Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The Government asked specific questions about impact in the consultation on AI and IP, but received very limited quantitative evidence. An impact assessment will be published alongside the legislation when laid. The proposed exception will be targeted to limit negative impacts, and the government welcomes further evidence from rights holders on how to best achieve this.

The Government asked specific questions about impact in the consultation on AI and IP, but received very limited quantitative evidence. An impact assessment will be published alongside the legislation when laid. The proposed exception will be targeted to limit negative impacts, and the government welcomes further evidence from rights holders on how to best achieve this.

Of the responses to the consultation on Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property, 16 indicated that option 4 for a broad text and data mining exception was their preferred option; their joint-preferred option; or one of the preferred options within a mixed membership. 3 had a general preference for an exception, 17 preferred another type of data mining exception, 21 preferred no change, and 20 preferred changes to licensing.

The Government asked specific questions about impact in the consultation on AI and IP, but received very limited quantitative evidence. An impact assessment will be published alongside the legislation when laid. The proposed exception will be targeted to limit negative impacts, and the government welcomes further evidence from rights holders on how to best achieve this.

BEIS does not hold this information. Trading Standards services are provided by local authorities who operate independently from central government and are therefore responsible for their own enforcement activity and are accountable to their local electorate.

The Government supports an effective international intellectual property framework which supports creative and innovative businesses at home and abroad. The UK has recently agreed trade deals with countries including Japan, Australia and New Zealand which commit them to higher standards on copyright. We will continue to advocate for and uphold high international standards for intellectual property, and any reforms to UK copyright law will comply with our international obligations.

There are rules which can protect tenants and ensure they receive the benefit of this policy. A copy of Ofgem’s guidance on how to ensure customers are being charged no more than they should when they buy the electricity through their landlord, including what to do if they think there has been a mistake, is attached.

The Secretary of State granted development consent for the Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station on July 20^th 2022, after thorough consideration of all relevant information.

Commercial negotiations on the project are strictly separate from consideration of the application for development consent. To date these negotiations have been constructive, but are ongoing and no decisions have been made.

Companies involved in planning the Village Trial will complete detailed property surveys in the proposed trial locations. The surveys will be used to assess suitability for hydrogen conversion or for an alternative heating system for consumers who do not wish to or cannot participate in the trial.

An effective intellectual property system is a fundamental driver for creativity and innovation and is central to a modern, vibrant economy. Any reforms to UK copyright law aim to effectively balance the copyright framework for both rights holders and users and comply with our international obligations. The Government reviews aspects of copyright law, when appropriate, in light of its priorities. The decision on text and data mining followed one such review. We do not plan to consequently amend wider policies or to conduct a wider review of copyright law.

The Government is putting in place a package of measures to build a globally competitive UK heat pump manufacturing sector. This includes policies to help build demand for heat pumps, like the £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme, as well as those that incentivise inward investment in the supply chain, such as the Super Deduction Capital Allowance Scheme and the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition. There has already been significant investment in the UK heat pump supply chain over the past 12 months from companies like Mitsubishi, Octopus Energy, Vaillant and Ideal Heating, and we expect this growth to continue.

Ofgem uses the price control framework to ensure that electricity network companies are provided with the necessary funding to deliver the required capacity to meet future demand on the grid, including to support the roll out of heat pumps. Government liaises regularly with Ofgem and industry, including network operators, on this issue.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working with partners to introduce a Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme, which is now in the final stages of development.

The Government is currently consulting on proposals to mandate smart functionality for specific electric heating appliances, including heat pumps, from 2025. For the purpose of the smart mandate, a smart heat pump is defined as communications-enabled and capable of responding automatically to incentive signals (such as price) and/or other more direct control signals by shifting or modulating its electricity consumption. Consumers can use existing support schemes, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, to install a smart heat pump and the consultation is seeking views on what further action may be needed to ensure all consumers can benefit from smart heating.

In the consultation on improving the energy efficiency performance of privately rented homes in England and Wales, the preferred policy proposal would deliver energy bill savings of £220 a year on average by 2028. It would lower energy demand on the grid and support the transition to low-carbon heating, delivering ~6.1 MtCO2e of savings for Carbon Budget 5. These figures were published in the consultation, thus the energy bill savings do not reflect the current energy prices.

The Government expects all firms to treat their customers fairly at all times. Business should be free to compete on matters such as price, quality and service. Provided consumers are not misled and able to make informed decisions, companies offering goods and services are free to offer their products and services under conditions of their choosing. The Government has no plans to amend the Consumer Rights Act 2015 on this issue.

