Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 07 Jun 2021
Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill
"I absolutely agree with the right hon. Lady about wanting to see ARIA be successful. She talked about scientists sitting around, having a chat and producing some papers but having no real impact. Does she agree that, given the way in which ARIA is currently set up, without any freedom …..."Dawn Butler - View Speech
View all Dawn Butler (Lab - Brent East) contributions to the debate on: Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 07 Jun 2021
Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill
"The UK Government have set the most ambitious climate change target, which is to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035. Would it not be ridiculous if ARIA were to pursue something that undid that good work?..."Dawn Butler - View Speech
View all Dawn Butler (Lab - Brent East) contributions to the debate on: Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill
Written Question
Friday 21st May 2021
Asked by:
Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent 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 prevent directors paying themselves dividends and forcing companies into administration to avoid consumer redress.
Answered by Paul Scully
Under UK company law, directors may pay dividends only where a company has sufficient distributable reserves, based on the company’s realised profits minus any realised losses.
In the event of insolvency, it is part of the administrator’s role to scrutinise payments made to shareholders in the period before the insolvency to identify any payments which may have been illegal. In such cases, the courts have wide powers to apply a variety of sanctions and remedies, including ordering the recovery of amounts from recipients and compensation orders against directors enforceable against their personal assets.
The Government is currently consulting on proposals to increase transparency in how companies demonstrate that dividends are affordable, as part of the White Paper on Restoring Trust in Audit and Corporate Governance. This includes a proposed requirement that directors of large companies should disclose at a minimum the company’s known distributable reserve before paying any dividend, and state that it is their reasonable expectation that the proposed dividend would not threaten the company’s insolvency over the following two years.
Written Question
Tuesday 18th May 2021
Asked by:
Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent 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 the Government is taking to support low income families that are unable to afford green energy improvements to make their homes energy efficient and contribute to the Government's net zero target.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Government has recently published a strategy, Sustainable Warmth – supporting vulnerable households in England, which sets out our plans to support fuel poor households in more detail.
As of 2019, there are 1.2 million fewer low-income households living in the least energy efficient homes (Band E, F or G) compared to 2010. There are a number of Government schemes which make funding available to support low-income families make their homes energy efficient.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a GB-wide scheme currently worth around £640m per year, which provides energy efficiency and heating measures to low income and vulnerable households. We have committed to expanding ECO from 2022 to 2026 to a value of £1bn per year.
The Government is investing £1.3 billion in energy efficiency, up from the £1 billion announced in my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan. The Green Homes Grant (Voucher) low-income scheme had issued 26,281 vouchers by the end of March, worth over £156 million. We have also provided support for Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery and for Social Housing – £500 million worth of works is already being delivered and additional funding will be disbursed this summer.
The Home Upgrade Grant has been allocated an initial £150 million to specifically support low-income households with energy efficiency and low carbon heating upgrades to the worst-performing off-gas-grid homes in England. The Home Upgrade Grant is due to commence delivery in early 2022.
We recently consulted on strengthening the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for private landlords. These new standards would require landlords to invest up to £10,000 towards improving their property to energy efficiency Band C, or register an exemption. For social housing, the Government has also invited experts to review whether the Decent Homes Standard should be refreshed.
In addition to help with energy efficiency measures, over 2 million households get direct assistance with their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount. We have committed to expanding that scheme from 2022 to 2026 so that it will reach around 3 million households across Great Britain.
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Thu 22 Apr 2021
Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Fifth sitting)
"My hon. Friend is absolutely correct in her presentation: we fail to understand why ARIA is exempt from the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The Government are embroiled in the PPE and VIP lane scandals. It has been exposed that companies were put into the VIP lane by mistake—for example, PestFix …..."Dawn Butler - View Speech
View all Dawn Butler (Lab - Brent East) contributions to the debate on: Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Fifth sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 20 Apr 2021
Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Fourth sitting)
"Should other grounds, such as wanting to pursue eugenics in great depth, not be considered reasons not to appoint somebody to a board?..."Dawn Butler - View Speech
View all Dawn Butler (Lab - Brent East) contributions to the debate on: Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Fourth sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 20 Apr 2021
Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Fourth sitting)
"Should we not be proud as a Committee to say that ARIA will achieve net zero in whatever project it pursues? That is essentially working on the edge of the edge—looking at forward technology, ensuring that we save the planet and ensuring that we do not add to the erosion …..."Dawn Butler - View Speech
View all Dawn Butler (Lab - Brent East) contributions to the debate on: Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Fourth sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 20 Apr 2021
Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Third sitting)
"I beg to move amendment 5, in schedule 1, page 6, line 10 at end insert—
“Memorandum of understanding
2 (1) ARIA and UK Research and Innovation must prepare a memorandum of understanding.
(2) The memorandum must set out how ARIA and UK Research and Innovation intend to co-operate …..."Dawn Butler - View Speech
View all Dawn Butler (Lab - Brent East) contributions to the debate on: Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Third sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 20 Apr 2021
Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Third sitting)
"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. I do not think anyone will vote against the amendment, because all it seeks to do is ensure that there is a memorandum of understanding between ARIA and UK Research and Innovation about how they will work together. The …..."Dawn Butler - View Speech
View all Dawn Butler (Lab - Brent East) contributions to the debate on: Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Third sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 20 Apr 2021
Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Third sitting)
"I thank the hon. Member for his service on the Science and Technology Committee, where we often agree and very often disagree. Of course we praise what goes well, but let us not forget that £14 million was spent on a test and trace system that was scrapped, or that …..."Dawn Butler - View Speech
View all Dawn Butler (Lab - Brent East) contributions to the debate on: Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill (Third sitting)