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1185074

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
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	Renewable 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, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for renewable sources of energy.
tabling member constituency	Gloucester
tabling member printed	Richard Graham
uin	901650
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2020 answer text <p>Ministers regularly discuss issues including renewable energy, including as part of the Government’s commitment to meeting net zero by 2050.</p><p> </p><p>In 2019, the Government set a legally binding-target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from across the UK economy by 2050. We agree with the Committee on Climate Change’s view on the importance of a diverse mix of power generation sources to achieve that with renewables providing the majority of our electricity by 2050 alongside firm low carbon power from sources such as nuclear, and gas or biomass generation with carbon capture and storage. The Government has introduced many initiatives to increase the supply of renewable energy production in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We have committed up to £557m of annual support for future Contracts for Difference, providing developers with the confidence they need to invest in bringing forward new projects and we are supporting our world-leading offshore wind industry through the 2019 sector deal.</p><p> </p><p>In order to support smaller scale renewable electricity generation, the Government introduced the Smart Export Guarantee on 1 January, which gives small scale low-carbon electricity generators, such as homes with solar panels, the right to be paid for the renewable electricity they export to the grid.</p><p> </p><p>The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) supports the transition to low-carbon heating in the UK, helping generate renewable heat for schools, hospitals and more than 12,000 social housing properties. The scheme is designed to bridge the gap between the cost of fossil fuel heat sources and renewable heat alternatives through financial support for owners of participating installations. The RHI helps to sustain and build the supply-chains needed to deliver our aspirations for renewable heat in 2020 and beyond</p><p> </p><p>Meeting our net zero target will require virtually all heat in buildings to be decarbonised, and heat in industry to be reduced to close to zero carbon emissions. This will involve large-scale transformation, including disruption to consumers and wide-ranging change to energy systems and markets: the way heating is supplied to over 28 million homes, businesses and industrial users will need to change.</p><p> </p><p>We are working to develop a new policy framework for the long-term decarbonisation of heat. This will set out the programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions on how we achieve mass transition to low carbon heating.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 19/03/2020 17:53:41 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	3990 label Biography information for Richard Graham

1185181

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
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	Zero Hours Contracts: Disciplinary Proceedings
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 his Department is taking to ensure zero-hours contract workers who contract covid-19 are not penalised through disciplinary measures by their employers.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	29974
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>The Chancellor has outlined an unprecedented package of measures to protect millions of people’s jobs and incomes as part of the national effort in response to Coronavirus.</p><p> </p><p>We urge employers to be understanding when individuals are unable to work as a result of following Government advice on Coronavirus.</p><p> </p><p>Many people on zero-hours contracts will be entitled to statutory sick pay, although some individuals will not meet the qualifying criteria. Those who are ineligible to receive statutory sick pay are able to claim Universal Credit and/or Employment and Support Allowance, where they qualify.</p><p> </p><p>Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, UK employers with a PAYE scheme will be able to access support, so they can continue paying part of their employees’ salary where they might otherwise have been laid off. This applies to furloughed workers that have been asked to stop working, yet are being kept on the payroll. HMRC will reimburse 80% of their wages, up to £2,500 per month, to safeguard workers from being made redundant. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to 1 March and is initially open for 3 months, but will be extended if necessary. This scheme aims to support all those employed through the PAYE system regardless of their employment contract, including those on zero-hour contracts.</p><p> </p><p>Businesses and employees can get further advice on individual employment issues at the Acas website.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/03/2020 17:54:00 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1184861

registered interest
date	13/03/2020
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	Self-employed: Coronavirus
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 support self-employed professionals to compensate for lost business during the covid-19 pandemic.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	29251
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government is closely monitoring developments in relation to potential economic impacts on the UK economy, including on individuals, individual businesses, supply chains and for consumers.</p><p> </p><p>We want to make sure our welfare system works quickly and effectively to provide security for people.</p><p> </p><p>Self-employed individuals who are not eligible to receive sick pay may be able to claim Universal Credit and/or new style Employment and Support Allowance. For the duration of the outbreak, the requirements of the Universal Credit Minimum Income Floor will be temporarily relaxed for those who have COVID-19 or are self-isolating according to government advice. The Government have announced additional financial support which includes £330bn in loans and £20bn in other aid, business rates holiday and grants for retailers and pubs.</p><p> </p><p>A dedicated helpline has been set up to help self-employed individuals in financial distress and with outstanding tax liabilities receive support with their tax affairs through HMRC’s Time To Pay service. These arrangements are agreed on a case-by-case basis and are tailored to individual circumstances and liabilities. HMRC’s new dedicated COVID-19 helpline can be contacted from 11 March 2020 for advice and support. To ensure ongoing support, HMRC have made a further 2,000 experienced call handlers available to support firms and individuals when needed.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 20/03/2020 13:44:55 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi previous answer version 13287 answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1184933

