Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 ensure that Companies House is tackling the setting up of fraudulent companies; and whether he has plans to bring forward corporate transparency and registry changes to Companies House's procedures.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill was introduced in the House of Commons in September and is currently in Commons Committee stage. It contains measures to bear down on the use of UK companies and other corporate structures as vehicles for economic crime, including fraud.
The Bill will, among other things, introduce identity verification for people who manage and control companies registered at Companies House. It will also give Companies House new powers to check, challenge and decline dubious information on the Register – ensuring that any fraudulent appointments or addresses can be struck off more easily
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 support UK-based engineering companies in developing Small Modular Nuclear reactors.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is providing £210m of funding for Rolls-Royce SMR, which will be matched by industry. Rolls-Royce SMR is the largest engineering collaboration the UK has seen and the UK is working towards maximising British content, creating new intellectual property, reinvigorating supply chains and positioning our country as a global leader in innovative nuclear technologies.
The application window for the £120million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund opened on the 2nd of September. This fund will provide targeted support to potential new and advanced nuclear projects seeking to enter the UK nuclear market and will be open to all nuclear fission technologies.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support is being provided to households and non-domestic users who rely on biomass energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) will provide a one-off payment of £100 to households that use alternative fuels for heating, such as biomass energy, instead of mains gas. The Government has said that it will provide equivalent support to non-domestic properties using alternative fuels. Further information will be provided shortly.
This is in addition to the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS), which delivers a £400 non-repayable discount to households with an electricity meter. For those not on standard gas or electricity contracts the EBSS Alternative Fund will provide equivalent support. Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 merits of exempting co-operative owned wind farms from the Electricity Prices Bill revenue cap.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the role community and locally owned renewable energy schemes can, and do, play in supporting the UK’s national net zero targets. These projects help encourage innovation and investment as well as community engagement with the energy challenge.
The Government will shortly be consulting on the Cost-Plus Revenue Limit, including whether there should be a minimum threshold for size of generation stations and whether it is appropriate for this mechanism to apply to community or local energy schemes.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 £100 one-off payment to households that use heating oil, whether his Department plans to provide further financial support to those households.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In addition to the £100 one-off payment, households not on standard gas or electricity contracts will receive equivalent support to that provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme and The Energy Price Guarantee. The Government is working at speed to determine the most practical and tested routes to deliver this support.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee’s Sixth Report of Session 2019–21, Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, published on 29 April 2021, HC 1346, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the size of the mineworkers' pension scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Mineworkers' Pension scheme is funded through investments. The Government guarantees that pensions will be paid in the event that returns on those investments are insufficient to meet members’ benefit entitlements.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 SMEs to move towards a net zero economy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Taking action on climate change will help businesses to grow, seize new opportunities and adapt against the challenges of a changing planet. The first step SMEs can take is to visit the UK Business Climate Hub and sign up to the globally recognised SME Climate Commitment. Here SMEs can also get help and advice on how to be greener and save money.
Additionally, almost £5 billion of funding is available to help UK businesses become greener as part of the government’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The latest funding opportunities can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-funding-to-help-your-business-become-greener.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 consumers with the rising price of heating oil.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government believes it is essential that consumers of heating oil get a fair deal. There is an open market for the supply of heating oil in the UK as we believe this provides the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices. Consumers of heating oil will be eligible for the £200 energy rebate as long as they are also domestic electricity customers.
Financial support remains available for heating oil customers with energy bills, if eligible, through the Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payment and Cold Weather Payment schemes.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 plans to provide funding for the fitting of solar panelling on all new warehouses.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has no plans to provide specific funding for the fitting of solar panels on all new warehouses. Building Regulations are technology-neutral, to preserve the flexibility that developers need to suit the circumstances of individual sites. Subject to further technical consultation, the Government expects the Future Buildings Standard to ensure all new non-domestic buildings are zero-carbon ready.
Businesses installing roof top solar on warehouses can receive payment for any surplus electricity that is exported to the grid through the Smart Export Guarantee. The Government is also providing fiscal incentives through capital allowances for spend on solar panels, and as announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Autumn Budget 2021, solar and storage used on site will be exempt from business rates from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2035.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 ensure that lenders and insurance companies do not unfairly penalise homeowners who have had spray foam insulation installed in their homes as part of the Green Homes Grant.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Customers participating on the Green Homes Grant scheme are advised to make sure the options they choose are appropriate for them. The voucher scheme places the responsibility on the homeowner to decide which measures they would like to install and does not recommend or promote any types of insulation.
Spray foam insulation is only permitted in the Green Homes Grant scheme where customers are protected by guarantee.
Installers under the Green Homes Grant scheme must be TrustMark registered and meet Publicly Available Specification standards when installing energy efficiency measures, ensuring the highest levels of quality and customer protection. It is the responsibility of registered installers to abide by building regulations and relevant industry standards.