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These initiatives were driven by Viscount Trenchard, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Viscount Trenchard has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Viscount Trenchard has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The proportionality of the costs of the works at Peers’ Entrance, and the security benefits arising, have been the subject of rigorous internal assessment through the usual business case process. The plans have also been validated by external experts.
To avoid publicly disclosing sensitive security matters it is not possible to go into further detail, however Members are always welcome to contact the Director of Security to discuss any security-related concerns privately.
The proportionality of the costs of the works at Peers’ Entrance, and the security benefits arising, have been the subject of rigorous internal assessment through the usual business case process. The plans have also been validated by external experts.
To avoid publicly disclosing sensitive security matters it is not possible to go into further detail, however Members are always welcome to contact the Director of Security to discuss any security-related concerns privately.
The proportionality of the costs of the works at Peers’ Entrance, and the security benefits arising, have been the subject of rigorous internal assessment through the usual business case process. The plans have also been validated by external experts.
We stated in the 2020 Energy White Paper our intention to undertake a review of the energy National Policy Statement (NPS) suite. This review was published for consultation on 6th September 2021.
This consultation includes the revised overarching National Policy Statement for energy (EN-1). The revised EN-1 sets out that a new technology specific NPS for nuclear electricity generation deployable after 2025 is proposed and will be developed to reflect the changing policy and technology landscape for nuclear and support the transition to net zero. This will be consulted on in the usual manner, in due course.
The revised EN1, also sets out that the need for nuclear could be met by large scale gigawatt nuclear, Small Modular Reactors, Advanced Modular Reactors and fusion technologies.
The publication of this consultation is a first step toward a planning framework to facilitate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.
We stated in the 2020 Energy White Paper our intention to undertake a review of the energy National Policy Statement (NPS) suite. This review was published for consultation on 6th September 2021.
This consultation includes the revised overarching National Policy Statement for energy (EN-1). The revised EN-1 sets out that a new technology specific NPS for nuclear electricity generation deployable after 2025 is proposed and will be developed to reflect the changing policy and technology landscape for nuclear and support the transition to net zero. This will be consulted on in the usual manner, in due course.
The revised EN1, also sets out that the need for nuclear could be met by large scale gigawatt nuclear, Small Modular Reactors, Advanced Modular Reactors and fusion technologies.
The publication of this consultation is a first step toward a planning framework to facilitate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.
Aid for COVID-19 related losses may be given under article 107(2)(b) or article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
Article 107(2)(b) requires the European Commission to approve aid to make good the damage caused by natural disasters or exceptional occurrences. The Commission declared on 12 March that COVID-19 qualified as an exceptional occurrence. A key feature of this provision is that schemes must only compensate businesses for damages actually suffered as a result of COVID-19. Schemes under this provision must be individually notified to and approved by, the Commission.
Under Article 107(3)(b) the Commission may approve aid to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy. Under this article, the Commission has introduced some welcome flexibilities into the rules to deal with the impacts of the COVID-19, in the form of a Temporary Framework. This facilitates aid going to the companies who need it most, quickly and efficiently.
When the Government considered its State aid options in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, it took the decision to design schemes that would allow organisations to access funds quickly and easily with a minimal number of checks and balances attached to the application and approval processes.
Following work by BEIS officials, the COVID-19 Temporary Framework was approved by the Commission under the Temporary Framework on 6 April. This allows public authorities to introduce their own aid measures without the necessity of obtaining an individual Commission approval. The combination of this and other measures such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Self Employed Income Support Scheme constitute an important part of the unprecedented programme of Government support for business to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the UK has left the EU, under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the EU State Aid rules continue to apply in the UK until the end of the Transition Period. The State aid rules are a sole competence of the European Commission. The Commission has introduced some flexibilities into the rules to deal with the impacts of the Coronavirus, in the form of a Temporary Framework.
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is a State Aid approved scheme under the European Commission’s Temporary State Aid Framework. Companies that do not pass the ‘undertaking in difficulty’ test are eligible for support, in recognition of the impact of Coronavirus, unless they were in difficulty on 31 December 2019, prior to the outbreak.
The terms of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) state that Personal Guarantees of any form (whether or not these include the pledging of personal assets) cannot be used in respect of any CBILS facilities up to £250,000.
