Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to bring forward the Thomas Cook Compensation Bill, as announced in the Queen's Speech on 19 December 2019.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government understands that an alternative route for Thomas Cook personal injury claimants is being pursued that would potentially be financially beneficial to them.
The Government is committed to introducing the legislation to establish the payment scheme for customers of Thomas Cook with serious and long-term injuries for which the company would have been liable but for its insolvency, if it is established that there are no alternative routes to compensation.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 support people with paying their energy bills and insulating their homes during winter 2021.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Energy Price Cap will protect millions of customers this winter. The Government also provides a range of support to low-income, fuel poor and vulnerable households including:
The Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy sets out the actions we will be taking to reduce emissions from buildings in the near term, including £3.9 billion of new funding.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 that all energy suppliers must offer a no standing charge tariff to residential customers.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The setting of tariffs is a commercial decision for energy suppliers. Since 2016, suppliers have been able to offer a greater range of tariffs to accommodate different customer needs, including tariffs with a low or even zero standing charge.
The payment of a standing charge reflects the fixed costs of providing and maintaining supply, regardless of energy usage, including meter rental, meter readings, accounting and billing and maintenance of the energy network. Tariffs with a low or zero standing charge attract a much higher unit rate to ensure these fixed supply costs are met.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 compatibility of the proposed fossil fuel development by Siccar in the Cambo area, in partnership with Shell, with the UK's climate change commitments.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Projections of future supply of oil and gas from the UK, as used by BEIS and the Climate Change Committee, factor in assumed production from fields that have been licensed to date (including Cambo).
All development proposals for oil and gas fields with existing licences are subject to a robust regulatory process before a decision on approval is made by the Oil and Gas Authority.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 policies put in place by UK businesses in respect of covid-19 secure working conditions for their staff operating overseas, including outsourced operations.
Answered by Paul Scully
UK businesses operating overseas are required to follow the legal obligations and guidance set out by the government in the jurisdictions that the business is operating. We expect that UK businesses have and will continue to take steps to protect their employees and others from the risks of COVID-19, both at home and overseas.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number of small businesses fined by Companies House and HMRC during the covid-19 outbreak for late (a) filing and (b) payment; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
Companies House registers companies, not businesses. The information currently filed with Companies House does not allow it to determine company size. Therefore, it cannot determine the number of small companies that have been subject to a late filing penalty. However, the total number of Civil Penalties raised during the period 1st April 2020 to 31st May 2021 are 241,918.
In order to assist companies affected by the pandemic, measures were put in place by the Department, including allowing companies extra time to file accounts. Also, any appeal to the Registrar against paying a penalty on the grounds a company has been impacted by the pandemic immediately before the filing deadline are being treated sympathetically.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the planned timescale is for the Competition and Markets Authority to report on its investigation of the acquisition by Uber of GPC Software Ltd.
Answered by Paul Scully
Competition investigations into mergers are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is an independent non-Ministerial department. On 29 January 2021, the CMA began a merger inquiry in relation to this transaction, which is being carried out independently. The CMA is working to a deadline of 29 March 2021 to complete its initial review. Following its initial review, the CMA can either clear the merger or launch an in-depth assessment of the competition issues. The CMA will publish on its website updates on its review of this merger.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received on the effect of shortages of foam and particleboard on the UK furniture industry; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The issue on the effect of shortages of foam and particleboard on the UK furniture industry has been raised with the Department through correspondence, as well as engagement with the UK furniture sector.
Various factors have contributed to a severe lack of raw materials for manufacturers, including successive storms in the Gulf of Mexico, annual turnarounds at chemical plants in Europe, and technical issues at another plant. This has subsequently impacted the cost of these materials.
The reported issues with the supply of some chemicals used in foam production is a commercial issue and likely a result of an increased global demand on these materials. We will continue to monitor the situation and engage with the furniture sector to gain a better understanding of the situation and its impact.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he was consulted on the recent decision by UK Research and Innovation not to extend the studentships of doctoral students affected by the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government recognises that the disruption of recent months has impacted the ability of doctoral students to undertake their research projects. This has led to students having to adjust their projects, making decisions around changing their approach, collecting different data, or changing the way they had planned to work with people, labs, archives or facilities.
As it is not possible for all students to adjust their projects and training plan in such a way, I announced in April that UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded PhD students in the final year and whose studies have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic would be provided with additional support. Subsequently on the 11th November, UKRI provided a further £19.1 million of funding to support students in earlier years, including disabled students, those with long-term illness, those who are neurodivergent, or those with caring responsibilities.
Combined, these two interventions have meant that UKRI has made over £60 million of financial support available to students most impacted by the pandemic. It is estimated that this funding is available for up to 12,000 students.
UKRI as the national funding agency for research and innovation, has independence to deliver funding under the direction of BEIS ministers. BEIS and UKRI are continuing to assess the impact of Covid 19 across all the research and innovation they fund.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether a person who has been informed by letter that they are clinically extremely vulnerable and should not go to work can be put on the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) continues to support businesses and individuals throughout the UK. Where employees are deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable, they can be furloughed through the CJRS. As with the previous scheme, it is up to employers to decide whether to furlough these employees.