Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a UK steel innovation fund using industry funding returned from the EU Research Fund for Coal and Steel following the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government recognises the importance of research and development in helping to transform the steel sector as part of the cleaner, greener economy being developed in the UK.
Our ongoing support for the sector’s low-carbon development includes access to over £1 billion in competitive funding to support industry with energy efficiency, decarbonisation, low carbon infrastructure and research and development. This is in addition to the £780m we have provided the steel sector since 2013 to help with energy costs.
The Government will continue to work with the sector to support their long-term transition.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households were switched to prepayment by their energy supplier (a) under warrant and (b) via smart meter in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2021 and (d) 2022 to date.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The independent regulator Ofgem collects data on prepayment meters (PPM) and has provided this information.
| PPMs installed for debt on a warrant visit - Elec | PPMs installed for debt on a warrant visit - Gas |
2019 | 34,047 | 33,050 |
2020 | 11,265 | 9,485 |
2021 | 27,754 | 21,798 |
| Smart - Number remotely switched credit to PPM (debt or not debt) - Elec | Smart - Number remotely switched credit to PPM (debt or not debt) - Gas |
2019 | 65,565 | 36,194 |
2020 | 56,488 | 38,899 |
2021 | 108,012 | 152,118 |
Up to 30/06/2022 | 74,637 | 49,426 |
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps their Department is taking to reduce the time taken to respond to (a) written parliamentary questions and (b) correspondence from Members of Parliament.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department is committed to responding to Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and correspondence in a timely manner. Between May and July inclusive, on average over 95% of PQs and 81% of enquiries from Members of Parliament were answered on time by BEIS, exceeding its departmental performance standard.
To complement the work of the Parliamentary Capability Team, the department also runs tailored training sessions for BEIS staff specific to PQs to improve the quality and timeliness of our responses.
For correspondence, it has improved the efficiency of the end-to-end correspondence process and is exploring other initiatives, such as digital solutions.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government’s decision to lift the ban on fracking will also apply to land within National Parks.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Restrictions set out in the Onshore Hydraulic Fracturing Regulations 2015 and in licence conditions ensure that shale gas extraction will not be permitted in wells drilled from National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Specific Scientific Interest.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
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 financial impact of changes to the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount on people with disabilities who do not claim means-tested benefits.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Previously, households not in receipt of means-tested benefits would only be eligible for a Warm Home Discount rebate, if their energy suppliers set additional criteria for the Broader Group.
The Government has reformed the scheme in England and Wales from this winter. Households in receipt of means-tested benefits with high energy costs based on certain characteristics of their property will be eligible for the rebate. Around 62% of Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance recipients receive a means-tested benefit. Introducing non-means-tested benefits into the eligibility criteria would mean that many households on lower incomes would be disadvantaged.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to finalise and the eligibility statement for the 2022-2023 Warm Home Discount.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government consulted on a draft Eligibility Statement for the Warm Home Discount scheme for England and Wales over the summer. The Government is reviewing responses and will publish the final Eligibility Statement in due course.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
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 publish the Government’s consultation on the reduction of indirect costs to industry as a result of the Renewables Obligation as outlined in the Energy Security Strategy in April 2022.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government intends to consult on the related EII exemption scheme shortly. This scheme provides exemption from a significant portion of Contract for Differences (CfD), Renewables Obligation (RO), and Feed-in Tariff (FiT) costs.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of increases in gas and electricity standing charges on (a) single person households and (b) low-income households.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The standing charge is a fixed charge that suppliers pass on to their customers to cover the cost of providing a live supply. The standing charge is passed on to consumers as a flat rate per day, rather than as a percentage charge, based on how much energy they use.
The Government has announced a package of help for consumers, including a £400 grant to domestic electricity customers’ bills as well as further payments targeted specifically at households on benefits, pensioner households and the disabled.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate access for scientists who wish to access the £50 million funding for motor neurone disease research announced in November 2021.
Answered by George Freeman
The committed funding can be accessed through applications to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). We are working closely with DHSC, NIHR and UKRI to support the MND research community in submitting high quality applications to access funding. NIHR and Medical Research Council (part of UKRI) are also delivering a new £4.25 million partnership, co-funded by government and charity partners, to bring together the MND research community to coordinate research efforts, and develop programmes and proposals to boost access to research funds.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of calls to maintain British Summer Time throughout the calendar year.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has no plans to change the daylight-saving arrangements. The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK.