Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
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 support businesses to switch to renewable energy sources for their power supply.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is working with stakeholders to drive the ambitious action needed from UK businesses to help tackle climate change and reduce their impact on the environment.
Significant financial savings are available to businesses taking steps to improve their energy efficiency and decarbonise to achieve Net Zero. We are working to encourage as many UK businesses to pledge to join the Race to Zero campaign and set climate targets. The UK’s Net Zero Business Champion, my Hon. Friend the Member for Arundel and South Downs, will also be launching a small and micro business campaign ahead of COP26, which is aimed at mass mobilising local businesses and getting as many as possible to sign up to the Race to Zero via a new UK landing page on the SME Climate Hub.
Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting Regulations (SECR) came into force on 1 April 2019 and have been introduced to simplify requirements for businesses to report on their energy use and carbon emissions. This provides greater levels of transparency, helping to stimulate demand for low carbon energy supplies.
We are supporting small-scale renewable electricity through the Smart Export Guarantee scheme (SEG). The SEG provides small-scale renewable generators the right to be paid for the excess energy they export to the grid.
The Clean Heat Grant (CHG) will be targeted at households and small non-domestic buildings, to enable the installation of heat pumps and, in limited circumstances, biomass, to provide space and water heating.
The Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) will follow on from support for biomethane under the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive, which is due to close to new applicants on 31 March 2021. The GGSS will provide tariff support for biomethane produced via anaerobic digestion. It will launch in autumn 2021 and will be open to applicants for four years.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on pubs, clubs and breweries of the ban on off sales during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown in England.
Answered by Paul Scully
During the new national restrictions in place from 5 November, hospitality venues are permitted to sell alcohol through delivery or via click and collect where remote ordering has been utilised. Off licenses and licensed shops selling alcohol, including breweries, are permitted to remain open.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to support pubs, clubs and breweries affected by the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown in England.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is providing an unprecedented package of support for hospitality businesses including an extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until 31 March 2021 and grants of up to £3000 per month in addition to loans, business rate holidays and VAT cuts.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the areas that were allocated additional financial support in response to going into the Tier 3 local covid alert level will still receive those funds.
Answered by Paul Scully
Yes. We set out in guidance to local authorities on 3rd November what additional support will be available to make grants to business. This covers both during the period of national restrictions and for the prior period where some areas were in High and Very High Local Covid Alert Levels.
Where local authority areas were previously in Local Covid Alert Level 3 (Very High) they may have accessed additional enhanced business support settlements. These settlements are now part of the Additional Restrictions Grant and they will still receive the agreed funding.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much is held in the investment reserve funds for the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
As at 30 September 2020, the Investment Reserve stood at £1,216m.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of how much the Government will receive from the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme in the financial year (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
In 2018-19, the Government received £142.4m as its share of surplus and £475m from the Investment Reserve. In each of 2019-20 and 2020-21, the Government received £142.4m as its share of surplus. The presence of the Guarantee has given the Trustees the freedom to invest in a way that targets surpluses and, as a consequence, bonuses to members. Bonuses paid to date mean that the typical member’s pension today is around 33% higher in real terms than it would otherwise have been.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
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 Answer of 3 November 2016 to Question 51063 on the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme, whether the Government has made any direct payments to the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme under the guarantee arrangements since November 2016.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
No such payments have been made.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the Government has received from its share of the surplus from the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme since the surplus-sharing arrangement was agreed.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
Since the agreement was reached in 1994, the Government has received £3,111.8m as its share of surpluses. This is in return for the provision of the guarantee that ensures pensions are paid. The guarantee has enabled an investment strategy that has resulted in scheme members receiving payments 33% higher than they would have been if they received only their actual earned pension up to privatisation.