for the benchmarked office estate. For the 149 benchmarked offices over 500m2<\/sup> in the central civil estate in the London region, net rates totalling £121.3 million were payable in 2017/18.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4441", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Oliver Dowden"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hertsmere"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Oliver Dowden"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-02-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-02-25T17:33:09.997Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "53"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Government Departments: Buildings"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the (a) total book value of the central Government estate in London and (b) rate payable on those properties.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4569", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim McMahon"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Oldham West and Royton"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim McMahon"}
], "uin" : "223820"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1064348", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1064348/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government is undertaking a review of the relative needs and resources of local authorities in England, with a view to setting fresh baseline funding levels in 2020-21. We are working closely with local government representatives and others to examine all of the available evidence for the costs faced by authorities; including how factors such as rurality, sparsity and other geographical features affect the cost of delivering services across the country, and how to account for these in a robust manner.<\/p> Our December 2018 consultation paper (link below) set out a proposed Area Cost Adjustment approach, which uses the best available evidence, based on journey times, to reflect the impact of congestion in urban areas, as well as longer travel distances in rural areas on the relative cost of providing services. The consultation closed on 21 February and we will consider the many representations made in response, which will feed into the next phase of this work.<\/p>