Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
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 ensure that charity shops will not be required to change Conformité Européene labels to UK labels on existing stock on 29 March 2019 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In the unlikely event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, the Government is taking the decision to adopt a continuity approach to minimise disruption to businesses and consumers. This means that goods that meet EU regulatory requirements, including those with a CE Marking, will still be able to be placed on the UK market for a time-limited period after 29 March 2019.
This rule applies to goods sold in charity shops, therefore charity shops will not need relabel their products on 29 March 2019. As retailers of second hand goods, they will, however, remain responsible for ensuring the products that they place on the market are safe.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether secondhand goods with a CE label can continue to be sold by charity shops in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
CE marking is a declaration that a product complied with relevant EU legislation when the product was initially placed on the EU market. If a product has already been placed on the market and is then later sold as second hand, it does not generally have to be relabelled.
If the UK leaves without a deal, the Government has announced a time-limited continuity approach to minimise disruption to businesses and consumers. This will mean that CE marked goods – whether new or second hand – can continue to be sold in the UK.
Charity shops will, therefore, still be able to sell second-hand goods labelled with the CE Marking, as long as those goods were compliant at the time they were initially placed on the UK market, and are still safe.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of the staircase tax on small businesses.
Answered by Margot James
Ministers and officials have frequent discussions with their Treasury counterparts on a range of matters, including business rates.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has set out the government’s position on this issue, most recently in his evidence to the Treasury Committee on 11 October.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many gas and electric meters replaced during the smart energy roll-out have been (a) put into landfill and (b) refurbished and made available for resale by (i) each approved meter installer and (ii) each meter asset manager.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
No estimate has been made as to the number of gas and electric meters replaced during the smart meter rollout that are either sent to landfill, or refurbished and reused. However, reports for the amount of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) placed on the market and collected in the UK under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee-in-the-uk
The Government is committed to ensuring that every home and small business in the country is offered a smart meter the end of 2020. Overall, the roll-out is set to deliver significant net benefits to consumers, estimated at £5.7 billion over the lifetime of the Programme, yielding £1.5 of savings for every £1 spent.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
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 the number of gas and electric meters replaced during the smart energy roll-out that are (a) sent to landfill and (b) refurbished and reused.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
No estimate has been made as to the number of gas and electric meters replaced during the smart meter rollout that are either sent to landfill, or refurbished and reused. However, reports for the amount of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) placed on the market and collected in the UK under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee-in-the-uk
The Government is committed to ensuring that every home and small business in the country is offered a smart meter the end of 2020. Overall, the roll-out is set to deliver significant net benefits to consumers, estimated at £5.7 billion over the lifetime of the Programme, yielding £1.5 of savings for every £1 spent.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received on including obligations to remove and recycle legacy gas and electric meters which were replaced during the Smart Energy roll-out on energy companies as part of the Smart Energy Code.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Department has not received any representations to amend the Smart Energy Code to include obligations with regards to the removal and recycle of legacy meters.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
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 potential export market available to UK firms who refurbish gas and electric meters that are no longer required in the UK because of smart meter roll-out; and what steps his Department is taking to help develop that market.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
No assessment has been made. We understand that some Meter Asset Providers (MAPs) are making refurbished meters available to countries who at present do not intend to install smart meters.
The roll-out of smart meters is an important national modernisation programme that will bring major benefits to consumers and the nation as a whole. Domestic customers will be offered an In-Home Display (IHD) enabling them to see what energy they are using and how much it is costing. Smart meters will also bring an end to estimated billing, transform the prepayment experience, and in time make switching energy suppliers easier and faster.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what mechanisms Ofgem has to enforce the careful removal, handling and return of meters.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Energy suppliers are required by their licence to be party to the industry governance groups that oversee the relevant codes of practice (for gas: Meter Asset Managers’ Code of Practice (MAMCoP) and electricity: Meter Operators Code of Practice Agreement (MOCOPA)). The industry groups oversee compliance and can escalate issues to Ofgem, who can apply their usual range of enforcement powers for a licence breach.
In addition, companies are required to comply with the conditions set out in the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which covers metering equipment.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what mechanisms Ofgem has to enforce its code of practice on removal of gas and electric meters.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Energy suppliers are required by their licence to be party to the industry governance groups that oversee the relevant codes of practice (for gas: Meter Asset Managers’ Code of Practice (MAMCoP) and electricity: Meter Operators Code of Practice Agreement (MOCOPA)). The industry groups oversee compliance and can escalate issues to Ofgem, who can apply their usual range of enforcement powers for a licence breach.
In addition, companies are required to comply with the conditions set out in the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which covers metering equipment.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his policy that as many as possible legacy gas and electric meters replaced during the smart meter roll-out should be recycled.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Existing obligations in relation to the removal, recycling and disposal of traditional gas and electricity meters apply for the smart meter rollout.
Companies have responsibilities under the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. The WEEE Directive implements the principle of “extended producer responsibility”. Under this principle, producers are required to take financial responsibility for the environmental impact of the products that they place on the market, specifically when those products become waste. It seeks to reduce the amount of such waste going to landfill by encouraging separate collection and subsequent treatment, re-use, recovery, recycling and environmentally sound disposal.
Large suppliers involved in the smart meter rollout have developed their own strategies for the safe recycling or disposal of gas and electricity meters. Gas and electricity meters are refurbished and refitted where possible or ultimately recycled in line with manufacturer guidelines.