Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the automotive sector on the effect on that sector of no new import tariffs being imposed in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
BEIS Ministers and officials regularly meet with the automotive industry, including through bilaterals with manufacturers, via interactions with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and through BEIS’s participation in the Automotive Council.
Leaving the EU with a deal that supports the future of British industry remains the government’s top priority. As set out in the Political Declaration, the UK and the EU have agreed on a free trade area for goods, including automotive. This will combine deep regulatory and customs cooperation with no tariffs and no quotas, underpinned by provisions ensuring open and fair competition. We will continue to make the case for the benefits of free trade.
We are determined to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for the automotive sector.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to prepare the energy sector for the effects of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Claire Perry
Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. This has not changed. The Government has accelerated no deal preparations to ensure the country is prepared for every eventuality.
The Government has recommended that all businesses ensure they are prepared, enacting their own ‘no deal’ plans as they judge necessary. The Government has published eight Technical Notices related to energy policy, as well as further guidance of relevance to the energy sector. Businesses are advised to visit gov.uk/euexit for latest guidance.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of UK-based businesses based in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK that are considering relocating out of the UK in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government is working to ensure an orderly exit from the EU and a good deal for the UK. We continue to engage extensively with business across the country, including the West Midlands, to understand their concerns.
The Government is providing businesses with the latest advice and information to ensure that they are prepared for all aspects of leaving the EU. The guidance published at https://euexitbusiness.campaign.gov.uk/ helps businesses locate the most relevant information based on their sector and activities.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 the effect of Post Office closures on high street footfall in (a) Coventry and (b) other towns and cities across the country.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.
The management of the Post Office network is an operational matter for the Post Office Limited who are responsible for maintaining the network of branches and achieving the accessibility criteria set by Government. The Post Office does not have branch closure programme, rather they are seeking to open new branches. Branches can sometimes change location as a result of the Post Office Network Transformation Programme or franchising.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has held with representatives of the automotive manufacturing sector on trends in the annual levels of car production; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Leaving the EU with a deal that supports the future of British industry remains the government’s top priority. We are determined to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for automotive. Through our Industrial Strategy and landmark Automotive Sector Deal, we are working with industry to put the UK at the forefront of new automotive technologies to ensure the UK remains the destination of choice for future investment decisions.
BEIS Ministers and officials regularly meet with the automotive industry, including through bilaterals with manufacturers, via interactions with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and through BEIS’s participation in the Automotive Council.
The UK automotive industry is one of our great success stories. Global demand for UK designed, engineered and manufactured vehicles is strong and the industry has one of the highest productivity levels in Europe. A number of companies have recently committed to investing billions of pounds in the sector. This includes recent announcements of a £50m Technology Centre in partnership between McLaren and University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), as well as Aston Martin’s announcement that its St Athan facility in Wales will become the home of its electric vehicle range.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 estimate of the total debts owed by domestic energy suppliers that have ceased trading in each year since 2010.
Answered by Claire Perry
The debts from a company that ceases to trade are matter for the company, their creditors and, in the case of insolvency, the appointed administrators. The Department is not in a position, therefore, to be able to estimate these debts.
Ofgem, the sector regulator, deals with any unpaid industry obligations, working with administrators as necessary. Ofgem also operates the Supplier of Last Resort process that has been put in place by the Government. This ensures that customers do not experience any disruption to their supply when a company ceases trading, and limits the impact on the wider market.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2017 to Question 206232 on Energy: Prices, what estimate he has made of the total cost incurred by (a) the public purse and (b) other energy suppliers as a result of the transfer of customers of domestic energy suppliers who cease trading through the Supplier of Last Resort process in each year since 2010.
Answered by Claire Perry
A Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) appointed through a competitive process may make a claim to recover some of the costs they incur via an industry-wide levy. None of the levy costs are met by the public purse. The recovery of any tax arrears in an insolvency is a matter for the administrators and HMRC.
The Department is not able to make estimates of the expected costs as a result of the SoLR process. The costs of an insolvency will depend on the circumstances of each case and variables such as the number of customers, the short term costs of ensuring they continue to be supplied with energy, the settlement of customer bills and the costs absorbed by the incoming supplier. It is for Ofgem, as the expert regulator, to scrutinise the costs in any levy claim and to consult with industry and interested parties before any decision is taken to use the levy.