Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the planned timescale is for seafarers to receive the National Minimum Wage, announced on 1 October 2020.
Answered by Paul Scully
The National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 came into force on 1 October 2020. It extended the National Minimum Wage (NMW) to all seafarers working domestically in the UK territorial waters. Changes apply regardless of where the vessel is registered or the nationality of the seafarers, provided they are working domestically in the UK territorial waters.
If seafarers believe they are not being paid the NMW, they should contact HMRC who will consider every complaint they receive, call the ACAS helpline (0300 123 1100), or use the online helpline tool for free, confidential advice about their rights and entitlements.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timescale is for the introduction of the Government's proposed social housing decarbonisation programme.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
On 8 July 2020, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Summer Economic Update announced the £50m UK-wide Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator (SHDF Demonstrator) to start the decarbonisation of social housing over 2020/21, and to support green jobs as part of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan. The £50m project is a down payment towards the £3.8 billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund in our Manifesto, allocations for which will be determined in due course. This is a 10-year scheme, running to 2030, beginning with the Demonstrator phase in 2020. This will mean warmer and more energy efficient homes and could reduce annual energy bills by hundreds of pounds for some of the poorest households in society, as well as lowering carbon emissions.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fuel poverty debt relief programme for winter 2020-21.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Department is working with Ofgem to assess the level and impact of domestic consumer energy debt this winter and we will continue to review options to support energy customers in debt, including those in or at risk of fuel poverty.
Ofgem rules require energy suppliers to offer customers at risk of, or in debt, the facility to repay their debt in instalments. Suppliers are also required to take all reasonable steps to take into account a customers ability to pay when calculating this. Ofgem issued an open letter in June, stating they would “not tolerate sharp practice or aggressive debt collection and suppliers could face enforcement action where this is the case”.
The Department secured an agreement with energy companies on 19th March 2020 to support their customers impacted by Covid-19, that, based on the circumstances could include reassessing, reducing or pausing debt repayments for households in financial distress. Companies have also agreed to refer customers who are struggling to pay their bills to third party debt advisors.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timescale is for the introduction of the Government's proposed Home Upgrade Grants.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
Under the £2 billion Green Homes Grant funding announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 8th July to save households money, cut carbon and create green jobs, £500 million has been earmarked for Local Authority delivery in England to improve the energy efficiency of low-income households.
The first phase of this funding, launched on 4th August, will see up to £200 million available to Local Authorities directly through a bidding process. The remaining £300 million will be allocated to the five regional Local Energy Hubs later this year to procure services that support upgrading eligible homes.
This funding represents a significant and accelerated down payment on decarbonising buildings to help stimulate the economic recovery and create green jobs.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what employment protections are in place for kidney organ donors.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is fully supportive of all types of donation whether by living donors or not.
Most employees are entitled to employment protection such as statutory sick leave, protection from unfair dismissal and protection from unlawful discrimination. We would generally expect employers to be sympathetic when, for example considering requests for extra leave, which may be needed in these circumstances.
NHS England will also reimburse living donor patients in order to ensure that the financial impact on the donor is cost neutral. Through this scheme, living donors can receive a refund for loss of earnings and some other costs such as travel.
The policy on reimbursement was revised in 2018 in collaboration with NHS Blood and Transplant and is published on the NHS England website - https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/comm-pol-reimbursement-expenses-living-donors-v2.pdf
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
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 is taking to regulate pricing of stock in small newsagents to prevent fluctuations on essential items during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government condemns exploitative pricing practices in the light of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Competition and Markets Authority has created a Covid-19 taskforce to address concerns that some businesses are exploiting consumers through their pricing practices. The taskforce has already been in contact with traders about excessive hand sanitiser prices. Enforcement authorities will take action against companies that have broken competition or consumer protection law, and the Government continues to monitor these practices closely.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving workers on zero-hours contracts the right to a contract with guaranteed minimum hours.
Answered by Paul Scully
We are committed to making the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business. As announced in the Queen’s Speech we will be bringing forward an Employment Rights Bill to deliver the greatest reform of workers’ rights in over 20 years.
These reforms include taking firm action to tackle what Matthew Taylor termed one-sided flexibility, where some businesses have transferred too much business risk to the individual, sometimes at the detriment of their financial security and personal well-being.
We will also give all workers the right to request a more stable contract, which aims to encourage conversations between employers and businesses.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the staff employed by his Department are apprentices.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy currently employs 80 apprentices.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff in her Department reported experiencing bullying or harassment at work in the most recent Civil Service People Survey.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Bullying and harassment has no place in any workplace, including the Civil Service.
In our most recent People Survey, 11% of respondents, on average, told us that they'd experienced bullying or harassment at work in the 12 months preceding the survey.
Whilst this figure has remained stable since 2016, we recognise that certain groups of staff are more like to say they have experienced this type of unacceptable behaviour than others. This includes staff members with long-term limiting conditions who, in the vast majority of departments and agencies, were more likely to say they'd been bullied or harassed in the last 12 months than staff members with no long-term limiting conditions.
We are strengthening the routes for staff to report bullying and harassment to ensure that all staff are fully supported throughout the process, and to ensure cultures are positive and inclusive.
The high level People Survey results for each organisation, including reported rates of bullying and harassment, were published last December on gov.uk.
Each Spring, the Cabinet Office conducts and publishes a range of further analysis on the People Survey responses, including the results by gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and health status. Similar analysis will be conducted again this year and made available on gov.uk.
The results for the 2017 survey are summarised below. A copy of this table has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Civil Service People Survey 2017: results by organisation and health status
Long-term health status is captured in the People Survey through questions J04 and J04A. J04 asks if the individual has a "long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability?" and, if they answer yes, J04A asks whether their condition, illness or disability has an impact on their daily activity or the work they can do.
Results are aggregated in to two broad categories: "No long-term limiting condition", combining those who answer No to either J04 or J04A; and, "Long-term limiting condition", those who answer Yes to J04 and who answer that their condition limits what they can do either "a little" or "a lot" at J04A.
Answered “Yes” to the question “During the past 12 months have you personally experienced bullying or harassment at work?” | No limiting long-term illness | Has a limiting long-term illness |
Acas | 8% | 21% |
Accountant in Bankruptcy | 4% | 0% |
Animal and Plant Health Agency | 10% | 23% |
Attorney General's Office | 4% | .. |
Cabinet Office | 9% | 19% |
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science | 7% | 22% |
Charity Commission | 10% | 22% |
Civil Service HR | 13% | 22% |
Companies House | 4% | 11% |
Competition and Markets Authority | 11% | 33% |
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority | 8% | 31% |
Crown Commercial Service | 10% | 20% |
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service | 10% | 35% |
Crown Prosecution Service | 8% | 21% |
Defence Electronics and Components Agency | 17% | 38% |
Defence Equipment & Support | 10% | 25% |
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | 6% | 15% |
Department for Communities and Local Government | 6% | 19% |
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | 4% | 12% |
Department for Education | 7% | 17% |
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 7% | 16% |
Department for Exiting the European Union | 6% | 25% |
Department for International Development | 10% | 20% |
Department for International Trade | 10% | 17% |
Department for Transport | 6% | 14% |
Department for Work and Pensions | 8% | 20% |
Department of Health | 6% | 9% |
Disclosure Scotland | 9% | 27% |
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency | 6% | 16% |
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | 17% | 37% |
Dstl | 10% | 27% |
Education Scotland | 19% | 36% |
Estyn | 5% | .. |
FCO Services | 9% | 37% |
Food Standards Agency | 16% | 27% |
Food Standards Scotland | 8% | 7% |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office | 12% | 22% |
Government Actuary's Department | 7% | .. |
Government Internal Audit Agency | 9% | 21% |
Government Legal Department | 8% | 11% |
Health and Safety Executive | 10% | 21% |
HM Courts and Tribunals Service | 8% | 21% |
HM CPS Inspectorate | 31% | .. |
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services | 20% | 23% |
HM Prison and Probation Service HQ | 10% | 14% |
HM Revenue & Customs | 9% | 22% |
HM Treasury | 7% | 20% |
Home Office: Border Force | 14% | 40% |
Home Office: HM Passport Office | 11% | 25% |
Home Office: Immigration Enforcement | 13% | 28% |
Home Office: Policy and Enablers | 9% | 21% |
Home Office: UK Visas and Immigration | 9% | 20% |
Intellectual Property Office | 7% | 10% |
Land Registry | 6% | 14% |
Legal Aid Agency | 5% | 16% |
Maritime and Coastguard Agency | 14% | 42% |
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency | 9% | 23% |
Met Office | 8% | 21% |
Ministry of Defence | 10% | 26% |
Ministry of Justice HQ | 7% | 18% |
MoJ Arms Length Bodies | 6% | 18% |
National Crime Agency | 11% | 26% |
National Records of Scotland | 5% | 12% |
National Savings & Investment | 7% | 45% |
Office for National Statistics | 9% | 18% |
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets | 7% | 11% |
Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation | 7% | 6% |
Office of Rail and Road | 12% | 20% |
Office of the Public Guardian | 15% | 26% |
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator | 15% | .. |
Ofsted | 5% | 15% |
Public Health England | 11% | 19% |
Registers of Scotland | 7% | 5% |
Revenue Scotland | 7% | .. |
Rural Payments Agency | 10% | 25% |
Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland Offices | 7% | 15% |
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service | 7% | 19% |
Scottish Government | 8% | 17% |
Scottish Housing Regulator | 5% | .. |
Scottish Prison Service | 15% | 40% |
Scottish Public Pensions Agency | 13% | 23% |
Serious Fraud Office | 9% | 20% |
Student Awards Agency Scotland | 8% | 16% |
The Insolvency Service | 6% | 13% |
The National Archives | 5% | 21% |
The National Probation Service | 10% | 25% |
The Planning Inspectorate | 4% | 11% |
The Prison Service | 13% | 28% |
Transport Scotland | 9% | 17% |
UK Debt Management Office | 7% | .. |
UK Export Finance | 16% | 7% |
UK Hydrographic Office | 8% | 17% |
UK Statistics Authority | 15% | .. |
Valuation Office Agency | 6% | 17% |
Vehicle Certification Agency | 12% | .. |
Veterinary Medicines Directorate | 6% | 27% |
Welsh Government | 7% | 18% |
Wilton Park | 8% | .. |
Note: ‘..’ indicates value supressed due to small sample size | ||
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
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 proportion of staff currently employed by his Department who are apprentices.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The proportion of staff currently employed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy who are apprentices is 1.6%.