Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment the Grocery Code Adjudicator has made of egg production, and in particular whether rising costs of egg farms are being met by retailers; and what plans they have to intervene in the event of an assessment that these costs are not being met.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) enforces the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code) which does not regulate the price agreed between retailers and suppliers. The GCA has no role in determining what a retailer should pay for a product.
The GCA has, however, published seven golden rules to ensure that the 14 largest grocery retailers who are designated under the Code handle price negotiations lawfully and fairly.
The GCA is monitoring adherence to the golden rules and any direct supplier to one of the designated retailers that is having issues with a negotiation should contact the GCA whose details are available on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they require all home insulation and energy efficiency products recommended for retrofitting domestic properties to have (1) the appropriate product accreditation, (2) building regulations approval, and (3) evidence of gas safety compliance.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The installation of insulation or energy efficiency products must comply with all relevant technical requirements in Building Regulations.
Ecodesign policy sets minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) which energy using products must meet when placed on the market. These must be sold with an energy label to help consumers identify the most efficient products. Compliance with MEPS and energy labelling are underpinned by robust test standards and the UKCA conformity marking.
All energy efficient products that burn gaseous fuels must be safe, demonstrating compliance with Regulation 2016/426 on appliances which burn gaseous fuels before being placed on the GB market.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what long-term impact assessments are required for home insulation and energy efficiency products in order for them to qualify for the PAS2035 standard.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Products used within the PAS 2035 process for measures referenced in the Annexes of PAS 2030:2019 standard must be compliant with the relevant British Standards which are referred to within the PAS 2035 document. These products are tested and certified by specialist industry bodies such as The British Board of Agrément (BBA), which include robust processes including research, auditing and inspection of the respective products. Products that have been tested and certified as safe and fit-for-purpose by product certification bodies are subjected to continuous inspection to ensure they remain so.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current policy on fracking; and whether the UK moratorium on fracking is still in place.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government supports the core ambitions set out in the 2019 manifesto and will therefore revert to a precautionary approach and only support shale gas exploration if it can be done in a way that is sustainable and protects local communities. The Government has confirmed that it will adopt a presumption against issuing further hydraulic fracturing consents. We will be led by the evidence on whether this form of exploration can be done in a way which acceptably manages the risk to local communities.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 24 October (HL2423), what proportion of respondents to their informal consultations on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill favoured a sunset clause for all existing EU legislation of December 2023.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for stakeholders to be consulted on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill before the Bill is passed.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Since the commencement of Bill development, the Government has conducted an extensive programme of informal consultations with senior constitutional and retained EU law legal experts, think tanks, business representative organisations and the judiciary.
The Government will continue to work with a range of stakeholders across the whole of the UK to ensure the best possible outcome when reforming retained EU law.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth on 2 February (145087), whether the Green Home Grant allocations to local authorities set out in Lord Callanan’s letter to Peers on 29 January will still be applied if the £2 billion made available for Green Home Grants is not rolled over into 2021/22.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The £500m government funding for the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery (GHG-LAD) scheme is independent of the funding allocated to the Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme. The GHG-LAD scheme is being delivered in three phases:
- Phase 1A; over £74million was allocated to 55 Local Authorities in October 2020 to fund energy efficiency projects in over 100 Local Authorities by June 2021.
- Phase 1B: around £126million of grant offers were made to 81 Local Authorities in January 2021, for delivery of energy efficiency projects by September 2021. Further details of these allocations will be announced in the coming weeks once Memorandums of Understanding with individual Local Authorities have been signed.
- Phase 2: will see funding of £300m allocated to the five Local Energy Hubs this financial year who will work with Local Authorities in their region to deliver energy efficiency projects by December 2021.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) UK Leadership Team includes at least 50 per cent women.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is committed to championing diversity and inclusion throughout our COP26 Presidency and all civil servants in the Cabinet Office COP26 Unit have been appointed in line with Civil Service guidance and rules.
Forty five percent of the Senior Management Team in the COP26 unit are women. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister recently appointed the Hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Anne-Marie Treveylan MP) as the COP26 Adaptation and Resilience Champion.
In line with the Gender Action Plan agreed at COP25, the UK also recognises that the full, meaningful and equal participation and leadership of women in national and local level climate policy and action is vital for achieving long-term climate goals.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the outcome of the second Statutory Review of the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A report on the findings of the second Statutory Review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator will be published and laid before Parliament as soon as practicable.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - 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 ban sky lanterns.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has no plans to place a ban on sky lanterns.
Local Authorities have powers to apply local controls to restrict or ban the use of sky lanterns on council or public land. Some councils in England, Scotland and Wales have applied a voluntary ban from council owned land.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has published a Code of Practice for sky lanterns, which aims to provide guidance for manufacturers, importers, and retailers.