Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
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 promote the Coronavirus Restart Grant to eligible businesses based in (a) Wakefield and (b) West Yorkshire.
Answered by Paul Scully
Guidance for the Restart Grant scheme was published on the 17th March for both Local Authorities and businesses. This guidance sets out the funding and eligibility criteria for businesses.
The Government is working closely with Local Authorities to ensure that Restart Grant schemes are set up and operational for April.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
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 has taken to ensure that utility companies have provided support to people on the Priority Services Register during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) works closely with electricity and gas companies, the regulator Ofgem and other stakeholders to ensure that the appropriate measures are in place to protect customers, especially the most vulnerable.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, electricity and gas network operators reviewed and modified their working practices to comply with the Safer Working Guidance published by the Government. They also carried out targeted engagement with their most vulnerable customers to update them on changes to processes, and provide assurance that essential services remain available.
Additionally, the Department secured a voluntary agreement with energy companies in March 2020 to support all households impacted by Covid-19, requiring suppliers to support those struggling with their energy bills and to take action to keep them on supply. This is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-agrees-measures-with-energy-industry-to-support-vulnerable-people-through-covid-19.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people are registered on the Priority Services Register in Wakefield constituency.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Electricity network operators are obliged to maintain a Priority Services Register (PSR) to ensure the correct support is given to the most vulnerable customers. Each network operator maintains its own register and shares this information with energy suppliers.
Northern Power Grid, the network operator responsible for operating and maintaining the electricity distribution network in North East England, has 27,709 properties on the PSR within the postcodes covered by the Wakefield constituency.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
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 potential merits of equalising paternity and maternity leave rights.
Answered by Paul Scully
In 2019, the Government consulted on high-level options and principles for reforming the parental leave and pay system to enable parents to balance the gender division of parental leave. We are currently assessing the responses to the consultation and intend to publish our response later this year.
We are also carrying out an evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme which was introduced in 2015. The scheme challenges the assumption that the mother will always be the primary carer and enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year of their child’s life. As part of this evaluation, we have undertaken a large-scale representative survey which sought views from over 3,000 parents on parental leave and entitlements. We are currently processing and analysing the data that we have collected and intend to publish our findings later this year, alongside the response to the consultation.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
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 women who have taken maternity leave have taken their full entitlement of 12 months in each of the last three years.
Answered by Paul Scully
In order to gather information among parents on how parental entitlements, including Maternity Leave and Pay, are used in practice, the Government commissioned the Maternity and Paternity Rights Survey. Fieldwork for the survey is complete and we are currently processing and analysing the data that we have collected. We intend to publish our findings, including detailed information on the duration of Maternity Leave taken by mothers surveyed, later this year.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many pubs in Wakefield constituency are classified as wet pubs and are eligible for the Government's £1,000 Christmas grant for pubs located in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas of covid-19 restrictions as a result of that classification.
Answered by Paul Scully
Officials are working closely with local authorities to establish the number of wet-led pubs in each area that are in scope for the Christmas Support Payment for wet-led pubs.
Full guidance to local authorities will be issued shortly setting out the process local authorities must undertake to enable eligible pubs to apply for the payment.