Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of gas CHP plant qualifies as Good Quality for the purposes of exemption from business rates.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department does not hold specific data on the proportion of gas CHP plant that qualifies as Good Quality for the purposes of exemption from business rates. However, in 2016, based on data from the Digest of UK Energy Statistics and the Combined Heat and the Power Quality Assurance (CHP QA) programme database, there were 2,182 CHP schemes in the United Kingdom. Of these, 1,155 were certified as Good Quality CHP. If schemes that are not ordinarily liable for business rates, such as those in the public sector, are excluded then our data suggests that 749 Good Quality gas CHP schemes would be eligible for an exemption from business rates.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8878, whether the Government plans to introduce regulations to require that rental properties are of a higher energy efficiency standard than E.
Answered by Claire Perry
As set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, the Government will be looking at a long term trajectory for energy performance standards across the private rented sector, with the aim of as many private rented homes as possible being upgraded to EPC Band C by 2030, where practical, cost effective and affordable. We will consider options with a view to consulting in 2018.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the benefits (a) for tenants and (b) in terms of carbon emissions of raising the minimum energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015 require all landlords of domestic privately rented property in England and Wales to ensure that, from 1 April 2018, their properties reach at least an energy performance rating of E before granting a tenancy to new or existing tenants, unless a prescribed exemption applies.
Tenants would benefit from improved homes in the form of reduced energy bills. Data derived from the 2014 English Housing Survey shows that the average annual cost of heating an E rated home in the private rental sector to an adequate level is £510 cheaper than for an F rated private rented sector home, and £990 cheaper than for a G rated property. There would also be wider health and wellbeing benefits for tenants associated with increased comfort from warmer homes.
The published impact assessment for the regulations estimated that effective implementation of the domestic provisions will save 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent between 2013 and 2065.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of whether all employees should have rights to parental leave, holiday pay, full sick pay and guaranteed hours.
Answered by Margot James
I made an oral statement to the House on 11 July 2017 to announce the publication of the Matthew Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices.
The Review looked at ways to ensure that the regulatory framework surrounding employment, and the support Government provides to businesses and workers, was keeping pace with changes in the labour market and the economy.
The report is comprehensive and detailed and will require detailed, careful thought and further consultation. It is important that we take action where we need to.
This Government will give the report the careful consideration it deserves and will respond in full later this year.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
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 the tidal energy industry on support for that sector.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State, his Ministers and officials have engaged frequently with stakeholders across the Department’s portfolio of responsibilities.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
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 amount of tidal energy recoverable from UK and British Crown Dependency territorial waters.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Crown Estate UK Wave and Tidal Key Resource Areas study (2012)[1] assessed the UK’s theoretical maximum resource for tidal stream, barrage and lagoon resource at 95 TWh/year (32 GW), 96 TWh/year (45 GW) and 25 TWh/year (14 GW) respectively. The Department’s Technology Innovation Needs Assessment [2] (TINA) published in 2012 estimated that tidal stream energy could practically deliver up to 20-30 TWh/year around 2050.
[1] http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/media/5476/uk-wave-and-tidal-key-resource-areas-project.pdf
[2] http://www.lowcarboninnovation.co.uk/working_together/technology_focus_areas/marine/
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
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 the UK's tidal energy industry.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Tidal stream technologies are currently eligible to compete for support in the Contracts for Difference (CFD) allocation round process. CFDs provide efficient long-term support for, and incentivise investment in, low carbon electricity generation. The Government is currently assessing the recommendations of the Hendry Review and will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish a Contract for Difference allowing non-UK renewable energy projects to compete for funding.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Department is focussed on running competitive auctions to award contracts for difference (CFD) to UK-based renewable electricity projects. There are currently no plans to open the UK CFD scheme to non-UK projects.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he intends to publish a consultation or call for evidence on enhancing the transparency of beneficial ownership information of foreign companies that own properties in the UK.
Answered by Margot James
The Government remains committed introducing the register of beneficial ownership for foreign companies that own UK property, which was announced at the Anti-Corruption summit in 2016.
This register is an important element of the forthcoming anti-corruption strategy. It will give assurance that the UK is a hostile environment for hiding the proceeds of corruption or laundering money.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government takes into account the track record of companies interested in purchasing Green Investment Bank assets when deciding whether to permit a sale to go ahead.
Answered by Nick Hurd
In its “Green Investment Bank: sale of shares” report laid before Parliament on 3 March 2016, the Government set out its objectives for the sale and the process by which the sale would be conducted. Bids have been evaluated at each stage of the process against the Government’s sale objectives.
The Green Investment Bank (GIB) is being sold as a going concern and potential investors will be buying into the company’s green business plan and forward pipeline of projects. The Government has asked potential investors to confirm their commitment to GIB’s green values and investment principles and how they propose to protect them, as part of their bids for the company.
In addition to this, to protect GIB’s green purposes in future, GIB has created a special share, held by an independent company with the right to approve or reject any changes to GIB’s green purposes should such a change ever be proposed.