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, with reference to the restart grants announced in the Budget 2021, how much funding each local authority will receive to administer those grants; and what estimate he has made of the number of businesses that will be eligible for that grant in each local authority area.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department is using information on eligible businesses, held by the Valuation Office Agency, to help determine the level of support each Local Authority requires.
We expect that over 680,000 businesses will benefit from the new £5bn Restart Grant scheme, and in the coming weeks we will be communicating the level of funding each Local Authority will receive, including publishing on GOV.UK.
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 estimate he has made of the number businesses eligible in each local authority for restart grants; and how much funding each local authority area will receive through those grants.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department is using information on eligible businesses, held by the Valuation Office Agency, to help determine the level of support each Local Authority requires.
We expect that over 680,000 businesses will benefit from the new £5bn Restart Grant scheme, and in the coming weeks we will be communicating the level of funding each Local Authority will receive, including publishing on GOV.UK.
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 his Department is taking to help ensure consumers are protected against misinformation online, including fake and misleading reviews.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is committed to protecting consumers from unfair behaviours. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) prohibits fake and misleading reviews online. Alleged breaches of the CPRs should be sent in the first instance to the Citizens Advice consumer service, www.citizensadvice.org.uk/, who will refer on cases to trading standards for appropriate enforcement action.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued guidance to consumers on avoiding fake reviews which can be found at: https://www.asa.org.uk/news/avoiding-fake-views-a-guide-to-testimonials-and-endorsements.html.
Furthermore, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation into online reviews displayed on several major websites in May 2020. The CMA will investigate, among other things, whether the traders responsible for the websites are taking sufficient measures to remove fake and misleading reviews. Details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/online-reviews.
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, whether his Department plans to implement the recommendation of the Digital Markets Taskforce to give the Competition and Markets Authority additional powers to prevent the trading of online reviews.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is committed to ensuring digital markets remain competitive and deliver positive outcomes for consumers, small businesses, and society. That is why we have announced funding to establish a new Digital Markets Unit within the Competition and Markets Authority from 2021-22. We set up the Digital Markets Taskforce in March to offer expert advice.
The Government is now considering the Taskforce’s recommendations and will respond 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, whether his Department plans to implement the recommendation of the Digital Markets Taskforce for the Government to strengthen powers to tackle unlawful or illegal activity or content on digital platforms which could result in economic detriment to consumers and businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is committed to ensuring digital markets remain competitive and deliver positive outcomes for consumers, small businesses, and society. That is why we have announced funding to establish a new Digital Markets Unit within the Competition and Markets Authority from 2021-22. We set up the Digital Markets Taskforce in March to offer expert advice.
The Government is now considering the Taskforce’s recommendations and will respond 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, with reference to his Department's consultation, Subsidy control: designing a new approach for the UK, published on 3 February 2021, whether interim arrangements for the UK’s subsidy control regime will be published pending the outcome of that consultation.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department is consulting on a new approach to subsidy control that will best reflect the needs of the UK economy. Since 1 January 2021, the subsidy control regime with which public authorities need to comply is defined by our international commitments, including World Trade Organisation rules on subsidies, the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation agreement (TCA),Article 10 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, and other obligations resulting from other international trade agreements.
Details on these commitments, with a particular focus on granting authorities, was published by the Department on 31 December 2020 and is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/complying-with-the-uks-international-obligations-on-subsidy-control-guidance-for-public-authorities.
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, whether grants paid in England on the basis of the rateable value of closed premises can contribute towards the €3 million state aid threshold for uncovered fixed costs subject to businesses meeting the relevant eligibility criteria.
Answered by Paul Scully
The guidance relating to grant support for businesses required by law to close states that these grants count towards applicable subsidy control limits, including that which limits support to €3 million per undertaking under Section 3.12 of the Temporary Framework.
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 has been allocated to each local authority area for the £1,000 wet-led pubs grant for December 2020; and how much of that funding has been disbursed.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has put forward an unprecedented package of support for businesses in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. This support includes the Christmas Support Payment for wet-led pubs who missed out on much needed business during the busy festive period. Grants were made available to eligible pubs upon entry to Tier 2 or Tier 3 restrictions following the scheduled Tier review dates of 2 December and 16 December, and to those that entered Tier 4 between 2 and 29 December if they had not already qualified for the grant.
On 24 February, we published data relating to allocations and grant payments made by Local Authorities to businesses up to 17 January 2021. This includes the Christmas Support Payment: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.
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 15 February 2021 to Question 149789 on Post Office: Subsidies, whether EU state aid rules do not apply to lockdown grants announced on 5 January 2021.
Answered by Paul Scully
EU State aid rules no longer apply to subsidies granted from 1st January 2021 in the UK. The only exception is aid within scope of the Withdrawal Agreement, specifically Article 10 of the Northern Ireland Protocol which applies to measures affecting trade in goods and wholesale electricity markets between Northern Ireland and the EU, and Article 138 in relation to aid for EU programmes and activities within the Multiannual Financial Framework.