Asked by: Viscount Trenchard (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a planning framework to facilitate the adoption of new potential sites for nuclear reactors, including (1) small modular reactors, and (2) advanced modular reactors.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We stated in the 2020 Energy White Paper our intention to undertake a review of the energy National Policy Statement (NPS) suite. This review was published for consultation on 6th September 2021.
This consultation includes the revised overarching National Policy Statement for energy (EN-1). The revised EN-1 sets out that a new technology specific NPS for nuclear electricity generation deployable after 2025 is proposed and will be developed to reflect the changing policy and technology landscape for nuclear and support the transition to net zero. This will be consulted on in the usual manner, in due course.
The revised EN1, also sets out that the need for nuclear could be met by large scale gigawatt nuclear, Small Modular Reactors, Advanced Modular Reactors and fusion technologies.
The publication of this consultation is a first step toward a planning framework to facilitate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.
Asked by: Viscount Trenchard (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an updated National Policy Statement for nuclear power to reflect the range of applications envisaged for nuclear technology set out in the Energy White Paper published on 14 December 2020.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We stated in the 2020 Energy White Paper our intention to undertake a review of the energy National Policy Statement (NPS) suite. This review was published for consultation on 6th September 2021.
This consultation includes the revised overarching National Policy Statement for energy (EN-1). The revised EN-1 sets out that a new technology specific NPS for nuclear electricity generation deployable after 2025 is proposed and will be developed to reflect the changing policy and technology landscape for nuclear and support the transition to net zero. This will be consulted on in the usual manner, in due course.
The revised EN1, also sets out that the need for nuclear could be met by large scale gigawatt nuclear, Small Modular Reactors, Advanced Modular Reactors and fusion technologies.
The publication of this consultation is a first step toward a planning framework to facilitate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.
Asked by: Viscount Trenchard (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to apply for COVID-19 to be considered an exceptional circumstance under Article 107(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and what assessment they have made of how that could alter the support provided to businesses in the UK.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Aid for COVID-19 related losses may be given under article 107(2)(b) or article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
Article 107(2)(b) requires the European Commission to approve aid to make good the damage caused by natural disasters or exceptional occurrences. The Commission declared on 12 March that COVID-19 qualified as an exceptional occurrence. A key feature of this provision is that schemes must only compensate businesses for damages actually suffered as a result of COVID-19. Schemes under this provision must be individually notified to and approved by, the Commission.
Under Article 107(3)(b) the Commission may approve aid to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy. Under this article, the Commission has introduced some welcome flexibilities into the rules to deal with the impacts of the COVID-19, in the form of a Temporary Framework. This facilitates aid going to the companies who need it most, quickly and efficiently.
When the Government considered its State aid options in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, it took the decision to design schemes that would allow organisations to access funds quickly and easily with a minimal number of checks and balances attached to the application and approval processes.
Following work by BEIS officials, the COVID-19 Temporary Framework was approved by the Commission under the Temporary Framework on 6 April. This allows public authorities to introduce their own aid measures without the necessity of obtaining an individual Commission approval. The combination of this and other measures such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Self Employed Income Support Scheme constitute an important part of the unprecedented programme of Government support for business to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Viscount Trenchard (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in discussions with the European Commission about amendments to the Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the current COVID-19 outbreak, adopted on 19 March, to permit small and medium enterprises whose capital is principally represented by long-term shareholders' loans but whose businesses were viable until the COVID-19 pandemic to apply for loans under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme; and whether they have raised in such discussions the case for permitting those enterprises to apply for such loans even if those businesses could be deemed as ‘undertakings in difficulty’ under EU State Aid rules.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Although the UK has left the EU, under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the EU State Aid rules continue to apply in the UK until the end of the Transition Period. The State aid rules are a sole competence of the European Commission. The Commission has introduced some flexibilities into the rules to deal with the impacts of the Coronavirus, in the form of a Temporary Framework.
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is a State Aid approved scheme under the European Commission’s Temporary State Aid Framework. Companies that do not pass the ‘undertaking in difficulty’ test are eligible for support, in recognition of the impact of Coronavirus, unless they were in difficulty on 31 December 2019, prior to the outbreak.
Asked by: Viscount Trenchard (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the guidelines issued to lenders participating in the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans Scheme permit such lenders to require that an SME director pledge personal assets in order to receive a Government guarantee of 80 per cent on each loan; and what guidance has been issued to lenders on the terms of such lending.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The terms of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) state that Personal Guarantees of any form (whether or not these include the pledging of personal assets) cannot be used in respect of any CBILS facilities up to £250,000.
Personal guarantees for CBILS facilities above £250,000 are not required by the scheme rules. They may be taken at the lender’s discretion. If that is the case, recoveries under such guarantees are capped at a maximum of 20% of the outstanding balance of the CBILS facility after the proceeds of business assets, if any, have been applied.
A Principal Private Residence cannot be taken as security to support a personal guarantee or as security for any CBILS facility.
These terms were updated on 3 April 2020 and will be retrospectively applied for any CBILS facilities offered since the start of the scheme on 23 March 2020. This means that any personal guarantees already taken for CBILS facilities up to £250,000 will be waived.
Asked by: Viscount Trenchard (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to suspend the provisions of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which require refunds for the cancellation of events to be paid within 14 days of request.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the extremely difficult circumstances businesses are currently facing, which is why on 17 March the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a wide range of support for businesses, in addition to the £30bn of support announced in the budget. The Government is keeping the relevant rules under review.