Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the cost of delivering an annual covid-19 vaccination programme in pill format and administered by injection; and if he will make statement.
Answered by George Freeman
At present the Government is not aware of any Covid-19 vaccines in pill format under consideration for regulatory authorisation by the MHRA.
As such, no such assessment of the cost of a vaccine in pill format has been made.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 how quickly the UK could increase gas produced and supplied to domestic customers by its offshore fields; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Development of capacity in the upstream gas sector can take some years. The UK’s offshore gas sector is maximising production where possible, with output in recent months running at 90-100% of theoretical capacity, and this is expected to continue in the coming months.
New gas wells recently coming online have contributed to a small increase in UK gas production. Oil and Gas Authority projections suggest a further small increase may be seen in 2022 relative to 2021 levels, largely reflecting a planned maintenance shutdown of the Forties pipeline system in 2021 which temporarily reduced production.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to introduce industry standardised smart meters for gas and electricity consumption; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has already implemented a common standard for smart electricity and gas meters in Great Britain, which is set out in the Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications (SMETS) and embedded within energy supplier licence conditions.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there are (a) mothballed coal and (b) mothballed oil-fuelled power stations in the UK that could be brought back into emergency use; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Capacity Market is the government’s main mechanism for ensuring security of electricity supply. It secures the capacity needed to meet peak electricity demand in a range of scenarios through competitive, technology-neutral auctions. National Grid Electricity System Operator is the organisation responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand.
The decision on whether to return mothballed coal- and oil-fuelled power stations back into use is a commercial matter for the companies involved.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to support and invest in medical research charities, as part of the Government's ambition for the UK to be a global science superpower; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is aware of the challenges, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, that medical research charities are currently facing. We appreciate the globally recognised expertise of these charities, and the substantial contributions they make to our world-leading life sciences sector.
BEIS and the Department of Health and Social Care regularly discuss the impacts of Covid-19 on charity-funded research with the Association of Medical Research Charities. We are continuing to engage with them and receive intelligence on the impacts facing the sector, such as the challenges facing fundraising activities.
The Government already provides significant funding to charities’ research, for example through Research England’s Quality Related (QR) charity support funding. This year charity QR will amount to £204m, to support charity funded research in universities in England and equivalent support is provided in Scotland through devolved funding arrangements. Government has demonstrated its ambitions for research by committing £14.6bn to R&D next year. This funding will support the life sciences sector within which Medical Research Charities operate alongside other research areas.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support the Government is providing to the development of nasal spray vaccines such as (a) the Open Orphan and Codagenix collaboration and (b) SaNOtize; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
There are over 300 COVID-19 vaccines in development around the world, in addition to the 7 vaccine candidates already secured for the UK. The Vaccine Taskforce is continuing to monitor vaccines in development globally.
Innovate UK is funding a number of COVID-19 vaccine projects with the aim to identify vaccines with alternative mechanisms of action and delivery, improved utility in low and middle-income countries, and greater scalability for mass manufacture.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of whether covid-19 vaccine nasal sprays would be easier to (a) store, (b) distribute and (c) administer compared to such needle-based vaccines; and in the event that such a nasal spray passes its trial stages, if the Government will support it going forward for regulatory approval for use in all four nations of the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
There are over 300 COVID-19 vaccines in development around the world, in addition to the 7 vaccine candidates already secured for the UK. The Vaccine Taskforce is continuing to monitor vaccines in development globally.
Innovate UK is funding a number of COVID-19 vaccine projects with the aim to identify vaccines with alternative mechanisms of action and delivery, improved utility in low and middle-income countries, and greater scalability for mass manufacture.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what guidance his Department is providing to businesses considering relocating overseas on domestic support that businesses might be able to access which could make remaining in the UK a more attractive option; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
The UK is one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business as is shown by our position as a leading destination for foreign direct investment. For example , commenting on the publication of the EY 2020 UK Attractiveness Survey, EY’s UK Chief Economist, Mark Gregory, said “The UK’s performance in attracting FDI in the digital economy in 2019 was impressive. The UK is the stand out digital economy in Europe, while UK R&D projects leapt to a decade-high”. Officials in the Department and across the Government stand ready to assist UK businesses keen to grow and make the most of their investments in the UK. Businesses wishing to do so should contact the Department’s enquiry line on 020 7215 5000 where they will receive assistance in contacting the relevant sector team that leads on their sector - in BEIS or in the correct alternative other government department.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to review the adequacy of the underwriting and risk processes required in advance of an offer being made of a loan under the (a) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme Loan and (b) Bounce Back Loan Scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) are delegated schemes; meaning the decision to lend to a prospective borrower remains at the discretion of the lender. The rules of the schemes are overseen by the Government in conjunction with the British Business Bank.
CBILS is operated on the same basis as fully commercial loans, with lenders conducting the full range of checks they would usually make, subject to the specific eligibility requirements of the scheme. As part of the BBLS application process lenders undertake fraud checks, including Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering checks as required. Lenders do not undertake credit checks for BBLS applications and rely on the information provided by the borrower as part of the application. We continue to review the schemes to consider whether further measures can be introduced to reduce the risk of fraud.
The British Business Bank audits accredited lenders against their compliance with the scheme rules and can take action where lenders are not following the appropriate processes.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to review his decision on reopening beauty salons to ensure that facial services for women are provided on an equal footing to grooming services for men.
Answered by Paul Scully
As set out in my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s announcement on 17 July, close contact services including treatments to the face are allowed to resume as of 1 August, as long as they operate in a COVID-secure way.