Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers.
The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the total number of disability projects is that have been funded by European Social Funding in each year since 2007.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
The European Social Fund (ESF) Managing Authorities in the United Kingdom (the Department for Work and Pensions, the Devolved Administrations and HM Government of Gibraltar) do not hold disaggregated data on disability projects. However, the operational programmes designed by UK ESF Managing Authorities support disadvantaged groups, which includes disabled people.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 value of EU Structural and Investment funding not already committed to existing contracts held by Local Enterprise Partnerships.
Answered by Margot James
In England, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) do not sign contracts for European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds, but receive a notional funding allocation for their area. Contracts are signed between the Managing Authority (MA) and the project beneficiaries.
The total amounts of ESI Funds that remain uncommitted across all English LEP areas are:
-£1,262m for the European Social Fund
-£1,610m for the European Regional Development Fund
-£179m for the Growth Programme of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund is not allocated on the basis of LEP areas.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2017 to Question 110674, on EU Grants and Loans, what the values are of the contracts already signed which continue into the financial years of (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020.
Answered by Margot James
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 6 November to Question UIN 110674.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2017 to Question 112113, on EU grants and loans, for how many years will the projects signed to date be guaranteed for.
Answered by Margot James
In line with the Government’s guarantee, all Structural Funds projects signed to date will be funded for their lifetimes, even if they continue after the UK has left the EU. The particular length of projects will vary and is specified in individual contracts.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for existing EU structural and investment projects; and whether all such projects meet the criteria of providing strong value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department is in regular contact with HM Treasury regarding funding for EU Structural and Investment Funds projects. All EU Structural and Investment Funds projects signed to date deliver value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities and will be guaranteed by the Government after the UK leaves the EU.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and which of the EU Structural and Investment projects that have been signed since the Autumn Statement 2016 will be guaranteed by the Government on the grounds that they provide strong value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities.
Answered by Margot James
Government departments responsible for EU Structural and Investment Funds assess whether projects provide strong value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities as part of their processes for approving projects. Therefore, all EU Structural and Investment Funds projects signed to date, including those signed after Autumn Statement 2016, will be guaranteed by the Government after the UK leaves the EU.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2017 to Question 110674, what the deadline is for making a decision on whether EU Structural and Investment projects that have been signed since the Autumn Statement 2016 meet the criteria for providing strong value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities.
Answered by Margot James
Government departments responsible for EU Structural and Investment Funds assess whether projects provide strong value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities as part of their processes for approving projects. Therefore, all EU Structural and Investment Funds projects signed to date, including those signed after Autumn Statement 2016, will be guaranteed by the Government after the UK leaves the EU.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 commitment in the White Paper entitled, the United Kingdom's exit from. and new partnership with, the European Union to fully fund all European structural and investment funds projects signed, or with funding agreements that were in place before the Autumn Statement 2016, what estimate he has made of the value of contracts supported by European structural and investment funds for the financial year ending March (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020.
Answered by Margot James
Individual European Structural and Investment (ESI) Fund managing authorities (DCLG, DWP and Defra for programmes in England, the Devolved Administrations in the rest of the United Kingdom and HM Government of Gibraltar) have responsibility for signing contracts under ESI Fund programmes. These contracts are signed by managing authorities as part of operational programmes agreed with the European Commission.
EU Structural and Investment projects that were signed before Autumn Statement 2016 will be guaranteed by the Government after the UK leaves the EU. In addition, those signed in the period after Autumn Statement 2016, but before we leave the EU will also be guaranteed by the Government after the UK leaves, where they provide strong value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities.
To date, managing authorities in England have signed contracts in place for the following ESI Fund programmes:
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) – England: £1,220m as of September 2017.
European Social Fund (ESF) – England: £1,326m as of September 2017.
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) – England: £2,510m as of June 2017.
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) (UK wide): £100.8m as of September 2017.
Many of these contracts will continue into the 2018, 2019 and 2020 financial years.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with energy suppliers on ensuring that consumers who have smart meters installed are not faced with additional costs when changing supplier.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
If a consumer with a first generation (SMETS1) smart meter switches to an energy supplier who is not able to maintain their smart service on switching, the consumer will not face any additional costs.
Work is currently underway to bring SMETS1 meters into the national communications network, so that consumers can keep their smart services when they switch supplier.