Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
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 protect leaseholders living in flats with communal heating systems from energy bill increases.
Answered by Greg Hands
Renters and leaseholders are facing financial pressures this winter, which is why the Government is taking action worth more than £9.1billion in supporting households through initiatives such as the Energy Bills Rebate, the Household Support Fund, Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments. Depending on their financial situation and income, people may qualify for one or more of these schemes and should get in touch with their local authorities who will best advise them on their eligibility.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
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 extent of the practice whereby companies commission work from sub-contractors and then liquidate that company in order to avoid paying for the work only for the directors to establish a new business under a different name; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
Office holders appointed to administer a liquidation are required to investigate the conduct of directors and report about that conduct to the Insolvency Service within three months of the liquidation. This may lead to investigation and proceedings to disqualify or, in serious cases, prosecute directors for misconduct. Depending upon the evidence obtained, such misconduct can include where a director caused a company to incur a debt which they had no intention of the company repaying.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many company directors have been struck off for (a) wrongful trading, (b) fraudulent trading and (c) unfit conduct in (i) England and (ii) Yorkshire in each of the last five years.
Answered by Paul Scully
Companies House publishes information annually on the number of disqualification orders notified to the Secretary of State in the United Kingdom under the Insolvency Act 2000 and the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. The information includes disqualifications for wrongful trading, fraud in a winding up and unfit conduct. This information covers the UK as a whole and Companies House is unable to provide separate figures for England and Yorkshire.
The latest published information can be found at the following url https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/companies-house-management-information-tables-2020-to-2021
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Licence Lite applications have been made in each year since 2009; and how many were awarded by Ofgem in each of those years.
Answered by Greg Hands
Ofgem have provided the following information on the number of Licence Lite applications received each year since 2009, and how many were granted a licence.
Year | Number of Licence Lite Applications | Number of Licence Lite granted |
2009 - 2015 | 0 | 0 |
2016 | 1 | 0 |
2017 | 2 | 3 |
2018 | 1 | 0 |
From 2019 to present, Ofgem have not received any applications for a Licence Lite.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
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 impact of fireworks and bonfires on the level of CO2 emissions in England around 5 November.
Answered by Greg Hands
BEIS currently does not estimate the level of CO2 emissions produced by bonfires and fireworks.