Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether they have recruited a sufficient number of assessors to launch the Green Homes Grant Scheme in September as previously announced.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Retrofit assessors will not form a mandatory part of the Green Homes Grant, although applicants are encouraged to consult an assessor if they wish.
Building the capacity and skills for retrofit assessment, and energy efficiency improvements more broadly, is an important part of the Green Homes Grant and will be achieved both through direct support and by ensuring the supply-chain has the confidence to recruit and train.
The Government endorsed Simple Energy Advice service is designed to provide households with online advice and recommendations on the energy efficiency and heating improvements which they can make to their homes. Households will be able to apply for a Green Home voucher via the Simple Energy Advice service and will be encouraged to use the service to select the most appropriate measure or measures for their property.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a list of approved contractors to operate the Green Homes Grant Scheme.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Businesses and Tradespeople must register for TrustMark accreditation to take part in the scheme if they are not already registered.
TrustMark is the Government-endorsed quality scheme covering work a consumer chooses to have carried out on their home. Households will be able to choose from approved tradespeople in their areas to carry out the work, but only approved and accredited installers will be able to be commissioned, ensuring high standards and consumer protection.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 23 March (HL2389), what additional measures they are proposing to bring forward to support the self-employed.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is working to minimise any social and economic disruption as a result of Covid-19.
We have introduced several measures to support the self-employed, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, mortgage holidays, the delaying of IR35 by a year to April 2021, and support for people struggling to pay their energy bills. Self-employed people will also be able to claim Universal Credit at a rate equivalent to Statutory Sick Pay for employees and may be eligible for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (which is now payable from the first day of sickness, rather than the eighth). We have also deferred Income Tax Self-Assessment payments due in July 2020, to January 2021.
Following the Chancellor’s latest announcement, the Government have introduced the Self-employment Income Support Scheme. This will support self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The scheme will provide a grant to self-employed individuals or partnerships, worth 80% of their profits up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC is urgently working to deliver the scheme and we are expecting to start to pay grants by early June 2020.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the emergence of a black market in food, medicines, pharmaceuticals and other essential supplies as a result of any shortage in such supplies due to COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Border Force, the National Crime Agency, the Intellectual Property Office, Trading Standards, and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency work together to ensure effective controls are in place to prevent counterfeit goods from entering the supply chain, and to ensure the legitimate market for medicines and other essential products is protected.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide financial support to self-employed people who have to self-quarantine as a result of COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is closely monitoring developments of COVID-19 in relation to potential economic impacts on UK businesses, individuals, and the wider economy.
As part of an unprecedented package of measures to protect millions of people’s jobs and incomes, the Chancellor has announced that Government will strengthen the safety net for self-employed people.
We will suspend the minimum income floor for everyone affected by the economic impacts of Coronavirus, which means every self-employed person can now access Universal Credit at a rate equivalent to Statutory Sick Pay for employees.
Those measures amount to nearly £7 billion of extra support through the welfare system to strengthen the safety net and protect people’s incomes.
In order to support the self-employed through the tax system, the next self-assessment payments will be deferred until the end of the year.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban fracking in the UK.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - 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 environmental impact of Cuadrilla’s latest drilling programme in north west England.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - 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 issues Cuadrilla Resources has faced whilst fracking near Blackpool; and whether they consider the UK fracking industry to be commercially viable.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government is reassured that our regulatory regime for shale gas is working as intended. The industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much of the UK’s shale resources can be extracted technically or economically and what the contribution to the UK economy could be.
We will continue to support responsible companies, working within our robust regulatory regime, who are prepared to invest in this industry as they proceed with the exploration process, to test the size and value of the potential reserves.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to alter the current rules and regulations regarding permitted seismicity levels during fracking operations in the UK.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Traffic Light System for monitoring induced seismicity was introduced after consideration of advice from three scientists, following operations at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in 2011. The level of magnitude 0.5 at which operators must pause operations, was set in consultation with industry as an appropriate precautionary measure. There are no plans to review the traffic light system.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of recent earthquakes in Lancashire being caused by fracking.
Answered by Lord Henley
The independent oil and gas regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), is responsible for ensuring operators mitigate the risk of induced seismicity. The OGA is continually monitoring operations around the Preston New Road site to ensure they remain in line with Cuadrilla’s Hydraulic Fracture Plan, which was independently approved by the OGA and Environment Agency before the commencement of hydraulic fracturing operations.
We are absolutely committed to exploring shale gas extraction in a safe and science-led way. The Traffic Light System, which dictates the required response to seismic activity, has worked at the Preston New Road site in exactly the way that it was designed to. The very minor seismic events recorded at the Preston New Road site cannot be felt at the surface.