Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 Levelling Up White Paper, whether he plans to make changes to the Research Evaluation Framework.
Answered by George Freeman
In reference to the Research Excellence Framework, the four UK higher education funding bodies are currently undertaking a comprehensive review of the UK’s national research assessment system. The Future Research Assessment Programme includes in-depth evaluation of the current Research Excellence Framework, exploratory work on future models, and advice from an independent group of international experts. The review will consider a wide range of issues relevant to the Levelling Up White Paper, including how best to recognise and reward the contribution that research carried out in UK higher education providers makes to society and the economy locally, nationally and internationally. This programme of work includes open consultation with those who work in and engage with research carried out in UK higher education providers. The consultation will be launched by the HE funding bodies in the coming weeks.
Background
This answer assumes that the question refers to the “Research Excellence Framework”, as we don’t recognise “Research Evaluation Framework”.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 granted through the (a) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and (b) Bounce Back Loan Scheme to (i) social care providers and (ii) the social care sector as a whole.
Answered by Paul Scully
As of July 2021, the total value of CBILS and BBLS loans to businesses in the Human Health and Social Work sectors was £2,758,185,509, with 67,544 loans offered. The value of loans to businesses identifying as being in the residential care sector was £491,281,848, with 6,247 loans offered. The value of loans to businesses identifying as being in the non-residential social work sector was £512,447,147, with 13,083 loans offered.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 merits of regulating electrical goods sold online to ensure their safety for use.
Answered by Paul Scully
Existing laws require that all consumer products must be safe before they can be placed on the UK market, including those sold online.
The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (EESRs) require products to be designed and manufactured in accordance with the principal elements of the safety objectives. Under the EESRs, a distributor, including online retailers and those selling goods via online marketplaces, must act with due care to ensure that electrical products are in conformity with the requirements.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is engaged with online marketplaces to ensure that they are playing their part in protecting UK consumers from unsafe products. This includes developing a new voluntary commitment for online marketplaces to agree actions they will take to reduce the risks from unsafe products sold by others on their platforms, enabling them to publicly demonstrate their commitment to the safety of consumers in the UK.
In order to ensure that the UK’s Product Safety framework is flexible and fit for the future, the OPSS is conducting a review. The review will ensure we have a framework that continues to deliver safety for consumers while supporting businesses to innovate and grow and will consider non-traditional business models, including online sales.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce a five year expiry period on gift cards and vouchers.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department asked the Law Commission to examine the protection given to consumer prepayments, including gift cards and vouchers, and consider whether such protections should be strengthened. The Law Commission concluded that that there was no need to introduce additional measures for gift cards and vouchers including in relation to expiry dates.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 merits of extending the deadline for delivery of the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Phase 2.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Green Homes Grant, Local Authority Delivery Scheme is part of a package of measures aimed at providing an urgent stimulus to the economy. BEIS intends to allocate £300m to the regional Local Energy Hubs for delivery by December 2021. This aims to balance the aim of the scheme to support economic recovery whilst being pragmatic over delivery timescales.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost per unit is of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine to the UK.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
At present we are not able to disclose details of this agreement because of the commercially confidential nature of the contracts between the Government and vaccine manufacturers while commercial negotiations are ongoing.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 make it his policy to allow recipients of funding from the Bounce Back Loan scheme to reapply for the scheme in the event that they did not use the full amount on offer for their first loan.
Answered by Paul Scully
Under the terms of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), each business and any wider group of which it is part, defined by having a holding company at the top of their structure, is only eligible to receive one BBLS facility.
Businesses are not currently permitted to go back and ‘top up’ a BBLS facility if they borrowed less than the maximum. However, they are allowed to refinance the loan using the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) facility, allowing them to borrow more money whilst only having one active facility supported by a Government guarantee.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether veterinary practices are eligible for (a) the Small Business Grants Fund and (b) the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund.
Answered by Paul Scully
The government has announced a package of support for businesses to help with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. This package of support includes the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF)
Businesses with a property that on the 11 March 2020 were eligible for Small Business Rate Relief Scheme or the Rural Rate Relief Scheme, will be eligible for the SBGF.
Businesses in England that would have been in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) on 11 March?with?a rateable value of less than £51,000 will be eligible for the following cash grants per property via the RHLGF:
In addition, on?1 May,?my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced that up to £617 million is being made available to Local Authorities?in England to allow them to provide discretionary grants.
This?Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund (LADGF) is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not liable for business rates or rates reliefs.
Local Authorities are responsible for defining precise eligibility for this fund?and?may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need,?subject to those businesses meeting the specific eligibility criteria.
Businesses already in receipt of the Small Business grant or a Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grant are not eligible for this fund.?Businesses who are eligible for or in receipt of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) are now eligible to apply for this scheme.
Any enquiries on eligibility for, or provision of, these schemes should be directed to the relevant local authority. Local authorities are required to publish details of their local schemes on their websites.
For more information on the SBGF, the RHLGF and the LADGF please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-business-support-grant-funding-guidance-for-businesses
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 5 May 2020 to Question 40489, on Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, if his Department will extend the repayment terms of Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme for growers in the seasonal ornamental horticulture sector with small profit margins who are unable to repay a loan from that scheme or the Bounce Back Loan scheme within six years.
Answered by Paul Scully
While we continue to keep the schemes under review, there are currently no plans to amend the maximum term of a CBILS or BBLS facility.
Businesses in the horticultural sector benefit from the full interest and fee payment under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), as the Government will cover the first 12 months of interest payments and any facility arrangement fees charged by lenders. This is called the Business Interruption Payment.
Under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), the Government will cover the first 12 months of interest payments and fees charged to the business by the lender. This is called the Business Interruption Payment. There will be an affordable flat rate of 2.5% interest thereafter. In addition, loans under the BBLS do not require repayments to be made in the first 12 months.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether an agency worker on a Contract for Services will continue to accrue holiday pay whilst they are not working due to being furloughed; and whether an employer is entitled to claim accrued holiday pay when calculating their employee's wage under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Paul Scully
Employment rights remain unchanged under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). Therefore, all workers’, including agency workers on a Contract for Services, right to holiday accrues to the extent and in the same way it did prior to being placed on to furlough under the CJRS, as provided by the individual’s statutory and contractual rights.
Employers are able to use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grant to cover wages paid to their workers, up to 80% of the worker’s usual pay. This includes holiday pay, but where holiday pay owed exceeds the amount in the grant, the employer is required to make up the difference.
Further guidance to help employers manage holiday pay during Coronavirus is available on GOV.UK.