Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 include methane in the UK's net-zero emissions targets.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Following the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on the impact of global warming of 1.5°C in October 2018, the Government commissioned its independent experts, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), to provide their advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets. This commission included a request for options for the date by which the UK should achieve a) a net zero greenhouse gas target and/or b) a net zero carbon target. The advice will therefore address carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, including methane. The CCC’s advice is due on 2 May and we will consider it carefully when it is received.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 the (a) accuracy and (b) integrity of consumer reviews on major retail websites.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) prohibit traders giving consumers false or misleading information about goods and services including reviews on their websites. It also prohibits the practice of falsely representing itself as a consumer. Enforcement of the legislation is by local authority trading standards services.
The Advertising Standards Authority through its code of advertising practice has recently published guidance for marketers on making claims in testimonials and endorsements. A copy of the guidance can be found at: https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/testimonials-and-endorsements.html.
The Citizens Advice consumer service provides consumers with free advice and information on their rights. The helpline can be contacted on 03454 04 05 06 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk/). However, if the consumer resides in Scotland, they should contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 (www.consumeradvice.scot).
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 he has made of the (a) cost and (b) environmental consequences of nuclear energy.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All nuclear new build projects are assessed on a case by case basis to ensure they provide value for money for taxpayers and consumers. Before a new nuclear power station can be built and operated, the operator must apply for and obtain a number of permissions from the independent regulators and from Government. The assessment of environmental impact is an important consideration in regulators deciding whether relevant permissions should be issued and what conditions should be attached to the permissions. In addition, potential new nuclear technologies are considered under the Justification Regulations, with ‘Justification’ being the process by which Government determines whether the potential benefits of a practice making use of ionising radiation outweigh its potential risks. Furthermore, all developers of new build stations are required to have a Funded Decommissioning Programme approved by the Secretary of State before nuclear-related construction can begin. This ensures the taxpayer does not bear the burden for future costs of turning the station into a greenfield site once generation has ceased.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether carbon trading remains a valid approach to controlling carbon dioxide pollution.
Answered by Claire Perry
As the Clean Growth Strategy clearly sets out, we remain firmly committed to carbon pricing as an emissions reduction tool whilst ensuring energy and trade intensive businesses are appropriately protected from any detrimental impacts on competitiveness.
Carbon pricing is an effective tool to reduce emissions through the market. Cap-and-trade guarantees that emissions targets are met and emissions reductions take place where it is most cost-effective to do so.
The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) has been instrumental in driving the adoption of emissions trading systems worldwide. While the EU ETS remains the world’s first and largest cap-and-trade system, similar systems exist or are in development across the world including in California, Quebec, New Zealand, South Korea and China. The EU ETS is on course to achieve emissions reductions of 21% by 2020 against 2005 levels in the traded sector in line with agreed EU targets.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 tackle late payments to freelancers.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Government is clear that unfavourable payment practices is a serious issue. That is why we have a range of measures in place with the aim to address the imbalance in market power between parties, increase transparency and encourage better payment practices through culture change.
The Payment Practices and Performance Reporting Requirement requires large businesses to report biannually on their payment practices and performance. Businesses must publish this information on gov.uk, providing transparency in payment practices and making payment behaviour a reputational, board room issue. To date over 13,000 reports have been submitted.
Government continues to support the Prompt Payment Code as a best practice in payment standards. Last year the Secretary of State announced a new, tough and transparent compliance regime to ensure the Code is rigorously enforced. The Secretary of State also announced that he had appointed the Small Business Commissioner to the Prompt Payment Code Compliance Board.
Last year Government launched a Call for Evidence to assess what further steps and intervention may be needed to create a responsible payment culture. A full response will be published shortly and will contain a full package of policy measures.
