Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
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 potential effect of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing Access on (a) global R&D investment decisions and (b) access to medical innovation.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government is working to better understand the impacts the operation of the current Voluntary Scheme on investments in the UK and access to medicines. We are therefore in direct conversations with companies to understand these impacts. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is in close discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department responsible for the Voluntary Scheme, about the business environment for life sciences and its impact on investment and patient access.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
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 take steps to provide additional financial support to small and medium-sized businesses with increases in the cost of energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills to ensure that all eligible businesses are protected from high energy costs over the winter period. The Energy Bill Discount Scheme, a new energy support scheme for businesses, will run from April until March 2024. businesses who have a contract with a licensed energy supplier, and are exposed to high prices, will see a discount applied to their gas and electricity bill. A substantially higher level of support will be provided to businesses in sectors identified as being the most energy and trade intensive.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
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 take steps to extend the Energy Bill Relief scheme to businesses in the food and drink supply chain, including manufacturers and hospitality venues, after March 2023.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Following the HM Treasury review of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, a new energy support scheme for businesses, including within the hospitality sector, will run from April 2023 until March 2024. Eligible non-domestic customers that have a contract with a licensed energy supplier and are exposed to high prices will see a discount applied to their gas and electricity bill. A substantially higher level of support will be provided to businesses in sectors identified as being the most energy and trade intensive. The Energy Bill Discount Scheme strikes a balance between supporting businesses and limiting taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets, with a cap set at £5.5 billion.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the timing of the announcement of the extension of the energy bills support scheme for businesses on businesses' financial preparation.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In September 2022, as part of the announcement on the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS), the Government committed to carry out a review of the scheme and publish details of what support would be given from 1 April 2023. The aim was to give businesses certainty as soon as possible on further support after the EBRS. Over the course of the review, Government engaged with businesses, trade associations and other organisations to understand which are most in need of further support after the EBRS ended.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
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 Animals in Science Regulation Unit's annual reports for 2019-2021, if he will increase the support available to researchers in replacing animals with (a) computer modelling, (b) organ-on-a-chip technology and (c) other New Approach Methodologies.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government actively supports and funds the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs). This is achieved primarily through funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs). Since the NC3Rs was launched in 2004, it has committed £100 million in research to develop 3Rs technologies.
UKRI also funds a portfolio of research projects involving non-animal technologies. This includes a £4 million joint funding call focussed on supporting next generation non-animal technologies, such as organ-on-a-chip and computer modelling, to work towards providing more reliable and applicable alternatives to reduce the use of animals in research.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department's policy that energy companies should be able to install pre-payment meters in homes without (a) notice and (b) homeowner permission; and whether he has made a recent estimate of how many times this has happened to people who are in hospital in the last 12 months.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The energy regulator Ofgem has rules in place that restrict the force-fitting of a prepayment meter on those in arrears, except as a last resort.
Ofgem rules further require energy suppliers to assess whether installing a prepayment meter, including the remote switching of a smart meter, is safe and reasonably practicable for the customer. This assessment should include identifying any vulnerability.
Ofgem has published a letter to suppliers on the issue here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/letter-suppliers-november-2022.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of developing regulations to safeguard against the mis-use of DNA synthetic screening in energy and manufacturing industries.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
In the Integrated Review the Government committed to review and reinforce the cross-government approach to biosecurity. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is feeding into this review, led by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what equality impact assessment the Government has carried out for the closure of the Insolvency Service office in Cambridge; and whether a copy of its findings can be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Paul Scully
An overarching Equality Impact Assessment has been completed for all offices, including Cambridge, affected by the plan to restructure the Insolvency Service’s estate to eleven regional offices. A copy of this document will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
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 planned closure of the Insolvency Service office in Cambridge, where interviews previously conducted by that office will be relocated to once that site closes.
Answered by Paul Scully
Following the closure of the Cambridge Office in December 2023, interviews will be held in either a local interview facility or at one of the Insolvency Service 11 Regional Centres.
Alternatively, interviews will be conducted remotely using telephone and online channels, this is already established practice where it works for the individual and the Service.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the local Chambers of Commerce or Federation of Small Businesses were consulted on the decision to close the Insolvency Service office in Cambridge.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Insolvency Service engaged with a number of personal and business debt advice organisations over proposals to restructure its estate for improved efficiencies. It issued a news story on GOV.UK and a social media post to advise all stakeholders of the proposals.