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1142275

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Ascension Island
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps are being taken to ensure that the British air sampling station on Ascension Island remains operational.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	282541
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/09/2019 answer text <p>Met Office staff collect samples of the air on Ascension Island as part of the Global Atmosphere Watch which helps scientists measure, track and understand the rise in CO<sub>2</sub> and methane around the planet. This is done on behalf of Royal Holloway, University of London and the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who fund the equipment.</p><p> </p><p>Ascension Island is a remote location which relies on limited air freight services to provide resupply of equipment. On occasion, equipment deliveries can be disrupted due to the essential prioritisation of other cargo, such as food, resulting in delays to the sampling schedule.</p><p> </p><p>The Met Office is working with the programme’s owners to investigate contingency measures to minimise disruption if supplies to the island are delayed again in the future.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Joseph Johnson question first answered 04/09/2019 08:07:39 answering member 4039 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Marylebone
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1142298

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Minimum Wage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress her Department has made on reviewing the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme; and when she plans to resume naming employers under that scheme.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	282556
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to taking tough action against employers who underpay the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage (NMW). Our budget for enforcement and compliance stands at a record high and last year HM Revenue and Customs issued a record £17 million in penalties to employers who broke the rules.</p><p>We are in the process of concluding the evaluation of the NMW Naming Scheme. Any changes made to the Scheme will be made through an updated version of our published enforcement policy in due course, following which regular naming of employers who have breached NMW rules will resume.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:23:47 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1142311

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Gratuities
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when she plans to (a) publish a response to the consultation on tips, gratuities, cover and service charges which closed on 27 June 2016 and (b) bring forward legislative proposals on service charges.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	282563
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>Through the Good Work Plan we have committed to legislate on a range of areas to enhance workers’ rights, including to ensure that all tips left to workers go to them in full.</p><p> </p><p>We expect over a million workers to benefit, many of whom are in low-paid jobs. Consumers will have reassurance that the money they leave in good faith is going to the staff, as they intended.</p><p> </p><p>The Good Work Plan set out an ambitious programme to take forward the vast majority of the recommendations made in the Taylor Review. We have already implemented key commitments, through secondary legislation to increase workers’ rights and protections, and improve transparency for workers, from day one. We will bring forward further measures when Parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:21:49 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1142439

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Research: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 23 July (HL17210), whether they intend that two thirds of the investment in research and development, intended to reach 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, should come from private sources as announced by Chris Skidmore MP on 10 July.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL17513
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/08/2019 answer text <p>Reaching the 2.4% ambition will require concerted effort both for government and for business. Since 2010, businesses and overseas investors have been responsible for an average of two thirds of gross investment in R&amp;D. The Department is working with UKRI and other key partners to stimulate private investment in R&amp;D, harness the latest trends in innovation and make the UK a great place to grow an innovative business.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Duncan of Springbank question first answered 01/08/2019 13:06:34 answering member 4686 label Biography information for Lord Duncan of Springbank
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1142451

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Natural Gas: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of rural communities that are not connected to the gas supply network.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
uin	HL17525
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/08/2019 answer text <p>There is no definitive source for the number of households that are not connected to the gas supply network; BEIS estimates these figures by subtracting the number of domestic gas meters from the estimated number of households.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the latest estimates of households not connected to the gas network by country of the UK. These estimates are also published down to GB local authority level within BEIS’ ‘Sub-national estimates of households not connected to the gas network’ dataset, most recently published in 2018.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Nation</p></td><td><p>Number of households<sup>1</sup></p></td><td><p>Estimated number of households not connected to the gas network<sup>1</sup></p></td><td><p>%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>England</p></td><td><p>23,229,000</p></td><td><p>3,024,000</p></td><td><p>13%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>2,452,000</p></td><td><p>495,000</p></td><td><p>20%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>1,342,000</p></td><td><p>225,000</p></td><td><p>17%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Northern Ireland</p></td><td><p>730,000<sup>2</sup></p></td><td><p>497,000<sup>3</sup></p></td><td><p>68%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>27,753,000</p></td><td><p>4,241,000</p></td><td><p>15%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: (1) Sub-national estimates of households not connected to the gas network, BEIS, updated 2018, except for NI see footnote 3; (2) Live tables on household projections, United Kingdom, 1961-2039, MHCLG 2016 estimate; (3) Transparency Reports 2017, NI Utility Regulator</p> answering member printed Lord Duncan of Springbank question first answered 01/08/2019 13:06:07 answering member 4686 label Biography information for Lord Duncan of Springbank
tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1142457

