Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of self-disconnection of prepayment meters.
Answered by George Freeman
Ofgem rules require suppliers to proactively identify and provide support to those that are self-disconnecting. My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State is writing to suppliers to stress the importance that the rules are followed and will publish his letter. There is also immediate financial support, including the Energy Price Guarantee and Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to support flexible working arrangements for (a) parents, (b) people with disabilities and (c) older people.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On 5 December the Government published the response to the consultation “Making flexible working the default”[1]. This committed to make a number of changes to the existing Right to Request Flexible Working, including making it apply from the first day of employment. It also committed the Government to issue a call for evidence on non-contractual and ad hoc flexible working. These steps will support parents, people with disabilities and older workers who wish to remain in or return to work.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-flexible-working-the-default
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an energy assistance payment to help families with the cost of running lifesaving medical equipment at home.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is delivering the Energy Bills Support Scheme, a £400 non-repayable grant to support all families with their energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) will save a typical household in Great Britain £900 this Winter. In addition, families with disabled children are entitled to a one-off £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment. The Government is currently reviewing the EPG. The consultation will explore the best ways to ensure that vulnerable high energy users, such as those with medical requirements, are not put at risk of having to pay more.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he made of the needs of families with seriously ill and disabled children who need to run lifesaving medical equipment at home when determining his policy on the energy price guarantee.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is delivering the Energy Bills Support Scheme, a £400 non-repayable grant to support all families with their energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) will save a typical household in Great Britain £900 this Winter. In addition, families with disabled children are entitled to a one-off £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment.
The Government is currently reviewing the EPG. The consultation will explore the best ways to ensure that vulnerable high energy users, such as those with medical requirements, are not put at risk of having to pay more.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing employee rights for flexible working on (a) absenteeism and (b) staff retention.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As set out in the Flexible Working Post Implementation Review which was published in September 2021[1], research shows lower levels of absenteeism and higher levels of employer loyalty among those who have taken up a flexible working arrangement. However it remains difficult to isolate the specific impact of the role played by legislation.
[1] https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1398/pdfs/uksiod_20141398_en.pdf
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring employers to list the available flexible working opportunities with every job advert.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government consulted on whether employers should be required to list the available flexible working opportunities in job adverts in 2019. Having reviewed consultation responses from a range of stakeholders and taken account of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government decided not to take forward a legislative requirement. Instead we are giving employees the right to request flexible working from their first day of employment. This conclusion was set out in “Making Flexible Working the Default”, which was published in September 2021.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with external stakeholders about the potential merits of establishing a fashion industry regulator.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers regularly meet with representatives from the fashion sector, including most recently from the Leicester textile industry, to discuss the key issues affecting the sector, including the introduction of a Fashion Watchdog / Garment Trade Adjudicator.
The Government continues to engage with enforcement bodies and industry partners to strengthen our understanding of the garment trade. The Government will continue to review this issue and consider options to drive up standards across the sector.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what consideration he has given to the potential merits of reopening the public consultation on the RIIO-ED2 Draft Determinations, in the context of the cost of living crisis.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Ofgem, as the independent energy regulator, uses the price control process to set the amount that Network Operators can spend and the returns they can make on investment, in a way that allows the funding needed for a more resilient, low-carbon network while protecting consumers from excessive costs. The Government engages regularly with Ofgem, the network companies and stakeholders, including consumer interest groups, throughout the development of the price controls. The new electricity distribution network price control will commence in April 2023, and Final Determinations from Ofgem were published on 30th November.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
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 (a) energy workers and (b) consumers on price regulation for Distribution Network Operators.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Ofgem, as the independent energy regulator, uses the price control process to set the amount that Network Operators can spend and the returns they can make on investment, in a way that allows the funding needed for a more resilient, low-carbon network while protecting consumers from excessive costs. The Government engages regularly with Ofgem, the network companies and stakeholders, including consumer interest groups, throughout the development of the price controls. The new electricity distribution network price control will commence in April 2023, and Final Determinations from Ofgem were published on 30th November.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to cap the profits of Distribution Network Operators.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Ofgem, as the independent energy regulator, uses the price control process to set the amount that Network Operators can spend and the returns they can make on investment, in a way that allows the funding needed for a more resilient, low-carbon network while protecting consumers from excessive costs. The Government engages regularly with Ofgem and the network companies throughout the development of the price controls. The next electricity distribution network price control will commence in April 2023, with Final Determinations from Ofgem expected shortly.