PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Coal: North West Durham (24 February 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people in (a) Weardale and (b) North West Durham constituency who are reliant on coal for fuel; what plans she has to provide financial support to people replacing coal firing systems with alternatives; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a scrappage scheme for coal-firing systems.

Asked by:
Mr Richard Holden (Conservative)

The impact assessment published alongside the Government response to the consultation on cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood included an assessment of the number of people who use coal as a primary heat source across England. The impact assessment can be viewed at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/867428/burning-wood-consult-ia.pdf

The proposals included in the Government response outline our intention to rollout the policy in a phased approach, this is to ensure that those reliant on coal or wood as a primary heat source have time and support they need to transition to the cleanest alternative fuel types, whilst minimising any associated costs. We do not have any plans to introduce a stove scrappage scheme.

Answered by:
Victoria Prentis (Conservative)
27 February 2020