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Satellites: Grants
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK Space Agency grants for horizontal launch applications for small satellite launch programmes have been made; and what plans they have, if any, to provide additional grants for such programmes in the future.
tabling member printed	Lord Moynihan
uin	HL17531
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/08/2019 answer text <p>On 4 June 2019, the UK Space Agency announced its intention to award up to £7.85 million, subject to business case, to Spaceport Cornwall and US operator Virgin Orbit to develop facilities and operational capabilities that would enable small satellite launch from Cornwall in the early 2020s.</p><p> </p><p>In May 2019, the UK Space Agency also opened a £2 million Horizontal Spaceport Development Fund to assist future horizontal spaceports with their plans for small satellite launch and sub-orbital flight. The deadline for applications closed on 17 July, and the UK Space Agency is currently reviewing submitted proposals. Grant awards will be announced in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Duncan of Springbank question first answered 01/08/2019 13:24:10 answering member 4686 label Biography information for Lord Duncan of Springbank
tabling member	924 label Biography information for Lord Moynihan

1141792

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Insolvency
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will make an assessment of the potential for pre-packaged administrations to be open to abuse as a way of passing on pension liabilities to the Pension Protection Fund.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>A pre-packaged sale in administration, whereby the sale of all or part of the business is arranged prior to the company entering formal insolvency and realised on or immediately after the appointment of the administrator, is a valuable business rescue tool. Pre-pack sales help to avoid a deterioration of the value of the company’s business between appointment of the administrator and sale, meaning there is more money available for creditors, including the pension scheme. In most cases where pre-packs are used, the only alternative would be the collapse of the business and the loss of all employees’ jobs.</p><p> </p><p>The government is aware of concerns about the transparency of pre-pack sales, particularly where a business is sold to a person connected with the old company. It is currently evaluating whether legislative measures are necessary to regulate pre-pack sales to a connected person, following a review of a package of voluntary industry measures implemented in 2015 to improve creditor confidence in pre-packs. As part of the review the government liaised with the Pension Protection Fund, which made clear in its response to concerns raised by the Chair of the Department of Work and Pensions Select Committee, that it does not fundamentally take issue with pre-packs but where there are concerns, these are referred to the Pensions Regulator for investigation.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:19:42 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141793

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Johnston Press: Insolvency
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will make an assessment of (a) the reasons for the collapse of Johnston Press and (b) whether additional powers for the Pension Regulator would help to safeguard pension funds and mitigate the potential financial loss to employees.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Johnston Press Group entered administration on 17 November 2018 and its business and assets were sold to a company owned by the Group’s bondholders (JPI Media Group) under a pre-pack arrangement. The government cannot comment on individual insolvency cases. However, the Pensions Regulator in its report of March 2019 found no evidence that the insolvency of Johnston Press was avoidable and had no reason to use its anti-avoidance powers.</p><p> </p><p>The government’s White Paper 2018 “Protecting Defined Benefit Pension Schemes” proposed a number of new measures to provide better protection for scheme members’ benefits, including giving the Pensions Regulator additional powers to enable it to be more proactive with tougher penalties to deter wrongdoing.</p><p> </p><p>A response to the consultation was published on 11 February 2019.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:18:13 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141918

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Research: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 23 July (HL17211), which government department will take the lead in developing the Roadmap referenced following the Spending Review.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL17462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/08/2019 answer text <p>Government alone cannot deliver the 2.4% target. The Department is working with UKRI and other key partners to develop a roadmap that sets out how government and industry will work together to achieve this ambition.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Duncan of Springbank question first answered 01/08/2019 13:24:25 answering member 4686 label Biography information for Lord Duncan of Springbank
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1141331

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Private Rented Housing: Energy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether she has plans to bring all houses in multiple occupation within the scope of the minimum energy efficiency standard for the domestic private rented sector.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	280984
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Private Rented Sector (PRS) Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard regulations require rented properties that are legally required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to meet a minimum standard of EPC band E, except where an exemption applies. There are no blanket exemptions in the PRS regulations for Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) however, where rooms are let individually, there is currently no requirement for an EPC to be issued. Government launched a Call for Evidence on EPCs in July last year where we outlined suggestions for improvement. We welcomed views on whether a HMO without an EPC should be legally required to have one when a room in that property is marketed for rent. We are currently analysing EPC Call for Evidence responses and intend to publish a summary of responses to the Call for Evidence in due course.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 03/09/2019 14:43:13 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron