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1192485

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Small Business Grants Fund: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	Whether the Government has made an estimate of the number of businesses that do not qualify for the Government’s covid-19 grant schemes.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham North
tabling member printed	Alex Norris
uin	902140
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>Local Authorities are responsible for identifying and contacting eligible businesses for either the Small Business Grants or the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants. No assessment has been made of the number of businesses not qualifying for the schemes; rather we estimate about 1 million businesses will benefit.</p><p> </p><p>I am personally calling local authorities that have reported slow progress to offer any support they need to get grants out to businesses as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 04/05/2020 15:52:33 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4641 label Biography information for Alex Norris

1192486

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	What estimate he has made of the number of self-employed people who do not qualify for covid-19 support.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham South
tabling member printed	Lilian Greenwood
uin	902141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>We have prioritised helping the greatest number of people as quickly as possible and it is difficult to come up with reliable criteria that apply to all the relevant sectors of the economy. We are aware some people will not be eligible for the scheme, but they may still benefit from a number of other support schemes available.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is engaging a wide range of stakeholders in relation to Covid-19, and in addition to the Business Secretary’s regular meeting with business representative organisations, I recently hosted a call with stakeholders on support for the self-employed and will continue to engage on the issue.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully grouped question UIN 902142 902174 question first answered 04/05/2020 15:52:46 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4029 label Biography information for Lilian Greenwood

1192487

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	What estimate he has made of the number of self-employed people who do not qualify for covid-19 support.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	902142
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>We have prioritised helping the greatest number of people as quickly as possible and it is difficult to come up with reliable criteria that apply to all the relevant sectors of the economy. We are aware some people will not be eligible for the scheme, but they may still benefit from a number of other support schemes available.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is engaging a wide range of stakeholders in relation to Covid-19, and in addition to the Business Secretary’s regular meeting with business representative organisations, I recently hosted a call with stakeholders on support for the self-employed and will continue to engage on the issue.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully grouped question UIN 902141 902174 question first answered 04/05/2020 15:52:46 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1192488

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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-employment Income Support Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	If he will seek representations from self-employed workers on the effectiveness of the Self-employment Income Support Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	902174
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>We have prioritised helping the greatest number of people as quickly as possible and it is difficult to come up with reliable criteria that apply to all the relevant sectors of the economy. We are aware some people will not be eligible for the scheme, but they may still benefit from a number of other support schemes available.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is engaging a wide range of stakeholders in relation to Covid-19, and in addition to the Business Secretary’s regular meeting with business representative organisations, I recently hosted a call with stakeholders on support for the self-employed and will continue to engage on the issue.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully grouped question UIN 902141 902142 question first answered 04/05/2020 15:52:46 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1192617

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Buildings: Carbon Emissions
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 funding he has allocated to supporting people to gain expertise and technical qualifications in retrofitting carbon inefficient buildings.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	43161
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>BEIS has not, thus far, provided direct funding for training or qualifications in building retrofit. The Department has, however, funded the development of improved design and installation standards and has created a market for individuals and businesses who install to those standards through the Energy Company Obligation.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 11/05/2020 13:09:09 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1192618

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Buildings: Carbon Emissions
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 the Government is taking to ensure that carbon inefficient buildings are retrofitted.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	43162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>Government has a number of policies and proposals to improve the energy performance of buildings, for example:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Our current Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme and its successor will drive £6bn of additional investment to support energy improvements in low-income, vulnerable and fuel poor households between 2018 and 2028.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The Private Rented Sector Minimum standard regulations introduced on 1 April 2018 will improve the energy performance of rented properties. The regulations require landlords of domestic and non-domestic rental properties to bring their properties to EPC Band E or above. We recently consulted on raising the minimum energy standards for non-domestic privately rented properties to meet a preferred target of EPC B by 2030, and plan to publish the Government Response later this year. We will consult on tightening the minimum energy standards for domestic privately rented properties in due course.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>We have committed to further consultations on introducing mandatory in-use energy performance ratings for non-domestic buildings; and on requirements for mortgage lenders to help households improve the energy efficiency of the homes they lend to.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Public sector organisations can access the funding for decarbonisation projects, including certain retrofits through the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme. The capital pot for England stands at £312m as of the end of 2019/20 and is planned to increase to a total of £385 million by 2020/21.</li></ul> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 11/05/2020 13:06:53 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1192660

