Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 impact of inflation on retail workers.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Government understands that retail workers are facing inflationary pressures driven by global factors and welcome steps announced by some retailers to support their workforce.
The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. For those who require additional support we have provided an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m, running from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 respond to the letter of 31 August 2022 from the Hon. Member for Stockport related to a constituent.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
I wrote to the Hon. Member on 2 November 2022 about Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings his Department had with the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers between 1 April and 31 October.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
The latest published data covers April to June 2022, further data will be published in due course.
Details of meetings held by civil servants are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 an assessment of levels of fuel poverty in Stockport constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department publishes annual statistics on the number and percentage of households in fuel poverty in England by Parliamentary Constituency, which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-sub-regional-statistics.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 impact of capacity issues at the national grid on housebuilding in Stockport.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is aware of lengthy connection timelines currently being offered in parts of the country, particularly where transmission network upgrades are required to accommodate distribution network connections, such as housing developments. Network companies are working with Ofgem to release capacity including through improved modelling of network impacts of new connections and streamlining of connection procedures.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 plans to take to help protect and support pub and hospitality businesses in England and Wales.
Answered by Jane Hunt
The Government published its first-ever Hospitality Strategy in July 2021. The Strategy set out twenty-two commitments to support the sector across a range of policy areas, grouped into three themes: Reopening, Recovery, and Resilience. This Department launched the Hospitality Sector Council to oversee the delivery of the strategy, and I and my officials continue to work with the Council and the sector to deliver the strategy commitments. The Government engages regularly with hospitality businesses and organisations to understand the pressing issues that they face, including cost pressures and supply chain disruptions. An update on the Strategy will be published shortly.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to take steps to enable cavity wall insulation suppliers to award compensation to relevant households under the Government's cavity wall insulation scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government recognises that there have been cases of cavity wall insulation being installed in unsuitable homes or being installed poorly.
All CWI installed under current government schemes must be completed by TrustMark registered businesses, adhering to the latest PAS 2030/2035 standards. TrustMark offers a step-by-step process in case of issues, including escalation to Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman. If the installer is no longer in business the guarantee provider must step in.
Where an installer is not TrustMark registered, the Government has published guidance setting out steps for consumers who suspect they have faulty CWI installed.