Personal guarantees for CBILS facilities above £250,000 are not required by the scheme rules. They may be taken at the lender’s discretion. If that is the case, recoveries under such guarantees are capped at a maximum of 20% of the outstanding balance of the CBILS facility after the proceeds of business assets, if any, have been applied.
A Principal Private Residence cannot be taken as security to support a personal guarantee or as security for any CBILS facility.
These terms were updated on 3 April 2020 and will be retrospectively applied for any CBILS facilities offered since the start of the scheme on 23 March 2020. This means that any personal guarantees already taken for CBILS facilities up to £250,000 will be waived.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced additional measures to support businesses and organisations that have been impacted by the pandemic. So long as they fulfil the criteria for these measures, businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors will benefit from these measures.
This includes the Government stepping in to help pay people’s wages – a scheme which is one of the most generous of any in the world – and paying grants to support as many jobs as necessary. Any employer in the country who promises to retain their staff can apply for a grant to cover most of the cost of paying people’s wages. Government grants will cover 80 per cent of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2,500 a month, with this limit set well above the median income. The cost of wages will be backdated to 1st March and will be open for at least three months. The Government will consider extending the scheme for longer if necessary.
We are also deferring the next three months of VAT, a direct injection of £33 billion of cash to employers which means no business will pay any VAT in March, April or May; and they will have until the end of the financial year to repay those bills.
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will now be interest free for twelve months, an extension from the initial announcement of six months. We have already introduced and announced an extension to the Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which is for small and medium-sized businesses. On 17 March, the Chancellor expanded the amount that can be borrowed from £1.2 million to £5 million.
The Chancellor has also announced measures to protect the self-employed. As long as they fulfil the necessary criteria, freelancers and the self-employed in the music industry will benefit from these measures. The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will support self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The scheme will provide a grant to self-employed individuals or partnerships, worth 80% of their profits up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
The FCDO has completed the sale of an under-used part of our Tokyo compound to Mitsubishi Estates, while retaining the Chancery building and its historic frontage. In line with our ambitions for the Indo-Pacific tilt, this sale gives us the opportunity to modernise and upgrade our Tokyo embassy to ensure it is truly representative of the best of Britain, including through sustainable and inclusive design, whilst also preserving its heritage buildings. The sale has maximised value for money for the British taxpayer, funding much-needed investment not just in Tokyo but also elsewhere in our global estate. The Japanese Government has been kept informed of our plans.
The FCDO has completed the sale of an under-used part of our Tokyo compound to Mitsubishi Estates, while retaining the Chancery building and its historic frontage. In line with our ambitions for the Indo-Pacific tilt, this sale gives us the opportunity to modernise and upgrade our Tokyo embassy to ensure it is truly representative of the best of Britain, including through sustainable and inclusive design, whilst also preserving its heritage buildings. The sale has maximised value for money for the British taxpayer, funding much-needed investment not just in Tokyo but also elsewhere in our global estate. The Japanese Government has been kept informed of our plans.
The FCDO's Spending Round settlement provides funds for the maintenance of the diplomatic estate. The disposal of surplus, under-used and uneconomic assets releases capital to enable us to invest in the estate. Taken together, this provides much needed investment in the FCDO's wider diplomatic estate, providing modern, fit for purpose offices and residences, tackling a large deficit of health and safety, backlog building maintenance and security-related needs across Europe, Africa and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, and funding various projects to help towards the FCDO's Net Zero ambitions.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced new support for the self-employed on 26 March 2020.
The new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme will help those with lost trading profits due to COVID-19. It will allow eligible individuals to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of their trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for the next 3 months. This may be extended if needed and is one of the most generous self-employed support schemes in the world.
To qualify, an individual’s self-employed trading profits must be less than £50,000 and more than half of their income comes from self-employment. 95% of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employment will be eligible for this scheme.
HM Revenue & Customs will contact individuals if they are eligible for and invite them to apply online using a simple form. HMRC are working on this urgently and expect people to be able to access the Scheme no later than the beginning of June.
More information about the Scheme, including the full eligibility criteria and how to claim, is available on GOV.UK.
The Scheme supplements the significant support already announced for UK businesses and employees, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and deferral of tax payments.
More information about the full range of business support measures is available on GOV.UK.
The grant provided in the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is not weighted for London. Any UK organisation with employees can apply for cash grants of 80% of employees’ wages up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
This grant is not designed to subsidise those on very high wages. The cap of £2,500 per month is above the UK median earnings level.