Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department will take to ensure that the proposed EDF development of the Sizewell C nuclear power station conforms to the highest environmental standards and ensure that the Suffolk Coast is protected as (a) an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and (b) a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Development Consent application for the proposed new nuclear power station, known as Sizewell C, was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate on 27 May 2020.
The Planning Act 2008 ensures a robust Environmental Impact Assessment is undertaken by the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to consider relevant matters. Relevant matters include the environmental and conservation grounds, such as the potential effects on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The Secretary of State will also undertake a Habitats Regulations Assessment of potential impacts on internationally designated Natura 2000 sites. If the application is accepted, the Examining Authority will thoroughly assess these matters before providing its recommendation to the Secretary of State. The development will also require environmental permits to be granted by the Environmental Agency.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to make it compulsory to use gloves and face masks in the preparation of food in cafes and takeaways during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
Our published Safer Working guidance is clear: if you are already using PPE in your work activity to protect against non-COVID-19 risks, you should continue to do so.
Workplaces should not encourage the precautionary use of extra PPE to protect against COVID-19 outside clinical settings or when responding to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
Unless you are in a situation where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is very high, your risk assessment should reflect the fact that the role of PPE in providing additional protection is extremely limited. However, if your risk assessment does show that PPE is required, then you must provide this PPE free of charge to workers who need it. Any PPE provided must fit properly.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to reduce the spread of covid-19 in meat packing businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
On 11 May, we published guidance for businesses to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible. This guidance covered a range of work environments including in factories, plants and warehouse which covers meat packing businesses and can be found at www.gov.uk/workingsafely.
The published guidance sets out how businesses should carry out risk assessments and gives suggestions for practical steps they can consider to mitigate the risks identified related to COVID-19, including how to reduce the spread of the disease.
If staff are concerned that an employer is not taking all practical steps to promote social distancing then they can report this to their local authority or the Health and Safety Executive who can take a range of action to improve control of workplace risks.
These actions include the provision of specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement notices to help secure improvements with the guidance.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to reduce the spread of covid-19 in food processing businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
On 11 May, we published guidance for businesses to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible. This guidance covered a range or work environments including in factories, plants and warehouse covering food processing businesses and can be found at www.gov.uk/workingsafely.
The published guidance sets out how businesses should carry out risk assessments and suggestions for practical steps they can consider to mitigate the risks identified related to COVID-19, including how to reduce the spread of the disease.
If a business is not operating in line with the Government guidance, there is a role for the relevant health and safety enforcing authority - the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or Local Authority. Where the enforcing authority identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks, for example, employers not taking appropriate action to socially distance, the enforcing authority will consider taking a range of actions to improve control of workplace risks. These actions include the provision of specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement notices to help secure improvements with the guidance.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 has been claimed under the Coronavirus Small Business Grants Fund (a) by second home owners and (b) for holiday lets in Suffolk.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Government has made £12.3 billion available to businesses under the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund. Local authorities are contacting businesses directly to deliver these grants.
As of 26 April, over 610,000 business premises have received grants across the two schemes, totalling over £7.59 billion. We do not receive management information from local authorities broken down by sector. However, we have published a full breakdown of grant funding allocated to and distributed by each local authority at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-localauthority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses. This breakdown is being updated regularly.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the hospitality industry.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government recognises the huge impact that the COVID-19 outbreak is having on the hospitality sector and is engaging regularly with representatives from across the industry to assess the effects on hospitality businesses.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to provide support to the hospitality industry during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has introduced a number of measures which are available to businesses in the hospitality sector to provide support during the current COVID-19 outbreak. These include the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants and Business Rates Holiday schemes, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, as well as the Job Retention and Self-Employed Income Support schemes. The full details on all of the measures available to these businesses have been published at: https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/. The Government is also continuing to keep these measures under review.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 EDF contribute to road and rail infrastructure in east Suffolk in advance of the construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station; and will he make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 11 April 2019 to Question 242092. For clarification, while that answer reflects a general principle of how mitigations for planning impacts are considered, that principle applies to specific types of infrastructure (such as road and rail) as well as to specific examples of that infrastructure (such as the A12 road).
I note that EDF consulted about the Sizewell proposals from 4 January 2019 – 29 March 2019 and that members of the public and other interested parties were invited to provide their views on those proposals.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 EDF contributes infrastructure money to fund A12 road improvements given the proposed change from a marine to a land-based construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 11 April 2019 to Question 242092. For clarification, while that answer reflects a general principle of how mitigations for planning impacts are considered, that principle applies to specific types of infrastructure (such as road and rail) as well as to specific examples of that infrastructure (such as the A12 road).
I note that EDF consulted about the Sizewell proposals from 4 January 2019 – 29 March 2019 and that members of the public and other interested parties were invited to provide their views on those proposals.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to increase the production of wind energy in the North Sea.
Answered by Claire Perry
The UK has the largest installed offshore wind capacity in the world, with over 7.9 GW operational. This will rise to around 14GW by 2023.
The Offshore Wind Sector Deal, published on 7th March 2019 in collaboration with the sector, brings a strategic approach to the delivery of offshore wind that could see up to 30GW of offshore wind by 2030, with a significant amount of this potentially deploying in the North Sea.
The UK also plays an important part in the North Seas Energy Cooperation together with the nine countries in the region. The aim of this initiative is to maximise the development of the renewable energy resources in the North Seas as cost-efficiently and sustainably as possible, for example by collaborating on the construction of offshore generation and grid infrastructure.