Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government why they have changed the proposed method for distributing energy support payments to people in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Full details of the scheme, including how and when customers will receive the support, will be published as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the Subsidy Control Bill and its implications for Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Government has been engaging regularly with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Subsidy Control Bill, at official and ministerial level. BEIS officials have met with Northern Ireland Executive officials 23 times since September 2020. BEIS Ministers have also met with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers 6 times since September 2020. The primary purpose of these discussions has been to discuss the detail of the Subsidy Control Bill, and to invite feedback from Northern Ireland Executive Ministers and officials. We are committed to continuing our close engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive, including as the Bill passes through Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of support available to parents who have to return to work while their premature and sick babies remain in neonatal or intensive care.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recently conducted a short, focussed internal review of the provisions for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies for the purpose of providing advice to Minsters.
We are currently exploring a range of policy options for providing further support to parents in this position, recognising that the UK entitlement to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave among the most generous maternity rights in the world.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with officials of the devolved administration in Northern Ireland on the (a) shortage of carbon dioxide supplies and (b) effects of that shortage on the agri-food industry in that country.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government recognises the importance of the industrial gases sector, including the CO2-providing subsector. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has continued to monitor the shortage and Ministers and officials have been in regular contact with producers and suppliers throughout the process. We have been assured by producers of CO2 that production and supply levels are now returning to normal.
Officials in the Department talked regularly to counterparts in departments whose sectors were affected by the recent carbon dioxide shortage, and cross-Whitehall discussions on the shortage were open to any affected department or agency and the Devolved Administrations. DEFRA officials were also in contact with the Devolved Administrations to update them on developments. In particular, DEFRA regularly convened the Food Chain Emergency Liaison Group (FCELG), which all the Devolved Administrations are members of, to gather intelligence about the impacts of the carbon dioxide shortage across the UK food supply chain.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment has been made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on fuel security in power stations in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Claire Perry
Fuel security in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and the Department for the Economy is the lead Northern Ireland Department for energy matters.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much each country of the UK received from the European Social Fund in each year since 2012.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
Funding for European Structural Fund programmes, including the European Social Fund (ESF), are set as part of the EU’s multiannual financial framework (MFF), The ESF allocations to the UK, excluding any Youth Employment Initiative funding, for the 2014-20 MFF are as follows:
| 2014 (€) | 2015 (€) | 2016 (€) | 2017 (€) | 2018 (€) | 2019 (€) | 2020 (€) | TOTAL (2014-20) (€) |
England | - | 899,042,788 | 463,063,745 | 476,653,947 | 486,192,813 | 495,922,545 | 505,845,912 | 3,326,721,750 |
Scotland | 56,201,749 | 57,326,918 | 58,474,453 | 60,082,304 | 61,284,704 | 62,511,128 | 63,761,984 | 419,643,240 |
Wales | 135,265,834 | 137,973,881 | 140,735,757 | 144,089,622 | 146,973,230 | 149,914,450 | 152,914,266 | 1,007,867,040 |
Northern Ireland | 27,621,127 | 28,174,107 | 28,738,079 | 30,580,991 | 31,192,982 | 31,817,200 | 32,453,855 | 210,578,341 |
Gibraltar | - | 1,315,551 | 677,820 | 690,861 | 704,868 | 718,875 | 733,367 | 4,841,342 |
These figures include EU funding available to support projects and programme administration, and the performance reserve, and does not include any non-EU co-financing. Each country of the UK has its own operational programme setting out the objectives and focus of ESF expenditure.
ESF managing authorities will hold data on the 2007-13 programmes. The managing authorities for the ESF programmes in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar are the Devolved Administrations and HM Government of Gibraltar respectively. In England, where the Department for Work and Pensions is the managing authority, the allocations of ESF funding were:
| 2012 (€) | 2013 (€) |
England | 410,923,902 | 427,344,776 |
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many successful applicants to the European Social Fund left the programme early in each region of the UK in the latest period for which information is available.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
European Social Fund (ESF) programmes are administered in the UK by designated managing authorities. These are the Department for Work and Pensions for England, and the Devolved Administrations and HM Government of Gibraltar outside of England.
To date managing authorities have had the following number of applicants withdraw from 2014-20 ESF projects before completion:
| Number of applicants who withdrew from projects before completion |
England | 3 |
Wales | 0 |
Scotland | 3 |
Northern Ireland | 5 |
Gibraltar | 0 |
The above figures refer to applicants for funding who are managing ESF projects, rather than individual participants in individual projects.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of guaranteeing funding for UK Projects of Common Interest established under the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government guarantee to underwrite the payment of Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) energy grant awards is intended to apply where UK project promoters have been accorded ‘Project of Common Interest’ (PCI) status for their projects under provisions in the Trans-European Networks Energy (TEN-E) regulation, have subsequently applied for and been awarded grants under the linked CEF regulation, but where no satisfactory arrangement has been made on exit as to how to manage outstanding awards. This approach mitigates the risk that these projects do not go ahead because of lack of funding. The majority of the projects in receipt of awards so far are joint electricity interconnector projects with other Member States and will contribute significantly to the UK’s future security of electricity supply.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the ten largest global markets are for UK energy (a) exports and (b) imports.
Answered by Claire Perry
In 2016, the ten largest global markets for UK energy (that is volumes traded of: coal, primary oils and oil products, gas, electricity and renewables) were:
Rank | EXPORTS | IMPORTS |
1 | The Netherlands | Norway |
2 | Belgium | The Netherlands |
3 | Germany | Russia |
4 | United States | Qatar |
5 | China | United States |
6 | Irish Republic | Belgium |
7 | France | Nigeria |
8 | South Korea | Algeria |
9 | Spain | Saudi Arabia |
10 | Canada | Sweden |
Data sources:
Data from Digest of UK Energy Statistics and HM Revenue and Customs.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to support manufacturing in each of the countries and regions of the UK through the Industrial Strategy.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Through our Industrial Strategy, we continue to take actions to boost manufacturing growth, across all parts of the UK.
We are investing in innovation, in support for key economic clusters and in physical and digital infrastructure throughout the United Kingdom, including projects in partnership and in collaboration with Devolved Nations. We will ensure that every action we take impacts all four nations whilst respecting the devolution settlement and responsibilities and priorities of Devolved Administrations.
We will increase the National Productivity Investment Fund from £8 billion to £31billion and extend it to 2022-23. We are launching an action plan to unlock over £20 billion of patient capital investment to finance growth in innovative firms over 10 years, including a new £2.5bn Investment Fund for SMEs in the British Business Bank. We are increasing R&D tax credits for large businesses from 11% to 12% from January 2018, as part of the drive to increase R&D investment to 2.4% by 2027.
A further £725m will be invested in the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund across the UK to respond to some of the greatest global challenges and opportunities and support sector productivity. This is in addition to the £246 million that will be invested for the Faraday Battery Challenge to ensure the UK leads the world in the design, development and manufacture of batteries for the electrification of vehicles and £197 million for the manufacture of medicines that will speed up patient access to new drugs and treatments. We will continue to support the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, in which we have invested £300 million over the past 5 years, to support commercialisation of the innovation of new technologies that will be crucial to UK manufacturing success.
We are working with industry to develop strong Manufacturing Sector Deals to boost productivity and competitiveness, including through Automotive and Made Smarter. We will also agree local industrial strategies that build on local strengths and deliver on economic opportunities. As part of these local industrial strategies, we are launching a new competitive £115m Strength in Places Fund to support areas to build on their science and innovation strengths and develop stronger local networks and collaboration between universities, research organisations, LEPs and relevant agencies.