Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support the Government is providing to low-income households that need new or replacement boilers.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO), worth £640 million per annum, sets an obligation on larger energy suppliers to install energy efficiency and heating measures in the homes of low income and vulnerable households in Great Britain. A capped amount of replacement boilers is allowed, though there is no cap when certain insulation measures are installed alongside.
Under the current iteration of ECO, over 157,000 boilers had been installed up to the end of December 2020.
Furthermore, under the Warm Home Discount (WHD), the Industry Initiatives element of the scheme allows suppliers to support low income and vulnerable households through a range of measures, including replacement boilers in certain circumstances.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 hair and beauty businesses in Wolverhampton South West constituency.
Answered by Paul Scully
We have put in place one of the most generous packages of support in the world worth over £280 billion. For Hair and Beauty businesses, this includes business rates holidays, various loans schemes and the extended furlough scheme. Closed businesses such as hairdressers, like those in your constituency, can also receive a grant of up to £3,000 a month and a one-off payment up to a maximum £9,000.
I meet with the sector regularly to understand the impact of the pandemic on businesses.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 take steps to extend the range of roles that are eligible for the right to reasonable time off work to carry out public duties.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is keen to see greater corporate responsibility on the part of employers and encourages the public sector, charities and businesses to consider their impact on society. Employer-supported volunteering can help to build stronger communities and a stronger economy, by helping charities and community groups to do more and by creating a more motivated and productive workforce.
Employees have the right to reasonable time off work to carry out specified public duties such as those of a magistrate or a local councillor. There are currently no plans to extend the range of roles.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 help reduce the cost of utility bills for vulnerable people experiencing financial hardship.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government and regulators have worked with regulated industries to support consumers who are struggling financially.
Examples of the support provided include in the financial services sector, where the FCA advises that consumers can apply, until the end of March, for payment deferrals including on mortgages, loans, credit cards, overdrafts, and motor finance. In the energy sector, BEIS secured a voluntary agreement with energy companies to support their customers impacted by Covid-19 and struggling with energy bills, including taking action to keep households on supply. Ofcom has also recently asked telecoms providers to bring in further support, including proactively engaging with those in debt, and waiving penalty charges.
Details of the support available to consumers struggling to pay their essential bills can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/advice-for-people-who-are-struggling-to-pay-essential-bills-because-of-coronavirus.
The Government has also through the COVID Winter Grant Scheme provided £170m to local authorities in England, to provide support for vulnerable households particularly affected by the pandemic, and help with the cost of food, energy, water bills and other essentials.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 take steps to roll out lateral flow testing to support the safe re-opening of venues in the night-time economy.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government recently (10 January 2021) announced the expansion of rapid, regular testing to include people without symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), which is now available across the country. The offer is currently targeting people who are unable to work from home during the national lockdown. The Government will keep under review any further expansion to support wider sectors. All coronavirus business support information is available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to put in place a long-term funding strategy for energy efficiency beyond the Green Homes Grant.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Ten-Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution committed to the extension of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) by a further 4 years from 2022 to 2026. The successor ECO scheme from 2022 will require larger energy suppliers to improve the energy efficiency of homes, focusing on those less able to pay across Great Britain.
The 2019 Conservative manifesto committed to a £3.8billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). A £50 million SHDF Demonstrator was launched in 2020 to test innovative approaches to retrofitting social housing at scale and upgrading the energy performance of poorer-performing homes. A further £60 million has been allocated to continue the development of the SHDF in the next year.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what additional support the Government is providing to local authorities to ensure the provision of accessible electric vehicle charge-points in built-up areas.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Government is investing over £2.8bn across the whole of the UK to help people buy zero emission vehicles and accelerate the roll out of charging infrastructure. The Government’s On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) has supported over 60 local authorities to fund more than 2,000 chargepoints for residents who do not have off-street parking. The doubling of funding for the ORCS to £20 million announced last year by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will allow local authorities to install up to 7,200 charging devices, making charging at home and overnight easier for those without an off-street parking space. Government recognises the need to address non-financial barriers faced by Local Authorities and provides regularly updated guidance on chargepoint procurement and installation via the Energy Savings Trust.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 extending the statutory provision for time off to fulfill public duties to (a) charity trustees and (b) other roles.
Answered by Paul Scully
Employer-supported volunteering can help to build stronger communities and a stronger economy, by helping charities and community groups to do more and by creating a more motivated and productive workforce. Employees have the right to reasonable time off work to carry out specified public duties such as those of a magistrate or a local councillor. Whilst there are currently no plans to assess the current provisions, the Government is keen to see greater corporate responsibility on the part of employers and to encourage the public sector, charities and businesses to consider their impact on society.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many jobs the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution will create in Wolverhampton South West constituency.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
As we rebuild, we must build back better, greener, and faster. This means supporting green jobs, levelling up, accelerating our path to net zero, and creating long-term advantage for the UK.
Spanning clean energy, buildings, transport, nature and innovative technologies, the Ten Point Plan will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to unlock three times as much private sector investment by 2030. In doing so we will plan will we will support a further 90,000 green jobs across the UK by 2024, and up to 250,000 by 2030, building on the 460,000 jobs that already exist in the low carbon economy today.
Support for green jobs across the UK, including the West Midlands, will be delivered by:
The Ten Point Plan is the foundation towards a green industrial revolution in the UK. We will set out further measures as we run up to COP26 to support the growth of the low carbon economy – starting with the Energy White Paper.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has in place to ensure that (a) vulnerable and elderly people who have difficulty using technology and (b) other vulnerable and elderly people are able to access Green Homes grants.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
For elderly or vulnerable homeowners who are unable to apply to the scheme digitally, an assisted digital route has been made available by the scheme administrator. More information can be found on the Green Homes Grant Contact Us page, with a phone lines for scheme application (0300 131 0053) open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday. Furthermore, the Simple Energy Advice (SEA) website, used to find accredited installers for measures under the scheme, also offers a non-digital route for elderly and vulnerable homeowners to search for suitable installers. Homeowners can contact 0800 444 202 between 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday.
Outside of the voucher scheme, support is available to vulnerable and elderly households on low incomes via the £500m Local Authority Delivery (LAD) element. Local Authorities have a comprehensive understanding of their local community and are able to identify vulnerable households through a variety of referral routes, such as a ‘cold home referral’ from the health and charity sectors.
Lastly, we are working closely with other governmental departments, such as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Office for Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), to help raise homeowners’ awareness of the scheme.