Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many funds are allocated to local authorities by his Department through a process of competitive bidding; and if he will publish the names of those funds.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department has 10 funds allocated to local authorities through a process of competitive bidding.
The list of names those funds are:
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the level of demand on the UK Research and Innovation budget.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In contrast to the number of open calls that UKRI runs, which remained relatively stable with an additional surge to deliver specific COVID-19 related funding, the number of applications for funding from UKRI has risen over the last year, including in response to COVID-19. To date the trend has already shown an increase of over 1,000 applications ending December 2020, with a further projection of another 2,000 applications to be received in the final quarter. These increases are against an active portfolio of approximately 14,000 grants.
UKRI has also responded to increased demand to help stabilise the system and the pressures felt across the research and innovation community. Active grants continue to attract a high number of requested changes through their life, but more recently hundreds more enquiries have resulted from COVID-19 disruption, generating many requests for both costed and no cost extensions with £90 million in costed grant extensions paid this year.
Other stabilising interventions that UKRI has made in response to the pandemic include bringing forwards £100 million of Quality Related funding from Academic Year 2020-21 to AY 2019-20, and providing additional funding through the Sustaining University Research Expertise (SURE) Fund in financial year 2020-21.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
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 stimulate private investment in green hydrogen production facilities; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on increasing demand for green hydrogen from the transport sector.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and subsequent Energy White Paper, set out that the Government, working with industry, is aiming for 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030. In support of this we have also announced a £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund for capital co-investment in new low carbon hydrogen production, to bring forward a combination of CCUS-enabled ‘blue’ hydrogen and electrolytic ‘green’ hydrogen projects.
We have also committed to consulting on a preferred hydrogen business model in 2021 and will bring forward further details this year on the revenue mechanism to bring through private sector investment via our new business models. Again, our business model work will focus on supporting both green and blue hydrogen.
I meet with my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport regularly to discuss all aspects of transport decarbonisation including the role for green hydrogen. A good example of cross departmental working is the recent announcement in the spending review of £3 million to support the development of the UKs first Hydrogen Transport Hub in Tees Valley.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when tattoo parlours will be permitted to reopen as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Paul Scully
Hairdressers and barbers in England were able to reopen from 4 July to offer hairdressing services. Other close contact services, like tattoo parlours, remain closed until further notice. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister, in his speech on 3rd July, stated that a timetable for the reopening of these closed sectors would be set out this week.
We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when nail parlous will be permitted to reopen as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Paul Scully
Hairdressers and barbers in England were able to reopen from 4 July to offer hairdressing services. Other close contact services, like nail parlours, remain closed until further notice. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister, in his speech on 3rd July, stated that a timetable for the reopening of these closed sectors would be set out this week.
We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
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 15 June 2020 to Question 57088 on Hospitality Industry: Social Distancing, what the (a) identity and (b) powers are of the relevant enforcing authorities.
Answered by Paul Scully
As is the case now, individual business owners will be responsible for ensuring their customers adhere to social distancing guidelines wherever possible.
Depending on the business, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities enforce health and safety in these workplaces and will monitor compliance including through inspections and following up on concerns raised by individuals with them.
They can take action against any business who isn’t complying with their legal health and safety obligations, including providing guidance and issuing enforcement notices to require them to take the necessary action or taking further action, including fines, if they continue to not comply.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
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 Answer of 15 June 2020 to Question 57088 on Hospitality Industry: Social Distancing, what measures are planned to protect customers and employees; and how those measures will be enforced.
Answered by Paul Scully
We have now published (23 June) new guidance for pubs, restaurants, and bars. This supports my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s announcement on 23 June for their reopening from 4 July, provided they are COVID-secure. The guidance was developed following consultation with representatives from the industry.
The guidance sets out various measures for these businesses to consider including calculating the maximum number of customers they can provide services to in a socially distanced manner, reconfiguring seating areas, setting up handwashing facilities, providing clear communications about the rules indoors and outdoors, considering contactless payment methods, adjusting working practices to minimise staff and customer contact, and using outdoor spaces as much as possible.
The guidance is non-statutory but does not change existing obligations relating to health and safety, employment, or equalities. Employers have a duty under UK law to protect the health and safety of their workers and other people who might be affected by their business. This includes considering the risks that COVID-19 represents.
As is the case now, individual business owners will be responsible for ensuring their customers adhere to social distancing guidelines wherever possible.
Depending on the business, the Health and Safety Executive and local authorities enforce health and safety in these workplaces and will monitor compliance including through inspections and following up on concerns raised by individuals with them.
They can take action against any business who isn’t complying with their legal health and safety obligations, including providing guidance and issuing enforcement notices to require them to take the necessary action or taking further action, including fines, if they continue to not comply.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding of the Usdaw survey, published on 18 June 2020, that 92 per cent of retail workers do not want the six-hour Sunday trading cap removed; and what plans he has to take that finding into account considering extension of Sunday trading hours.
Answered by Paul Scully
There are currently no plans to increase Sunday trading hours, although we will keep measures like this under review as we examine ways to support the economy and consumers to manage the impact of covid-19. The views of retail workers and their representatives are an important consideration whenever considering a policy change relevant to the sector. Shop employees (except those employed to work exclusively on Sundays) have the right to opt out of Sunday working.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when pubs, bars and restaurants reopen following covid-19 lockdown measures what (a) enforcement measures and (b) penalties will be in place if those venues fail to enforce social distancing.
Answered by Paul Scully
We are working at pace to develop safe ways for pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes to reopen at the earliest opportunity it is safe to do so, through our pubs and restaurants taskforce. As set out in the roadmap, it is our ambition to reopen pubs, cafes, bars and restaurants from 4 July at the earliest, subject to the scientific advice at the time. However, pubs, restaurants and cafes can continue to offer takeaway-enabled services as they have been during lockdown.
Our guidance forms part of employers’ normal health and safety practice. Health and safety legislation is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and by local authorities. Social distancing is a key part of our scientific advice. This will be considered by employers as part of their risk assessment.
If the enforcing authority finds that an employer is not taking action to properly manage workplace risk, a range of actions are is open to them, including specific advice or issuing enforcement notices.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
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 additional funding announced by the Government on 2 May 2020 for local authorities to provide discretionary business grants, how the amount of funding available to each local authority has been calculated; and what guidance has been issued to local authorities on how that additional funding should be spent.
Answered by Paul Scully
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced that up to £617 million is being made available to Local Authorities in England under the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund (LADGF). This is in addition to the £12.33 billion funding previously announced for the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF).
The data return from Local Authorities of Monday 4th May 2020, which includes each Local Authority’s assessment of eligible hereditaments for the Small Business Grants Fund (SMGF) and Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF), is used as the baseline for calculating the allocation of Discretionary Grant Funds for each Local Authority. The allocation for each local authority is 5% on top of their estimated spend of the Small Business Grants Fund (SMGF) and Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF). All 314 Local Authorities administering the scheme will receive a letter this week setting out their guaranteed minimum allocation, giving them confidence to set up their local schemes. If a Local Authority subsequently identifies and is able to fund more businesses from the Small Business Grants and/or Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund than they identified in their data return of the 4th May, we will increase their 5% allocation.
Guidance, intended to support Local Authorities in administering the Discretionary Grants Fund, was published 13th May.
Guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding.
This will not replace existing guidance for the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) or the Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF).
Guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-business-support-grant-funding-guidance-for-businesses.