Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a cap on the unlimited liability required by UK space launch and satellite operations licensees.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All operator licences issued under the Space industry Act 2018 will contain a limit of operator liability with respect to claims under section 34 and 36 of the Space Industry Act.
The Government intends to calculate launch liability limits using the Modelled Insurance Requirement (MIR) approach. This will tailor the insurance required to the risk and the diverse range of UK launch activities today and anticipated in the future and reduce operator costs in general compared with a fixed limit.
For orbital operations, the limits of operator liability for licences under the Space Industry Act will mirror those for licences issued under the Outer Space Act 1986:
Operators will therefore not be facing unlimited liability for actions carried out in compliance with the Space Industry Act 2018 and licence conditions.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to carry out an impact assessment on low income households on the increase of the OFGEM price cap.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The price cap is revised every 6 months so that it is consistent with the underlying costs of supplying energy to households. Determining efficient costs is inherently challenging, but this is the product of Ofgem’s wide-ranging and in-depth benchmarking exercise. The Government has complete confidence in Ofgem, as the independent regulator of the GB gas and electricity markets, to appropriately execute its expert judgement in this regard. Ofgem estimate that the average household is £75-£100 better off each year than if the price cap was not in place. Consumers on capped tariffs can save even more my shopping around for a cheaper tariff. In addition, the Government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and expanded Warm Home Discount (WHD) schemes will provide at least £4.7 billion of extra support to low-income and vulnerable households between 2022 and 2026.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to ensure mobile phones sold in the UK contain only ethically sourced materials.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government expects all our businesses, including mobile phone suppliers and manufacturers, to behave throughout their operations and supply arrangements in environmentally responsible and ethical ways.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made towards submitting updated Nationally Determined Contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
As incoming COP26 President, the UK is urging all Parties to come forward with more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The UK is working on the same basis and is preparing to come forward with an increased NDC well ahead of COP26.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on support for onshore wind.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I regularly discuss a range of issues with my Right Honourable Friend the Member for Dumfries and Galloway – including our shared delight that through the recent Contracts for Difference round, Scotland will benefit from six new projects, providing 740MWs of renewable electricity capacity, paid for by consumers across the whole of Great Britain.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
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 review the traffic light monitoring system for regulating fracking-induced seismicity.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Traffic Light System for monitoring induced seismicity was introduced after consideration of advice from three scientists, following operations at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in 2011. The level of magnitude 0.5 at which operators must pause operations, was set in consultation with industry as an appropriate precautionary measure. These regulations have been working as intended and there are no plans to review the Traffic Light System.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2018 to Question 203356 on Innovation and Science, and a subsequent Answer of 4 February 2019 to Question 214098, what steps are required to be taken before that report can be published.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Officials are currently working to arrange publication of the Wave 3 Science and Innovation reports and expect an announcement to be made in due course.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2018 to Question 203356 on Innovation and Science, what the reason is for the delay in publication of the third wave of Science and Innovation Audits.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The wave three reports were completed in late summer and the consortia are already using them, for example in helping to develop the Local Industrial Strategies. They will be published in due course.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the planned publication date is of the third wave of the Science and Innovation Audits.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The wave three Science and Innovation Audit (SIA) reports will be published in due course.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department’s policy to compile a risk register for proposed nuclear power stations.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Department develops and maintains risk registers with respect to specific major projects and programmes, including across the nuclear portfolio.