Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that restaurant staff receive 100 per cent of their tips.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill, announced as part of the Queen’s Speech, is a key part of the Government’s commitment to building fairer workplaces for all.
The Government plans to introduce this legislation in the current Parliamentary session, requiring employers to pass on 100 per cent of tips and service charges to their workers. Where employers distribute tips, they will be required to do so fairly and transparently.
We expect over 1 million workers to benefit from this legislation, many of whom earn the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.
Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that executive (a) salaries and (b) bonuses reflect the performance of the companies they run.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The existing legal framework provides full transparency about directors’ remuneration arrangements, including on salaries and bonuses, and gives shareholders a strong say on pay.
Since 2013, the law has required quoted companies to prepare a directors’ remuneration policy. This must set out how the company proposes to pay directors, including every element of remuneration that a director is entitled to and how it supports the company’s long-term strategy and performance. Companies are required to put the remuneration policy to a binding shareholder vote at least once every three years.
Companies must also publish an annual remuneration report showing how the approved pay policy has been implemented, including a single figure for the total pay directors received that year. This report is subject to an annual advisory vote. If the company loses this vote, it is required to put a new remuneration policy to shareholders the following year.
Alongside the legislative requirements, the UK Corporate Governance Code includes principles and provisions setting out how companies should approach executive remuneration, including a principle that executive remuneration should be “aligned to company purpose and values and be clearly linked to the successful delivery of the company’s long-term strategy”. The Financial Conduct Authority’s Listing Rules require companies to make a report in their corporate governance statement to enable shareholders to evaluate how the principles have been applied.
Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
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 it his policy to nationalise British Steel.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Nationalisation would change the ownership of the plant, but not how it operates. It would require the Government to take on the company’s outstanding financial obligations and may not provide the necessary legal security and protection for taxpayers’ investment.
Once nationalised, in line with strict state aid rules for steel, the Government would have to act in the same was as any private owner, thinking principally of making a profit.
Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
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 has taken steps to ensure that the new Smart Export Guarantee scheme will be in place before the Feed-in Tariffs scheme ends.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Feed-in Tariffs scheme will close to new applicants, subject to certain time limited grace periods and extensions, on 31 March 2019.
On 8 January, the Government published a consultation on the future for small-scale low-carbon generation, providing visibility of the proposals for a Smart Export Guarantee. This consultation will close on 5 March; responses will be analysed to inform future policy development, and government will respond in due course.
Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, apart from Hinkley Point, what plans the Government has to construct new nuclear power stations.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
As my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his statement to the House on 17 January, this Government continues to believe that nuclear has a vital role to play in the UK’s energy future as we transition to the low carbon economy, but it must represent good value for taxpayers and consumers. We understand that developers are actively engaged in planning of nuclear power stations at Sizewell C and Bradwell. Discussions with Hitachi in respect of the future of the Wylfa and Oldbury sites are ongoing.
Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
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 that consumers are notified that their energy tariff is ending in time to make preparations to find the cheapest tariff.
Answered by Claire Perry
Ofgem Licence Conditions currently require energy supply companies to provide their customers with a notification, no earlier than 49 days and no later than 42 days before the end of their fixed term contract is due to end.
From 11 February 2019 this rule will be one of many, replaced by principles-based rules on customer communications that will provide flexibility on when notifications can be sent. These principles will require suppliers to send notices before the end of a fixed term deal at a time designed to prompt customers to take action, while also leaving reasonable time for the customer to make an informed choice about the tariff options available.
More information on these changes can be found online at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/final-decision-domestic-supplier-customer-communications-rulebook-reforms.
Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
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 Industrial Strategy for Construction 2025, published in 2013, what progress his Department has made on the introduction of a licensing scheme for building companies to protect consumers from rogue traders.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2nd November to Question 184422. We remain in a dialogue with the industry about this and other issues, as part of our regular discussions with the construction sector.
Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
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 Government’s Industrial Strategy for Construction 2025, published in 2013, whether his Department has made plans to introduce a licensing scheme for building companies to protect consumers from rogue traders.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Construction Sector Deal sets a strategy for improving the competitiveness of the UK construction sector through investing in innovation and skills development, and through improving business practices within the sector. It does not include a commitment to introduce a licensing scheme for the construction sector. We remain is a dialogue with the industry about this and other issues, as part of our regular discussions with the construction sector.
Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
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 effect on productivity of excluding under 25 year olds from receiving the National Living Wage.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
Workers under 25 are entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW), which is designed to ensure younger workers are fairly rewarded, while protecting the employment prospects of those workers. For younger workers, the priority in those years is to secure work and gain experience – something that has always been reflected in the NMW rate structure.
Age-related rates protect younger workers who are more vulnerable in the labour market. For example, between January to March 2018, the unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24 was 12 per cent compared to 3 per cent for those aged 25 and over.
All of the NLW and NMW rates are recommended by the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC). The LPC is carrying out a review of the youth rate structure to see if the current structure best supports their remit. They are due to provide their advice to Government in Spring 2019.
Asked by: Faisal Rashid (Labour - Warrington South)
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 effect of the US’s proposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports on the British steel and aluminium industries.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Total US imports of steel from the UK in 2017 were 351 thousand tonnes with a value of £360m. This represents 5% of UK steel production in 2017, in tonnage. For aluminium, the equivalent figures were nine thousand tonnes with a value of £29m. We are working closely with the steel and aluminium industries to assess the potential impact of these measures.