Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
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 make it his policy to (a) start the (i) CBILS 12-month interest free period and (ii) capital repayment holiday when lockdown is lifted and (b) reduce the CBILS rate.
Answered by Paul Scully
Many businesses have already begun making capital repayments relating to their Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) facility. While the Government covers the interest payments and any lender-levied fees due on CBILS loans for the first twelve months of the loan, via a Business Interruption Payment, repayments of capital are required during this period unless a lender chooses to grant additional forbearance measures.
Lenders are able to extend the repayment period for CBILS facilities beyond 6 years (up to a maximum of 10 years) where this is needed in connection with the provision of forbearance. CBILS term extensions are offered at the discretion of lenders.
The Government does not set interest rates in connection with CBILS facilities, as CBILS operates as a delegated scheme. All final lending decisions including on pricing are at the discretion of the lender, and the rate varies in line with the lender’s own policies, as would be the case with any commercial facility.
However, as part of the accreditation process undertaken by the British Business Bank, lenders are required to demonstrate that the economic benefit of the guarantee is passed on to consumers through a proportionate reduction in their pricing for CBILS facilities.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure equity of support for (a) medium sized and (b) large hospitality businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has provided an unprecedented package of support for both medium size and large businesses in the hospitality sector. Measures include the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until March 2021, grant and loan schemes, the ability for businesses to defer VAT payments, and business rates holidays.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support is available for small coaching and recruitment businesses to bid for Government contracts to provide help for people seeking training and reskilling opportunities after the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government’s online Contracts Finder lets firms search for information about contracts worth over £10,000 with the government and its agencies. Contracts Finder can be used to search for contract opportunities in different sectors, find out what is coming up in the future and look up details of previous tenders and contracts. Interested firms are welcome to use the finder on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/contracts-finder. Firms can create an account to apply for contracts, get email updates and save searches. Alternatively, they can search and apply for contracts without an account.
The Government is also taking many steps to increase training and reskilling opportunities available across the UK. We provide grant funding to Be the Business – a business-led independent charity which aims to raise productivity at the firm level – through technology adoption and by promoting best practice management and leadership. Be the Business is delivering executive leadership and management training, expert mentoring, place-based collaborative peer networks and free online advice and benchmarking tools, including around digitalisation, to help smaller and medium businesses (SMEs) identify practical steps to transform their business.
My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Plan for Jobs also provides new funding to ensure more people will get tailored support to help them find work. This includes launching the £2 billion Kickstart Scheme fund and investing £2.9 billion in the Restart programme over 3 years to support and encourage the UK’s labour market. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are also doubling the number of jobcentre Work Coaches to provide intensive support for both young people and the newly unemployed.
Further measures include committing £8 million for digital skills boot camps, increasing apprenticeship opportunities, expanding sector-based work academies programme (SWAPs), launching the Job Finding Support Service, and increasing the funding for the Flexible Support Fund by £150 million in Great Britain.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to reschedule Green GB Week.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
It is vitally important to engage the public on the challenge of meeting our net zero target. 2021 will be a crucial year for climate action, as the UK will host the UN Climate Change Conference -COP26 - with our partner, Italy, to bring together world leaders to commit to urgent global climate action.
Together for Our Planet, our revitalised domestic climate campaign, will aim to engage the whole country in the conversation around climate change. In the run up to the summit, we’ll be working closely with businesses, civil society groups, schools and people across the UK as part of our conversation on tackling climate change.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to provide digital resources for young people to better understand and reduce their own carbon footprint.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
It will be vitally important to engage the public on the challenge of meeting our net zero target, including specifically with young people.
In October 2020, I spoke at the first UK Youth Against Carbon Conference to listen to young people concerned about climate change and highlight to them how the UK will continue to work towards a net zero target for all of society.
In July 2020, we also launched the ‘Involved’ Instagram page, to invite young people across the country to share their views on key issues such as climate change with the Government by asking questions through the app’s polling and stories. Responses will feed directly public consultations and wider policy making.
The Government has welcomed the final report from the Climate Assembly UK and will be looking closely at the report’s findings. The members were selected to be broadly representative of the UK population, which means that nearly 1 in 4 of its members were young people sharing their views on how we should reach net zero.
The Government has funded several digital tools that can help people reduce their carbon footprint, including the ‘Simple Energy Advice’ service on how to reduce energy use in the home, and the ‘Go Ultra Low’ website, providing information on Electric Cars & Vans.
Together for Our Planet, our revitalised domestic climate campaign, will aim to engage the whole country in the conversation around climate change. In the run up to the summit, we’ll be working closely with young people, schools, civil society groups, businesses and people across the UK as part of our conversation on tackling climate change.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether supermarkets have put in place covid-19 related restrictions on the purchase of baby products by parents who have triplets.
Answered by Paul Scully
Supermarkets have been clear that supply chains remain robust and there is good availability of products in store. The Government encourages all consumers to shop considerately.
The Government is aware that certain supermarkets have previously restricted sales of core items such as: flour, pasta, toilet roll, antibacterial wipes and baby wipes. However, decisions on restricting the number of items consumers can purchase are commercial matters and are best made by individual businesses who understand their operations and customer base.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that supermarket purchasing restrictions are (a) fair and (b) flexible during the covid-19 outbreak for parents with newborn babies.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government welcomes efforts by supermarkets to ensure vulnerable groups, including parents with newborn babies, can shop safely and access the goods they need. However, decisions on restricting the number of items consumers can purchase are best made by individual businesses, who understand their operations and customer base.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has created a COVID-19 taskforce to address excessive pricing practices and has set up this online form so that consumers and businesses can report any issues via: https://www.coronavirus-business-complaint.service.gov.uk/.
The CMA will consider any evidence that companies may have broken competition or consumer protection law and it will take direct enforcement action where appropriate.
Asked by: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the energy White Paper.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Energy White Paper is a priority for the Department and it will be published this Autumn.