Asked by: Lord Cruddas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they provide to UK businesses so that, in the process of meeting their environmental, social and governance obligations, they are still able to meet their core business objectives.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel
The Government aims to ensure any reporting obligations for companies are proportionate; with benefits that outweigh their costs. This includes reporting on environmental, social and governance matters. The Government is undertaking a review of non-financial reporting with a view to simplifying reporting requirements and reducing unnecessary burdens. It will also ensure that businesses continue to provide necessary transparency on environmental, social and governance matters to investors and other stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Cruddas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they have made of the advantages and disadvantages of environmental, social and governance obligations on UK companies.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel
Reporting on environmental, social and governance matters provides transparency to investors and other stakeholders, improving investment decisions. The Government believes that a mix of voluntary and mandatory reporting provides the right balance between transparency and reducing burdens on companies.
The Government supports the work of the International Sustainability Standards Board, which aims to align sustainability reporting globally, enabling investors to effectively compare investment decisions across markets. The Government is currently undertaking a Review of Non-Financial Reporting in order to reduce business burdens and will shortly consult on the next steps on the review.
Asked by: Lord Cruddas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the UK COVID-19 inquiry will complete; and whether they will put a cap on the (1) time frame, and (2) cost, permitted.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
Under the Inquiries Act 2005, the process, timing and procedure of the Inquiry are decisions for the Inquiry’s independent Chair, Baroness Hallett. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work and she has been clear that she intends to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Asked by: Lord Cruddas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what they are doing to ensure food remains affordable, especially for the most disadvantaged.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
We understand concerns about food price inflation, and its impact on the costs of living. That is why tackling inflation is this Government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year, and we are monitoring all key agricultural commodities so that we can work with the food industry to address the challenges they face.
The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the current exceptionally high cost of living. We continue to support households through our £94bn package, worth £3,300 on average per household this year and last.
The recent high levels of overall inflation have primarily been driven by higher energy prices and pressures on global supply chains and there are further signs those are beginning to ease. May 2023 CPI food price inflation was 18.3%, a decrease compared to April 2023 when it was 19%. This means that food prices are still increasing but at a slower rate than before.
Defra is taking action to maintain an efficient food supply chain by mitigating against any potential burdens or friction which could otherwise drive up consumer food prices. We continue to use regular engagement to work with retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food; for example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures.
Asked by: Lord Cruddas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that food remains affordable in the UK, particularly for those who are most disadvantaged.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
We continue to monitor food prices using the ONS inflation figures. The recent increase in food price inflation is driven by higher utility prices and pressures on global supply chains that are being felt globally. Industry analyst expectations are that we are either at or approaching the food price inflation peak. They then expect food price inflation to gradually decrease over the remainder of 2023.
Defra is taking action to maintain an efficient food supply chain by mitigating against any potential burdens or friction which could otherwise drive-up consumer food prices. Through regular engagement, Defra will continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures. It is not for HM Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies. Rising food prices are dependent on a combination of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs
The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the current exceptionally high cost of living. To protect the most vulnerable from the worst of cost-of-living pressures, the Chancellor recently announced a package of targeted support worth £26 billion, which includes continued support for rising energy bills.
Asked by: Lord Cruddas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the Mayor of London, (2) the London Assembly, and (3) the various London Boroughs, about suspending (a) charged parking bays, (b) the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), and (c) the Congestion Charge, on the days of train strikes to enable people to attend work and appointments more easily.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
While the Department for Transport works closely with Transport for London (TfL) on a range of issues, transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London (MoL) and TfL. This includes decisions on the Ultra Low Emission Zone and the Congestion Charge. Parking policy is also a devolved matter for both TfL and the London boroughs. The public can hold the MoL to account for his decisions, including ULEZ, at the ballot box in 2024.