Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many universities have accessed the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme.
Answered by Paul Scully
As of 21 June, a total of 50,482 loans have been issued under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), with a value of £10.53 billion.
Issuing new loans is the priority for lenders and the Government. We are working with the British Business Bank, HM Treasury and the lenders on providing regular and transparent data publication going forward, including sectoral breakdowns.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
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 help people for whom English is not a first language apply for covid-19 related loans and grants.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is committed to supporting the people who invest in our country by locating their businesses here, particularly in these challenging times.
We have provided information on the range of business support available on Gov.UK. For further information people can contact our Business Support Helpline.
The Business Support Helpline is a free, multi-channel advice and guidance service, operating across England, which offers a translation and interpretation service for those whom English in not their first language. The helpline can support all businesses, from those starting a business to established traders, including information about accessing Covid-19 related loans and grants.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the cap on energy bills from 1 January 2019 was revised upwards; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the new cap will not change at six weekly intervals.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Act states that Ofgem, the independent regulator, must update the level of the cap at least every 6 months. Ofgem have scheduled 6 monthly revisions each April and October. Ofgem is responsible for adjusting the cap level to reflect changes to the estimated costs of supplying electricity and gas to homes for the following 6 months.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) representatives of the retail sector on to encourage supermarkets to make more of their packaging recyclable; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Margot James
My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry has met with the Food and Drink Federation at a joint-Ministerial roundtable where the issue of waste was discussed.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the 2017 Autumn Budget that there will be a call for evidence on single-use plastics that will begin in the New Year that will also take into account the findings of the consultation on drinks containers. We fully expect the retail sector to respond to this.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
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 an assessment of barriers faced by people with a smart meter of changing energy provider; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Consumers with first generation smart (SMETS1) meters are still able to switch supplier, and are in a better position to do so thanks to accurate information on their energy usage. If the new supplier is not able to operate the meter in 'smart' mode, the meter will continue to record energy consumption accurately and can be used in 'traditional' mode.
Second generation smart (SMETS2) meters will be fully compatible between energy providers, therefore allowing all consumers to retain smart services when they switch energy suppliers.
The Data and Communications Company is developing a solution to move SMETS1 meters onto the national communications infrastructure to enable consumers to retain their smart services upon switching. We expect this to commence in late 2018.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment he has made of standing charges for energy consumers where a smart meter (a) has and (b) has not been installed; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
No such assessment has been made.
Smart metering costs are paid by suppliers, who pass the net costs or savings through to customers over the life of the Smart Metering Programme. Consumers will continue to pay for their metering service as they do now for their traditional meters, through their energy bills.
Smart meters are expected to take £300 million off household energy bills in 2020 alone. Overall, the roll-out is set to deliver significant net benefits to consumers, estimated at £5.7 billion over the lifetime of the Programme.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of energy consumers who have lost paperless discounts since having a smart meter installed.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
No such estimate has been made. We are not aware of this being an issue linked with smart meters.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what procedures are in place to ensure the safe installation of smart meters in Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Huddersfield (Barry Sheerman) to Question UIN 9047.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in what month in 2017 he plans to reintroduce the Renewable Heat Scheme Regulations 2017.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme and Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2017 were laid before Parliament on 30 August 2017. These regulations are due to come in force on 20 September 2017, subject to Parliamentary process. Further reforms outlined in the Government response in December 2016 will be implemented in due course, subject to Parliamentary process.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many single applicants have received subsidies for multiple installations under the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme since that scheme's inception.
Answered by Claire Perry
This cannot be directly determined from the application data because we do not require applicants to indicate if they own another Renewable Heat Incentive installation.