Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which 10 councils have the highest number of solar panels installed on council properties.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government does not hold information on the number or size of solar PV installations on council properties. This information will be held by individual councils.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they paid in fees to BBH Legal Services Limited for work relating to the compensation schemes for health problems caused by mining.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In total, the Department and its precursors have paid a total of £96,282.85 in costs to BBH Legal Services Limited. All payments have been made in respect of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claims.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the publication of guidance on the COVID-19 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund on 1 April, whether its reference to qualifying properties 'wholly or mainly being used as a hospitality, retail, or leisure venue’ refers to the rateable area of the business being used for such purposes or to its turnover.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Under the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF) businesses in England that would have been in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) on 11 March 2020, with a rateable value of less than £51,000, will be eligible for cash grants of up to £25,000 per property.
It is for local authorities to decide, having regard to the Government’s guidance, whether individual properties are eligible for the RHLGF based on the circumstances of each case.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is taking to support employees who are still attending work and not shielding but have conditions that increase their vulnerability; and in particular in cases where employers are not willing, or able to support, such employees.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has introduced important social distancing measures for all types of businesses to consider in order to minimise the risk of transmission in the workplace. The Government has been clear that it is vital that all employers follow this guidance, which is clinically led and based on expert advice.
The Government has stated that vulnerable people who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) need to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures. Additionally, the government guidance sets out that members of staff who are vulnerable or extremely vulnerable, as well as individuals whom they live with, should be supported by their employers as they follow the required social distancing and shielding measures.
If a business is not operating in line with the government guidance, there is a role for the relevant health and safety enforcing authority – the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or a Local Authority. Where the enforcing authority identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks – for example, employers not taking appropriate action to socially distance or ensure workers in the shielded category can follow the NHS advice to self-isolate for the period specified – the enforcing authority will consider taking a range of actions to improve control of workplace risks. These actions include the provision of specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement notices to help secure improvements with the guidance.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether new challenger banks have been accepted as an official lender by the British Business Bank; if not, why not; what estimate they have made of the time that it will take for small and medium sized companies to be able to speak to potential lenders to access the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme; and what plans they have to ensure that access is given promptly.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The priority for the British Business Bank (BBB) has been to get the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme up and running, delivering urgently needed finance to UK SMEs. In order to achieve that, the Bank has worked with the already existing infrastructure and the 40 accredited lenders to make this operational as soon as possible. Existing lenders range from high-street banks to challenger banks, asset-based lenders and smaller specialist local lenders.
Now that the scheme has successfully launched, accrediting new partners is a top priority. The Bank has put in place substantial additional resource to assist with processing applications from new lenders as quickly as possible.
The scheme went live on Monday 23 March, so businesses are able to speak to lenders now and apply for facilities. Businesses should check on the British Business Bank’s webpage to find out which lenders are able to provide the type of finance they are looking for.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment she has made of the effect of Government policies on domestic renewable energy installations on their increased potential use in the UK.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Feed-In Tariffs scheme was introduced to support the widespread adoption of proven small-scale low-carbon electricity generating technologies. The scheme was intended to give the wider public a stake in the transition to a low-carbon economy and in turn foster behavioural change that would support the development of local supply chains and reductions in energy costs. To date the scheme has supported over 830,000 installations, or 6 GW of capacity.
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is the world’s first long-term financial support programme for renewable heat. The RHI pays participants of the scheme that generate and use renewable heat, or that provide green gas to the gas grid. Under the RHI, the Government has supported over 71,500 homes and over 19,500 businesses, schools, farms and other organisations to install new low carbon heating systems, and these numbers continue to grow (in August 2019 there were over 1,100 domestic applications to participate in the scheme). We estimate that by 2021 the RHI will have supported 21.4 terawatt hours of renewable heat generation. This is equivalent to the annual gas consumption of over 1.6 million households.
In January 2020 the government is introducing a new Smart Export Guarantee, which will ensure that homes and businesses who export their surplus low carbon electricity to the grid can receive payment from their energy suppliers.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the annual surpluses to Government from the Mineworkers Pension Fund in each year since 1994.
Answered by Claire Perry
The sums the Government has received each year from its share of scheme surpluses are set out below. There were no receipts before 1998. Surplus shares are calculated at three-yearly valuations and paid in ten annual instalments. More information is available in a House of Commons Research Briefing. The Government guarantee has enabled an investment strategy that has resulted in scheme members receiving payments 33% higher than they would have been if they received only their actual earned pension up to privatisation.
Year[1] | Share of surplus (£m) | Year | Share of surplus (£m) |
1998 | 113 | 2009 | 146 |
1999 | 113 | 2010 | 145 |
2000 | 113 | 2011 | 331 |
2001 | 196 | 2012 | 31 |
2002 | 196 | 2013 | 50 |
2003 | 196 | 2014 | 50 |
2004 | 175 | 2015 | 92.1 |
2005 | 175 | 2016 | 113.4 |
2006 | 175 | 2017 | 51 |
2007 | 327 | 2018 | 51 |
2008 | 146 | 2019 | 142.4 |
[1] MPS Scheme years run from 1 October to 30 September. Payments are generally made on 1 October.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the level of threat of a cyber attack on the UK Land Registry; what steps the Land Registry has taken to protect people's land registrations from cyber attacks; and how much and what proportion of the Land Registry's data has been put on a secure blockchain since the Registry's announcement to do so in July 2017.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
HM Land Registry has a strong security culture and works with colleagues from across government to protect the organisation from cyber threats. The land register is protected by a broad and effective range of security controls which are regularly verified and tested by experts inside and outside of the organisation. HM Land Registry implements all cyber standards published by the National Cyber Security Centre. Future digital developments are subjected to significant scrutiny including by specialists from the National Cyber Security Centre who are undertaking a review of all cyber security risks and how these are managed by HM Land Registry.
HM Land Registry do not currently hold any of their data on a blockchain. In July 2017 HM Land Registry announced that they are working on ‘Digital Street’, a research and development project exploring the future of digital conveyancing, including the potential use of new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
What change there has been in the amount of UK energy provided by solar power in the last two years.
Answered by Claire Perry
Solar PV is a UK success story, with rapid deployment over the last 7 years.
Over 99% of the UK’s solar PV capacity has been deployed since May 2010.
Latest figures indicate that we now have 12.8GW of solar capacity installed in the UK which is 4% of current UK electricity consumption.
This is an increase in solar capacity of 29% compared to January 2016 when it was 9.9GW.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support he plans to provide to communities where coal-powered power stations are to be phased out.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Most of our existing coal stations are old and likely to close on economic grounds well before 2025. Setting an end date for coal is expected to help stimulate new investment into alternative energy sources, create new jobs in construction and operation for the next two decades, and contribute towards delivering a secure, affordable low carbon future. The Government aims to support those directly affected into new employment, including through the Job Centre Plus Rapid Response Force.