Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his planned timeline is for the implementation and ratification of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government is committed to implementing and ratifying the Beijing Treaty. But this involves making changes to the UK performers’ rights framework, which requires careful consideration and consultation with stakeholders. The Government is unable to offer a timeline for ratification at present.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to publish its response to the consultation on Artificial Intelligence and IP: copyright and patents.
Answered by George Freeman
This consultation ran from October 2021 to January 2022. The Government is considering the way forward and intends to publish its response during the summer of 2022.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many limited partnerships have been established in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales since 2017.
Answered by Paul Scully
The official statistics on companies and the total size of the register are made publicly available online by Companies House. The most recent data can be found here, and shows that between 2016/17 to 2020/21 inclusive, 9,620 limited partnerships were established in Scotland. The statistics for England and Wales are combined; 4,334 limited partnerships were established in England and Wales in this same period.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Northern Ireland Limited partnerships have been registered in Northern Ireland in each year since 2017.
Answered by Paul Scully
The official statistics on companies and the total size of the register are made publicly available online by Companies House. The most recent data can be found here, and shows that 73 limited partnerships were registered in Northern Ireland in 2016/17, 349 in 2017/18, 63 in 2018/19, 40 in 2019/20 and 32 in 2020/21.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
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 made an assessment of the potential implications for Northern Ireland limited partnerships when the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations were introduced in 2017.
Answered by Paul Scully
Scottish limited partnerships are unique, as they have their own legal personality, unlike limited partnerships in Northern Ireland, England and Wales. The Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations should therefore not have had any significant impact on demand for Northern Ireland limited partnerships.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
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 help reform regulation and practice on Northern Ireland limited partnerships; and if he make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government outlined its proposals for limited partnership reform in December 2018 in response to a consultation (link here). Although this is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland, the approach has traditionally been for Northern Ireland to follow the United Kingdom’s legislative practice. The proposals across the United Kingdom include tightening registration requirements, requiring limited partnerships to demonstrate a firmer connection to the United Kingdom, increasing transparency requirements, and enabling the Registrar to strike from the register limited partnerships which are dissolved, or which are no longer carrying on business. The Government will legislate these reforms when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
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 (a) support and (b) incentivise the development and adoption of (i) greener alternative technologies and (ii) improvements in the energy efficiency of vehicles and machinery in the business sector in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Last year the Government published its Transport Decarbonisation Plan and Net Zero Strategy which sets out the measures and support for decarbonising transport and other industries in line with the UK’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050. This includes the introduction of a zero-emission vehicle mandate in the UK to ensure that a percentage of manufacturers' new car and vans sales are zero emission from 2024.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on support for households most affected by the rise in the cost of energy prices.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is in regular contact with Ofgem to monitor the impact of energy prices on households. We are focussed on ensuring customers are protected.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what additional steps his Department has taken to help support households most affected by the rise in the cost of energy prices.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to protecting customers, especially the most vulnerable. The Energy Price Cap will continue to protect consumers, ensuring they pay a fair price for their energy this winter. Low income and fuel poor households will continue to be supported with their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with a £140 discount. Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments will also ensure that the most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes over the colder months.
Additionally, the Government announced an extra £500 million for local authorities through the new Household Support Fund to help millions with their household bills.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
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 support a waiver on intellectual property right rules for covid-19 vaccines to facilitate global vaccine roll out.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is among the biggest global donors on COVID-19, and committed to supporting rapid, equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The UK does not consider waiving intellectual property (IP) rights to be an appropriate action to boost the manufacturing of safe, effective, and quality vaccines. The existing intellectual property framework has mobilised research and development to deliver a host of new medicines and technologies to detect, treat, and defend against COVID-19. The UK continues to engage in constructive and evidence-based discussions at the TRIPS Council on the waiver proposal, and to address the multiple factors outside of IP on which access to medicines depends.