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Written Question
Music: Copyright
Tuesday 17th March 2020

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff 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 his Department has made of the annual cost to the UK music industry of unpaid copyright payments.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government has made no assessment of the annual cost to the UK music industry of unpaid copyright payments. Copyright licensing is a private, commercial matter between the parties concerned and the Government is not involved in these agreements.


Written Question
Arts: Copyright
Tuesday 17th March 2020

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

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 gross cost to UK artists of copyright payments avoided in the UK.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government has made no assessment of the gross cost to UK artists of copyright payments avoided in the UK. Copyright licensing is a private, commercial matter between the parties concerned and the Government is not involved in these agreements.


Written Question
Warm Home Discount Scheme
Wednesday 26th February 2020

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been accepted for the Warm Home Discount scheme and who have not yet had that discount applied to their energy bill.

Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng

Under the Warm Home Discount Core Group, to qualify a person, or their partner, should have been in receipt of the Pension Credit Guarantee Credit element on the qualification date 7th July 2019. There are 1.3 million such households though not all of them have accounts with obligated energy suppliers.

Energy suppliers are required to pay a minimum of 1.1 million rebates to the Warm Home Discount Broader Group out of around 1.5 million households eligible under the mandatory eligibility criteria. In addition to the criteria set by Government, energy suppliers can get additional criteria approved by Ofgem making the eligible pool larger.

Most suppliers pay rebates to the Core Group between October and the end of January and we estimate that around 1.1 million will receive the rebate this winter. We expect energy suppliers to pay most of the Broader Group rebates, on a first-come first-served basis, by the end of February. Suppliers have until the 31st March to provide rebates under the scheme.


Written Question
Warm Home Discount Scheme
Wednesday 26th February 2020

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) eligible for and (b) in receipt of the Warm Home Discount since September 2019.

Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng

Under the Warm Home Discount Core Group, to qualify a person, or their partner, should have been in receipt of the Pension Credit Guarantee Credit element on the qualification date 7th July 2019. There are 1.3 million such households though not all of them have accounts with obligated energy suppliers.

Energy suppliers are required to pay a minimum of 1.1 million rebates to the Warm Home Discount Broader Group out of around 1.5 million households eligible under the mandatory eligibility criteria. In addition to the criteria set by Government, energy suppliers can get additional criteria approved by Ofgem making the eligible pool larger.

Most suppliers pay rebates to the Core Group between October and the end of January and we estimate that around 1.1 million will receive the rebate this winter. We expect energy suppliers to pay most of the Broader Group rebates, on a first-come first-served basis, by the end of February. Suppliers have until the 31st March to provide rebates under the scheme.


Written Question
Copyright: EU Action
Tuesday 21st January 2020

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the EU Copyright Directive in UK law.

Answered by Chris Skidmore

The deadline for implementing the EU Copyright Directive is 7 June 2021. The United Kingdom will leave the European Union on 31 January 2020 and the Implementation Period will end on 31 December 2020. The Government has committed not to extend the Implementation Period. Therefore, the United Kingdom will not be required to implement the Directive, and the Government has no plans to do so. Any future changes to the UK copyright framework will be considered as part of the usual domestic policy process.


Written Question
Business
Tuesday 21st January 2020

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff 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 the Government is taking to negotiate access to EU markets for UK (a) professional and (b) legal services businesses during the implementation period for the UK's departure from the EU.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

This Government recognises the importance of the professional and business services sector, including legal services, and the valuable contribution it makes to the UK economy.

During the Implementation Period trading terms between the UK and EU will remain the same and businesses will continue to have access to EU markets.


Written Question
Energy: Northern Ireland
Monday 7th October 2019

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Single Energy Area for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will continue in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement on 31 October 2019.

Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng

It is the UK Government’s position that by far the best outcome for electricity in Northern Ireland is to maintain the Single Electricity Market (SEM). The UK is committed to seeking to maintain the SEM in any scenario and will therefore take all possible measures to do so.  Both the Ireland and Northern Ireland energy regulators have stated that they expect the SEM to continue if the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement. We will continue to work with the Irish Government to ensure that technical, operational and legal arrangements are in place for the SEM to continue in this scenario.


Written Question
Energy: Northern Ireland
Monday 9th September 2019

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to maintain the Single Energy Area for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a Withdrawal Agreement on 31 October 2019.

Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng

The Single Electricity Market (SEM) is an example of North-South cooperation that has benefited the consumers and economies of Northern Ireland and Ireland. Therefore it is the Government’s position that by far the best outcome for electricity in Northern Ireland is to maintain the Single Electricity Market, including in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a Withdrawal Agreement. The UK will continue to work with the Irish Government to seek to ensure the Single Electricity Market will continue following Exit.


Written Question
Parental Leave: Childbirth
Wednesday 4th September 2019

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will conduct an impact assessment of the potential effects of extending statutory maternity and paternity leave for parents with ill or premature babies.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The Government has recently announced a consultation on parental leave and pay entitlements. This included a proposal for Neonatal Leave and Pay, a new entitlement for parents of babies who require neonatal care following birth, as a result of being born prematurely or sick.

The consultation itself includes a high-level summary of the costs associated with the policy proposal. In addition, we will prepare an impact assessment and will publish this in due course.


Written Question
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: G4S
Monday 8th July 2019

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) value of contracts his Department has awarded to G4S since July 2013.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

BEIS records show that we have not awarded any contracts to G4S since it formed in July 2016.