Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how obligated Energy Company Obligation suppliers identify off-gas grid homes for the purposes of the rural sub-obligation of the Energy Company Obligation.
Answered by Claire Perry
Obligated suppliers can identify off-gas grid homes through off-grid maps. There are several maps and data available online that suppliers could use. Maps such as those found on Xoserve.com and nongasmap.com can be detailed enough to show postcodes in off-gas grid areas. Government also publishes local authority area statistics of households not connected to the gas network.
Those off-gas grid could be supported under ECO with the installation of a first time central heating system, and this support can be linked to connection to the gas grid under the Fuel Poverty Network Extension Scheme. This scheme requires gas distribution companies to extend their network to communities where fuel poverty is high.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
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 mandate ECO3-obligated suppliers to deliver a minimum number of energy efficiency measures to off-grid homes under the rural sub-obligation of the Energy Company Obligation.
Answered by Claire Perry
Department has recently consulted on the future ECO scheme that will run from October 2018 until March 2022.
This consultation proposed that the future scheme have a 15% rural sub-obligation to safeguard delivery for rural homes. Within that sub-obligation, the consultation also proposed that measures delivered to off-grid homes continue to receive an uplift (i.e. increased score) to encourage delivery to off-grid homes.
The response to the consultation will be published shortly.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government's policy is on UK laboratories continuing to be able to be certified to EU standards under the ATEX directive after March 2019.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
The UK is working towards a comprehensive future agreement with the EU which includes securing the freest and most frictionless trade possible in goods. The UK wants to ensure a smooth exit which minimises disruption for businesses and consumers when goods are placed on the UK and EU market. With regards to third party conformity and certification procedures, the Government’s aim is to provide maximum legal certainty and confidence to citizens, consumers and businesses.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to implement the proposals resulting from the 2016 Review of the Corporate Insolvency Framework consultation.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
In May 2016 the Government published its Review of the Corporate Insolvency Framework consultation. The consultation contained a package of proposals to improve the rescue opportunities for financially-distressed companies.
A summary of responses to the consultation was published in September 2016.
Following the publication of the summary of responses, the Government has continued to engage with a range of interested parties to further discuss and explore issues raised in responses to the consultation. This further engagement will ensure that any reforms, if necessary, will be fit for purpose and best achieve the Government’s aims of rescuing distressed but viable businesses, preserving economic value and saving jobs.
The Government will set out the way forward for the proposals in its response later this year.