Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
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 local enterprise partnerships play a key role in regional economic recovery after the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government chairs an Economic Recovery Working Group, bringing together representatives of local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, and Combined Authorities. This Group works with local regions to understand the full scale of the challenges they face in the short to medium-term.
We are not starting recovery planning from a blank page. Through the Local Industrial Strategies programme, Local Enterprise Partnerships have done excellent work to develop an evidence base and to scope long-term priorities for their areas. In the short-term, we encourage partners to prioritise those issues their existing strategies –have not considered. This will include how to restart the economy whilst maintaining social distancing in line with Government guidance.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
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 shops are supported to implement social distancing measures in advance of opening as covid-19 lockdown measures are eased.
Answered by Paul Scully
As you are aware, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister confirmed on 25 May that retail shops (including shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, books and electronics) will begin to reopen more widely from 15 June, subject to progress against the five tests and only where the business is able to follow the safer working guidance.
The Government has updated the guidance on working safely in shops and branches to allow venues to prepare. The updated guidance takes into account the best practice demonstrated by the many retailers which have been allowed to remain open and have applied social distancing measures in store.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy chaired a taskforce meeting involving businesses, business representative organisations and unions. In addition, a questionnaire was issued to approximately 60 businesses covering the retail outlets captured by the updated guidance.
The guidance on safer working has been welcomed and many sectors appreciate the joint work between government, business and trade unions.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the hospitality industry to ensure the safe resumption of their trade in line with relevant social distancing measures.
Answered by Paul Scully
As per the announcement and publication of the Government’s roadmap, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy leads on the Pubs and Restaurants Taskforce. Its engagement group was convened on May 22nd.
Venues like restaurants and pubs are naturally crowded by design and require more contact between people, which means it is more difficult to socially distance. It is the government’s ambition to reopen these types of businesses as part of Step 3 of the roadmap, subject to further scientific advice and the risk assessment at the time.
The BEIS taskforce is considering how these businesses can reopen safely in line with the phasing ambitions and public health directions. We are working with the sector to develop guidance on safer ways for them to open at the earliest point at which it is safe to do so.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
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 ensure that redundancy procedures undertaken as a result of the covid-19 outbreak follow statutory guidance.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is supporting businesses and their employees through a package of measures, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, during this period of unprecedented disruption to help firms keep people in employment, and reduce the need for redundancies. The Government is continually reviewing what further support can be offered to business and whether amended guidance is appropriate
The legislation relating to collective redundancies remains in force and employers are expected to comply with these requirements. If there are special circumstances which mean that it is not reasonably practicable for an employer to comply in full with some of the requirements, the employer should still take all such steps towards compliance with that requirement which it reasonably can. This is a matter for employers to consider based on their own situation.
Employees who feel their rights have been denied may complain to an employment tribunal, which may make a protective award of up to 90 days’ pay to each affected employee.
Businesses and employees can get advice on individual employment issues by visiting the Acas website. Acas has detailed best practice guidance online for employers on handling large-scale redundancies. Businesses can also ring the BEIS Business Support Line for further advice on support for business.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
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 small travel companies can afford to process refund requests from customers that booked holidays under the Package Holiday Charter.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government recognises the extremely difficult circumstances small travel companies are currently facing, which is why on 17 March the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a wide range of support for businesses, in addition to the £30bn support announced in the budget. The Government is keeping package travel regulations under review and are collecting intelligence on how businesses are adapting to these challenges.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
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 with supermarkets to ensure that supermarket workers that engage with shoppers are provided with (a) protective equipment and (b) other forms of support they may need to carry out their work during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Government is clear that we will support people in work during the Covid-19 outbreak. We are regular engaging with industry stakeholders, including the British Retail Consortium and supermarket CEOs, to ensure they are well prepared and that their operations remain in line with the latest health guidance.
The Government is collaborating with businesses across the manufacturing sector to ensure additional personal protective equipment (PPE) can be provided to frontline workers as quickly as possible to ensure their safety. While PPE supplies are currently being prioritised for health and social care workers, we are working to ensure additional requirements for PPE and consumables can continue to be sourced through normal distributors.
Food shops that remain open at this time will be expected to comply with social distancing requirements This approach is clinically led, based on the expert advice of the UK’s Chief Medical Officer.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
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 sub-postmasters who are found to be innocent of accusations of theft due to the Post Office's Horizon IT system fault have related criminal records removed quickly.
Answered by Paul Scully
Government is unable to comment on individual cases given that the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) is independent in their determination of applications. The CCRC is working hard to progress these cases at speed though and is treating the cases as a group to enable them to review the cases more efficiently. However, within the group of cases the CCRC will still need to assess each case individually, so that they can make a decision as to whether the case meets the statutory test to be referred to the appeal courts. Post Office Ltd has assured Government that it is fully cooperating with the CCRC. ?
More widely in respect of the Horizon case, the Post Office, under its new chief executive officer, has accepted that it got things wrong, apologised and said that it aims to re-establish a positive relationship with postmasters. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working actively with the Post Office on this matter and will hold it to account on its progress. We are also looking into what more needs to be done.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to support local businesses in (a) Hinckley and (b) Bosworth.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Government provides businesses in Hinckley and Bosworth with support through Leicester and Leicestershire’s LEP Growth Hub.
We have made specific investments in Horiba MIRA to support the future automotive industry.
This has included £9.5m to establish the MIRA Technology Institute to develop state of the art training facilities to nurture automotive engineers of the future.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
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 her Department has made of the potential economic merits of Local Enterprise Partnerships for (a) Hinckley, (b) Bosworth constituency and (c) the East Midlands.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) play an important role in providing a business voice to inform investment decisions and drive economic growth. The Leicester and Leicestershire LEP has supported Hinckley and Bosworth through a total of £13.1m of Local Growth Funds since 2014. This has included:
There are 3 LEPs in the East Midlands: Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (D2N2); Leicester and Leicestershire; and Greater Lincolnshire. Through these LEPs, the Government has invested £539m in projects to create infrastructure, drive job creation, and accelerate skills development.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
What steps the Government is taking to support local businesses in Hinckley and Bosworth.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Government provides businesses in Hinckley and Bosworth with support through Leicester and Leicestershire’s LEP Growth Hub.
We have made specific investments in Horiba MIRA to support the future automotive industry.
This has included £9.5m to establish the MIRA Technology Institute to develop state of the art training facilities to nurture automotive engineers of the future.