Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
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 deforestation situation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government welcome the Brazilian government’s recent commitments made at COP26 to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030, formalising the 2050 net-zero pledge and importantly, to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2028. The Government is also pleased to see Brazil’s commitment, as part of the Glasgow Leaders Declaration at COP26, to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. Therefore, the Government is developing a strong cross-government integrated plan that builds on the established partnership HMG has developed with federal and subnational governments in Brazil.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport 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 his Department is taking to help support energy efficiency measures at homes in Newport West constituency.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) requires larger suppliers to deliver energy efficiency and heating measures to achieve bill savings for low income and vulnerable household. In summer 2021 the Government consulted on a successor ECO which will run until 2026, with the value boosted from £640 million to £1 billion a year.
In addition, as outlined in the Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will launch in England and Wales from Spring 2022, and will provide capital grants to support the installation of low carbon heat technologies. Grants of £5,000 will be offered for air source heat pumps and biomass boilers, and £6,000 for ground source heat pumps. Homeowners, small businesses, and private landlords will be eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport 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 he has made of the potential effect on staff health and wellbeing of policies on holiday similar to that offered by FinnCap.
Answered by Paul Scully
Almost all workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks paid holiday a year and employers should do everything reasonably practicable to ensure that they are able to take as much of their leave as possible in the year to which it relates. Employers can offer more holiday than the statutory minimum, which would be agreed as part of individual contracts.
The Government is also exploring additional ways that employers can offer flexibility to workers to balance work and other responsibilities. We are consulting on a series of measures to change the existing legislative framework so that it is more effective at supporting flexible working.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how he travelled to COP26 in Glasgow.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng, travelled by train to COP26.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the £10 million of annual funding provided to NC3Rs has been spent on (a) replacing the use of animals, (b) refining the use of animals and (c) reducing the number of animals used.
Answered by George Freeman
The National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs) works nationally and internationally to drive the uptake of replacement, reduction and refinement of animal use technologies and ensure that advances in them are reflected in policy, practice and regulations on animal research.
As funding is committed to projects that may involve more than one of the 3Rs, it is not possible to provide exact proportions. However, a searchable database with details of every NC3R funded project is available at NC3Rs .
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with manufacturers in Newport West constituency on the rise in energy prices.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials continue to engage constructively with businesses to understand, and to help mitigate the impacts of, high global gas prices. The Government’s priority is to ensure costs are managed and energy supplies maintained.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to help the steel industry to decarbonise.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
In collaboration with the UK Steel Council, we are considering 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..
The Net Zero Strategy sets out how we intend to meet our Carbon Budget 6 ambition of reducing industrial emissions by 63-76% by 2035, compared to the 2019 level. Hydrogen-based steelmaking, Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage, and electrification are some of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process.
We will continue to work with the steel industry regarding its decarbonisation.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
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 effect of recent increases in petrol prices on people in Newport West constituency.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is aware that the increase in petrol price may be difficult for families. Therefore, for the twelfth year in a row, at the Budget, fuel duty was frozen. This has saved the average driver in the Newport West constituency a cumulative £1,900 compared to the pre-2010 escalator.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support he is providing to increase the UK’s green shipbuilding capabilities.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Department is supporting the Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, as well as a range of research and innovation programmes to develop technologies that will have spill-over benefits in various markets, including the shipbuilding sector.
The Department is also supporting several green shipping projects, including hydrogen ferry trials in Orkney and a hydrogen refuelling port on Teesside. Innovate UK is also facilitating the delivery of the Department for Transport’s £20 million Clean Maritime Demonstration Programme to bring forward green propulsion solutions for the maritime sector.
In addition, the Department is working closely with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to ensure that UK shipyards are aware of the organisation’s funded programmes and facilities, so that they have the opportunity to access these.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport 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 introduce a Home shipbuilding credit guarantee scheme to support the development of UK shipbuilding.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Department has consulted upon the reintroduction of a Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme as a potential contribution to a refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy. The case for the scheme is under consideration at the current time and a final decision will be announced in due course.
The Government already offers a range of financial support instruments to businesses through the British Business Bank and through UK Export Finance.