Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date his Department will require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support onto tenants as set out in the provisions in the Energy Prices Act.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Prices Act 2022 contains a provision requiring intermediaries to pass on energy price support to end users. Further detail will be set out in regulations and guidance in due course, however, the requirement will be retrospective which means landlords will be required to pass on payments from October onwards.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
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 Cabinet colleagues on bringing forward legislative proposals to replace retained EU law on environmental protections following the passage of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022.
Answered by Dean Russell
Policy on environmental protections is owned by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and any decisions regarding retained EU law on environmental protections are for Defra Ministers to take.
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not held discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the content of Defra policy.
The UK is a world leader in environmental protections. In reviewing our retained EU law, we want to ensure that environmental law is fit for purpose for the United Kingdom’s unique environment, enabling us to drive improved environmental outcomes and deliver on our commitment to halt nature’s decline by 2030.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to consult (a) environmental and (b) public health organisations on the potential implications of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022.
Answered by Dean Russell
Policy on the environment is owned by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and any decisions regarding retained EU law on the environment are for Defra ministers to take.
Policy on public health is owned by the Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC), and any decisions regarding retained EU law on public health are for DHSC Ministers to take.
We are working through how best to involve stakeholders in this process and we will want to hear the views of environmental organisations as we develop the REUL programme.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
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 take steps to accelerate the replacement of animal experiments with techniques such as the use of organ-on-a-chip technology and computer modelling.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government actively supports and funds the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs). This is achieved primarily through funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs), which works nationally and internationally to drive the uptake of 3Rs technologies and ensure that advances in the 3Rs are reflected in policy, practice, and regulations on animal research. Since the NC3Rs was launched in 2004, it has committed £100 million in research to develop 3Rs technologies.
In addition to funding the NC3Rs, UKRI also funds a portfolio of research projects involving humans, human materials, animal models, and non-animal technologies. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and NC3Rs have recently launched a £4 million joint funding call focussed on supporting next generation non-animal technologies, such as organ-on-a-chip and computer modelling, to work towards providing more reliable and applicable alternatives to reduce the use of animals in research.