Neil Coyle

Schedule 5 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 provides Trading Standards and other enforcers a power to request information by notice from any person – this includes requesting information from firms and individuals.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill further strengthens these powers by adding provision for the imposition of penalties for non-compliance with an information request.

We will publish a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy ahead of COP26, setting out the Government’s vision for transitioning to a net zero economy. This will raise ambition as we outline our path to meet net zero by 2050, our Carbon Budgets and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched a £6.9m skills competition in September 2020 to provide training opportunities for energy efficiency and low carbon heating supply chains to deliver works and scale up to meet additional consumer demand. Funding is provided to support training individuals with existing skills and those new to the sector in energy efficiency and clean heat measures, along with support for installation companies to gain the required PAS 2030 standards or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation, including possible contribution to certification costs.

Applications for the scheme are now closed. 18 successful applicants have been awarded a total sum of £6.4 million and have now started training, offering free or subsidised courses covering a wide range of skills and certifications across both energy efficiency and clean heat measures.

The Government is investing in the UK workforce to ensure that people have the right skills and qualifications to deliver the low-carbon transition and thrive in the high-value jobs this will create. BEIS and the Department for Education (DfE) are jointly leading work to consider the skills and jobs needed to help deliver net zero, including green retrofit skills. The Green Jobs Taskforce is working with industry, unions and providers to develop solutions and recommendations that will be refined into a shortlist of high impact actions that will make up a final Green Jobs Action Plan due to be published in Summer 2021.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Effective research and development programmes are frequently long-term and involve considerable planning and application stages in order to ensure value for money. It is standard therefore for some commitment to be made in advance of a project’s initiation. This commitment is always made on the understanding that there is no guaranteed funding past the point of the current Government spending review period.

The challenging financial situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. This means having to make unexpected and difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising how we spend aid money to deliver the most impactful outcomes.

The challenging financial situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. This means making difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising how we spend aid money to deliver the most impactful outcomes.

On 2^nd December last year, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary wrote to the Chair of the International Development Committee setting out the Strategic Framework for UK ODA, which details the UK’s foreign aid spending priorities. In line with these priorities, he confirmed each Department’s total ODA settlement on 26^th January.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting international research partnerships and supporting the UK research sector. My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer committed to increasing UK investment in R&D to £14.6bn in 2021/22 in this recent Budget.

We are currently working with UKRI, and all our Global Challenges Research Fund and Newton Fund Delivery Partners, to manage the Financial Year 2021/22 ODA allocations. UKRI have written to their award holders to set out the process for reviewing ODA funding next year, and to explore options for individual programmes. Full details have been published on the UKRI website.

The challenging financial situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. This means making difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising how we spend aid money to deliver the most impactful outcomes.

On 2^nd December last year, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary wrote to the Chair of the International Development Committee setting out the Strategic Framework for UK ODA, which details the UK’s foreign aid spending priorities. Specifically, these priorities include climate change and biodiversity, and tackling covid and global health issues, as you have outlined. This is in addition to tackling poverty, as all UK ODA does. In line with these priorities, he confirmed each Department’s total ODA settlement on 26^th January.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting international research partnerships, and supporting the UK research sector. Our commitment to research and innovation has been clearly demonstrated by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget announcement of increasing investment in R&D across government to £14.6bn in 2021/22; and as has been set out in our Integrated Review ambitions, international collaboration is central to a healthy and productive R&D sector.

We are currently working with UKRI, and all our Global Challenges Research Fund and Newton Fund Delivery Partners, to manage the financial year 2021/22 ODA allocations. UKRI have written to many award holders setting out the next stage of the review of ODA funding next year, and to explore options for individual programmes. Full details have been published on the UKRI website.

The challenging financial situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. This means making difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising how we spend aid money to deliver the most impactful outcomes.

On 2^nd December last year, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary wrote to the Chair of the International Development Committee setting out the Strategic Framework for UK ODA, which details the UK’s foreign aid spending priorities. Specifically, these priorities include climate change and biodiversity, and tackling covid and global health issues, as you have outlined. This is in addition to tackling poverty, as all UK ODA does. In line with these priorities, he confirmed each Department’s total ODA settlement on 26^th January.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting international research partnerships, and supporting the UK research sector. Our commitment to research and innovation has been clearly demonstrated by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget announcement of increasing investment in R&D across government to £14.6bn in 2021/22; and as has been set out in our Integrated Review ambitions, international collaboration is central to a healthy and productive R&D sector.

We are currently working with UKRI, and all our Global Challenges Research Fund and Newton Fund Delivery Partners, to manage the financial year 2021/22 ODA allocations. UKRI have written to many award holders setting out the next stage of the review of ODA funding next year, and to explore options for individual programmes. Full details have been published on the UKRI website.

The challenging financial situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. This means making difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising how we spend aid money to deliver the most impactful outcomes.

On 2^nd December last year, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary wrote to the Chair of the International Development Committee setting out the Strategic Framework for UK ODA, which details the UK’s foreign aid spending priorities. Specifically, these priorities include climate change and biodiversity, and tackling covid and global health issues, as you have outlined. This is in addition to tackling poverty, as all UK ODA does. In line with these priorities, he confirmed each Department’s total ODA settlement on 26^th January.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting international research partnerships, and supporting the UK research sector. Our commitment to research and innovation has been clearly demonstrated by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget announcement of increasing investment in R&D across government to £14.6bn in 2021/22; and as has been set out in our Integrated Review ambitions, international collaboration is central to a healthy and productive R&D sector.

