Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the ability of small businesses to repay Bounce Back Loans.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has already taken action to give small businesses the space and flexibility to repay their bounce back loans. Under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), no repayments are due from the borrower for the first 12 months of the loan. The Government also covers the first 12 months of interest payments charged to the business by the lender.
In order to give businesses further support, the Government introduced the “Pay as You Grow” (PAYG) measures, which allow individual businesses to tailor their repayments to their individual circumstances. Under these measures, the lenders are required to give all businesses that borrowed under the BBLS the option to repay their loan over a period of up to ten years, as well as the option to move temporarily to interest-only payments for periods of up to six months, or to pause their repayments entirely for up to six months.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason the Government cancelled its contract with Valneva for their covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by George Freeman
As any responsible Government does, we manage our vaccine supply to meet our projected needs and to offer the best protection to those who need it, when they need it. The termination of the supply agreement with Valneva in September 2021 was made for commercial reasons, which remain confidential between Valneva and the Government.
Vaccine development is a complex and challenging process, which is why the Government seeks to achieve value for money for the UK taxpayer at all stages. As the pandemic progresses, we continue to assess and refine the vaccines in our portfolio, to ensure we continue to have access to those which offer the best long-term prospects in continuing to support the fight against Covid-19.
Thanks to this strategy, the UK currently has 3 approved vaccines in deployment and the UK’s vaccination programme continues to be a success with over 85% of the UK population [over 12s] double vaccinated and over 66% of the UK population [over 12s] have now received their booster or third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 10 November 2021 to Question 68469 on Property: Ownership, and with reference to Written Statement on Register of Beneficial Owners of Overseas Entities Update, of 2 November 2021, HCWS366, if he will provide an urgent update on his plans to introduce a public beneficial ownership register of overseas entities that own UK property, in response to threats of Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
Answered by Paul Scully
As indicated in the previous answer, the Government remains committed to establishing a new beneficial ownership register of overseas entities that own UK property. This register will help combat money laundering and achieve greater transparency in the UK property market. The Government has been exploring how best to implement the recommendations of the Joint Committee and when we introduce the Register it will be more effective, thanks to the broader powers we are now planning to give Companies House. This will also require primary legislation and we will legislate when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made any assessment of the costs, benefits and potential merits of restoring the Rough Storage Complex Facility to store natural gas on an interim basis while the Government's hydrogen strategy is under development.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Gas storage will not lower the price of gas in the short term as the United Kingdom exists in a global market.
Rough Storage could play an important part in Hydrogen storage as was set out in the Hydrogen Strategy, published in August 2021.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is Government policy to introduce a public beneficial ownership register of overseas entities that own UK property.
Answered by Paul Scully
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 2nd November 2021 (HCWS366), the Government remains committed to establishing a new beneficial ownership register of overseas entities that own UK property. This register will help combat money laundering and achieve greater transparency in the UK property market. We will legislate when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 adopt the recommendations of #Wednesday4Women to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by ensuring that all fossil fuel projects at home and overseas are ended.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government remains strongly committed to the 1.5C target at COP26, and welcome initiatives to promote cleaner and renewable alternative to fossil fuel, to encourage development and energy security.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 recommendations of the Climate Assembly UK report, The path to net zero, published on10 September 2020, when he plans to publish his Department’s response to the recommendations in that report.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government responded to the Select Committee’s Call for Written Evidence as part of its inquiry that is available here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1191/findings-of-the-report-of-climate-assembly-uk/publications/.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the fourth Grimsey Review, published July 2021.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is fully committed to supporting the independent businesses and communities that make our town centres successful as the nation responds to the impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak. Our package of support for businesses through this period totals over £352 billion including business grants, the coronavirus loan schemes and Job Retention Scheme, as well as deferral of income tax payments. This builds on major investment and action from Government to level up opportunity and prosperity across all areas of the country, including through the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, the £220 million UK-wide Community Renewal Fund and the £3.6 billion Towns Fund.
The retail, hospitality and leisure business rates relief in England is worth over £6bn to eligible businesses in 2021/22 alone. We extended the moratorium on commercial landlords’ right to forfeiture for the non-payment of rent to March 2022, and we will introduce legislation to help landlords and tenants resolve historic Covid-19 rent debt through binding arbitration if necessary.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the draft Employment Bill will be published; and if he will reconsider the potential merits of introducing a pilot scheme on neonatal leave and pay as recommended by the Petitions Committee in its report, The impact of Covid-19 on maternity and parental leave, published 6 July 2020.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is committed to ensuring that all workers can participate and progress in the labour market and building back better as we recover from COVID-19.
We will bring forward the Employment Bill in due course, and in the meantime we will continue to take necessary action to support businesses and protect jobs.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what rights furloughed workers have to the accrual of holiday pay.
Answered by Paul Scully
Employment rights remain unchanged under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). Therefore, all workers’ right to holiday accrues to the extent and in the same way it did prior to being placed on to furlough under the CJRS, as provided by the individual’s statutory and contractual rights.
If a furloughed worker takes holiday, the employer should pay them their full holiday pay, calculated in accordance with BEIS guidance. Employers will be obliged to fund any additional amounts over the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grant.
Further guidance to help employers manage holiday pay during Coronavirus is available on GOV.UK.