Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to extend the Green Deal scheme to cover people that are seeking to withdraw from a feed-in tariff contract to sell their property.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government has no plans at present to extend the Green Deal scheme, but we are reviewing the scheme and will consult before making any significant changes. The interests of the consumer will be foremost in the review.
Whilst the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) scheme allows for householders to assign the rights to FIT payments to third parties, for example under a rent-a-roof scheme, it does not prescribe how such arrangements should work; it is for the parties involved to arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement. These are private agreements entered into between the consumer and the third party which are not regulated by the Green Deal regulatory framework or the FIT scheme. We would always advise householders who are considering entering into such an agreement to seek legal advice before doing so to satisfy themselves that the proposal being offered will be acceptable to them.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
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 protect consumers who are owed goods or services from a company which has ceased trading without any apparent residual assets, particularly in cases where the registered owner has a record of previous companies dissolving in similar circumstances.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Where a business collapses with no assets there are limited opportunities for consumers to obtain refunds, but the Government has issued guidance to help Insolvency Practitioners to highlight the best options to consumers.
Where a consumer has paid by credit card and not received the goods or the services they have paid for there are extra protections where those goods cost between £100 and £30,000. In these cases, the consumer can claim back the total value of their prepayment by contacting their credit card issuing company. Consumers who purchased goods by debit card may also be able to claim through a chargeback scheme as long as they do this within a certain time period (normally 120 days). Further information on chargeback can be found at: http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/individual/chargeback-for-credit-and-debit-card-purchases.asp.
In August 2018, the Government announced its intention to extend existing powers to investigate, disqualify and prosecute directors of insolvent companies to also cover former directors of dissolved companies. This includes instances of directors repeatedly dissolving companies and leaving behind debts and other liabilities – often to the detriment of small businesses, consumers and employees.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether an assessment has been made of the potential merits of creating a regulatory body to oversee the pricing of domestic LPG supplies.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government believes that it is essential that domestic Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) consumers get a fair deal and therefore the powers held by an independent Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provide the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices and consumer protection.
The supply of bulk domestic LPG remains subject to regulation under the Domestic Bulk LPG Investigation Order 2006 and the Domestic Bulk LPG Investigation (Metered Estates) Order 2009 and the CMA continues to monitor compliance by the suppliers.
We therefore have no plans to create another regulatory body to regulate the LPG sector.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
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 assessed the potential merits of introducing a financial incentive for processes which change timber into renewable heat products.
Answered by Claire Perry
Renewable heat is currently supported under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The RHI has funding agreed out to 2021. Beyond this, the Department is developing policy proposals for a clear framework to phase out high carbon fossil fuels for domestic and non-domestic buildings off the gas grid in the 2020s.
From 19 March to 11 June 2018 we held a public Call for Evidence as a first step in developing this policy framework. The Department aims to publish a response to the Call for Evidence in due course.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
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 plans to continue the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive beyond 2020.
Answered by Claire Perry
Renewable heat is currently supported under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The RHI has funding agreed out to 2021. Beyond this, the Department is developing policy proposals for a clear framework to phase out high carbon fossil fuels for domestic and non-domestic buildings off the gas grid in the 2020s.
From 19 March to 11 June 2018 we held a public Call for Evidence as a first step in developing this policy framework. The Department aims to publish a response to the Call for Evidence in due course.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
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 introduce an exemption for charities from authorised supply capacity charges relating to smart meters.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government’s Smart Meter Programme applies to all domestic consumers and small businesses, who do not currently pay these charges regardless of whether they have a smart meter. Currently only certain larger businesses or organisations pay capacity charges.