We are currently working with UKRI, and all our Global Challenges Research Fund and Newton Fund Delivery Partners, to manage the financial year 2021/22 ODA allocations. UKRI have written to many award holders setting out the next stage of the review of ODA funding next year, and to explore options for individual programmes. Full details have been published on the UKRI website.

The general position is that in an English based arbitration, an arbitrator is not under a legal obligation to report to an appropriate investigating authority evidence of crimes arising in a hearing.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not made an assessment of making arbitration procedures and findings public.

The Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold in the UK. Both Local Authority Trading Standards and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) have powers to take action against manufacturers, importers or distributors who sell unsafe consumer products, including through online markets.

We are currently conducting a review of the Product Safety framework, including the impact of new technologies and e-commerce, to ensure it remains one of the best in the world in both protecting consumers and enabling businesses to innovate and grow.

In the coming months officials will be engaging with stakeholders on the current and future challenges and opportunities in relation to product safety, to inform the review.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, all goods sold by traders to consumers, including through online marketplaces, must be as described, of a satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. The Government keeps this legal framework under review to ensure consumers remain adequately protected.

The UK’s national regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), works to ensure that major online marketplaces protect UK consumers from unsafe goods. As part of this, the OPSS is developing a voluntary, new commitment through which we will ask online marketplaces to agree additional actions they will take to reduce the risks from unsafe products being sold online.

The Government is also conducting a wider review of the Product Safety framework to ensure it remains one of the best in the world in both protecting consumers and enabling businesses to innovate and grow. The review will consider the impact on product safety of new technologies and new business models, including e-commerce.

The Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold in the UK. Both Local Authority Trading Standards and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) have powers to take action against manufacturers, importers or distributors who sell unsafe consumer products, including through online markets.

We are currently conducting a review of the Product Safety framework, including the impact of new technologies and e-commerce, to ensure it remains one of the best in the world in both protecting consumers and enabling businesses to innovate and grow.

In the coming months officials will be engaging with stakeholders on the current and future challenges and opportunities in relation to product safety, to inform the review.

The UK has a strong product safety system which requires that products, including toys, should be safe before they can be placed on the market, including those sold online.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards works proactively with major online platforms to ensure that they are playing their part in protecting UK consumers from unsafe goods.

The Government is aware that this is an important issue for stake holders, in particular UK-based patent and trade mark attorneys.

Rights of representation before EU institutions and courts are the preserve of the Single Market and so do not form part of the UK Approach to negotiations with the EU.

This means that UK representatives will no longer have the right to represent before the EUIPO at the end of the Transition Period. This is without prejudice to the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) which ensures that UK legal representatives can continue to represent their clients before the EUIPO in procedures that are ongoing at the end of the transition period.

Officials at the Intellectual Property Office and the Ministry of Justice are having ongoing conversations with stakeholders on representation rights and address for service once the transition period ends.

The Government is aware that this is an important issue for stake holders, in particular UK-based patent and trade mark attorneys.

Officials at the Intellectual Property Office are having ongoing conversations with representative bodies over how to best address this matter once the transition period ends.

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is open to eligible businesses in most sectors, including private dentists. In order to be eligible for the CBILS, businesses must:

• be based in the UK;
• have an annual turnover of up to £45 million.

Businesses also need to show that they:

• would be viable were it not for the pandemic;
• have been adversely impacted by the coronavirus.

As with any other borrower, these businesses would need to meet the eligibility criteria for the Scheme which would be assessed by the lender on a case by case basis.

In this unprecedented time, we would urge employers to take socially responsible decisions and listen to the concerns of their workforce.

Employers should be taking all efforts to allow people to work from home, but where this is impossible, employees are able to travel to and be at work. This can include those who have not been designated as key workers. Our clear message for people to stay at home where they can will help lessen the risk for those who must go to work.

Employers and employees should discuss their working arrangements and work together to adhere to the guidance from Public Health England on working safely. If individuals need advice they should approach ACAS where they can get impartial advice about in work dispute. The Acas website is at www.acas.org.uk.

The Government has advised that people should be working from home where it is possible to do so. If it is impossible for someone to work from home, then they can go to work. We understand that certain jobs require people to travel to their work for instance if they operate machinery, or are delivering front line services, such as train and bus drivers, construction workers, restaurant workers handling deliveries or health and social care workers.

Employers and employees should discuss their working arrangements. There is a duty on all employers to make every effort to facilitate their employees working from home, including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.

Existing employment law already gives employees the right to request flexible working, which includes remote working. Where work must be done in the workplace, we have published tailored advice for how social distancing measures can be implemented by employers in England to help protect their workforce and customers from Coronavirus while continuing to trade.

Businesses and employees can get advice on employment issues, including the latest on homeworking, at: www.acas.org.uk. For further advice and support, businesses can also ring the Department’s Business Support Helpline on 0300 456 3565.

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is now live. Eligible businesses can apply for a loan or other form of finance through one of 40-plus providers accredited by the British Business Bank to offer the scheme. These include all the major UK banks. The application process is typically online for smaller amounts and the lending decision is made by the provider concerned.

Full guidance, including eligibility criteria, is available on the British Business Bank website at www.british-business-bank.co.uk/cbils and this information is being widely disseminated online, through the Government’s Business Support Helpline and by accredited providers.