Written questions by Garnier.

With reference to the Great British Energy founding statement, published on 25 July 2024, whether he plans that every project invested in by Great British Energy will make a return by 2030.

Great British Energy will be an operationally independent company, overseen by a Board. The exact impact and timeline of Great British Energy’s interventions will be determined by detailed development and design of the organisation’s functions. Any discussions around specific project to support would be determined by Great British Energy itself, as an operationally independent company, once fully established.

Whether he plans to continue the construction of new Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage sites.

This Government is committed to CCUS, which will create good jobs in Britain’s industrial heartlands, ensure a just transition for the industries based in the North Sea, and accelerate towards Net Zero. Our National Wealth Fund includes £1 billion to accelerate the deployment of CCUS.

What estimate she has made of the potential impact of the ban on new oil and gas licences on taxation revenues to (a) 2030, (b) 2035, (c) 2040, (d) 2045 and (e) 2050.

The government will consult later this year on the implementation of its manifesto position not to issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields. Forecasts for oil and gas tax revenues are published by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

When his Department plans to publish an updated (a) membership list and (b) terms of reference for the Solar Taskforce.

The Secretary of State announced the relaunch of the Solar Taskforce, which will consider further actions commensurate with the Government’s new clean energy mission. The core membership of the Taskforce will remain unchanged. Updated terms of reference, reflecting the Government’s new ambition, will be published ahead of the Taskforce’s first meeting.

What estimate he has made of the investment that (a) oil and (b) gas companies have made in clean energy in the last 10 years.

The Government does not systematically track investments made by specific companies in clean energy. DESNZ analysis of BNEF data shows that between 2010 and 2023 the UK saw £300billion of public and private investment across low carbon sectors.

Whether he plans to introduce the Clean Heat Market Mechanism.

The Government will publish a response to the previous Government’s consultation on the Clean Heat Market Mechanism in due course, which will set out the Government’s plans in this area.

If she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to require the Bank of England to (a) take account of climate change in its mandates and (b) publish a timetable for doing this.

Tackling climate change is a key part of this Government’s agenda, reflected in our Mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. We recognise the significant risks posed by climate change to the financial system and wider economy, and are committed to transitioning the economy to Net Zero by 2050 and realising the growth potential of doing so. In opposition, we set out our plans to reverse changes made by the previous Government to downgrade the importance of climate change in the Bank of England’s mandates. We remain committed to making this change and will do so in due course – the Government is required to issue new remit letters for the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) and Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) each year..

Whether she plans to review the Government's guidance on police use of water cannons.

The Home Office does not issue guidance on police use of water cannons.

If she will have discussions with representatives of the Inquest charity on the potential merits of a national oversight mechanism to follow up on the conclusions of (a) inquests and (b) other official investigations into the deaths of people in (i) police custody, (ii) prison custody, (iii) mental health settings, (iv) disasters and (v) other state-related deaths.

We are grateful to INQUEST for their proposal on a National Oversight Mechanism, and will be meeting with them, on this and wider issues, as soon as is practicable.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an oversight mechanism to monitor the implementation of recommendations from module one of the covid-19 inquiry.

Public inquiries are an important mechanism to learn lessons for the future. The Government will carefully consider all of the findings and recommendations of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 report.Parliament, and in particular its Select Committees, has an important role in scrutinising government policy, including the implementation of inquiries' recommendations.

Innovation and Technology, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to limit the liability of licenced commercial spaceflight operators.

Guidance already specifies that all spaceflight operator licences issued under the Space Industry Act 2018 limit an operator’s liability. This Government will look at opportunities to amend Section 12(2) of the Act to make this clear in legislation under Section 36 of the Act.

If he will introduce a licencing regime for builders.

This Government backs our wonderful construction industry and is working to ensure we have a high-quality and professional construction industry, with consumer protection at the heart of this. TrustMark, sponsored by the Department and licenced by the Government, is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme that covers work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home. In addition the Building Safety Act 2022 has introduced competence requirements for both individuals and businesses working in the built environment.Any action that the Government takes forward more widely on licensing to protect customers and standards needs to be robust, proportionate and evidence based.