Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the time-frame is for the Government to respond to its consultation entitled Good work: The Taylor Review of modern working practices on the recommendations relating to agency workers.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
The consultation closed on 9 May and the Government thanks all respondents for their valuable input on these important and complex issues. The Government is currently analysing the responses received and will be responding in due course.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy,what representations he has received on the use of child labour in the production of batteries; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
I confirm I have not received any representations on the use of child labour in the production of batteries.
The UK is a signatory to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; which are voluntary standards intended to promote responsible business conduct by enterprises in all sectors, based in the signatory countries.
The Guidelines include a standard on the abolition of child labour. The UK maintains a National Contact Point to promote the Guidelines.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
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 encourage companies manufacturing batteries to ban the use of child labour in their supply chains; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
The UK is a signatory to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; which are voluntary standards intended to promote responsible business conduct by enterprises in all sectors, based in the signatory countries. The Guidelines include a standard on the abolition of child labour. The UK maintains a National Contact Point to promote the Guidelines.
Tackling Modern Slavery and other labour abuses is also a top priority for this Government. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires all large businesses to produce an annual statement setting out the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their business and supply chains. Guidance for business on this is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transparency-in-supply-chains-a-practical-guide
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the development of new domestic coal mines and reducing fossil fuel usage; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Domestic coal production fell to a record low of 4 million tonnes in 2016. The development of any new domestic coal mines is subject to the relevant planning consents, which include appropriate environmental impact and public safety assessments.
Around two-thirds of demand for coal in 2016 was for electricity generation, which has also fallen to record lows. The Government has made firm its commitment ending unabated coal power generation by 2025 and to target an effective carbon price ahead of then, to drive investment in cleaner, more flexible forms of generation.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) replacement boilers were installed and (b) gas boilers were repaired in North Tyneside under the Energy Company Obligation scheme in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Claire Perry
Between July 2016 and June 2017, a total of 362 heating and insulation measures were installed in the North Tyneside constituency under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). Of those measures, 105 were new boilers. There were no gas boiler repairs, reflecting ECO’s primary focus on the installation of new measures rather than being a repair scheme.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
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 provide financial help to businesses to invest in low carbon growth.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government is determined to deliver clean growth – cutting our emissions while growing the economy. Under this government we have seen significant investments in low carbon growth in sectors such as offshore wind, low emission vehicles, and green finance. It has been estimated that that clean energy investments in the UK have more than doubled since 2010, rising from $10.8 billion in 2010 to over $25 billion in 2016 (Bloomberg New Energy Finance, 2017).
As part of our Industrial Strategy, our investment in energy innovation will more than double to over £400 million per year by 2021. Much of this support will enable UK companies to invest in low carbon growth.
In addition, we have a range of policies in place to support UK businesses in reducing their energy use – for example through Climate Change Agreements, where businesses receive financial benefits in return for take up of energy efficiency measures.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate the Government has made of the number of foreign companies which use local content in their supply chain; and if he plans to incentivise such companies to use such content.
Answered by Margot James
The balance of imported to domestically produced content in supply chains is a commercial matter for the companies concerned.
Through our Industrial Strategy, the government will set out the conditions for all companies to succeed, including those in UK supply chains. Domestic suppliers benefit from investment in a skilled workforce, clear simple regulation and a competitive tax regime, with the aim of making UK businesses producing such content as competitive as possible.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to ask the Secretary of State what assessment he has made of the UK's ability to meet its carbon reduction targets.
Answered by Claire Perry
We should be proud of how we lead the world in tackling climate change – cutting emissions by over a third while growing the economy by two thirds since 1990.
We over-achieved the first carbon budget and are making good progress to meet the second and third.
We are looking to say more in The Clean Growth Strategy which will set out our future plans, building on the impressive progress to date.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the UK car manufacturing sector of proposals in the HM Revenue and Customs consultation on salary sacrifice for the provision of benefits-in-kind.
Answered by Nick Hurd
As part of the consultation on salary sacrifice for the provision of benefits-in-kind, the Government has engaged with trade organisations in the car rental, leasing and manufacturing sectors. The consultation closed on 19 October and all responses are being considered carefully.
The Government is committed to encouraging company car drivers to take-up driving of ultra-low emissions vehicles. On 10 August 2016, we published a separate consultation on proposals for incentivising low emission company cars.