Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
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 tackle scams related to the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will be working closely with the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) to manage the potential risks of fraud and gaming from the Energy Bill Discount Scheme. The Government is in the process of developing a robust set of fraud detection and prevention levers, which will support the delivery and implementation of the scheme.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of recipients receiving the Warm Homes Discount earlier in the Winter; what discussions he and his official have had with the energy suppliers on the timing of those payments; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Energy suppliers can provide the Warm Home Discounts payments to their customers at any point until the end of March each scheme year, although in many cases it will be paid earlier. The timing of the payment will also depend on how each customer pays for their energy.
While most households will receive their rebate automatically, without having to apply, this approach enables further households to be identified as eligible through manual means and allows energy suppliers time to resolve any issues with the Instructions to Pay. Therefore, the Government has not considered bringing forward the payment deadline.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
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 (a) sustainable and (b) ethical manufacturing businesses in the UK.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government is committed to decarbonising industry in line with our net zero goals, while simultaneously transforming our industrial heartlands by attracting inward investment, future-proofing businesses, and securing high wage, high skill jobs. We are providing around £2 billion of funding to help industry to reduce emissions, save on bills and connect to low carbon infrastructure such as carbon capture technology.
The Government continues to engage with enforcement bodies and industry partners to strengthen our understanding of how to improve ethical work practices across all sectors including manufacturing.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) direct employees, (b) contractors and (c) agency workers who work in his Department and relevant agencies and public bodies receive a wage below that of the (i) UK Real Living Wage outside of Greater London and (ii) London Living Wage inside of Greater London, as determined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Answered by Jane Hunt
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy does not have any direct employees, contractors, agency workers, relevant agencies and public bodies who receive a wage below, as determined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy or Industrial Strategy, if he will implement safeguards to accompany the Energy Bills Support Scheme to ensure that all private rented sector tenants living in properties with a domestic electricity meter receive the £400 support and landlords are unable to withhold it.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government expect landlords with a domestic electricity connection where tenants’ energy costs are included in their rental charges, to ensure that the £400 reduction is passed on to tenants. The Government held a technical consultation on the Energy Bills Support Scheme from 11 April to 23 May. The responses to this consultation are being analysed and a response will be published later in the summer.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of loans made under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme to directors that have subsequently been disqualified or made subject to bankruptcy undertakings as a result of bounce-back loan misuse; and what the value of those loans is.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Insolvency Service has secured 159 disqualifications of company directors as a result of COVID-19 financial support scheme abuse.
The Insolvency Service publishes official statistics online of its enforcement outcomes.
Our official statistics do not currently include bankruptcy restriction undertakings with regards to the Bounce Back Loan scheme.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies that received Bounce Back loans were set up after March 2020.
Answered by Paul Scully
As of 22 February 2022, Cabinet Office analysis has identified 3,761 loans as having been issued to companies incorporated after 1 March 2020. Businesses had to be established on or before 1 March 2020 to be eligible. However, some businesses may have been carrying out business before 1 March 2020 as sole traders and partnerships, and chose to incorporate subsequently. A legitimate business which changed its legal form in this way was still eligible for the scheme.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of coronavirus bounce back loans from each lender have been identified as fraudulent.
Answered by Paul Scully
It is not possible to confirm the proportion of Bounce Back Loans from each lender that have been identified as fraudulent.
Lenders are able to flag individual loans as suspected fraud, however this does not necessarily indicate that a fraud has taken place, as this is ultimately determined by the Courts.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of companies that received Coronavirus Bounce Back Loans were issued to companies that had been created by company formation agents.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department do not hold this information.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
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 adequacy of the regulation and supervision of the British Business Bank.
Answered by Paul Scully
The British Business Bank (BBB) is a company of which the Secretary of State is the sole shareholder. The directors of the company are responsible for supervising its activities as set out in the Companies Act. A Shareholder Framework Document governs the relationship between the shareholder and the BBB. This includes provision for a shareholder representative on the board.
The BBB is not (and has never been) a regulated bank, given its wholesale model, i.e. ordinarily delivering through delivery partners (c.130), with no direct relationship with SME borrowers. These delivery partners are typically regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and, in the case of banks, the Prudential Regulation Authority. The BBB itself does not carry out regulated activities.