Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 potential merits of supporting the issuing of refund credit notes by small and specialist travel businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government recognises the challenges some businesses are experiencing in processing refunds for cancelled travel arrangements. Package travel agencies are required to comply with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, which protect consumers who have bought package holidays. Consumers are entitled to a full refund?if a package holiday is cancelled due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, which should be issued?within 14 days. Many businesses are also offering consumers refund credit notes or alternative dates, which consumers are able to choose should they wish. Travel operators should be clear with consumers as to the terms of refund credit notes provided, including what insolvency protections underpin them. The Government is clear that refunds must be paid when asked for by the consumer.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 ensure that the EPC action plan due to be published later in 2020 ensures that off-grid homeowners are not incentivised to stay on higher carbon, cheaper fuels to meet the minimum energy efficiency standard due to the inclusion of input fuel cost in the EPC methodology.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
EPCs are a widely used measure of the energy performance of buildings, both in the residential and commercial sectors, and are a key tool in promoting energy efficiency improvements to buildings.
The EPC Call for Evidence ran from 26 July 2018 to 19 October 2018 and sought evidence on how EPCs performed against three attributes: quality, availability, and encouraging action to improve energy efficiency. The forthcoming Call for Evidence Summary of Responses will outline the responses received from the Call for Evidence, including on effectiveness of EPCs.
Alongside this, an EPC Action Plan will build on the views expressed as part of the Call for Evidence, alongside government policy work, to set out a series of actions which the government will take forward to maximise the effectiveness of EPCs as a tool for the future.
The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and Reduced Data SAP (RdSAP) methodologies which underpin EPCs provide accurate and reliable assessments of the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER), an indicator of the assumed energy cost per square metre of a home, and the Environmental Impact Rating (EIR), an indicator of the carbon dioxide emissions intensity per square metre, of a home. They are updated regularly in line with updates to Part L of the Building Regulations. We will keep the ratings we use under review as we develop policies and plans for improving the energy efficiency of homes and reducing fuel poverty, including those in rural areas.
The Clean Growth Strategy also committed to ‘phase out installation of high carbon fossil fuel heating in buildings not connected to the gas grid, starting with new build, during the 2020s’. In 2018 we ran an extensive programme of engagement with industry and consumers, to seek views on how industry, government and consumers could work together to phase out the installation of high carbon fossil fuels from homes and businesses off the gas grid, and we will be consulting on proposals in due course.
We will publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy in due course which will set out the comprehensive set of action to decarbonise buildings, joining up approaches to improving energy efficiency of the building stock and the roll-out of low carbon heating.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to establish a UK-wide hydrogen strategy.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Government is committed to exploring the development of hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier. As such we are currently developing our strategic approach to hydrogen and its potential to deliver against our net zero goals. We are undertaking extensive stakeholder engagement as we develop new policy to help bring forward the technologies and supply chain we will need to grow the UK hydrogen economy. This includes business models to support the deployment of, and investment in, low carbon hydrogen production and a £100m Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund to stimulate capital investment. We will be further engaging with industry on both schemes throughout the year.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department will take to ensure that the proposed EDF development of the Sizewell C nuclear power station conforms to the highest environmental standards and ensure that the Suffolk Coast is protected as (a) an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and (b) a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Development Consent application for the proposed new nuclear power station, known as Sizewell C, was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate on 27 May 2020.
The Planning Act 2008 ensures a robust Environmental Impact Assessment is undertaken by the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to consider relevant matters. Relevant matters include the environmental and conservation grounds, such as the potential effects on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The Secretary of State will also undertake a Habitats Regulations Assessment of potential impacts on internationally designated Natura 2000 sites. If the application is accepted, the Examining Authority will thoroughly assess these matters before providing its recommendation to the Secretary of State. The development will also require environmental permits to be granted by the Environmental Agency.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to make it compulsory to use gloves and face masks in the preparation of food in cafes and takeaways during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
Our published Safer Working guidance is clear: if you are already using PPE in your work activity to protect against non-COVID-19 risks, you should continue to do so.
Workplaces should not encourage the precautionary use of extra PPE to protect against COVID-19 outside clinical settings or when responding to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
Unless you are in a situation where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is very high, your risk assessment should reflect the fact that the role of PPE in providing additional protection is extremely limited. However, if your risk assessment does show that PPE is required, then you must provide this PPE free of charge to workers who need it. Any PPE provided must fit properly.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 reduce the spread of covid-19 in meat packing businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
On 11 May, we published guidance for businesses to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible. This guidance covered a range of work environments including in factories, plants and warehouse which covers meat packing businesses and can be found at www.gov.uk/workingsafely.
The published guidance sets out how businesses should carry out risk assessments and gives suggestions for practical steps they can consider to mitigate the risks identified related to COVID-19, including how to reduce the spread of the disease.
If staff are concerned that an employer is not taking all practical steps to promote social distancing then they can report this to their local authority or the Health and Safety Executive who can take a range of action to improve control of workplace risks.
These actions include the provision of specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement notices to help secure improvements with the guidance.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 reduce the spread of covid-19 in food processing businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
On 11 May, we published guidance for businesses to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible. This guidance covered a range or work environments including in factories, plants and warehouse covering food processing businesses and can be found at www.gov.uk/workingsafely.
The published guidance sets out how businesses should carry out risk assessments and suggestions for practical steps they can consider to mitigate the risks identified related to COVID-19, including how to reduce the spread of the disease.
If a business is not operating in line with the Government guidance, there is a role for the relevant health and safety enforcing authority - the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or Local Authority. Where the enforcing authority identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks, for example, employers not taking appropriate action to socially distance, the enforcing authority will consider taking a range of actions to improve control of workplace risks. These actions include the provision of specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement notices to help secure improvements with the guidance.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 has been claimed under the Coronavirus Small Business Grants Fund (a) by second home owners and (b) for holiday lets in Suffolk.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Government has made £12.3 billion available to businesses under the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund. Local authorities are contacting businesses directly to deliver these grants.
As of 26 April, over 610,000 business premises have received grants across the two schemes, totalling over £7.59 billion. We do not receive management information from local authorities broken down by sector. However, we have published a full breakdown of grant funding allocated to and distributed by each local authority at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-localauthority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses. This breakdown is being updated regularly.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 hospitality industry.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government recognises the huge impact that the COVID-19 outbreak is having on the hospitality sector and is engaging regularly with representatives from across the industry to assess the effects on hospitality businesses.