Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding his Department provided for (a) research involving animals and (b) the development of non-animal experimentation methods in each of the last four years; and what the proportion of funding was for research involving animals in that same period for each disease area targeted by the funding.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The information requested is not held centrally and is currently being researched. I will write to the Hon. Member as soon as the information is available and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
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 plans to update its anaerobic digestion action and strategy plan.
Answered by Claire Perry
Anaerobic Digestion (AD) has the potential to support the UK to decarbonise, divert waste from landfill and produce nutrient-rich fertiliser.
Through the Feed In Tariff, Renewables Obligation and Renewable Heat Incentive, Government has supported the deployment of 0.46 GW of AD. We currently have no plans to update the Anaerobic Digestion Strategy and Action Plan, but we continue to assess the potential benefits of AD through delivery of the Industrial Strategy and Clean Growth Strategy.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Treasury underwrite of Horizon 2020 funding awarded before the UK leaves the EU will cover European Research Council grant holders who were working at institutions outside of the UK when they signed their grant but who want to relocate to complete their research at a UK institution.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The UK is eligible to fully participate in all aspects of the Horizon 2020 programme, including the European Research Council (ERC), while we remain a member of the EU.
In addition, the Joint Report presented by EU and UK negotiators states that: “following withdrawal from the Union the UK will continue to participate in the Union programmes financed by the MFF 2014-2020 until their closure”. This includes participation in Horizon 2020.
This means that, subject to the Withdrawal Agreement, ERC grant holders will continue to be eligible to relocate their grants to and from the UK.
However, the Government’s underwrite guarantee remains in place in the event that commitments made in the Joint Report are not met. This ensures UK participants who successfully bid for competitive EU funds, including those delivered through the ERC, before the UK’s withdrawal from the EU will receive funding.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the (a) actual 2017 and (b) budgeted 2018 Rothamsted Research income and expenditure arising from and relating to Rothamsted's strategic framework agreement with Bayer.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Rothamsted Research is an independent organisation. We do not hold information on Rothamsted’s income and expenditure arising from and relating to their strategic framework agreement with Bayer.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps have been taken by Rothamsted Research to ensure that conflicts of interest arising from its strategic framework agreement with Bayer are managed and that there is no risk to the perception of independence of Rothamsted’s advice to Government.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Rothamsted Research is an independent organisation and therefore we are unable to comment on specific procedures that the charity may have in place to ensure the independence of advice. Rothamsted Research receives income from many sources. In the case of research grants received from BBSRC, Rothamsted is subject to Research Councils UK’s terms and conditions (http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/funding/grantstcs/) including adhering to best research practice, data sharing polices and access to research outputs.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
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 publish in full the strategic framework agreement between Bayer and Rothamsted Research.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Rothamsted Research is an independent organisation and any framework agreement with Bayer would be a commercial matter between both parties.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
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 12 December 2017 to Question 117048 on Groceries Code Adjudicator, for what reasons the Department has not published its response to its consultation on extending the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, which closed in January 2017, and when his Department plans to publish its response.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy continues to work closely with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs on the Call for Evidence on extending the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator. We have carefully analysed all responses received and considered potential solutions to issues identified by respondents. We will be publishing a full Government response to the Call for Evidence shortly.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
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 ensure that the devolved administrations' policies and incentives for green finance are all coherent with each other and with those of the Westminster Government, after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Claire Perry
In the formulation of the Clean Growth Strategy (CGS), the devolved administrations were consulted on many of the policies contained within the Strategy. We will continue to work with the devolved administrations as we develop and implement the policies and proposals in the CGS, including green finance.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will introduce requirements for manufacturers of antifreeze to (a) include a bittering agent in the product and (b) ensure that the product is non-toxic to animals.
Answered by Claire Perry
Antifreeze supplied for domestic use is regulated under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. This requires it to be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use when placed on the market. In addition, chemical products including antifreeze are also regulated by European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures. This aims to protect people and the environment from the effects of hazardous chemicals by requiring suppliers to provide information about the hazards present and to package them safely.
There are no plans to regulate to require manufacturers to include a bittering agent, but producers are already able to add a bittering agent on a voluntary basis.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to continue cooperation with the EU 2030 Climate and Energy Framework after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Claire Perry
In November 2016, the European Commission published the Clean Energy Package, a series of legislative proposals that will implement the 2030 framework and set the course of EU energy policy for the next decade. The UK continues to participate actively and effectively in the negotiation of this legislation to ensure that it supports our domestic climate and energy objectives as set out in the Clean Growth Strategy.
I have been clear that the UK’s ambition is to ensure continued efficient energy trading with the EU to underpin a new era of cooperation and partnership on energy and climate change.