Asked by: Corri Wilson (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) timetable and (b) process his Department plans for its forthcoming review of the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 requires the Department to review the performance of the Groceries Code Adjudicator every three years. The first review will cover the period up to 31 March 2016 and will be carried out later this year.
We are currently considering options and making final decisions on the timetable and process for the review. These will be published shortly.
Asked by: Corri Wilson (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress has been made on introducing a Europe-wide groceries adjudicator.
Answered by Anna Soubry
On 29 January, the European Commission published its report on the existing regulatory and voluntary frameworks for tackling unfair trading practices in the food supply chain. The Commission concluded that there would be no added value in a specific harmonised regulatory approach at EU level at this stage.
The Commission will continue to monitor the situation and, before the end of its mandate, it will re-assess its position on harmonised regulation.
Asked by: Corri Wilson (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what charges the Government plans to levy for connection to the National Grid on the proposed interconnector cable from Iceland.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a UK/Iceland taskforce to consider the potential for interconnection between the two countries. The taskforce is considering a high-level assessment of the costs and benefits and will make recommendations to Government in May as to whether to continue with a more detailed stage of discussions. This will include an assessment of the impact of the interconnector on system costs.
Asked by: Corri Wilson (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Government will bring forward proposals to enable the prosecution of UK businesses through the UK courts for breaches of human rights abroad when the UK's National Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights is next updated.
Answered by Anna Soubry
Victims of overseas human rights abuses by UK businesses can already seek redress through UK courts. We have one of the few jurisdictions in the world where this can happen. I am proud it was a Conservative government that introduced the Modern Slavery Act, which requires companies to report on steps they have taken to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in its supply chains.