registered interest
date	13/03/2020
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	Science: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 1.220 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, how much and what proportion of the funding for science has already been allocated to institutions (a) in London, the south and South East of England and (b) other parts of England.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	29217
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government will be working on the allocation of the announced investment over the coming weeks and will announce further details at the Spending Review later this year.</p><p> </p><p>We will publish a new ambitious place strategy for R&amp;D this summer. This will set out how we can build on existing initiatives, such as the Strength in Places in Places Fund, to build R&amp;D excellence across the whole country.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 19/03/2020 17:14:20 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway previous answer version 13286 answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1184936

registered interest
date	13/03/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Budget 2020, whether £22 billion of funding allocated to R&D includes funding to replace EU funding.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	29218
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government is firmly committed to becoming a global science superpower and continuing to collaborate internationally on scientific research.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor announced that government investment in R&amp;D will increase to £22bn per annum by 2024/25, putting the UK on track to reach 2.4% of GDP being spent on R&amp;D across the economy by 2027. This increase will include funding for continued participation in EU science programmes or EU replacement schemes. Funding for EU programmes, or for alternatives would be subject to allocations at the Spending Review.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 18/03/2020 16:20:37 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1184941

registered interest
date	13/03/2020
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	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Off-payroll Working
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many contractors working for his Department have had their employment status assessed in relation to the new IR35 rules on off-payroll working; and how many of those staff are subject to those rules.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	29235
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>The Department conducts IR35 status determinations on all its self-employed contractor roles. The status determination is based on HMRC’s Check Employment Status for Tax tool, as well as HMRC guidance on finance risk, control, and supervision over the worker and right to substitution. The Department then uses its agencies to recruit based on the job description and IR35 status.</p><p> </p><p>For 2018-19, the Department employed 66 contractors, with 59 outside of scope of IR35.</p><p> </p><p>IR35 statistics relating to self-employment are published in the Department’s annual report and accounts at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/824924/beis-annual-report-accounts-2018-2019-web.pdf" target="_blank">beis-annual-report-accounts-2018-2019</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 24/03/2020 09:45:06 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1184606

registered interest
date	12/03/2020
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	Music: Copyright
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 assessment his Department has made of the annual cost to the UK music industry of unpaid copyright payments.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
uin	28637
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government has made no assessment of the annual cost to the UK music industry of unpaid copyright payments. Copyright licensing is a private, commercial matter between the parties concerned and the Government is not involved in these agreements.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 17/03/2020 13:17:13 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1184607

registered interest
date	12/03/2020
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	Arts: Copyright
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 estimate his Department has made of the gross cost to UK artists of copyright payments avoided in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
uin	28638
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government has made no assessment of the gross cost to UK artists of copyright payments avoided in the UK. Copyright licensing is a private, commercial matter between the parties concerned and the Government is not involved in these agreements.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 17/03/2020 13:27:10 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1184648

registered interest
date	12/03/2020
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	Postal Services: Cumbria
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 plans he has for the provision of postal services in Oxenholme and Allithwaite in response to the closure of their Post Offices.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	28604
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.</p><p> </p><p>While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. As such, provision of postal services in Oxenholme and Allithwaite is operational to Post Office Limited. I have asked Nick Read, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member about this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 20/03/2020 09:27:12 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1184678

registered interest
date	12/03/2020
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	Diesel and Petrol: Emergencies
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 plans his Department has to maintain continuity of (a) petroleum and (b) diesel supply in the event of a public health emergency.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	28666
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2020 answer text <p>The Department continues to work closely with the fuel sector to ensure that plans are in place to maintain the supply of petroleum and diesel in the event of a public health emergency.</p><p> </p><p>The sector is used to varying levels of demand, and disruptions to supply, for example during inclement weather, and is adept at directing resource to where it is most needed. In addition, the Government has a long-standing fuel supply contingency programme that can be deployed in support of industry to maintain fuel supplies as close to normal levels as possible.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 18/03/2020 09:16:16 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands