Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working with partners to introduce a Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme, which is now in the final stages of development.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the change in the level of collaborative scientific funding for UK organisations if the UK does not participate in the Horizon Europe programme, and (2) reports that the UK is losing out on £100 million as a result of not participating; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for any reduction in funding.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK stands ready to formalise our association to EU programmes at the earliest opportunity but the EU are not honouring commitments made when the TCA was agreed.
Spending Review 21 confirmed that if we are unable to associate to Horizon Europe, the funding allocated will go to other UK Government-funded R&D programmes, including those to support international partnerships.
The Government is providing the fastest ever sustained uplift in R&D funding, reaching £20 billion per annum by the end of the SR period – £5 billion more than 2021/2022 with HM Treasury committed to £22 billion in 2026/2027 as part of our commitment to the target of UK economy-wide R&D investment reaching 2.4% of GDP by 2027.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the research and innovation budget is allocated to support the maritime sector in the financial years (1) 2022–23, and (2) 2023–24.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI’s) detailed three-year budget allocations were confirmed in March, setting out how UKRI will invest £25 billion in world-class research and innovation, including £206 million in new funding for development of clean maritime technologies in 2022/23 to 2024/25. The breakdown of allocations within each UKRI Council are still to be set.
Additionally, as part of their wider research programmes, the Met Office carries out research to develop ocean forecasts, which underpins operational services provided to support the maritime sector. Funding for this is in the order of £1.5 million per annum in 2022/23 and 2023/24.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a ban on new fossil fuel developments in order to combat climate change; and if not, what are the reasons for this decision.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Oil and gas will play an important, yet smaller, role in meeting UK energy demand in the transition to net zero. The Government will introduce a climate compatibility checkpoint, which will be used to inform decisions on future licensing rounds, in keeping with the UK’s climate goals.
Coal mining in the UK has been in long term decline reflecting falling domestic demand. There are only a handful of operational mines remaining in the UK. The Government has committed to phase-out coal power by 2024 – a year earlier than previously planned.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether their policies of (1) fracking, (2) reducing fuel duty, and (3) coal extraction, are compliant with their commitments at the COP26 conference.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The COP26 Summit and the Glasgow Climate Pact demonstrated global agreement to accelerate action on climate change with over 90% of the world’s economy covered by net zero targets.
Domestically, the Government has achieved a lot on its road to net zero already. Since 1990 the UK has almost halved its greenhouse gas emissions. Between 1990 and 2019, the economy has grown by 78% and emissions have been cut by 44%, decarbonising faster than any other G7 country.
The Net Zero Strategy provides a policy framework that paves the way to meet the UK’s legislated Carbon Budgets and Nationally Determined Contribution, cutting emissions by at least 68% by 2030 on 1990 levels, and reaching net zero by 2050.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK scientists are working on (1) the James Webb Space Telescope, and (2) the Extremely Large Telescope European project under construction in Chile.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s role in James Webb Space Telescope, leading the Mid-Infrared Instrument known as MIRI, involved scientists, engineers, researchers and technicians from 46 organisations across the UK – supported by approximately £20M investment from UK Space Agency and the Science and Technology Facilities Council. At its peak, the instrument’s development programme was staffed by 25-30 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) per year. Approximately 360 UK scientists will be working with JWST scientific data following its launch in November 2021, through privilege access programmes for the first mission data, and guest observer programmes. When factoring in post docs and PhD students, who will support this research, this figure can be expected to effectively double.
We expect that when operational 200-400 UK researchers will seek time on the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) to support their science programmes. During the current construction phase a large proportion of UK scientists are working under commercial contract and we do not have access to staffing within those. When it starts operating in late-2020s, UK scientists will be able to use ELT to study the earliest evolution of stars and galaxies and to characterise and image other planets, possibly like our own.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any increase in labour costs as a result of shortages of skilled workers in their cost predictions for the construction of large-scale infrastructure projects.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 1 January 2021, the UK implemented a points-based immigration system that treats EU and non-EU citizens equally. The Government has introduced greater flexibility for businesses and migrants, while supporting the economic need of the country. A Skilled Worker visa route is open to all nationals who wish to come to the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. A range of skilled occupations in construction are included in the list of eligible occupations.
The Government is supporting the construction sector in its drive to increase investment in skills development, and to equip workers with the skills that they will need for the future. On 1 June 2020, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) published its Industry Recovery Plan. Employment and skills in the construction sector are identified as a priority, and a focus of the ‘Restart’ phase of the Plan is to maximise employment opportunities.
The Government has welcomed the Plan and is collaborating with the CLC and industry to ensure that the proposals are implemented.
The Government has been making strong progress against the ambition to build at least 1 million new homes in England by the end of this Parliament. Last year alone, around 244,000 homes were delivered – the highest number of new homes for over 30 years, and the seventh consecutive year that net supply has increased.
We have not assessed the specific issues set out in these questions.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - 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 staff shortages on (1) the construction of HS2, (2) the construction of Hinckley Point C, and (3) their housing targets, as a result of construction workers leaving the UK ahead of the EU Settlement Scheme deadline on 30 June.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 1 January 2021, the UK implemented a points-based immigration system that treats EU and non-EU citizens equally. The Government has introduced greater flexibility for businesses and migrants, while supporting the economic need of the country. A Skilled Worker visa route is open to all nationals who wish to come to the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. A range of skilled occupations in construction are included in the list of eligible occupations.
The Government is supporting the construction sector in its drive to increase investment in skills development, and to equip workers with the skills that they will need for the future. On 1 June 2020, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) published its Industry Recovery Plan. Employment and skills in the construction sector are identified as a priority, and a focus of the ‘Restart’ phase of the Plan is to maximise employment opportunities.
The Government has welcomed the Plan and is collaborating with the CLC and industry to ensure that the proposals are implemented.
The Government has been making strong progress against the ambition to build at least 1 million new homes in England by the end of this Parliament. Last year alone, around 244,000 homes were delivered – the highest number of new homes for over 30 years, and the seventh consecutive year that net supply has increased.
We have not assessed the specific issues set out in these questions.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce (1) the production, and (2) the use, of plastic in the United Kingdom
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We have a strong manufacturing base in the UK with the rubber & plastics industry employing over 160,000 people. The UK Government continues to support UK businesses whilst tackling our priority to reduce plastic waste in line with our net zero ambitions.
The Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. In 2018 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published our Resources and Waste Strategy, which sets out how to achieve this, move towards a circular economy and keep resources in the system for longer. Resource efficiency measures introduced by Defra have included the single-use carrier bag charge, which recently increased to 10p and extended to all retailers; and the ban of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
The Environment Bill will enable us to significantly change the way that we manage our waste and will include powers to create Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes such as a scheme for packaging meaning that producers will pay the full costs of dealing with the waste packaging that they produce; introduce Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) such as a scheme for single use drinks containers which will include those made from glass, plastic and metal; and give us the power to set new charges for other single-use plastic items.
The Government has put together a package of £100 million for research and innovation to tackle the issues that arise from plastic waste. £38 million has been set aside through the Plastics Research and Innovation Fund and the Resource Action Fund including £10 million specifically to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter. The Government has also announced £60 million of funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, alongside a £149 million investment from industry, to drive research and innovation to develop more smart, sustainable plastic packaging.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have the power to issue deep sea mining licences in UK Overseas Territories’ waters; and if so, whether they plan to issue any such licences.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Deep Sea Mining Act 1981 (as amended by the Deep Sea Mining Act 2014) sets out the Government’s powers in relation to issuing deep sea mining licences, including the relationship with contracts granted by the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
The 1981 Act (as amended) extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but may be extended by Order in Council to the Channel Islands, Isle of Man or any British overseas territory. To date, no such Order in Council or Statutory Instrument has been taken forward, and there are no current plans to do so.