The decision on the application for development consent for Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station was announced on 20 July 2022. The then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Paul Scully took the decision on behalf of the Secretary of State who had confirmed that his delegation of the decision-making powers to Minister Scully in respect of the Sizewell C application should continue, notwithstanding Minister Scully’s move to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The Longitudinal Small Business 2020 Survey reported that 5% of SME employers were minority ethnic group led (MEG-led), defined as having a person in sole control of the business or having a management team with at least half of its members from ethnic minority groups.

MEG-led SME employers were more likely in information and communication (9%), accommodation and food (7%) sectors and less likely in primary (0%) and education sectors (1%).

Further reported about 4% of businesses with no employees were MEG-led. MEG-led businesses were most likely to be in the transport and storage (7%), information and communications and health (both 6%) sectors, and least likely in primary, education and accommodation and food services sectors (all 1%).

Further details can be found on the GOV.UK website. Data for 2021 will be published in August 2022.

The Government has set out its commitment to space sustainability in the National Space Strategy, which commits to ensuring space remains safe, secure and sustainable.

We are already delivering that commitment - on 23 June we announced the first ever Plan for Space Sustainability. This encompasses a range of ambitious measures that show UK leadership to advance the sustainable future of space, including:

- Demonstrating continued regulatory leadership.

- Demonstrating UK global leadership.

- Leadership on meeting sustainability standards through the development of an industry-led standard for space sustainability.

- Continuing to enhance national and global capacity.

The Government is committed to supporting people living with disabilities and long term health conditions.

A range of Government initiatives are supporting disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work. These include the Work and Health Programme, the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Disability Confident and support in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services. We will be investing £1.3bn in employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions over the next three years.

The Government is clear that everyone deserves to be treated fairly at work and rewarded for their contribution to the economy, both in terms of fair pay and fair working conditions.

We announced on the 9th May that we will bring forward employment status guidance to help clarify the existing status boundaries. This will make it easier for individuals and businesses, including for those in the gig economy, to understand which employment rights apply to them, enhancing worker protections whilst maintaining flexibility and ensuring a level playing field within the labour market.

The Department has held initial discussions with Post Office on this issue and is expecting to receive a formal proposal shortly. BEIS, supported by UKGI, will then work closely with Post Office to find an appropriate and fair solution.

The higher grant figure for projects starting in 2020 compared to 2021 was a combination of two large programmes (Strength in Places, and the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Innovation Centre) and Innovate UK’s part in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic which saw them launch three major programmes to help the UK business innovation ecosystem navigate the shock of the global pandemic.

The Government’s preference is for the UK to associate to Horizon Europe. However, given the EU’s persistence in delaying our association, it is only right and responsible that we are prepared for all outcomes, including one where we are not able to associate.

On 20 July we published proposals on how the UK would transition to a new R&D programme, should the EU’s delays to our association to Horizon Europe continue. These include details of our proposed transitional measures and an overview of our longer-term alternative plans.

We will continue to engage with researchers from a diverse range of sectors to make sure that the UK is a desirable place for R&D in all future scenarios. Over the next few months, we plan to step up our engagement with businesses, universities and research institutions, to support them if association is not possible.

The Government’s preference is for the UK to associate to Horizon Europe. However, given the EU’s persistence in delaying our association, it is only right and responsible that we are prepared for all outcomes, including one where we are not able to associate.

On 20 July we published proposals on how the UK would transition to a new R&D programme, should the EU’s delays to our association to Horizon Europe continue. These include details of our proposed transitional measures and an overview of our longer-term alternative plans.

We will continue to engage with researchers from a diverse range of sectors to make sure that the UK is a desirable place for R&D in all future scenarios. Over the next few months, we plan to step up our engagement with businesses, universities and research institutions, to support them if association is not possible.

Earlier this year we increased the National Living Wage, putting £1,000 more a year in the pay packets of those who need it most. Programmes offered by the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions are helping to up-skill workers, allowing them to progress in work and thrive in the labour market.

This is a matter for employers to discuss with their employees, if appropriate. This is not a matter for Government.

The Government intends to publish the performance data from the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project in due course, once quality assurance of the data has been completed.

The Government is clear that everyone deserves to be treated fairly at work and rewarded for their contribution to the economy, both in terms of fair pay and fair working conditions.

We announced on the 9th May that we will bring forward employment status guidance to help clarify the existing status boundaries. This will make it easier for individuals and businesses, including for those in the gig economy, to understand which employment rights apply to them, enhancing worker protections whilst maintaining flexibility and ensuring a level playing field within the labour market.

