Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have complied with the requirement under the transition from the old Gas Appliance Directive to EU Regulation 2016/426 on Gas Appliances to notify the EU with relevant details by 21 October.
Answered by Lord Henley
The UK notified the European Commission on 20 October with the relevant details in accordance with the requirement set out in Article 4 of EU Regulation 2016/426.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the Grenfell Tower fire, what consideration they have given to reviewing their policy on the mandatory recall of faulty electrical goods.
Answered by Lord Henley
Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 manufacturers of electrical products are required to monitor their products on the market. Should they identify unsafe equipment, they must take immediate corrective action to make the equipment safe, withdraw it or recall it. Enforcement authorities also have powers to require a manufacturer to take corrective action, including by requiring withdrawal or recall of unsafe products.
We have asked the British Standards Institution (BSI) to develop a code of practice on corrective action and recalls. BSI’s consultation on the draft code closes on 27th October and we expect the code to be available by the end of the year.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide UK operators covered by the EU Emissions Trading System with certainty on the future of the UK’s participation in the System, both for the remainder of the current phase and the upcoming phase 4, as well as on domestic carbon pricing and carbon trading policy.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
As the Clean Growth Strategy sets out, the Government is considering the UK’s future participation in the EU ETS after our exit from the EU, and we remain firmly committed to carbon pricing as an emissions reduction tool whilst ensuring energy and trade intensive businesses are appropriately protected from any detrimental impacts on competitiveness.
Whatever our future relationship with the EU, we will seek to ensure that our future approach is at least as ambitious as the existing scheme and provide a smooth transition for the relevant sectors. The UK’s commitment and leadership role in tackling climate change remains undimmed and working closely with the EU on this global challenge will remain important.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to avoid penalties for non-compliance being levied against UK operators in the event that the UK exits the EU Emissions Trading System before the end of phase 3 of the system in 2020.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government is considering carefully the potential impacts of a wide range of EU Exit scenarios relating to the EU ETS, both on the system itself and on UK operators covered by the system. This includes consideration of the risks that a mid-Phase exit of the EU ETS could present for UK operators.
To ensure a smooth transition and avoid a cliff edge on withdrawal, the UK has proposed to the EU an implementation period of about two years where we would continue to have access to each other’s markets on current terms. We are calling for this to be agreed as early as possible to provide clarity.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on UK operators covered by the EU Emissions Trading System if the UK were to exit the EU Emissions Trading System before the end of phase 3 of the system in 2020.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government is considering carefully the potential impacts of a wide range of EU Exit scenarios relating to the EU ETS, both on the system itself and on UK operators covered by the system. This includes consideration of the risks that a mid-Phase exit of the EU ETS could present for UK operators.
To ensure a smooth transition and avoid a cliff edge on withdrawal, the UK has proposed to the EU an implementation period of about two years where we would continue to have access to each other’s markets on current terms. We are calling for this to be agreed as early as possible to provide clarity.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Brexit on the EU Emissions Trading System.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government is considering carefully the potential impacts of a wide range of EU Exit scenarios relating to the EU ETS, both on the system itself and on UK operators covered by the system. This includes consideration of the risks that a mid-Phase exit of the EU ETS could present for UK operators.
To ensure a smooth transition and avoid a cliff edge on withdrawal, the UK has proposed to the EU an implementation period of about two years where we would continue to have access to each other’s markets on current terms. We are calling for this to be agreed as early as possible to provide clarity.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to authorise the HM Land Registries scheme to digitise local land charge data; and when they plan to provide a fixed timeframe for the sign off of the local land charges register project.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Work is already underway on the Local Land Charges programme, which will provide a central, digital service for local land charges by consolidating local authority registers into a single register. As with any major project, the government will review and approve the programme at key stages as appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to convert Regulation (EU) 1223/2009 on cosmetic products into UK law; and, if so, which UK body will assume the role of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety in providing the scientific analysis of products to be placed in the market; and who will replace the Commission's role in ensuring products using prohibited forms of animal testing do not enter the market.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Regulation (EU) 1223/2009 is directly applicable in the United Kingdom. The Repeal Bill will convert directly applicable EU law into UK law, and provide a power to correct parts of the law that no longer work. The Government is currently considering how to ensure functions currently carried out by the European Commission continue in the UK in an appropriate way.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
Her Majesty's Government, further to the Budget Statement on 8 March, and in the light of the Grenfell Tower fire, when they will publish the green paper on protecting consumers; and how they intend to incorporate market surveillance into that green paper.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government will in due course publish a Green Paper that will examine markets which are not working fairly for consumers. The content and scope of the Green Paper is under discussion.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made by the Steering Group set up following the Government's Response to the independent review by Lynn Faulds Wood, UK consumer product recall, published on 18 February 2016.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government set up a new Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety in October 2016 to build on the initial work of the Steering Group with a broader remit, a shorter timetable, a permanent Chair and a wider group of experts
The Working Group submitted its final report in April 2017. We had intended to publish the report then. However, the announcement of the General Election prevented us from doing so. In light of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, Ministers have also asked the Working Group to review their findings to consider any further action that may be required. We will publish that report before the summer recess.