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Written Question
Energy Bills Rebate: Meters
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps is he taking to address energy companies that are failing to deliver Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers to traditional prepayment meter customers in a timely manner.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

On 4th December, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all energy suppliers with customers on traditional prepayment meters. He reiterated the importance of ensuring these customers receive their vouchers and, where needed, receive prompt service and accurate information from supplier call centres. Data for October indicates that all vouchers were dispatched by suppliers.


Written Question
Business: Electricity
Monday 17th October 2022

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking steps to ensure the availability of new electricity connections for businesses.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

New electricity connections are delivered by network companies under a regulatory framework overseen by the energy regulator, Ofgem. Ofgem is ensuring that network companies are releasing capacity and accelerating connection timescales for businesses across Great Britain, including through improved modelling of network impacts of new connections, streamlining connection procedures and procuring flexible services.


Written Question
Flexible Working
Monday 29th November 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

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 strengthening employees' rights to flexible working from the start of employment.

Answered by Paul Scully

The Government is currently consulting on measures that would increase the availability and support the uptake of flexible working arrangements, including whether to extend the right to request flexible working to employees from their first day of employment. The consultation closes on 1 December 2021 and the Government will issue its response in due course.


Written Question
Clean Steel Fund
Wednesday 20th October 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide a timescale for the allocation of funding under the Clean Steel Fund.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

In its response to the Call for Evidence on the Clean Steel Fund, the steel industry indicated a preference for the Fund to start in 2023.

The Government recognises the vital role that the sector plays in all areas of the UK and our economy and will continue to work with the sector to support its decarbonisation. The Department announced the Clean Steel Fund in 2019 and a number of options have been explored, together with ongoing feedback from industry.

In March 2021, the Government published the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy in which we committed to working with the Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035 and the business environment necessary to support the transition. We will provide further information in due course.


Written Question
Iron and Steel: Energy Supply
Wednesday 20th October 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his Answer of 22 September 2021 to Question 51016, how much funding from the public purse has been diverted through relief schemes to the steel sector to help reduce the effect of recent energy price increases on that sector.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The value of the schemes was £122m in 2020.


Written Question
Iron and Steel: Foreign Investment in UK
Monday 27th September 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage inward investment into the UK’s steel sector to aid the transition to net zero carbon emissions.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The Government recognises the importance of the UK steel sector as a foundation industry and the role it plays in the supply chain for other important advanced manufacturing sectors in the UK, as well as for direct and indirect jobs across the country.

Decarbonising the sector is a core part of the Government’s plans to meet its stated carbon emission reduction targets, for supporting local economic growth and for our levelling up agenda.

The Steel Council was reconstituted in March 2021. This forum offers the Government and industry the opportunity to work towards creating an achievable, long-term plan to support the sector’s transition to a competitive, sustainable, and low carbon future.

The Government has announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK’s steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through new technologies and processes, placing the sector on a pathway consistent with the UK Climate Change Act. Our expectation is that the Fund will provide a proportion of the investment for projects, with the rest funded by industry.


Written Question
Energy Supply: Prices
Wednesday 22nd September 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce the UK’s industrial energy prices.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive. We deliver relief schemes to reduce the cumulative impact of some energy and climate change policies on UK’s industrial energy prices for eligible energy intensive industries, such as steel, chemicals, and glass manufacturing.


Written Question
Minimum Wage: Enforcement
Monday 12th July 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

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 bring forward legislative proposals to create a single enforcement body for the enforcement of the national minimum wage.

Answered by Paul Scully

HM Revenue and Customs already effectively enforces the minimum wage. Since 2015, HMRC has ordered employers to return £100m to 1 million workers who had been underpaid.

The Government have been unequivocal in our commitment to protect and enhance workers’ rights as build back better from the pandemic and to bring forward legislative proposals to better protect vulnerable workers and create a level playing-field for the majority of employers complying with the law.

As laid out in our manifesto, legislating to establish a Single Enforcement Body for employment rights will be a central part of our efforts to achieve this ambition.

We have already made good progress on this by publishing our response to the consultation, which sets out high level proposals for the body. As laid out in our response, this new single enforcement body will bring together three existing bodies: the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and HMRC’s National Minimum Wage Enforcement.

We will bring forward further detailed proposals in due course, and in the meantime continue to work with stakeholders to take necessary action to support businesses and protect jobs.


Written Question
Director of Labour Market Enforcement
Tuesday 15th June 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on the appointment of a new Director of Labour Market Enforcement.

Answered by Paul Scully

Cracking down on non-compliance in the Labour Market is a priority for the Government and a new Director for Labour Market Enforcement will be appointed as soon as possible. Recruitment for the role is ongoing and a successful candidate will be announced in due course.

The temporary vacancy has no impact on workers’ rights. The three enforcement bodies themselves are responsible for their overall work and enforcement responsibilities. They will continue to work hard to protect workers and bring enforcement action against employers who break the rules.


Written Question

Question Link

Monday 17th May 2021

Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to take steps to encourage international students to complete their PhD in the UK.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We want to attract and retain the most highly skilled, globally mobile talent from around the world, and ensure the UK is a top destination for scientists, researchers and innovators.

The UK has a world-leading research base: with less than 1% the world’s population, the UK accounts for more than 3% of researchers, 7% per cent of the world’s academic publications, and 14% of the world’s most highly-cited academic publications.

In order to encourage international PhD students to study in the UK, UKRI has increased the overall proportion of UKRI studentships available to international students from Academic Year 2021/22. All students would receive a full award, to include a stipend and fees at the home level.

The new Student route was launched by Government on 5th October as part of the UK's new points-based immigration system, streamlining the immigration process for international students. Furthermore, from summer 2021, the new Graduate route will enable students who have completed a PhD to remain in the UK after graduation to stay and work, or look for work, for up to three years. Students who have successfully completed undergraduate and master’s degrees will be able to stay for a further two years after study.

The Government has implemented a number of concessions to assist visa holders in the UK who have been impacted by global travel and health restrictions. This has included offering extensions of visas for those whose leave has expired, and relaxing the rules on switching in the UK, as well as extending the deadline by which international students need to be in the UK to be eligible to apply for the Graduate route.