The opportunity to progress in work is any integral part of job quality and the Government has taken steps since the publication of the Taylor Review to help workers improve their prospects to progress in work. The Department for Work and Pensions recently launched an in-work progression offer to support low paid universal credit claimants in work to progress and increase their earnings. This support will be provided by work coaches and will focus on removing barriers to progression, helping people identify skills gaps and relevant training, helping people look for progression opportunities in their current role, and consider changing roles or sectors.  Furthermore, low-paid workers are eligible for training funded by the Department for Education, who maintain a suite of skills programmes to help all workers boost skills and prospects.

We are committed to supporting all workers across the UK and have recently brought forward several reforms which will help protect workers in the retail and distribution sector.

In April 2022 we made sure 2.5 million people received a pay rise raising the National Minimum and National Living Wages. This was the largest ever cash increase to the National Living Wage and will put over £1,000 a year into a full-time workers’ pay packet, helping to ease cost of living pressures.

Additionally, on 6 July we brought forward legislation to widen the ban on exclusivity clauses, which restrict staff from working for multiple employers, to contracts where the guaranteed weekly income is equivalent to or below the Lower Earnings Limit of £123 a week.

Great Britain has highly diverse sources of gas supply. These include pipelines from the UK and Norwegian continental shelves (UKCS & NCS), interconnection with the European continent, and three Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals, providing the UK with one of the largest LNG import infrastructures in Europe.

The UK’s diverse range of sources of gas supply is a strength to the Government’s approach to energy security. The integrated nature of the global gas market, and the fact that it is an internationally traded commodity, ensures that the UK continues to work closely with all its international partners.

We have carefully analysed the responses received to the consultation on Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes, and we will publish a Government Response in due course.

The Government recognises delivery costs can be higher in some parts of the UK and strongly encourages businesses to provide consumers with a range of affordable delivery options. The Royal Mail provides a universal parcel service at a uniform price throughout the United Kingdom thanks to rules the UK government put in place in the Postal Services Act 2011.

The Consumer Protection Partnership, which includes Ofcom, Government representatives, consumer advocates and training standards officials, runs a dedicated working group to collect evidence on the issue.

The Government is investing over £6.6 billion over this parliament to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise heating.

The spending profiles of Government schemes reflect the need for Local Authorities and Housing Associations to deliver over financial years, supported by their local supply chains. The ECO4 order has now been laid, and debates have taken place in both Houses. The Government expects regulations to come into force this month. The scheme is worth £1bn per annum and will run from 2022 – 2026.

Taking action on climate change will help businesses to grow, seize new opportunities and adapt against the challenges of a changing planet. The first step SMEs can take is to visit the UK Business Climate Hub and sign up to the globally recognised SME Climate Commitment. Here SMEs can also get help and advice on how to be greener and save money.

Additionally, almost £5 billion of funding is available to help UK businesses become greener as part of the government’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The latest funding opportunities can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-funding-to-help-your-business-become-greener.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to the noble Lord Allen of Kensington on 5 July 2022 to Question HL1128.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for St Albans on 20th June 2022 to Question 18990.

The supply of low carbon fuels, including synthetic, will help reduce the environmental impact of transport. For example, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), on average, could achieve over 70% emissions savings on a lifecycle basis. Presented in the Jet Zero Strategy, the Government aims to build a UK SAF industry that could support up to 5,200 jobs and Gross Value Added of up to £2.7bn.

The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will support sites to switch to low carbon fuels (synthetic fuel production is not within scope). The Red Diesel Replacement competition has a Phase 1 project working towards producing synthetic fuel.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green on 6 July 2022 to Question 28901.

The Government is committed to phasing out coal from electricity generation by 2024. Demand for new coal licences has fallen away as a consequence, and there are only a small number of potential coal projects that could result in new coal mining, and only with the consent of the relevant planning authorities.

The Government keeps the Coal Authority’s duties under review, but in view of the low demand for new coal extraction projects, there are currently no plans to revise the duties with respect to licensing coal extraction.

The Government is working to review and improve its communication to ensure that the public has access to the information and advice they need to make the right decisions. The Government has recently published a series of heat pump user case studies and heat pump user guides with Energy Systems Catapult. There is also further information and advice on heat pumps available through Simple Energy Advice service and the recently launched ‘Check if your home could be suitable for a heat pump’ calculator on GOV.UK.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Strangford on 1st July 2022 to Question 22437.

The Government is working closely with industry to support gas boiler installers retraining to install heat pumps. In September 2020 the Government launched a £6 million skills competition to provide training opportunities for the energy-efficiency and low-carbon heating supply chains, including heat pump training for over 2000 heating engineers. The Government is developing plans for a further Skills Training Competition in 2022/23 and intends to continue work with industry to support retraining.