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 - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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 - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
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.
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, whether he plans to seek an extension of the energy price cap to include small businesses.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government announced a new six-month scheme – the Energy Price Guarantee for Businesses (EPGB) – to protect all businesses and other non-domestic energy users from soaring energy costs. The scheme will offer comparable support to that being provided for consumers and we expect the scheme to be available in the autumn. After this initial six-month scheme the Government will provide focused support for vulnerable sectors, targeted to make sure those most in need get support.
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, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring electricity providers to offer free electrical safety checks in the homes of vulnerable people; and whether he has had discussions with Ofgem on that matter.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Electricity distribution and supply companies, which are regulated by Ofgem, are responsible for providing the electricity supply up to and including the meter in a customer’s property. Landlords and homeowners are responsible for electrical installation inside the property. The Electricity Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to ensure the electrical installation in private rented properties are inspected and tested by qualified competent person at least every five years.
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, whether support is available to people who fall within the Broader Group eligible for the Warm Home Discount Scheme but who cannot receive a payment as a result of the limit on the number of customers who can benefit.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Energy suppliers participating in the Warm Home Discount scheme have discretion over the criteria they use to determine which households qualify for support under the Broader Group. They are given minimum targets for Broader Group payments set by the Government, but suppliers can make further payments.
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the use of tidal power to help meet the UK's energy needs.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government announced in November 2021 that the fourth Contracts for Difference allocation round will feature a £20m annual ringfenced budget for tidal power. This builds on a long and continuing history of government support for the tidal power sector and opens up possibilities for Britain’s marine energy sector to play a key role in strengthening energy security and reducing dependency on fossil fuels. Moreover, the Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in our bays and estuaries, provided that such proposals can demonstrate clear and beneficial impacts on the energy system and good value for money.