Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion new mothers in England have taken their full maternity leave entitlement in each of the last three years.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The most recent official data on average length of family-related leave taken by parents is from the Maternity and Paternity Rights Survey in 2009, which collected data from parents of children born in 2008 across Great Britain.
This shows that in 2008, 23% of employed mothers took their full statutory entitlement of 52 weeks of maternity leave or more (e.g. by taking annual leave in addition to Statutory Maternity Leave). According to the Labour Force Survey, in 2008 there were 350,000 employed mothers with a child under one.
The full Maternity and Paternity Rights Survey 2009/10 Research Report can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/214367/rrep777.pdf . Information on the length of maternity leave is available in Tables 2.11 and 2.12.
We are currently commissioning a new survey which will provide updated information on family related leave and pay entitlements including Maternity Leave. Subject to the progress of data collection, we anticipate publishing findings in Summer 2019.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when food safety problems emerge at a facility covered by the Food Standards Agency primary authority (PA) scheme, but not located in the jurisdiction of the local authority that is the PA, which local authority is responsible for inspecting and auditing that facility.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Primary Authority is a scheme administered by the Office for Product Safety and Standards on behalf of my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to improve businesses’ access to advice, and co-ordination of local authority regulation of businesses, including food standards regulation. National regulators such as the Foods Standards Agency may provide support to primary authorities.
Where a primary authority relationship exists with a food manufacturer/retailer, the local authority in whose area a facility is located remains responsible for dealing with food safety problems including enforcement of the food standards regulation in their local authority area.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead 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 he is taking to help consumers save domestic household energy.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Clean Growth Strategy (the Strategy), sets out Government’s aspiration that as many homes as possible will be upgraded to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. To meet this aspiration, several policies and proposals, which will also help consumers to save domestic household energy, have been outlined in the Strategy, including:
1) Developing a long-term trajectory to improve the energy performance standards of privately rented homes, with the aim of upgrading as many homes as possible to EPC Band C by 2030 where practical, cost-effective and affordable. We will consider options by consulting on this in 2018 and looking at how social housing can meet equivalent standards over the same period.
2) Seeking evidence on building a market for energy efficiency, including additional measures to improve energy performance of owner occupied homes through a Call for Evidence published alongside the Clean Growth Strategy. This Call for Evidence closed on 9 January 2018. Following an evaluation of the responses, we will publish an action plan on additional market-based measures later in 2018.
3) Following the outcome of the independent review of Building Regulations and fire safety, and subject to its conclusions, consulting on strengthening energy performance standards for new and existing homes under Building Regulations, including futureproofing new homes for low carbon heating systems.
4) We have recently consulted on reforms to ECO which would focus the whole scheme on low income and vulnerable households whilst encouraging more innovation so bring down the long-term costs of energy efficiency.
5) This proposal and our commitment to extend support for home energy efficiency improvements until 2028 at the current level of ECO funding, will support over £6 billion of investment over the next decade.
The Government has also committed to ensuring that every home and small business in the country is offered a smart meter by the end of 2020. Smart meters will enable customers to take control of their energy use, save money on bills and reduce their household energy.