Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government Response to the Warm Home Discount: Better targeted support from 2022 consultation, what the eligibility criteria is for the new Core Group 2 for that Discount.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Warm Home Discount Core Group 2 will focus support to low-income households who are struggling to heat their homes. Eligibility will be linked to receipt of a qualifying means-tested benefit and tax credits and having high energy costs derived from property characteristics. These reforms will ensure that rebates are provided to fuel poor households on the lowest incomes.
The full eligibility criteria, including a list of the qualifying benefits, can be found in the Government’s response to the consultation.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester 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 his Department has made of the extent of disabled people's exposure to higher than average energy costs; and if he will take steps to reflect the potential impact of disabled people's exposure to higher than average energy costs in the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Warm Home Discount reforms will better target automatic rebates to fuel poor households on the lowest incomes, including those with disabilities. The Department’s analysis models an increase in the number of recipients who declare they have a long-term illness or disability by 160,000. The proportion of rebates received by households with a disability or long-term illness will remain higher than the proportion of the fuel poor population or overall population with a disability.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Vectura were included in discussions relating to development of the Government’s Life Sciences Vision.
Answered by George Freeman
Vectura was not involved in discussions relating to the development of the Life Sciences Vision.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care's oral contribution of 14 September 2021, Official Report, c. 820, for what reason the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency would not approve the Valvena covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by George Freeman
The response given by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to a question raised by the hon. Member for Livingston (Hannah Bardell) has been amended to make clear that Valneva’s Covid-19 vaccine has not yet gained approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) here in the UK, and that the outcome of that approval process will be a matter for the MHRA once data from the trials has been submitted.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason the Competition and Markets Authority did not investigate whether Philip Morris International’s takeover of Vectura violated competition law.
Answered by Paul Scully
Decisions on which mergers to investigate on competition grounds are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is an independent non-ministerial department.
The CMA’s role in respect of merger control was set out by Parliament in the Enterprise Act 2002. The Act set limits on the CMAs jurisdiction and the standard by which it must assess those transactions. In particular, the CMA must assess whether a transaction “Has resulted or may be expected to result, in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the UK for goods or services.”
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on teaching climate change and environmental protection in schools.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department for Education is responsible for setting the school curriculum. Climate change and environmental protection are already included in the school curriculum.
It is important that young people are taught about climate change and environmental protection so they understand both the challenges we face and the solutions. This Government is also funding programmes in schools and colleges to increase the take-up of maths (such as the Advanced Maths Premium), computing and physics so students have the skills to help build and grow our low carbon economy.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester 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 implications of climate change for young people.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government recognises that climate change is one of the most urgent and pressing challenges we face, which is why we have set out ambitious plans in our Clean Growth Strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through to 2032 and beyond.
The Strategy builds on the UK’s strong progress we have made towards our legally binding targets, established in the world-leading Climate Change Act. Between 1990 and 2017, the UK reduced its emissions by over 40 per cent while growing the economy by more than two thirds.
Looking ahead to the future, we have commissioned the Committee on Climate Change to provide advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets, including on setting a net zero target. This advice is due in May and we will consider it carefully when it is received.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
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 plans for Horizon 2020 funding in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
As a responsible Government we continue to prepare to support UK science in all scenarios.
In August 2016 the Government announced an underwrite guarantee. This is a commitment to underwrite Horizon 2020 funding for all successful UK bids submitted before Exit in the event of ‘no deal’.
In a no deal scenario, the UK would become a third country participant in Horizon 2020 after the UK leaves the EU. As a third country, UK researchers and businesses would, from the date of exit, be able to apply to and participate in all Horizon 2020 calls open to third country participants from the date of exit. Third country participation is a well-established part of Horizon 2020 – entities from third countries currently participate in and lead consortia in a wide range of collaborative programmes.
The Government announced an extension to the guarantee in July 2018 to cover successful UK bids to calls open to third country participation. This will cover funding for the lifetime of projects, even if they last beyond 2020.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Prime Minister’s speech on science and modern Industrial Strategy of 21 May 2018, if he will place in the Library the methodology used to calculate (a) that smart technologies will lead to the earlier diagnosis of 50,000 more people a year with lung, bowel prostate or ovarian cancer, and (b) that this combined with the great treatment and care provided by our NHS will mean 22,000 fewer people will die within five years of their diagnosis compared to today.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
In order to produce the Early Diagnosis Mission, the Government worked closely with a range of experts on a variety of diseases to define its scope and identify its potential impacts. The numbers referenced convey the potential impacts of integrating artificial intelligence and data technologies with respect to the four types of cancer you mentioned and were made available thanks to the work and methodology of Cancer Research UK.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester 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 potential effect on NHS cancer patients of the Government’s decision for the UK to leave Euratom.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The UK imports a wide variety of radioactive isotopes for medical use. These include radioisotopes used for medical imaging of cancers and for cancer therapy. As medical radio-isotopes are not special fissile material, they are not subject to international safeguards and their availability in the UK should not be impacted by withdrawal from Euratom.