Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the £400 energy bill discount will be payable to people who live in a Managed Independent Living retirement complex where each apartment has its own electricity meter, where each tenant pays their share of the electricity bill for the building and where gas is charged according to the square footage of each apartment, with electricity and gas quarterly bills paid to the Trust which manages that complex.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Only those with their own contract with a supplier are eligible for the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme payments over this winter. On 29 July, the Government announced additional funding for households not eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme and the details of this support will be announced in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
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 help ensure that the UK meets its net zero targets during the period of its membership of the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 24 June 2022, Contracting Parties came to an agreement in principle on the amendments to modernise the Energy Charter Treaty. The modernised Energy Charter Treaty recognises the urgent need to address climate change and align with the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement. It promotes an accelerated energy transition and reduces the risk of successful challenge to UK net zero policies.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
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 support small and medium sized businesses with rising energy costs.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses) ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. A review of the scheme, to be published in three months, will identify the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs after the initial six months.
Government is also providing a 50% business rates relief for businesses across the UK and reducing employer national insurance. This is in addition to the billions in grants and loans offered throughout the pandemic.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on ensuring that people who do not have a personal account with an energy provider, including those (a) living in park homes and (b) who live in managed independent living retirement accommodation, receive support with energy costs on the same basis as other households.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for St Albans on 20th June 2022 to Question 18990.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on its response to its consultation, Measures to reform post-termination non-compete clauses in contracts of employment.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is in the process of analysing responses to the consultation and the available data. A response to the consultation will be published on the GOV.UK website in due course.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
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 ensure that people with off-grid energy supplies will receive the energy bills grant announced on 26 May 2022.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is aware that not all households have electricity provided through a domestic electricity supply contract, such as park home residents. The Government raised this in its technical consultation on the Energy Bills Support Scheme. The responses to this consultation are being analysed and a response will be published later in the summer.
Vulnerable consumers, including park home residents will be eligible for £140 contribution towards their energy bills each winter through the Government’s Warm Home Discount Scheme. It is anticipated that the Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme will re-open again in September 2022. Other support available includes the Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
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 ensure that people who purchase off-grid gas supplies, including those who are live in park homes and are elderly and vulnerable, are able to access Government support for energy bills.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is aware that not all households have electricity provided through a domestic electricity supply contract, such as park home residents. The Government raised this in its technical consultation on the Energy Bills Support Scheme. The responses to this consultation are being analysed and a response will be published later in the summer.
Vulnerable consumers, including park home residents will be eligible for £140 contribution towards their energy bills each winter through the Government’s Warm Home Discount Scheme. It is anticipated that the Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme will re-open again in September 2022. Other support available includes the Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
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 Cabinet colleagues on ensuring that people living in park homes, including those who are elderly and vulnerable, can access recently announced Government support for energy bills.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is aware that not all households have electricity provided through a domestic electricity supply contract, such as park home residents. The Government raised this in its technical consultation on the Energy Bills Support Scheme. The responses to this consultation are being analysed and a response will be published later in the summer.
Vulnerable consumers, including park home residents will be eligible for £140 contribution towards their energy bills each winter through the Government’s Warm Home Discount Scheme. It is anticipated that the Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme will re-open again in September 2022. Other support available includes the Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
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 ensure businesses pass on reductions in fuel duty to consumers in rural areas.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s decision to cut fuel duty by 5 pence per litre for a period of 12 months will deliver savings worth over £5 billion to households and businesses over the next year, compared to uprating fuel duty in 2022-23. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to industry and held calls with major companies to impress upon them the need for these savings to be delivered to consumers across the country as soon as possible.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
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 take steps to ensure that Russian diesel does not arrive in the UK in non-Russian vessels as recently occurred via the STI Comandante.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has committed to phasing out Russian oil by the end of 2022. The Government has established a new joint taskforce with industry, to work collaboratively on an orderly transition.
In the case of diesel, UK demand is met by a combination of domestic production and imports from a diverse range of reliable suppliers, beyond Russia, including the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and the USA.