Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require the companies involved in the Hydrogen Village Trial to conduct whole-house assessments of the upgrades required to make a house suitable for a heat pump.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Companies involved in planning the Village Trial will complete detailed property surveys in the proposed trial locations. The surveys will be used to assess suitability for hydrogen conversion or for an alternative heating system for consumers who do not wish to or cannot participate in the trial.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect agency workers to be able to cover technically skilled roles without relevant training, particularly in cases involving public safety; and if so, how they will ensure safety is maintained.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Employment businesses are currently prohibited, by regulation 7 of the Conduct Regulations, from introducing or supplying temporary agency workers to a hirer to cover striking workers. Employers can already bring in extra staff to cover striking workers if they hire them directly. This change would allow more flexibility for employers when dealing with a strike by allowing them to use agency staff to continue functioning to some extent.
It does not change the requirements for businesses to comply with wider health and safety rules that keep both employees and the public safe. Employers would still have a responsibility to ensure agency workers had all the necessary skills and/or qualifications to meet those obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they plan to repeal legislation banning agency workers from covering those on strike; and what discussions they have had with recruitment agencies and organisations about this plan.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Employment businesses are currently prohibited, by regulation 7 of the Conduct Regulations, from introducing or supplying temporary agency workers to a hirer to cover striking workers. Employers can already bring in extra staff to cover striking workers if they hire them directly. This change would allow more flexibility for employers when dealing with a strike by allowing them to use agency staff to continue functioning to some extent.
It does not change the requirements for businesses to comply with wider health and safety rules that keep both employees and the public safe. Employers would still have a responsibility to ensure agency workers had all the necessary skills and/or qualifications to meet those obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - 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 implications for UK businesses of the EU's proposed Directive on Corporate Sustainability and Due Diligence.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I outlined in my letter of 23 May 2022 to the Chair of the Commons Committee for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Government’s initial views on this EU proposed directive, including its implications for UK businesses. I attach a copy of my letter, which has been published by the Committee.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take (1) to introduce a new UK corporate accountability law, and (2) to ensure it is effective.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recently confirmed, following consultation, reforms for ‘Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance’. It has no plans to propose additional legislation for corporate accountability, for example along the lines of the EU’s recent draft directive for cross cutting corporate sustainability due diligence.
The Government supports the voluntary due diligence approaches by UK businesses to these issues, taking account of international frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises. The Government has not been persuaded that a blanket approach to mandatory due diligence in law is practical or proportionate.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to (1) introduce, and (2) implement, legislation regarding (a) corporate accountability, (b) human rights, and (c) environmental, due diligence, for businesses throughout the UK.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government keeps under review policy approaches involving corporate due diligence, but it currently has no plans to propose cross cutting legislation to regulate corporate accountability and due diligence for human rights and environmental protection. The Government supports voluntary due diligence approaches by UK businesses to these issues, taking account of international frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - 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 collaborative training can be developed between manufacturers, colleges, and other training providers to (1) develop, and (2) roll out, heat pump system training.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Training courses are available for existing heating engineers to learn to install heat pumps and can be completed in one week. Industry groups are confident that there will be enough training capacity to be able to meet demand for heat pump upskilling as heat pump deployment increases.
The Government is also updating the apprenticeship framework for heating and plumbing to ensure this offers the right skills to deliver Net Zero. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is working with an industry group to revise the existing Plumbing and Domestic Heating apprenticeship, and to develop a new Low Carbon Heating Technician apprenticeship.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had about including hybrid heat pumps within the scope of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Hybrid heating systems will not be supported through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme as funding will be directed towards the technologies that offer the greatest carbon savings, rather than those which would continue to involve the burning of fossil fuels for heating. Government will continue to consider the role that gas and electric hybrid systems may play in the longer-term decarbonisation of heat on the gas grid.