Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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 ensure that heating engineers are adequately trained in the installation of heat pumps.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Government is working closely with industry and the education sector to ensure that high-quality training is available for heat pump installers. This includes training for new heating engineers, and for existing heating engineers who do not yet have heat pump training.
As part of the Green Homes Grant Skills Competition, the Government awarded more than £6 million to support training for tradespeople delivering green home energy improvements, including heat pump installations.
We are also supporting the industry-led development of new heat pump upskilling courses for existing heating engineers. By the end of 2021, we expect industry to have the capacity to upskill thousands of heating installers per year.
Furthermore BEIS, together with the Department for Education, is also working with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to ensure that apprenticeships and T-Levels contain high quality heat pump training. Additionally, we are working with the Association of Colleges to ensure that further education providers are aware of future needs for heat pump skills, and to understand barriers to providing relevant training so that they can be better addressed.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households that require a mains electricity and fuse upgrade to install a heat pump.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
In the ‘Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced our aim to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. We estimate that, in all future heat scenarios, we will need to hit this target to remain on track for net zero. We must therefore act now to scale up supply chains and build the UK heat pump market.
Our analysis of off gas grid homes suggests that around 70% to 80% of homes would have sufficient energy efficiency and internal fuse limit electrical connections to accommodate a low temperature heat pump system. This potentially rises to around 80% to 90% with fabric upgrades including draught-proofing, cavity wall insulation, floor and loft insulation, and/or more major upgrades such as external wall insulation.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish his Department's review of Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standard MCS-020 relating to heat pumps.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standard MCS-020 is maintained by the quality assurance organisation MCS. Whilst BEIS has not carried out a review of the standard, the Department is in regular contact with stakeholders regarding heat pump deployment and uptake. Recently, this has included engaging with local authorities on noise, which is one of the issues covered in MCS-020.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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 effect on businesses of the covid-19 guidance on close contact services that advises against providing reading materials such as newspapers and magazines in client waiting areas; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
We continue to keep the Safer Working guidance under constant review and will update the guidance in line with new scientific evidence as it arises. Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive have advised that there is currently no scientific evidence to support changing the Safer Working guidance in light of the new variants.
PHE guidance states that Covid-19 spreads from person to person through small droplets, aerosols and through direct contact. Surfaces and belongings can also be contaminated with Covid-19 when people with the infection cough or sneeze or touch them. The risk of spread is greatest when people are close to each other, especially in poorly ventilated indoor spaces and when people spend a lot of time together in the same room.
Given that client waiting areas are high traffic with frequent contact on common surface areas, we recommend not providing shared reading materials to reduce transmission risk via surface contact. Individuals can bring their own reading materials that they have purchased but we advise businesses to not provide sharing copies due to the frequent change of hands.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to withdraw covid-19 guidance on close contact services which advises against providing reading materials such as newspapers and magazines in client waiting areas; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
We continue to keep the Safer Working guidance under constant review and will update the guidance in line with new scientific evidence as it arises. Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive have advised that there is currently no scientific evidence to support changing the Safer Working guidance in light of the new variants.
PHE guidance states that Covid-19 spreads from person to person through small droplets, aerosols and through direct contact. Surfaces and belongings can also be contaminated with Covid-19 when people with the infection cough or sneeze or touch them. The risk of spread is greatest when people are close to each other, especially in poorly ventilated indoor spaces and when people spend a lot of time together in the same room.
Given that client waiting areas are high traffic with frequent contact on common surface areas, we recommend not providing shared reading materials to reduce transmission risk via surface contact. Individuals can bring their own reading materials that they have purchased but we advise businesses to not provide sharing copies due to the frequent change of hands.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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 announcement in Budget 2021 on restart grants, when he plans to provide full details of that grant to local authorities.
Answered by Paul Scully
Guidance to Local Authorities on the Restart Grants was published on 17th March, and can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/970686/Restart_Grant_-_LA_guidance_170321.pdf.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether greeting card and gift shops, classed as non-essential retail, are permitted to offer a telephone click and collect service under covid-19 restrictions.
Answered by Paul Scully
All shops in England are permitted to operate click-and-collect services online, by telephone/text or via post.
Customers must remain outside of the store to collect their goods.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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 economic effect of green levy subsidies on low-income households.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Energy White Paper has affordability at its heart and includes measures we are bringing forward to keep bills affordable. As set out in the Energy White Paper, the average household dual fuel bill in 2019 was similar to 2010. However, the underlying costs have changed. Over the past decade, electricity prices have risen because of policy and network costs, while gas prices have fluctuated, reflecting movements in the wholesale gas price. However, consumers have used less energy, which has balanced out the cost increase. Based on the policies in the Energy White Paper, we estimate that household dual fuel bills will be, on average, broadly similar in both 2025 and 2030 to 2019.
We see improving the energy efficiency of homes as the best long-term solution to reduce energy bills and tackle fuel poverty. The Energy Company Obligation, worth £640m per year, is focused on low-income and vulnerable households. The Green Homes Grant, launched in September 2020, is a £2 billion programme which will help improve the energy efficiency of homes in England. Of the £2 billion, 500 million is allocated to the Local Authority Delivery scheme which is specifically aimed at low income, vulnerable and fuel poor households.
In addition to the available funding to support low-income households with improving the energy efficiency of their homes, we recognise that some households may need more immediate support and so also assist with energy bills for low income and vulnerable consumers through the Warm Homes Discount, Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of different measures to lower fuel poverty in electricity dominated households.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We recognise that electrically heated homes typically have higher energy costs, and that reducing these bills is key to addressing fuel poverty.
Improving energy efficiency is the best long-term solution to tackle fuel poverty, regardless of the heating system used. The Energy Company Obligation, worth £640 million each year, is focused on low-income and vulnerable households. The Green Homes Grant, launched in September 2020, will help improve the energy efficiency of homes in England. £500 million has been allocated under the scheme to the Local Authority Delivery scheme which is specifically for low income, vulnerable and fuel poor households.
We are also working to help fuel poor consumers transition away from forms of heating with high running costs. Heat pumps are a highly efficient, low-carbon heating solution, and benefit from government support through the Green Homes Grant and Renewable Heat Incentive. Evidence indicates that a heat pump can lower fuel bills, especially where it replaces a conventional electric heating system.
In addition to the available funding to support low-income households with improving the energy efficiency of their homes, we recognise that some households may need more immediate support and so also assist with energy bills for low income and vulnerable consumers through the Warm Homes Discount, Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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 an assessment of the potential merits of negotiating an amendment to his contract with Oxford-AstraZeneca to change its emphasis on providing vaccines on only a non-profit basis to make provision for a suitable premium for each additional dose provided in advance of agreed delivery schedules.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Details of negotiations between the Government and vaccine developers are commercially confidential. The Government robustly negotiated with suppliers to ensure the best possible terms in order to ensure access to safe and effective vaccines as soon as possible. Through this approach, the Government has secured early access to 407 million vaccines doses through agreements with seven vaccine developers – this includes 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine.
The UK was the first country in the world to procure, authorise and then deploy both the Oxford University/AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.
The UK vaccine supply and scheduled deliveries will fully support vaccination of priority cohorts 1 to 4, as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, and we are on track to offer a first vaccine to every person in these cohorts by 15 February 2021.