Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many meetings Ministers in his Department have had with commercial property companies since 1 March 2020.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Departments publish quarterly details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on GOV.UK. Details for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
The latest published data covers January to March 2020. Data for April to June 2020 will be published in due course.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answers of 30 September 2019 to Questions 290348 and 290347 on Housing: Insulation, if she will make an estimate of the amount of (a) insulation and (b) combustible building materials that have been installed in homes under the (i) Energy Company Obligation, (ii) Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, (iii) Community Energy Saving Programme and (iv) Green Deal.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The table below shows the number of insulation measures installed under the listed policies. The Government does not have data about the materials installed though they would only be eligible if they met the relevant Building Regulations at the time.
Professional insulation measures installed through selected Government schemes, 2008-2019
Thousands | ||||
| Energy Company Obligation | Carbon Emissions Reduction Target | Community Energy Saving Programme (2009-2012) | Green Deal |
Cavity Wall Insulation | 897 | 2,569 | 3 | 0 |
Solid Wall Insulation | 185 | 59 | 80 | 3 |
Loft Insulation* | 595 | 3,897 | 24 | 1 |
Other Insulation | 28 | 462 | 15 | 1 |
Total insulation | 1,705 | 6,987 | 122 | 6 |
* In addition, approximately 113 million m2 of DIY insulation material was provided under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there is a requirement that insulation installed under the Energy Company Obligation scheme be of limited combustibility.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
As with any building refurbishment, for insulation delivered under energy efficiency schemes, including ECO, it is the responsibility of anyone carrying out building work to ensure compliance with the 2010 Building Regulations. Approved Document B volume 1: Dwellings (2019 edition) on fire safety covers, among other matters, fire spread. Local Authorities are responsible for enforcement.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there was a requirement that any insulation installed under the now closed (a) Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and (b) Community Energy Saving Programme schemes be of limited combustibility.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) began in April 2008, and the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) was introduced in October 2009. Both schemes ended in December 2012.
As with any building refurbishment, regardless of whether it was delivered under CERT or CESP, it is the responsibility of anyone carrying out building work to ensure compliance with the latest Building Regulations. Approved Document B (2006 edition incorporating 2010 and 2013 amendments) on fire safety covers, among other matters, fire spread. Local Authorities are responsible for enforcement.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there was a requirement that any insulation installed under the now closed Green Deal Programme was of limited combustibility.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Green Deal has not been closed. The Government ended public investment in the scheme in July 2015, but it remains open for applications and any private finance providers wishing to enter the market.
As with any building refurbishment, regardless of whether it is completed under the Green Deal, it is the responsibility of anyone carrying out building work to ensure compliance with the 2010 Building Regulations. Approved Document B (2006 edition incorporating 2010 and 2013 amendments) on fire safety covers, among other matters, fire spread. Local Authorities are responsible for enforcement.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to support communities to set up renewable energy co-operatives.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
I continue to believe that Community Energy remains an important part of the energy system, delivering energy efficiency and demand management, supporting switching and engaging the wider community on the key challenges of the energy transition and wider climate change as well as owning generation assets.
Renewable Energy co-operatives are one of the business models that we support and was a key part of the criteria in a number of community initiatives and support mechanisms the department funded in the past. This will also be the case for the Rural Community Energy fund which will reopen at the end of this month and provide grants to community groups for feasibility studies and development of business cases for local energy projects.
We also work closely with community networks like Community Energy England who manage the community energy hub which shares best practice, case studies and as part of that provides advice and support for the creation of community energy co-operatives.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
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 potential effect on consumer energy prices of the UK leaving the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.
Answered by Claire Perry
The UK is seeking broad energy cooperation with the EU including arrangements for trade in electricity and gas, cooperation with EU Agencies and bodies, and data sharing to facilitate market operations. All these are designed to ensure continuity in terms of effects on consumer energy prices. In line with our continued commitment to ensuring that business is prepared for EU Exit in all scenarios, we set out the implications of no deal for UK energy in our technical notices on trading electricity and gas. In either scenario, the UK’s exit from the EU will not alter the fact that our energy system is resilient, secure and drawn from a number of sources. The UK will remain physically linked to the EU post-exit through interconnectors, and the UK gas market is one of the most liquid and developed markets in the world and provides security through diversity of supply, the majority of which does not depend on the EU.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
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 potential change in the price of a first class postage stamp in the event that the UK leaves the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Decisions about the pricing of postage stamps are operational matters for Royal Mail, subject to any regulatory requirements set by Ofcom.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
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 potential change in the price of a second class postage stamp in the event that the UK leaves the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Decisions about the pricing of postage stamps are operational matters for Royal Mail, subject to any regulatory requirements set by Ofcom. The current price cap for second class stamps is 60p, which is due to rise to 65p with effect from 1 April 2019.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
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 level of support for customers who lost goods and possessions in the Shurgard fire in Croydon on New Year’s Eve, what assessment the Government has made of the adequacy of requirements on businesses to plan for major disasters and support affected customers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, contracts entered into by a trader and a consumer where a trader agrees to carry out a service, such as storing their goods, have to be carried out with reasonable care and skill. Traders are prohibited from including a term in the contract which limits its liability when carrying out that service.
For free information and advice on their rights, consumers should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 (www.citizensadvice.org/).
Whilst we do not place any requirements on businesses to plan for emergencies, we do encourage businesses to be prepared and the Cabinet Office provides good practice guidance on the actions they can take on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-emergencies/preparing-for-emergencies
In addition, the Cabinet Office publishes the National Risk Register which contains further information and resources to help individuals, businesses and communities to plan for specific emergencies: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-of-civil-emergencies-2017-edition.