Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many homes in Batley and Spen constituency had solar power panels installed as of 31 October 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
At the end of October 2022, there were 1,606 domestic installations of solar panels recorded in Batley and Spen constituency.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many SMEs in Batley and Spen constituency have received Government funding for support 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 Batley and Spen will have benefitted from the Government’s reversal of the National Insurance rise, saving SMEs approximately £4,200 on average, 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.
Support is also available to SMEs across the UK through the Start Up loan scheme which has provided 148 SMEs in Batley and Spen loans to the value of £1,477,438 as of October 2022.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
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 work with the energy industry to develop social tariffs to reduce energy bills for households with high energy usage resulting from disability.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is supporting households through a series of measures; including, the Energy Price Guarantee, saving typical households £900 this winter and the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme payments.
A Treasury-led review will be launched to consider how to support households and with energy bills after April 2023. It is the Government’s intention that support will be better focused on the most vulnerable households and those least able to pay.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has completed his annual statutory review of pensions and benefits. Rates will, subject to Parliamentary approval, increase by 10.1% from April 2023.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
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 potential effect of trends in the cost of wholesale energy on the level paid by the Solar Export Guarantee.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a cost-reflective and market led mechanism and it is for suppliers to determine the value of the exported electricity and to take account of the administrative costs associated when setting their tariffs. The SEG contract that a supplier has with a householder is at a set price which is not directly linked to the wholesale market. We are currently reviewing Ofgem’s recently published annual SEG report to ensure that small-scale generators continue to have an effective route to market.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
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 he has made of the potential increase to the solar feed-in tariff rates in relation to the increased price of wholesale energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Feed-in tariff (FIT) rates are adjusted annually, in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI). Further information regarding the FIT rates for solar can be found on Ofgem’s website: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/feed-tariffs-fit/tariffs-and-payments.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
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 provide support to residents of housing associations who are impacted by the rises in commercial prices of the gas that housing associations procure.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On 29 July, the Government confirmed that funding will be available to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for the 1% of households who will not be reached through the Energy Bills Support Scheme, including residents of housing associations who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an energy supplier. An announcement with details on how and when these households across Great Britain can access this support will be made in the Autumn.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of UK consumer protections and (b) steps he will take to protect consumers from unscrupulous companies through public reviews and complaints.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government consulted in July 2021 on a number of proposals concerning consumer protection law. The Government’s response was published recently, and set out our approach to ensuring consumers are supported with a robust set of rights. It can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-competition-and-consumer-policy/outcome/reforming-competition-and-consumer-policy-government-response.
In particular, the Government will consult in due course on adding fake reviews to the list of banned practices – giving greater clarity to business on the current law and, where fake reviews are posted, allowing enforcers to take effective action quickly.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the price that households with solar panels receive for selling energy onto the grid is linked to market cost.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a market-led mechanism, to help level the playing field for small-scale low-carbon generators such as householders with solar panels. It provides a route to market for any excess energy exported to the grid following closure of the Feed-in Tariffs scheme.
To enable the SEG to be market based and encourage innovation, one of the key features is to allow suppliers to set both the tariff levels and structure. The contracts that suppliers have with householders are at a set price which is not directly linked to the wholesale market cost.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government's tidal power strategy is to complement the UK's energy mix; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government announced in November 2021 that the fourth Contracts for Difference allocation round will feature a £20million annual ringfenced budget for tidal stream energy. This builds on a long and continuing history of government support for the tidal power sector, and opens up possibilities for Britain’s marine energy sector to play a key role in strengthening energy security and reducing the country’s dependency on fossil fuels.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
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 (a) travel agencies (b) hairdressers and personal care providers and (c) gyms are not included in the list of eligible businesses set out in Annex A of the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant Guidance document issued on 21 January 2022.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) scheme supports businesses that offer in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in a fixed rate-paying premises, in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors. The funding supports sectors where social mixing is a primary motivation for consumers.
An indicative list of the types of businesses that can be supported under this scheme can be found at annex A of the scheme guidance. It is for Local Authorities to determine those cases where eligibility is unclear.
Local Authorities are encouraged to focus Additional Restrictions Grants (ARG) support on businesses who have been severely impacted by reduced business activity due to the spread of the Omicron variant. The guidance does not mandate specific evidence to determine if a business has been severely impacted by Omicron. It is for Local Authorities to issue grants at their discretion, based on local decision making.
The guidance for both OHLG and ARG schemes can be found here.