Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
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 8 September to Question 84266 on Local Government Finance: Coronavirus, by what date must local authorities return unspent funds through the coronavirus business support grants funds once final payments have been made on 30 September.
Answered by Paul Scully
Local authorities have now closed their Business Grant Funds and are in the process of making final payments to businesses. These must be complete by 30 September. The reconciliation process will then take place from October.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, by what date local authorities are required to return underspend from the coronavirus business grant schemes.
Answered by Paul Scully
Local authorities have now closed their Business Grant Funds and are in the process of making final payments to businesses. These must be complete by 30 September.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
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 Chancellor of the Exchequer on launching the Brunel challenge to support UK manufacturers in the (a) aerospace sector and (b) other high value manufacturing sectors.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave my Hon. Friend the Member for Filton and Bradley Stoke on 13 July 2020 to Question 71029.
The Government recognises the value of British engineering capability and innovation. That is why we have already invested nearly £2 billion in the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme, providing advice on market opportunities and technology. We have also committed with industry around £1 billion through the Advanced Propulsion Centre, to research, develop, and commercialise the next generation of low carbon technologies to keep the UK at the cutting edge of low carbon automotive innovations. We are also supporting the innovation of digital design through the £147 million Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge.
At the last Budget, we set out plans for public investment in research and development to reach £22 billion?each year?by 2024/25, which is a record increase in spending.
As part of the upcoming Spending Review we will consider proposals for this investment, of which the Brunel Challenge and slingshot is one of many.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses have applied to the local authority discretionary grants fund since it was established; and how many businesses have received grant allocations.
Answered by Paul Scully
On 1 May, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary?of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced a further up to £617 million available to local authorities in England to support small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs that are not liable for business rates or rates reliefs, and are therefore out of scope of the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF). Local authorities are responsible for defining precise eligibility for the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund (LADGF) in their area, subject to businesses meeting the national eligibility criteria as set out in the guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.
Local authorities have started making payments under the new scheme and, as with the SBGF and RHLGF, we will expect them to report to government on their Discretionary Grants Fund payments on a weekly basis. We are not, however, able to share data on the number of businesses that have applied for or received LADGF grant payments at this stage.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses have applied in each local authority area to the local authority discretionary grants fund since that fund was established; and how many businesses in each local authority area have received grant allocations from that fund.
Answered by Paul Scully
On 1 May, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary?of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced a further up to £617 million available to local authorities in England to support small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs that are not liable for business rates or rates reliefs, and are therefore out of scope of the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF). Local authorities are responsible for defining precise eligibility for the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund (LADGF) in their area, subject to businesses meeting the national eligibility criteria as set out in the guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.
Local authorities have started making payments under the new scheme and, as with the SBGF and RHLGF, we will expect them to report to government on their Discretionary Grants Fund payments on a weekly basis. We are not, however, able to share data on the number of businesses in each local authority that have applied for or received LADGF grant payments at this stage.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
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 each local authority has been allocated as part of the discretionary grants fund; and how much each local authority has allocated to businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
On 1 May, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary?of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced a further up to £617 million available to local authorities in England to support small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs that are not liable for business rates or rates reliefs, and are therefore out of scope of the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF).
As set out in the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund (LADGF) guidance, a local authority’s funding allocation equates to 5% of the value of the hereditaments they have identified as in scope of the SBGF and RHLGF in their area. Full details of this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.
Local authorities have started making payments under the new scheme and, as with the SBGF and RHLGF, we will expect them to report to government on their Discretionary Grants Fund payments on a weekly basis. We are not, however, able to share a full breakdown of the funding allocated and distributed by each local authority under the LADGF at this stage.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) Ministers, (b) organisations and (c) individuals will sit on the (i) pubs and restaurants and (ii) non-essential retail roadmap taskforces.
Answered by Paul Scully
As you are aware, five new ministerial-led taskforces have been set up to develop plans for how and when closed sectors can reopen safely, following publication of the UK’s roadmap to rebuild Britain.
As part of this science-led approach, each taskforce will work across Government and engage with key stakeholders in public health, industry, trade unions and devolved administrations to:
Details on the structure and scope of the taskforces is currently being drawn up and will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
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 support businesses as part of the Northern Powerhouse.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Supporting businesses in the Northern Powerhouse is a priority for this Government.
At the Autumn Statement, we launched the Northern Powerhouse strategy, setting out our strategic vision for an even stronger, more productive northern economy. Across the North we are supporting investment funds totalling over £500m for SMEs, investing £3.4billion in Growth Deal projects, and have created seventeen Enterprise Zones.