Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 is taking to reduce fuel poverty (a) in Coventry and (b) the UK.
Answered by Claire Perry
Improving energy efficiency is the best long term solution to tackle fuel poverty. That’s exactly what we are doing through the new Energy Company Obligation scheme which is now entirely focused on low income and vulnerable households.
Since ECO launched it has delivered energy efficiency measured to nearly 2 million homes. In Coventry ECO has improved 14,565 homes, representing 10.4% of homes in the city, well above the average delivery rate of 7.2%.
Additionally, from 1 April 2019 strengthened energy efficiency regulations came into force for the domestic private rented sector in England and Wales. These regulations require landlords of privately rented homes with an energy efficiency rating of EPC F or G to improve them to a minimum of EPC E before letting the property on a new tenancy, or by 1 April 2020, whichever comes soonest. Approximately 42% of households in privately rented F and G rated accommodation are in fuel poverty. Improving these homes from F or G to E will save households an average of £180 per year on their energy bills.
In addition to energy efficiency there is a strong package of financial support. The Warm Home Discount provides a rebate of £140 off the winter energy bill for over 2 million low income and vulnerable households. All pensioner households receive a payment between £100 and £300 each winter through the Winter Fuel Payments. Additional payments of £25 are available for cold periods through the Cold Weather Payment. Also, the energy price cap protects 11 million households from poor value tariffs, saving them a total of £1billion, in addition to the 5 million households already protected.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 his Department has made of the number of businesses that have paid workers below the national minimum wage.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government is committed to cracking down on employers who fail to pay the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage when it is due. In the past three years, we have doubled HMRC’s budget to enforce the minimum wage from £13.2 million in 2015/16 to a record £26.3 million in 2018/19.
As a result, the Government achieved record enforcement results in 2017/18. We closed 1,046 cases for breaches of the minimum wage legislation, identifying £15.6 million of minimum wage arrears owed to over 200,000 workers.
The Government’s latest evidence on compliance and enforcement regarding the minimum wage can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 proportion of UK electricity demand which will be supplied by non-nuclear renewable sources in (a) 2020, (b) 2030 and (c) 2040.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department’s Energy and Emissions Projections[1] include estimates of total electricity generation by source to 2035. The latest published projections show (non-nuclear) renewable sources accounting for around 40% of total generation in 2020 and over 50% of total generation in 2030. The projections do not extend to 2040, but it is anticipated that the equivalent proportion for 2040 would be over 50%.
[1] Available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-and-emissions-projections
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of UK factories that used robots in the manufacturing process in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The information requested is not available centrally from official sources. However, according to the International Federation of Robotics, the UK ranks 22nd in the world with a robot density of 71 units per 10,000 employees, slightly under the global average of 74 units.
The industry-led initiative, Made Smarter Review, has highlighted how UK manufacturing can be transformed through the adoption of industrial digital technology – including that of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence – boosting UK manufacturing by £455bn, reducing CO2 emissions by 4.5%, and creating a net gain of 175,000 jobs. Government has pledged to make the UK a global leader in industrial digitalisation, and has committed up to £141m to the Made Smarter programme.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 is taking to support previous customers of Wonga who have outstanding complaints against that company since it entered administration.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Any outstanding complaints are being dealt with directly by the joint administrators of Wonga Group Limited. The joint administrators, along with the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Ombudsman have issued advice to former customers of Wonga on how to submit any complaints or claims and the process under which they will be dealt with.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the effect on climate change policy of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Claire Perry
Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. This has not changed. The Government has accelerated no deal preparations to ensure the country is prepared for every eventuality. The recently updated technical notices set out the UK’s firm commitment to addressing climate change, including in a no deal scenario, and provides advice on meeting climate change requirements if there is no withdrawal agreement.
EU exit will not affect UK emissions reduction commitments, as our ambitious emissions reduction commitments are enshrined in UK law in the Climate Change Act. Continuing discussion on global challenges such as climate change is in the UK’s and EU’s mutual interest. I have been engaging on behalf of my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State, including supporting international climate negotiations at COP24 where I had many constructive talks with EU counterparts. The importance of cooperation in the fight against climate change was recognised in the joint statement on behalf of President Junker and the Prime Minister on 7 February 2019, and we intend to continue building on this momentum in the coming months.
My upcoming speech at a European young leaders’ event is a further example of how we are taking advantage of all opportunities to engage on this subject. We are prepared to intensify our engagement and cooperation with EU institutions and member states, and the Secretary of State stands by ready to engage counterparts.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of state aid allocated to (a) Nissan and (b) other car manufacturers since 2010.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government supports the automotive sector via a number of routes, including the Regional Growth Fund to support individual investment projects as well as the Advanced Propulsion Centre which is aimed at research and development to bring forward the next generation of low carbon technologies, keeping the UK at the cutting edge of low carbon automotive innovation. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, provides R&D support across a range of technology themes including low carbon, materials and manufacturing; and connected and autonomous vehicles.
Scheme | Nissan | Other car manufacturers |
Regional Growth Fund | £95,656,500 | £143,512,396 |
Advanced Propulsion Centre | £10,865,412 | £111,622,294 |
Innovate UK | £9,042,950 | £55,284,141 |
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the automotive sector on the effect on that sector of no new import tariffs being imposed in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
BEIS Ministers and officials regularly meet with the automotive industry, including through bilaterals with manufacturers, via interactions with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and through BEIS’s participation in the Automotive Council.
Leaving the EU with a deal that supports the future of British industry remains the government’s top priority. As set out in the Political Declaration, the UK and the EU have agreed on a free trade area for goods, including automotive. This will combine deep regulatory and customs cooperation with no tariffs and no quotas, underpinned by provisions ensuring open and fair competition. We will continue to make the case for the benefits of free trade.
We are determined to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for the automotive sector.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to prepare the energy sector for the effects of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Claire Perry
Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. This has not changed. The Government has accelerated no deal preparations to ensure the country is prepared for every eventuality.
The Government has recommended that all businesses ensure they are prepared, enacting their own ‘no deal’ plans as they judge necessary. The Government has published eight Technical Notices related to energy policy, as well as further guidance of relevance to the energy sector. Businesses are advised to visit gov.uk/euexit for latest guidance.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 his Department has made of the number of UK-based businesses based in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK that are considering relocating out of the UK in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government is working to ensure an orderly exit from the EU and a good deal for the UK. We continue to engage extensively with business across the country, including the West Midlands, to understand their concerns.
The Government is providing businesses with the latest advice and information to ensure that they are prepared for all aspects of leaving the EU. The guidance published at https://euexitbusiness.campaign.gov.uk/ helps businesses locate the most relevant information based on their sector and activities.