Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his planned timetable is for the implementation of the policies set out in the Written Ministerial Statement entitled Employment Rights, HCWS411, published on 5 December 2022.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On 5 December the Government set out its position on flexible working and published the response to the consultation “making flexible working the default”, including plans for legislation.
The Government is pleased to support the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill which gives effect to many of the measures, and is currently progressing through Parliament.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
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 is taking steps to increase the number of installations of energy efficiency measures in homes in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Improving the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock is critical in supporting households and contributing to the Government's Net Zero target.
In particular, it is essential that the Government supports low income, vulnerable and fuel poor households with energy efficiency measures, making it easier to heat homes and contribute to the long-term reduction in energy bills. The latest fuel poverty statistics show that, in 2020, in Ellesmere Port and Neston 12.2% of households were in fuel poverty.
Measures are being delivered to fuel poor households through a range of schemes including the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Home Upgrade Grant, the Local Authority Delivery Scheme and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). ECO has delivered 4,505 measures in Ellesmere Port and Neston as at end of September 2022.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with businesses in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency on the potential impact of the cost of living crisis on those businesses.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the impact rising prices are having on businesses, including those in Ellesmere Port and Neston, and is engaging with businesses across the UK to understand these challenges and explore ways to mitigate them.
The Government has reversed the National Insurance rise, saving SMEs £4,200 on average; cut fuel duty for 12 months; raised the Employment Allowance to £5,000 and introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which is shielding businesses across the country from soaring energy prices, saving some around half of their wholesale energy costs.
We have also announced £13.6 billion of support for businesses over the next five years, reducing the burden of business rates for SMEs.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
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 number of homes in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency that have had external wall insulation installed as of 31 October 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
BEIS estimates that under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Green Homes Grant (GHG) Government schemes, there have been around 100 external wall insulation measures installed in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency. Data for ECO covers January 2013 to September 2022. Data for the GHG schemes cover October 2020 to September 2022.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many small and medium-sized enterprises in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency have received Government funding for support during the cost of living crisis in 2022.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the impact rising prices are having on businesses.
Businesses in Ellesmere Port and Neston will have benefitted from the Government’s reversal of the National Insurance rise, saving SMEs approximately £4,200 on average; the cut to fuel duty for 12 months; raising the Employment Allowance to £5,000 and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme to protect SMEs from high energy costs over the winter. In addition, at 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, reducing the burden of business rates for SMEs.
The Government is also providing financial support through the Start Up loan scheme - 101 SMEs in Ellesmere Port and Neston have received loans to the value of £912,062 as of November 2022.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
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 7 November 2022 to Question 72238 on Brexit, what the special legal status of retained EU law is that he refers to in his Answer.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Retained EU Law, as introduced into UK law through the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (EUWA), is subject to complex glosses associated with EU legal principles, which confer a special status on retained EU law. This includes the principle of supremacy, which continues to apply in domestic law, and means some retained EU law takes priority over ordinary domestic law, including Acts of Parliament, in the event of conflict. This is no longer appropriate given we have left the EU.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what measures are in place to ensure the Energy Bill Support Scheme is paid to customers
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bills Support Scheme is delivering a £400 non-repayable Government discount in instalments over six months from October to March to help 29 million households in Great Britain with energy bills over the winter. Suppliers are reporting to BEIS on scheme delivery, including the redemption of prepayment meter vouchers. These figures will be published in due course.
Separate arrangements will be announced for households not eligible for the main scheme in Great Britain and for consumers in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
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 energy price cap was originally unavailable to businesses who signed their contract before April 1, 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Following additional evidence on high wholesale energy prices prior to April 2022, the eligibility criteria for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme was extended to include all fixed contracts signed from 1 December 2021. This is to ensure a fair and equitable scheme, where support offered to businesses and other non-domestic energy users covers all recent energy price increases, helping those businesses that have seen increased bills for a sustained period.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Statutory Instruments are within the scope of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill; and if he will place a list of all affected instruments in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Retained EU Law (REUL) Dashboard, published in June 2022, lists the 2,417 pieces of REUL identified at that point in time. This Dashboard will be updated on a quarterly basis as REUL is repealed and replaced, or more REUL is identified.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has worked closely with The National Archives on the underlying dataset. As part of this, the Department has asked The National Archives to search their archive for REUL that is no longer associated with an existing ministerial department. The aim of this work is to ensure that all REUL has been identified and the results will be added to the REUL dashboard.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impacts of improving (a) terms and conditions and (b) pay on business performance.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are determined to make the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business.
Over the past year, we have proven our commitment to supporting workers across the UK, including raising the National Living Wage to its highest rate yet. The Government is also backing five Private Members’ Bills which have been introduced as a result of the Private Members’ Bill ballot in the House of Commons which will increase workforce participation, protect vulnerable workers, and level the playing field, ensuring unscrupulous businesses don’t have a competitive advantage.
These Bills build on the strengths of our flexible and dynamic labour market and give businesses the confidence to create jobs and invest in their workforce, allowing them to generate long-term prosperity and economic growth.
As a result of government action, there are now more employees on the payroll than ever before, and we will continue to build a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work.