Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
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 development of (a) facilities and (b) technologies that could result from funding in hydrogen in (i) regions across the UK and (ii) the East Midlands.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Energy Security Strategy doubled its ambition from 5GW to 10GW for low carbon production capacity by 2030 and will drive significant private sector investment across the value chain via the Hydrogen Business Model. The UK Hydrogen Strategy supports multiple production technologies with low carbon hydrogen providing opportunities for UK companies and workers across the UK. The Government analysis suggests that the sector could support over 12,000 jobs and unlock over £9 billion in private investment by 2030. The Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, a UK-wide £1 billion fund, will accelerate the commercialisation of innovative low-carbon technologies, systems and business models through the 2020s.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Energy Bill Relief Scheme to businesses that signed fixed contracts before 1 April 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government announced it would expand the eligibility criteria to include all fixed contracts signed from 1 December 2021, to ensure that the support offered through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme to businesses and other non-domestic energy users covers all recent energy price increases.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
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 (a) size and (b) contribution of the UK economy of the inhaler production sector.
Answered by George Freeman
The Bioscience and health technology sector statistics 2019 shows that in 2019, 3,300 people were employed in businesses primarily involved in the development of anaesthetic and respiratory technology, which includes the production of inhalers. These businesses generated £780m in turnover.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing capacity in the UK; and what steps he is taking to increase investment in hydrogen fuel cell usage.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has strengths in electrochemical technologies. The 2019 Energy Innovation Needs Assessment identified that the UK has established research expertise and potential to establish a competitive fuel cell sector, capturing significant market share. British companies are already exporting this technology to markets in Europe and South East Asia. BEIS is working with industry to further assess these core strengths and potential opportunities for UK companies to support the domestic and global hydrogen economy. The forthcoming Hydrogen Strategy will set out what is required to build a hydrogen economy fit for 2030, Carbon Budget 6 and beyond, whilst maximising economic benefits.
The Government is providing a comprehensive framework of support for research, innovation and commercialisation of fuel cells. Four fuel cell projects have been funded through the BEIS Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, with a total grant of £2.2m, and will be in scope of the upcoming Longer Duration Energy Storage programme as part of the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. Government is also supporting the uptake of fuel cell electric vehicles, expansion of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and development of fuel cells for automotive through the £23m Hydrogen for Transport Programme, the £2m Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Fleet Support Scheme, and the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Automotive Transformation Fund, which have already committed over £38m in grant towards 16 projects with a total value of almost £85m. In addition, the Tees Valley Hydrogen Transport Hub will support a shared understanding on the role of hydrogen in a decarbonised transport system and put UK industry and technology at its forefront. Fuel cells will be a key technology explored. It will build partnership working across the region, improving co-ordination and cross learning of strategic R&D infrastructure investments at scale, co-locating transport end-use with hydrogen production and refuelling.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of allowing licensed venues to undertake their own risk assessments to determine how many people their facilities can hold whilst adhering to social distancing rules to enable events to go ahead.
Answered by Paul Scully
There is no change from the usual requirements of risk assessment. Employers have a duty to conduct a risk assessment in consultation with workers and unions where applicable.
All employers and self-employed people whose activities may pose a risk to the health and safety of other people should meet the objectives in the guidance to help keep people safe, but the actions they take will depend on the working environment, the size of their workforce and the site.
Businesses that have fewer than five workers do not need to record their risk assessment but still need to take all reasonably practical steps to reduce the risks of COVID-19.
As per guidance outside of new tiering local restrictions, people will still be able to meet in a group of larger than 6 for work purposes while maintaining social distancing.
Any meeting in a hotel venue, or similar, should also follow relevant guidance for the specific venue, including any relevant risk assessment and compliance with social distancing requirements.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of increasing the number of people allowed to attend weddings at licensed venues where the event is (a) seated and (b) social distancing measures can be adhered to.
Answered by Paul Scully
Wedding receptions can only take place in a COVID-19 secure environment which adheres to the appropriate guidelines which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships.
The limit of 15 people at a wedding reception from 28 September will remain one of the few occasions when people are legally permitted to gather in groups of more than 6 people.