Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 6 August 2020 (HL7418), (1) whether they are on track to increase public spending on research and development to £22 billion per year by 2024/25; and if not (2) why not, and (3) how they intend to increase spending on research and development to reach the OECD average for gross domestic expenditure on research and development by 2027.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
At the Spending Review 2021 (SR21), my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the Government’s plan to cement the UK as a global science and technology superpower, with public spending on R&D rising to £20 billion in 2024/25, an increase of around a quarter in real terms over the SR period. This settlement will make significant progress towards the government’s ambition to increase R&D spending to £22 billion by 2026-27, and drive economy-wide R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP in 2027, with over £5 billion of additional annual investment per year by 2024/25.
This settlement represents a significant uplift against one of the most challenging fiscal positions of the last century and provides certainty to our R&D partners of government plans for the next three years. This will help the whole R&D sector plan ahead, which will be particularly welcome given recent fiscal challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Private investment forms over two-thirds of current R&D activity, so it is only by working with innovative businesses and funders from the private sector that we will reach our goal. The Innovation Strategy sets out how we will use enablers such as procurement, regulation, and the identification of key technologies to create the conditions for private sector investment in innovation across the country.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (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 national gas storage capacity as a percentage of annual national domestic demand; whether they consider current capacty to be sufficient; and what plans they have, if any, to increase gas storage capacity.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A strength of the UK is that the Government have a diverse gas supply which prevents over-reliance on natural gas storage which instead plays an important role in providing system flexibility.
Its exposure to global gas prices underscores the importance of its plan to build a strong, home-grown renewable energy sector to reduce further its reliance on fossil fuels. This is why the Government outlined measures to transition to more nuclear and renewable electricity for the future whilst acknowledging the role gas will play in the future for essential security of supply.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme have been (1) received, and (2) approved, since they were introduced.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) was introduced by the Government in March 2020 to provide financial support to smaller businesses across the UK that were losing revenue as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As of 31 May 2021, 251,342 applications had been submitted to approved CBILS lenders, of which 109,877 were successfully approved. Decision-making on whether a business was eligible for CBILS was fully delegated to the accredited lenders.
CBILS closed for new applications on 31 March 2021.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many companies have defaulted on the instalment repayments Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) so far; what is the value of loan repayments remaining overdue; and how many small and medium sized businesses are currently overdue on CIBILS repayments.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Many borrowers have begun to repay their Covid-19 Government facilities. Many have also taken advantage of the Government’s amendments to loan scheme rules which have provided businesses greater flexibility and space to start repayments.
For those who borrowed under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), the Government has taken action to allow lenders to extend the term of CBILS loans up to a maximum of ten years where they assess that borrowers are in difficulty and will benefit from the extension.
Information related to loan repayments for the Government’s Covid-19 loan schemes will be included in the Department’s 2020-21 Annual Report and Accounts, to be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which villages they have identified as suitable for whole village trials of hydrogen heating; and when they will announce which villages will be taking part in the trials.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Government is supporting industry to deliver community trials of 100% hydrogen heating. The first trial will be a neighbourhood trial in Levenmouth, Fife, which is due to start in 2023.
BEIS and Ofgem have also invited Gas Network Operators to submit outline proposals for a larger village trial by December 2021. The Government is expecting that one or more of these proposals will require detailed planning during 2022, before location selection in 2023. Government’s intention is that the village trial will begin by 2025.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (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 effect of the increase in energy prices on the UK's manufacturing base; and what plans they have, if any, to assist industries to meet these additional costs.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is determined to secure a competitive future for our energy intensive industries and in recent years have provided them with extensive support, including more than £2bn to help with the costs of electricity and to protect jobs.
This includes electricity price relief schemes for eligible energy intensive industries in sectors such as steel, chemicals, cement, ceramics, paper and glass.
Various funds are in place to support businesses with high energy use to cut their bills and reduce their carbon emissions, including the £315m Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many grants have been awarded through the Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation to (1) owner occupiers, and (2) tenants in rented accommodation.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation falls under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). The current scheme is an obligation on larger energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency and heating measures in the homes of low-income and vulnerable and fuel poor householders.
Since ECO began in 2013, around 935,0000 homes have been upgraded under the Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation. Of those, over 664,000 were owner occupiers; 193,000 were private rented tenants and almost 78,000 were social rented tenants.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many grants have been awarded through the Local Authority Flex scheme to (1) owner occupiers, and (2) tenants in rented accommodation.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Local Authority Flex scheme enables participating local authorities to refer low-income and vulnerable and fuel poor households, for support under the Energy Company Obligation.
Since Local Authority Flex began in 2017, almost 168,000 measures have been delivered in over 100,000 homes under the scheme across Great Britain, up to July 2021. Local Authority Flex scheme data is not available by tenure.