Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - 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 number of certified Retrofit Coordinators required under PAS2035:2019 that (1) will be required to support the delivery of the Retrofit Standards Framework at its commencement in June 2021, (2) are currently certified, and (3) are awaiting certification; and what assessment they have made of whether the number of certified Coordinators is sufficient to enable the planned Whole House Retrofit policy in England to be delivered to its original timescale.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We estimate that 250 – 1,000 retrofit coordinators will be required to meet the PAS2035:2019 requirements for the Energy Company Obligation, which is currently the only policy in which the Retrofit Standards Framework will have to be implemented from 1 July 2021. The number of retrofit coordinators required will depend on the number of projects and the number of measures per project.
Currently, around 80 people have graduated from the training with around an additional 230 going through the process.
The training can be provided fully on-line and we are in regular contact with the training provider to monitor uptake as well as considering options to increase it should we deem it necessary.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the number of certified retrofit coordinators required under PAS2035:2019 that (1) will be required to support the delivery of the Retrofit Standards Framework at its commencement in June 2021; (2) are currently certified; and (3) are awaiting certification; and whether they are satisfied that there will be enough coordinators to enable the planned Whole House Retrofit policy in England to be delivered to the original timescale.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We estimate that 250 – 1,000 retrofit coordinators will be required to meet the PAS2035:2019 requirements for the Energy Company Obligation. The number of retrofit coordinators required will depend on the number of projects and the number of measures per project.
Currently, around 80 people have graduated from the training with around an additional 230 going through the process.
The training can be provided fully on-line and we are monitoring uptake as well as considering options to increase it should we deem it necessary.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to ensure the correct transposition of Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU, in the light of the reasoned opinion sent to the UK by the European Commission in July.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The Government will consult in due course on amending the Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 to ensure the full transposition of Article 9 of the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive. The UK has a longstanding difference of interpretation with the European Commission in respect of Article 7 of the Directive, which we hope to resolve with our response to the reasoned opinion.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to permit Demand Side Response measures to be taken into account when assessing bids under the Capacity Market scheme, if and when the Scheme is re-started.
Answered by Lord Henley
Capacity Market auctions are technology neutral and all eligible technologies are able to compete on an equal basis. Demand side response (DSR) providers have been able to participate in all Capacity Market auctions, alongside other technologies, since the Capacity Market was established. We also held two “Transitional Arrangements” auctions for DSR in 2016 and 2017. The most recent T-4 auction, held in 2018, awarded agreements to 1.2 GW of DSR capacity. Capacity market agreements totalling over 4.7GW have been awarded to DSR through the CM so far, worth approximately £85million.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of new workers required to replace workers from other EU countries who may leave the manufacturing sector following the UK's withdrawal from the EU; and what measures they are putting in place to ensure that sufficient numbers are recruited and trained.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government has not produced specific estimates of the potential impacts of withdrawal from the European Union on the manufacturing workforce. However, it has set out a clear policy that would enable EU nationals currently working in the UK to remain.
The Government is committed to working with the manufacturing sector to ensure the workforce is equipped with the skills it will need now and in the future. This includes reforming our technical education system to achieve a world-class status and developing a National Retraining Scheme to support adults to upskill and reskill throughout their career as the economy changes. Our ambitious Industrial Strategy comprises policies to build an economy fit for the future, helping to foster a competitive environment where businesses can have the confidence to invest in UK manufacturing and thrive.
We are continuing to work with employers and wider stakeholders on how the apprenticeship levy is spent so that the funding system works effectively and flexibly for industry and supports our commitment to delivering 3 million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of new workers required to replace workers from other EU countries who may leave the construction industry following the UK's withdrawal from the EU; and what measures they are putting in place to ensure that sufficient numbers are recruited and trained.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Construction Industry Training Board produces estimates of the number of workers required by the construction sector in future years, by region and by occupation. The Government has not produced specific estimates of the potential impacts of withdrawal from the European Union on the construction workforce. However, it has set out a clear policy that would enable EU nationals currently working in the UK to remain.
The Government is committed to working with the construction sector to ensure the construction workforce is equipped with the skills it will need now and in the future. This includes through the commitment made in the Construction Sector Deal to increase the number of apprenticeship starts to 25,000 by 2020. The Government has also invested £24m through the Construction Skills Fund, which will invest in new learning hubs to accelerate the training of the construction workforce.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to convene a roundtable of representatives of Ebay, Amazon and Electrical Safety First to seek a resolution to the problem of unregulated sales of sub-standard and counterfeit electrical goods online.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including online sales platforms, to discuss the issues caused by the sale of sub-standard and counterfeit goods. While there are no immediate plans for a roundtable with the parties listed, officials in the Intellectual Property Office are considering options for addressing the problem.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the report they commissioned from Pye Tait Consulting on cash retentions in the construction industry has been submitted by that firm; and if so, when they intend to publish that report, and what action they plan to take in the light of its recommendations.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department will be publishing the Pye Tait report, alongside a consultation document on the practice of cash retentions under construction contracts shortly.
The Government will not pre-empt the outcome of the consultation, but will consider the responses to the forthcoming consultation carefully before making decisions about further action in this area.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made on setting out their policies and proposals to meet their emissions targets due to be included in their emission reduction plan; and when they will publish them.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We are making good progress following Parliamentary agreement on the 4th and 5th Carbon Budgets. We are engaging with businesses, industry, and stakeholders, and we are looking forward to publishing a plan in early 2017.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish the review by Dr Peter Bonfield into consumer advice, protection, standards and enforcement for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We expect the Each Home Counts Review by Dr Peter Bonfield to be published soon.