Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions officials in her Department have had with representatives of (a) building societies, (b) banks and (c) other providers of credit on the provision of finance for landlords seeking to improve the energy performance of their properties up to minimum energy efficiency standard rating E or above.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
Landlords of properties rated EPC F or G are required to organise their own finance to meet the costs bringing their property up to EPC E, subject to cost-effectiveness tests, or filing an exemption if one applies. Therefore, no specific discussions have been held with building societies or banks in relation to these landlord requirements.
However, the Green Finance Strategy, published in July this year, recognised the role of the financial sector in delivering our climate, environmental and energy efficiency objectives. The Strategy announced a package of measures to mobilise green finance for home energy efficiency, and officials have been in discussion with a range of finance institutions about these actions.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) support her Department provides and (b) regulations apply to landlords to enable them to lift their properties up to a C energy rating.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 require that, since April 2018, domestic and non-domestic private landlords ensure their properties have an energy efficiency rating of at least an E at the point of issuing a new tenancy or renewing or extending an existing one.
Landlords are expected to self-fund improvements to bring their property up to standard, subject to cost-effectiveness tests, or file an exemption if one applies. The regulations set separate cost-effectiveness test for landlords of domestic and non-domestic property. Landlords of properties below EPC Band E are free to explore third-party funding options, such as local authority grant funding, Green Deal finance and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme for low-income, vulnerable and fuel poor households.
The Clean Growth Strategy sets out the Government’s intention to look at a long-term trajectory for energy performance standards across the private rented sector. We aim to get as many private rented homes as possible upgraded to EPC Band C by 2030, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. We are currently considering policy options to achieve this and are planning to consult over the winter. On 15 October 2019, the Government published a consultation on a future target of EPC B by 2030 for minimum energy efficiency standards in non-domestic rented buildings.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April to Question 242927, how the Government is ensuring the exclusion of regulatory provisions from the Business Impact Target as relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups; which regulatory objects and subjects have been excluded in this way; and which units are responsible for ensuring this exclusion.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
As set out in the Written Statement of 20 June 2018, departments and regulators are legally responsible for certifying if their regulatory provisions are covered by the Business Impact Target exemption relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups. Any measures which have been certified by the individual departments or regulators under the Grenfell exclusion are listed in the Better Regulation annual report. The 2018/19 annual report will be published this summer.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2019 to Question 242927, how the Government is ensuring the exclusion of regulatory provisions from the Business Impact Target in relation to the safety of (a) tenants (b) residents and (c) occupants in buildings as a result of the Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups; which regulatory objects and subjects have been excluded in this way; and which units within the Government and regulators are responsible for ensuring this exclusion.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
As set out in the Written Statement of 20 June 2018, departments and regulators are legally responsible for certifying if their regulatory provisions are covered by the Business Impact Target exemption relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups. Any measures which have been certified by the individual departments or regulators under the Grenfell exclusion are listed in the Better Regulation annual report. The 2018/19 annual report will be published in due course.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the response of 28 March 2019 to written Question 238394, Business: Fire Prevention, what criteria his Department uses to decide on the exemption of Grenfell-related regulations.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
As set out in the Written Statement of 20 June 2018, regulatory provisions, including relevant building regulations, are excluded from the Business Impact Target if certified by departments or regulators as relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies are registered with Companies House as listing on the Channel Islands Stock Exchange.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Companies House cannot provide this data: legislation does not require companies to give it this information.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to Written Statement of 20 June 2018, on Business Impact Target, HCWS776, whether exclusion from the business impact target as set out in that statement applies to the (a) conduct of fire risk assessment and fire safety training across different housing types and business types, and (b) provision of appropriate fire-fighting equipment, fire safety signs, emergency lighting and fire alarm systems across different housing types and business types.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
As set out in the Written Statement of 20 June 2018, regulatory provisions, including relevant building regulations, are excluded are excluded from the Business Impact Target if certified by departments or regulators as relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Written Statement of 20 June 2018 on Business Impact Target, HCWS776, whether exclusion from the business impact target as set out in that Statement applies to all elements of the Building Regulations; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
As set out in the Written Statement of 20 June 2018, regulatory provisions, including relevant building regulations, are excluded are excluded from the Business Impact Target if certified by departments or regulators as relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the guidance entitled Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers were allocated contracts by his Department as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the guidance entitled Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts as a result of not meeting the criteria in that document in each year since 2014.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
BEIS has not excluded any suppliers from bidding for contracts as a result of not meeting the criteria in Procurement Policy Note 03/14.