Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
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 plans to create a minister for hospitality.
Answered by Paul Scully
Responsibility for the hospitality sector is split between the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS). BEIS is responsible for cafés, restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs, while DCMS is responsible for hospitality accommodation, given the close links to tourism.
Within BEIS, we have a dedicated hospitality sector support team, and hospitality has been recognised formally as a key part of my ministerial portfolio.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham 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 he is taking to support bus manufacturing in the UK; and when he or his Ministerial team last met with representatives of UK bus manufacturers.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
My noble Friend Lord Grimstone recently met with representatives of bus manufacturers at an automotive sector roundtable on 10 February.
The Government is continuing its longstanding programme of support to ensure that the UK automotive sector remains at the forefront of technological developments. Government and Industry have jointly committed almost £1.5 billion through the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Faraday Battery Challenge to support the research, development, and manufacture of zero and low-emission technologies. The Advanced Propulsion Centre is supporting a number of projects aimed at developing technologies to reduce emissions in bus applications.
In addition, as part of my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution, nearly £500m of funding for the Automotive Transformation Fund will be made available in the next four years to build an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
What estimate he has made of the number of self-employed people who do not qualify for covid-19 support.
Answered by Paul Scully
We have prioritised helping the greatest number of people as quickly as possible and it is difficult to come up with reliable criteria that apply to all the relevant sectors of the economy. We are aware some people will not be eligible for the scheme, but they may still benefit from a number of other support schemes available.
The Department is engaging a wide range of stakeholders in relation to Covid-19, and in addition to the Business Secretary’s regular meeting with business representative organisations, I recently hosted a call with stakeholders on support for the self-employed and will continue to engage on the issue.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham 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 she plans to take to tackle fuel poverty in Nottingham South constituency.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
Improving energy efficiency is the best long-term solution to tackle fuel poverty and the Energy Company Obligation Scheme provides such support for low income and vulnerable households. Since ECO launched it has delivered energy efficiency measures to more than 2 million households.
ECO has delivered improvements to more than 6000 homes in Nottingham South, representing 14% of households in the area.
Tenants living in energy inefficient properties are some of the most at risk of fuel poverty. The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards now require landlords spend up to £3500 improving their properties to energy efficiency Band E before renting them out.
In addition to support to improve energy efficiency, the Warm Home Discount provides support to more than 2 million low income and vulnerable households each year through a £140 rebate. Over £2.7 billion has been provided by the scheme over the last nine years.
Our 2020 Fuel Poverty Strategy will set out further detail around our future plans to tackle fuel poverty.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the one per cent public sector pay cap applies to employees of Direct Rail Services Ltd.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The public sector pay cap does not apply to employees of Direct Rail Services Ltd.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham 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 assessment his Department has made of the effect of EU structural funding, such as the European Regional Development Fund, on the UK's ability to build research capacity in less economically developed regions of the UK.
Answered by Margot James
For the 2014-20 Structural Funds programming period, the EU has designated two regions of the UK as ‘less developed regions’: Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and West Wales and the Valleys. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) supports research and innovation in both areas. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been allocated around €90 million in EU funding for research and innovation, with the aim of supporting 550 enterprises. West Wales and the Valleys have been allocated around €300 million, with the aim of providing around 500 grants to enterprises and supporting cooperation between 1,200 enterprises and research institutions.
The Industrial Strategy Green Paper states that the Government will carefully consider the future of the European Structural and Investment Funds following the UK’s exit from the European Union, including the support available to less developed areas.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
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 support the Ser Cymru II programme in Wales after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
This Government intends to secure the best possible outcome for the UK research base as we exit the European Union (EU). UK participants should continue to bid for competitive EU funds while we remain a member of the EU and we will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. The Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. Access to apply to the Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions scheme and subsequent funding programmes after we leave the EU will be a matter for the negotiations that will follow the triggering of Article 50.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 13 July 2011 to Question 65970, on the Thameslink Railway Line, whether the Economic Response Task Force referred to in that Answer produced a report.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Derby Economic Task Force was wound up in July 2012. While a report was not produced, the Derby Economic Task Force completed a programme of work to support Derby during that period of uncertainty.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many vehicles were acquired under the 2009-10 vehicle scrappage scheme; and how many of those vehicles had not been disposed of on the latest date for which figures are available.
Answered by Anna Soubry
Under the 2009 Vehicle Scrappage Scheme (VSS) claims were made for 392227 vehicles. A breakdown of that figure by make and model is available on our website, gov.uk. In order for a claim to be made under the VSS, a Certificate of Destruction (CoD), issued by an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) for the old vehicle had to be provided by the car dealer to the manufacturer. Beyond the CoD, the arrangements covering disposal of the old vehicle, and any associated costs, sat outside the scheme. The physical treatment chain was not a condition of the Scheme and therefore the Department does not hold any information relating to this. The Environment Agency is the responsible authority for compliance with the permit requirements for Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATF).
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answers of 20 February 2016 to Question 27903 and 3 March 2016 to Question 28905, what the reason is for the apparent discrepancy between the number of overseas visits listed in each answer.
Answered by Anna Soubry
Having checked the responses from the previous two requests, it appears that the answer to Question 28905, had inadvertently excluded the visits undertaken by Lord Puttnam in 2014. These visits were to:
Vietnam
Cambodia x2
Laos x2
Burma
Also since receiving the original request, there had been another visit in 2016, so the total recorded went from 12 to 13.