Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the legally binding undertakings given to the Government by Advent International when its purchase of Cobham was agreed in 2020 remain valid in respect of Cobham Mission Systems following the further sale of that business by Advent International to Eaton; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has been following closely the sale of Cobham Mission Systems to Eaton Corporation plc. The undertakings given to the Government by Advent International when it purchased Cobham in 2020 do not prevent the sale of the whole or parts of Cobham by Advent International. As a result of the sale of Cobham Mission Systems, Advent International is no longer bound by the undertakings in respect of Cobham Mission Systems. Any safeguards to address concerns arising from the sale of Cobham Mission Systems will be considered separately with the new owners.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
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 procure a vaccine against covid-19 which has not involved the use of human embryo cells in its development; if he will encourage the use of (a) adult stem cells and (b) synthetic methods in vaccine development; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed that the Oxford University/AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, which have all received regulatory approval, do not contain any components of animal origin, and no foetal material is present in the final vaccine.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money is remaining in the Green Home Grant Fund; and how many voucher requests to that fund are outstanding.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme launched on 30 September with initial funding of £1.5 billion. As of 22 January, 17,235 vouchers have been issued, corresponding to a total voucher value of £71.3 million. Funding will only be paid out once scheduled works are completed and vouchers redeemed.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money was in the Green Home Grant Fund at its launch; how many vouchers have been issued; and what the average value is of each voucher issued.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme launched on 30 September with initial funding of £1.5 billion. As of 22 January, 17,235 vouchers have been issued, with an average value of £4,138.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
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 2 March 2020 to Question 20380 on Consumers: Protection, what the outcome was of the meeting of the CPP Intelligence Gathering Group on 23 April 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
At the 23rd April 2020 meeting of the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP), members’ comments on consumer related issues that had been identified in the park home sector and detail of any action undertaken were collated and forwarded to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) who were reviewing what could be done to mitigate some of the detriment faced by park home owners. The Government’s response to MHCLG’s consultation on the fit and proper test for site owners and managers was published in July 2020. The response, Mobile Homes: a fit and proper person test for park home sites, can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/mobile-homes-a-fit-and-proper-person-test-for-park-home-sites#history.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
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 October 2020 to Question 106216 on Green Homes Grant Scheme: Park Homes, what steps he is taking to enable park home owners to comply with the requirement to obtain three qualified TrustMark registered installers under the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme when only two businesses are certified installers; and if he will extend the expiry date of the scheme for park home installations beyond 31 March 2021 in recognition of the delay before park home owners became eligible to apply.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
As of 10 November, five TrustMark registered businesses were certified to install measures in park homes. We are aware of the relatively low numbers registered and are working closely with the industry to help more businesses obtain the relevant certifications.
As set out in out the Green Homes Grant scheme guidance, although customers are advised to obtain three quotes, only one is required for application to the scheme.
The Green Homes Grant scheme will be time-limited, to help stimulate the economic recovery and support and create tens of thousands of green jobs. Any potential funding allocations for future years will be considered as part of the spending review.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many installers have accreditation to carry out insulation on park homes for the purposes of the Green Homes Grant 2020; if he will ensure that park home owners are informed of the identity of certified installers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
As of 15:00 on 20 October, there were 2 businesses which are TrustMark registered and certified to install insulation measures in park homes under the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme.
We are working with trade and certification bodies to support the accreditation of installers as quickly as possible. BEIS has launched a £6.9 million skills competition to provide training opportunities for the energy efficiency and low carbon heating supply chains to deliver works and scale up to meet additional consumer demand.
Park homeowners are able to search for suitably certified installers to insulate their properties on the Simple Energy Advice website.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to tackle defects in smart meters; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
Energy suppliers are required by their licence conditions to take all reasonable steps to install and maintain a fully functioning smart metering system for their customers.
When smart meters are installed, if a fault is identified then the customer should be made aware of the problem, what the resolution is likely to be, who will be resolving the fault, and the approximate timescales of the resolution.
Ofgem, as the energy market regulator, is responsible for overseeing energy supplier conduct and can take enforcement action if energy suppliers do not meet their rollout obligations.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason the contract for the Meteorological Office Civil Contingency Aircraft is not being renewed; and what alternative arrangements his Department is making to (a) assess the risk and (b) mitigate the potential effect of future volcanic eruptions on the economy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Due to the significant reduction in flying associated with Covid-19, the Met Office will not receive the expected funding for its aviation services through the airline charging mechanism and, in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), is reviewing and prioritising the aviation services it provides. Several options were considered in consultation with CAA and it was decided to not renew the current contract for the Met Office Civil Contingency Aircraft.
Since the UK was last affected by volcanic ash in 2010, a number of significant improvements have been made in ash monitoring and modelling, which will help to improve forecasting in any future eruption scenario. This includes investment by the Government in a UK-wide LIDAR network, providing the capability to detect ash from the ground, and in improved satellite data on ash-cloud and particulate matter. In addition, the Met Office is exploring options for an interim standby aircraft with other European institutions and work has begun on options for a longer-term replacement airborne volcanic ash monitoring capability.
The Met Office works very closely with the Icelandic Meteorological Office to monitor and assess the risk from volcanic activity. All volcanoes in Iceland are currently at colour state green, which means that activity is at normal levels.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
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 24 February to Question 14947, when the consultation with the Consumer Protection Partnership will begin; and if he will publish the (a) outcome of and (b) Government response to that consultation.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP) meets regularly to review evidence and prioritise enforcement action. The Department has raised park homes with the CPP intelligence gathering group, and the CPP will discuss the issue at a meeting on 23 April. The CPP and the agencies that are members of the group will then decide on next steps.