Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effects that the covid-19 Plan B measures will have on small businesses; and what steps his Department is taking to limit the impacts those restrictions may have on businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government’s Plan B has been designed to help control the spread of the virus whilst avoiding unduly damaging economic and social restrictions. Our £400bn COVID support package will continue to help businesses into spring next year. This includes the Recovery Loan scheme, Additional Restrictions Grants and protection from eviction.
We will continue to respond proportionately to the changing path of the virus, as we have done since the start of the pandemic.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
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 increase the level of (a) public and (b) private research and development funding in the North East.
Answered by George Freeman
The 2021 Spending Review sees record levels of investment in the UK’s world-leading research base with public spending on Research & Development (R&D) increasing by £5 billion per annum to £20 billion in 2024-25. The substantial uplift to research and science funding will not only allow the UK to build on our core strengths but will also provide opportunities to grow research and innovation investment across the entire country.
UKRI currently funds over 570 active science and research projects in the North East of England with a value of over £660 million. More specifically, the Government has already committed over £93.6 million Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund funding to organisations registered in the North East, which has leveraged an additional £41.8 million co-investment from non-public sources.
The Innovation Strategy, published in July, signalled how we would embed innovation across the country to level up the UK. We will create the right policy environment and send clear signals to unlock business investment in innovation and boost the private sector investment we need to achieve the 2.4% target by 2027 including in the North East. Making the most of R&D in places around the UK remains a key government priority and the forthcoming Levelling Up White Paper will set out the plan for doing this.
UKRI are also publishing detailed breakdowns of their funding data at a regional level annually to increase transparency of how places benefit from R&D funding. Latest available data is at: https://www.ukri.org/our-work/what-we-have-funded/regional-distribution-of-funding/2018-to-2019-regional-distribution-of-funding/#contents-list.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the criteria are for businesses to access the Government’s Help to Grow: management scheme.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Help to Grow: Management programme is open to senior business leaders with between 5 to 249 employees that have been trading for over 1 year. Applications are welcome from businesses across all sectors, including social enterprises.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the criteria are for businesses to access the Government’s Help to Grow: digital scheme.
Answered by Paul Scully
Through Help to Grow: Digital, the Government will launch a new online platform this Autumn where businesses can access advice on software that could help them save time and money, and a voucher to reduce the costs of buying that software. Over the next 3 years, 100 000 eligible SMEs could benefit from a voucher providing up to a 50% discount (worth up to £5,000) to adopt approved productivity enhancing software.
The voucher is expected to be available to UK businesses that have more than 5 and fewer than 249 employees, that have been trading for more than 12 months, and that are purchasing the discounted software for the first time.
The programme will launch in Autumn 2021 and eligible businesses are encouraged to register their interest at https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the criteria are for businesses to access the £375 million Government funding to help scale-up the most innovative, research and development intensive businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
Future Fund: Breakthrough is a new £375m UK-wide programme that will encourage private investors to co-invest alongside government in high-growth, innovative firms that have received prior equity investment. The programme will launch in the early summer of 2021 and will support the growth of UK-based, R&D intensive companies.
Detailed eligibility criteria will be published once the programme is open for applications.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what businesses will be regarded as non-essential businesses and allowed to access the Restart Grants.
Answered by Paul Scully
Local Authorities are responsible for determining if a business qualifies as non-essential and therefore eligible for the Restart Grant payment. A non-essential retail business can be defined as a business that is used mainly or wholly for the purposes of retail sale or hire of goods or services by the public, where the primary purpose of products or services provided are not necessary to the health and well-being of the public.
Local Authorities may use the following criteria to assess whether a business is eligible for a grant under this threshold:
Local Authorities are advised to use their local expertise to evaluate the eligibility of a claim. If a business does not qualify for the Restart Grant further support is available through the Additional Restrictions Grant, a discretionary scheme. Local Authorities are free to provide support that suits their local area including to support those businesses not required to close but which have had their trade severely affected by restrictions or who do not qualify under the mandatory schemes.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the criteria are for businesses to access the full Restart Grant of £6,000.
Answered by Paul Scully
A non-essential retail business may be eligible for Stand One of the Restart Grant Scheme, receiving payments of up to £6,000. A non-essential retail business can be defined as a business that is used mainly or wholly for the purposes of retail sale or hire of goods or services by the public, where the primary purpose of products or services provided are not necessary to the health and well-being of the public.
Local Authorities may use the following criteria to assess whether a business is eligible for a grant under this threshold:
For those business who qualify as non-essential retail the following thresholds apply:
Local Authorities are responsible for the administration of Restart Grants and determining eligibility.
Further information on eligibility for the Restart Grant can be found at GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/971363/restart-grant-la-guidance.pdf.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether hair salons are permitted to open during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021 for the sole purpose of performing hair replacement system services.
Answered by Paul Scully
The business closures guidance states that hair salons must close during the national lockdown. However, personal care services provided for essential medical and health needs, which cannot be deferred, may continue such as cosmetic treatments associated with cancer treatment. In that case, the safer working guidance on close contact services should be followed.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
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 simplify the applications process for the Green Homes Grant scheme.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have provided updated guidance to both installers and homeowners, so they are clear on the information needed for the scheme administrator to approve an application, for example around providing quotes. We have already made improvements based on feedback received and are working closely with the scheme administrator to identify further improvements and support increasing the numbers of vouchers to be issued. However, applications must be thoroughly checked for compliance with the scheme rules to help ensure value for money, consumer protection, and detect malpractice.