Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure Government Departments comply with the Principles of the Better Regulation Framework, interim guidance, published in March 2020, on impact assessments; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Better Regulation Framework as agreed across government is clear on the requirements for impact assessments, and we continue to push departments to adhere to these requirements.
We do this through support from the Better Regulation Executive (BRE) in providing extensive support and guidance on better regulation and impact assessments, and through a Cross-Whitehall training delivered by jointly by BRE and the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC), which covers everything from better regulation policy to conducting an impact assessment is also available and offered to departments.
We also encourage departmental engagement with the RPC in the early stages of the policy development process for their advice on the proposed analysis to support the policy.
We are confident that efforts by the Better Regulation Executive and the Regulatory Policy Committee will continue to improve the regulatory impact assessment process, while the impending reforms to the better regulation framework will also look to enhance the process.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the legally binding undertakings given to the Government by Advent International when its purchase of Cobham was agreed in 2020 remain valid in respect of Cobham Mission Systems following the further sale of that business by Advent International to Eaton; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has been following closely the sale of Cobham Mission Systems to Eaton Corporation plc. The undertakings given to the Government by Advent International when it purchased Cobham in 2020 do not prevent the sale of the whole or parts of Cobham by Advent International. As a result of the sale of Cobham Mission Systems, Advent International is no longer bound by the undertakings in respect of Cobham Mission Systems. Any safeguards to address concerns arising from the sale of Cobham Mission Systems will be considered separately with the new owners.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
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 procure a vaccine against covid-19 which has not involved the use of human embryo cells in its development; if he will encourage the use of (a) adult stem cells and (b) synthetic methods in vaccine development; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed that the Oxford University/AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, which have all received regulatory approval, do not contain any components of animal origin, and no foetal material is present in the final vaccine.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money is remaining in the Green Home Grant Fund; and how many voucher requests to that fund are outstanding.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme launched on 30 September with initial funding of £1.5 billion. As of 22 January, 17,235 vouchers have been issued, corresponding to a total voucher value of £71.3 million. Funding will only be paid out once scheduled works are completed and vouchers redeemed.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money was in the Green Home Grant Fund at its launch; how many vouchers have been issued; and what the average value is of each voucher issued.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme launched on 30 September with initial funding of £1.5 billion. As of 22 January, 17,235 vouchers have been issued, with an average value of £4,138.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2020 to Question 20380 on Consumers: Protection, what the outcome was of the meeting of the CPP Intelligence Gathering Group on 23 April 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
At the 23rd April 2020 meeting of the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP), members’ comments on consumer related issues that had been identified in the park home sector and detail of any action undertaken were collated and forwarded to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) who were reviewing what could be done to mitigate some of the detriment faced by park home owners. The Government’s response to MHCLG’s consultation on the fit and proper test for site owners and managers was published in July 2020. The response, Mobile Homes: a fit and proper person test for park home sites, can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/mobile-homes-a-fit-and-proper-person-test-for-park-home-sites#history.