At Spring Statement Government announced that it will require large company’s Audit Committees to review payments practices and report them in their annual accounts. This will elevate payment practices to Board level and increase transparency.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 support freelancers.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government’s December 2018 Good Work Plan sets out the vision for the future of the labour market and the ambitious plans for implementing the recommendations arising from the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices.
The Government has committed to legislate to improve the clarity of the employment status tests, reflecting the reality of modern working relationships. This will help to ensure that both businesses and individuals understand their rights and obligations.
Employment status is a complex issue and so it is only right that we take time to consider how best to achieve change that works for all. We will bring forward detailed proposals on status in due course.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to entrepreneurs with family care responsibilities.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government is committed to supporting all entrepreneurs to start and grow a business and is a key aspect of our ambitious Industrial Strategy. The Government supports diversity in all its forms in business and recognises the valuable contribution they make to our economy.
On 6th March BEIS launched the Young Entrepreneurs Review, independently led by the Prince’s Trust. The Review will close in September 2019 and will seek to better understand young entrepreneurs, the specific barriers and opportunities they face, and what more can be done to support them to start and grow a business, including young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Department ensures that the Shared Parental Leave and Pay Scheme enables eligible couples to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay, in the first year. We are currently evaluating the scheme and have commissioned both quantitative and qualitative data on the level of take-up; barriers to take-up; and how the scheme is being used in practice. Last year, GEO and BEIS ran a joint £1.5m campaign to promote awareness and take-up of Shared Parental Leave and Pay and a campaign to raise awareness launched last month. We are exploring options for improving tools and guidance for parents.
Pregnant women and new mothers who are self-employed may qualify for Maternity Allowance (a benefit which is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions). Where they do not intend to use their full entitlement to Maternity Allowance they can ‘create’ up to 50 weeks of Shared Parental Leave and up to 37 weeks of Statutory Shared Parental Pay for an employed father or partner to take (subject to eligibility conditions).
Employed directors can qualify for a range of employment rights including Maternity Leave and Pay (or Maternity Allowance), Paternity Leave and Pay, Adoption Leave and Pay and Shared Parental Leave and Pay. Maternity and Adoption Leave are ‘day 1’ rights. Other family related employment entitlements are subject to eligibility conditions.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 encourage UK-based institutional and private investors to invest in female entrepreneurs.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
On 8 March, HM Treasury published the Rose Review into Female Entrepreneurship which explored the barriers women face when starting a business and what can be done to overcome them.
In response to Alison Rose’s findings, the government is setting out an ambition to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by half by 2030. This will require an additional 600,000 female entrepreneurs, and concerted efforts from both the private and public sector.
We are establishing a new Investing in Women Code, which will report annually, and see financial institutions sign up, track how they are currently doing and take steps to improve how they allocate funding to female entrepreneurs.
I will also sponsor an industry-led taskforce alongside Treasury Ministers that will drive forward work to encourage greater investment in female entrepreneurs by all types of finance provider.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 role of biomanufacturing in supporting the Government's Clean Growth Strategy.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Government published the UK’s first ever Bioeconomy Strategy in December 2018. Developed with industry, and trailed in the Clean Growth Strategy, it identifies biomanufacturing and biorefineries as a key route to developing less carbon intensive products for the UK, from energy and fuels to bio-based chemicals, plastics and other materials. Building on the UK’s world class expertise in bioscience and biotechnology, these technologies can be applied across multiple sectors to generate transformational change in productivity and clean growth.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 (a) flexible working patterns and (b) additional leave for the parents of premature babies.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department is conducting a short, focussed internal review of the provisions for parents of premature babies and sick babies and those that experience multiple births. The purpose of this work is to obtain a high-level understanding of the barriers to participating in the labour market that these parents can face. It would not be appropriate to announce future policy without first establishing an appropriate evidence base.
BEIS officials are working with organisations who represent the interests of these parents (The Smallest Things, Bliss, and TAMBA) to better understand the issues that parents can face and have also held focus groups with a small number of parents themselves. This will inform our policy consideration.