Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will respond to the Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes consultation, which ran from 30 September 2020 to 8 January 2021.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has carefully analysed the responses received and is considering how best to ensure the cost relating to energy efficiency improvement are fair and proportionate to landlords and tenants. The Government will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Office for Product Safety and Standards is sufficiently staffed and skilled to enforce the new regulations on mandatory recycling labelling.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has agreed, in principle, to act as a National Regulator for the new regulations on mandatory recycling labelling, which form part of proposed Producer Responsibility Obligations under the Environment Act 2021. No final decision has been made that OPSS shall adopt this enforcement role, but should OPSS become the regulator it will be funded to ensure the necessary resources, including suitably qualified staff, are available.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the powers held by Trading Standards to tackle the illegal sale of disposable vape products to underage young people.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Trading Standards already have powers to tackle underage sales of products. Where there is evidence of shops selling age restricted products to underage people, this should be reported to Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 or through its website in the first instance.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what capacity of gas storage is likely to be achieved at the Rough gas site off the coast of Yorkshire for this coming winter.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government welcomes Centrica taking the necessary steps to seek approvals to re-open the Rough storage facility this winter. Information on the available capacity of the site is a matter for Centrica.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to refit the electrical grid to handle different kinds of energy flows.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that the electricity network will require substantial investment and technical evolution to deliver a clean, secure and affordable British energy system. The British Energy Security Strategy includes proposals to accelerate the delivery of network infrastructure. Later this year, the Government and Ofgem will set out their approach to transform the network in more detail through the Electricity Network Strategic Framework.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the development of Drax into the world’s first carbon neutral industrial cluster on (1) safeguarding existing jobs, and (2) creating new green skilled jobs, in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In November 2020, the Government published the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which set out the government’s ambition to have two operational industrial clusters by the mid-2020s and a further two clusters operational by 2030. The CCUS programme will contribute to the creation of high skilled, high wage and sustainable jobs in every part of the UK, with the expectation of supporting up to 50,000 jobs in 2030[1]. The Net Zero Strategy outlined an ambition to deploy at least 5MtCO₂/yr of engineered removals by 2030, in line with CCC and National Infrastructure Commission assessments. Our long-term approach to engineered GGR technologies, which includes technologies used by Drax, is to have a market-driven and technology-neutral competitive framework. We intend to assess jobs, the type scale and CO2 emission reduction potential, as part of the evaluation and selection process of GGR projects.
[1] Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener; Green Jobs Taskforce
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether companies who take out new Government-backed loans will be banned from paying dividends and cash bonuses; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Under the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) to ensure that loans backed by taxpayers’ money are being used in the right way to support businesses and jobs through this difficult time, loans come with restrictions on dividend payments:
For facilities of more than £50 million, until the facility has been repaid in full, borrowers and members of their group cannot:
Under the Future Fund, loans advanced under a Convertible Loan Agreement (CLA) cannot be used to pay dividends, pay bonuses or discretionary payments that are non-contracted or not in the ordinary course of business for 12 months, or pay advisory, placement or similar corporate finance type fees in relation to that CLA.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the difficulties faced by businesses that apply and receive the Bounce Back Loan Scheme if those businesses do not stay with their existing lenders.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) has been introduced to help small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000. Businesses are not required to bank with a lender in order to apply for a Bounce Back Loan with them.
There are now 18 accredited lenders of the scheme and the British Business Bank is working at pace to accredit more lenders to further extend the Scheme’s reach and provide more choice for businesses. A full list of accredited lenders can be found on the British Business Bank website.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how quickly banks will be able to make a decision on applications to the Bounce Back Loan scheme
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) was launched on 4 May to help small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000.
More than 69,000 Bounce Back Loans worth over £2 billion were approved during the first 24 hours of the scheme. As of 24 May, this has increased to 608,069 loans issued to businesses, worth £18.49 billion.
In order to apply for the scheme, businesses complete a short, simple, online application form, meaning that applications can be submitted and processed rapidly, and loans can be accessed within a matter of days. The Government is providing lenders with a 100% guarantee on each loan to give them the confidence they need to support the smallest businesses in the country.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund on the construction industry in delivering future housing needs.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The new Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), announced in November 2016, will back priority technologies where the UK has the potential to turn research strengths into a global industrial and commercial lead.
The first challenges announced as part of the ISCF will invest over £1bn in creating the UK industries of the future. There will be a wave 2 and Government will be consulting further with industry and other stakeholders over the summer.