Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
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 reasons for the increase in petrol and diesel prices over the last six months.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department’s analysis shows that changes in retail prices of petroleum products, such as petrol and diesel, are primarily driven by changes in global market prices for crude oil and exchange rates.
Recognising that fuel is a major cost for households and businesses, the Government has kept fuel duty frozen. This is the twelfth consecutive freeze saving the average UK car driver a cumulative £1,900, compared to the plans the previous Government set out in 2010.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the ban on the sale of halogen lightbulbs that came into effect on 1 September 2021, whether that ban extends to the sale of halogen bulbs for ovens containing specialist compact halogen bulbs with a G9 fitting.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
New ecodesign and energy labelling requirements for lighting products came into force in Great Britain on 1st October 2021; equivalent regulations came into force in Northern Ireland on 1st September.
There are limited exemptions built into the regulations in order to ensure that certain lighting technologies remain viable whilst the market for lighting products achieves higher levels of energy efficiency. These exemptions include G9 halogen light sources intended for use in high temperature applications such as ovens, provided that these light sources also meet further conditions which are set out in Schedule 4 of The Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Lighting Products) Regulations 2021.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
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 confirm that, as a core participant, Paula Vennells' cost of legal representation in relation to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry has not been covered by the public purse under Section 40 of the Inquiry Act 2005.
Answered by Paul Scully
In the progress update published in September, Sir Wyn Williams clearly outlines his approach towards legal representation and funding for Core Participants.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether (a) the Post Office, (b) Fujitsu, (c) his Department and (d) UKGI has refused any batch requests for documents from the Inquiry Team of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.
Answered by Paul Scully
Sir Wyn Williams made it clear in his Statement of 19 May that all parties whose decision-making is under the spotlight are cooperating fully with the Inquiry.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
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 whether core participants to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry have the right to refuse to give evidence.
Answered by Paul Scully
As the Inquiry is now statutory, the Chair has the power to compel all witnesses to give evidence if necessary.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
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 compatibility of the sale of over half of the value of Cobham by the US private equity firm, Advent, and the agreement between the Government and Advent.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has worked with Advent to monitor compliance with the undertakings given at the time of their acquisition of Cobham, including commitments to give advanced notice of plans to sell parts of the business.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, from which country and location in that country each boat in the service of the Met Office was procured from.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Met Office does not own any seagoing vessels. It works with partners to gather observations of meteorological and oceanographic conditions from third party voluntary observing ships, buoys or light vessels, both nationally and internationally, in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, from which country and location in that country each boat in the service of the Oil and Gas Authority was procured from.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Oil and Gas Authority does not have any boats in its service at this point in time.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
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 steps required to ensure that intellectual property previously held by Cobham will remain in the UK.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Intellectual property previously held by Cobham within the UK has transferred to new ownership following Advent International’s sale of Cobham’s UK businesses.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has met with the new owners to secure assurances on their continued investment in the UK businesses and security controls remain in place under the new owners to protect security sensitive information.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
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 24 June 2021 to Question 19503 on Post Office: ICT, what the average payment has been to sub-postmasters through the Historic Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Paul Scully
Some 400 early payments have been made in respect of lower value claims from the Historical Shortfall Scheme. Since these are not representative of the scheme as a whole average data is not yet available. I have asked Post Office Limited to consider options for the publication of headline scheme data.