Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
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 take steps to (a) provide emergency businesses funding grants, (b) provide utility support and (c) defer business rates for businesses in financial difficulties.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
In the Autumn statement, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £13.6 billion of support for businesses over the next five years. However, business rates are a matter for HM Treasury.
Following a HMT-led review, the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, will run from April until March 2024, and will continue to provide a discount to eligible businesses on their electricity bills.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date will local authorities receive the full scheme guidance for Government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding arrangements for administering the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) will be launched later this month, and local authorities will be provided with guidance ahead of this launch. The Government will also be hosting webinars ahead of the scheme launch to help provide additional information to Local Authorities on the role they will play in delivering the EBSS AF.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he will respond to the correspondence of 1 November 2022 from the hon. Member for Easington on the Office of Life Sciences and the support for domestic-based generic pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department has been unable to confirm receipt of the hon. Member’s correspondence of 1 November 2022 on the Office of Life Sciences and the support for domestic-based generic pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Please resubmit the correspondence to the Department and a response will be expedited for the hon. Member.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many hours officials in his Department have worked to (a) attend and (b) support the policy agenda of the National Council of Maritime UK since 2019-20 to date.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
BEIS officials regularly engage with Maritime UK as a key trade body for Marine in the UK, including attending and updating on BEIS activities at the National Council – work to support the Marine agenda is a key priority across Government and as such officials spend a great deal of time working directly and indirectly on Marine policy issues which are often discussed at National Council meetings.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
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 Government changed the Warm Home Discount eligibility criteria to exclude 290,000 disability benefit claimants.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has expanded and reformed the Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales to target fuel poverty, provide most rebates automatically and standardise the eligibility across energy suppliers.
Households in receipt of means-tested benefits with high energy costs based on certain characteristics of their property are eligible for the rebate. Around 62% of Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance recipients receive a means-tested benefit; those with high energy costs are eligible.
As a result of expanding and reforming the scheme 160,000 more households where a person has a disability or long-term illness will receive a rebate.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
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 introduce a renewable energy grant to support the installation of domestic wind and solar technology.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Smart Export Guarantee enables small scale generators to receive payment for excess electricity that is generated and exported to the grid. In the British Energy Security Strategy the Government committed to simplify planning processes and facilitate low-cost finance to drive rooftop solar deployment. The Strategy also set out that the Government is looking at ensuring that local supportive communities who wish to host new onshore wind infrastructure can receive benefits in return, for example through lower energy bills.