Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 is having with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) on ensuring that businesses in (a) China and (b) other countries do not have an unfair advantage over UK retailers through cheaper postage costs.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy represents the UK at the UPU’s Council of Administration. It attended the UPU Extraordinary Congress in September 2019 where an agreement on international remuneration rates for bulky letters and small packets was reached. Under this agreement, the terminal dues chargeable in the UK for deliveries from countries such as China will rise from 2020 onwards at a faster rate than previously approved.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 is having with Royal Mail on ensuring their bilateral agreements with (a) China and (b) other countries do not provide terms for the international postage of retail goods into the UK that allow businesses in those countries with an unfair advantage over UK online retailers.
Answered by Paul Scully
The UK, with its designated postal operator, Royal Mail, is a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which sets international remuneration rates.
Bilateral agreements with other countries are commercial matters for Royal Mail, and the Government does not play a role in these agreements.
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Royal Mail on postal matters, including international postal services.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 (a) ensure the quality of online retail products sold to UK consumers from China and (b) enforce appropriate UK quality standards on online retail websites.
Answered by Paul Scully
When foreign companies and traders sell goods online and target UK consumers, they must comply with UK consumer protection laws. It is the responsibility of traders to ensure the products they are selling to UK consumers comply with UK law requiring that all products are safe, of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 support small hotels and bed and breakfasts by temporarily suspending fees for (a) motion picture, (b) television and (c) music licences during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government does not have the power to suspend fees for motion picture and music copyright licences. This is because copyright licensing is a private, commercial matter between the parties concerned in which the Government is not involved.
However, certain licensing bodies, including some for film and music, have introduced voluntary measures to help mitigate the financial impacts of the outbreak on their licensees. These measures include waiving licence fees when businesses are closed, deferring payments, and the suspension of late payment charges.
The Government currently has no plans to suspend television licence fee payments.
My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has already announced a host of measures to help small businesses in this period, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), business rate relief, and VAT deferrals. However, the licence fee is an important area of interest, and of course we will keep this matter under review.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 manufacturers making Blackpool rock and other products exclusively for the tourism sector can access the covid-19 small business grants scheme on the same basis as other tourism businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
All businesses in England in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) and Rural Rates Relief (RRR) in the business rates system will be eligible for a payment of £10,000. This is estimated to apply to around 730,000 businesses across England and eligibility is not determined by sector.
Additionally, on 1 May 2020 the Business Secretary announced that a further up to £617 million is being made available to local authorities. Whilst this Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is primarily aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not liable for business rates and business rates reliefs, local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need so long as they are not eligible for either a Small Business Grant, a Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grant or Self-employed Income Support Scheme funding.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 small businesses who pay business rates as part of their rental agreement with their landlord are able to access the Small Business Grants Fund for covid-19 support on the same basis as those small businesses who are directly registered for business rates payments.
Answered by Paul Scully
Only businesses with their own assessment for business rates and which are eligible for either Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) or Rural Rates Relief (RRR) will be eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund. Businesses which are not ratepayers in their own right are not eligible.
The Government understands that for some shared spaces and service offices, individual users may not have their own rating assessment and may not therefore be eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund.
Therefore, on 1 May 2020 the Business Secretary announced that a further up to £617 million is being made available to local authorities. This additional Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not liable for business rates or rates reliefs. We are asking local authorities to prioritise businesses in shared work spaces, regular market traders, small charity properties that would otherwise meet the criteria for Small Business Rates Relief, and bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates. Local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 extend the covid-19 grant scheme for tourism and hospitality firms to small bed and breakfast businesses that are currently ineligible because they pay council tax and not business rates.
Answered by Paul Scully
On 1 May 2020 the Business Secretary announced that a further up to £617 million is being made available to local authorities. This additional Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not liable for business rates or rates reliefs. We are asking local authorities to prioritise businesses in shared workspaces, regular market traders, small charity properties that would otherwise meet the criteria for Small Business Rates Relief, and bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates. Local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to support people who have been supplied with substandard cavity wall insulation; and what plans the Government has for improved regulation of the insulation sector.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Department has published consumer guidance for householders who suspect they have received faulty cavity wall insulation. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cavity-wall-insulation-cwi-consumer-guide-to-issues-arising-from-installations.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme requires a 25-year guarantee to be provided to householders for all cavity wall insulation. The guarantee provides instructions if there are problems related to the insulation product or its installation.
Where cavity wall insulation is installed under ECO, the installation must also be compliant with the most recent provisions of the Publicly Available Specification (PAS); this sets out the specifications for the installation of energy efficiency measures in existing dwellings, including cavity wall insulation. The standard sets out requirements which aim to ensure that the installation is suitable for the property and installed to high standards.
TrustMark is delivering the new Government endorsed quality framework for energy efficiency measures which was launched in October 2018. The framework ensures an improved and comprehensive consumer protection process, including guarantees and a redress scheme.
From 1 January 2019 all relevant measures (including cavity wall insulation) installed under the ECO scheme must be delivered by a Trustmark approved installer and compliant with the Trustmark framework requirements.