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Restaurants: Social Distancing
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 he has made of the level of adherence to social distancing guidance in takeaway restaurant kitchens.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	43118
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government has introduced important social distancing measures for all types of businesses to consider in order to minimise the risk of transmission in the workplace. The Government has been clear that it is vital that all employers follow this guidance, which is clinically led and based on expert advice.</p><p> </p><p>The advice on social distancing measures applies to everyone. This includes all staff in a takeaway business, including those working in the kitchen, and in any external public areas where customers may need to queue to collect orders. In order to support employers, we have provided additional guidance about how these measures might be implemented in different sectors:<a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/social-distancing-in-the-workplace-during-coronavirus-covid-19-sector-guidance" target="_blank"> https://www.gov.uk/guidance/social-distancing-in-the-workplace-during-coronavirus-covid-19-sector-guidance </a></p><p> </p><p>We have produced specific guidance, which applies to any food preparation or food service setting where food is sold directly to the consumer. For example, bars, pubs and restaurants operating as takeaways, cafes, food to go, food delivery and traditional takeaway (fixed and mobile); and contract catering at the point of service to the consumer such as in office or similar environments. It specifically refers to the requirement of businesses in the food industry to maintain social distancing in kitchens and other food preparation areas.</p><p> </p><p>We have outlined a number of measures, which we expect employers to consider in order to reduce contact in kitchens. These include:</p><ul><li>Following government guidance on managing food preparation and food service areas (gov.uk/workingsafely).</li><li>Allowing kitchen access to as few people as possible.</li><li>Minimising interaction between kitchen workers and other workers, including when on breaks.</li><li>Putting teams into shifts to restrict the number of employees interacting with each other.</li><li>Spacing workstations 2 metres apart as much as possible, recognising the difficulty of moving equipment such as sinks, hobs and ovens. Consider cleanable panels to separate workstations in larger kitchens.</li><li>Providing floor marking to signal distances of 2 metres apart.</li><li>Using ‘one way’ traffic flows to minimise contact.</li><li>Minimising access to walk-in pantries, fridges and freezers, for example with only one person being able to access these areas at one point in time.</li><li>Minimising contact at ‘handover’ points with other staff, such as when presenting food to serving staff and delivery drivers.</li></ul><p> </p><p>If a business is not operating in line with the Government guidance, there is a role for the relevant health and safety enforcing authority - the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or Local Authority. Where the enforcing authority identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks, for example, employers not taking appropriate action to socially distance, the enforcing authority will consider taking a range of actions to improve control of workplace risks. These actions include the provision of specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement notices to help secure improvements with the guidance.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 13/05/2020 16:06:28 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1192682

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Business: 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 discussions he has had with Chambers of Commerce on how they can support businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Stourbridge
tabling member printed	Suzanne Webb
uin	43194
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2020 answer text <p>The Department works in close contact with UK Business Representative Organisations (BROs) – including with leading BROs such as the British Chambers of Commerce, the Federation for Small Businesses, and MAKE UK, the Manufacturers Organisation and UK Finance.</p><p> </p><p>This engagement has been increased significantly across all levels of the Department, for Government to understand where support is needed most for businesses across the economy during the Coronavirus outbreak. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I hold numerous calls every week with a range of BROs to discuss feedback on government support measures; and we have initiated additional calls to announce additions and developments to the suite of COVID19 business finance, such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme.</p><p> </p><p>In my role as Minister for Small Businesses, I have also engaged with local Chambers of Commerce such as in Merton, for example on Wednesday 5<sup>th</sup> May I joined a webinar to engage in a Question and Answer session.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 12/05/2020 13:20:14 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4802 label Biography information for Suzanne Webb

1192697

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Biofuels: Environment Protection
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 environmental effect of subsidies to (a) Drax Power Station in Selby and (b) other bio-fuel companies that burn trees.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	43156
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2020 answer text <p>The UK only supports biomass which complies with strict sustainability criteria,. These criteria take into account of social, economic and environmental issues including protecting biodiversity, land use rights, sustainable harvesting and regeneration rates. They ensure that the carbon stock of the forest from which the pellets are derived is not decreased by requiring that biomass fuels are derived from forest waste wood and residues and that the forest owner adheres to relevant legal requirements to protect biodiversity and the environment.</p><p> </p><p>Current regulations[1] also, over time, increase the stringency of the ceilings and thresholds for the greenhouse gas emissions from producing the feedstock.</p><p> </p><p>Sustainable bioenergy is helping us move to a low-carbon energy mix, increase our energy security and keep costs down for consumers. However, as we decarbonise, it is right to continually review our approach to ensure that we are using the lowest carbon sources of electricity. We have pledged that this will be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it.</p><p> </p><p>We are reviewing the air quality impacts of biomass to ensure that our energy policies can jointly tackle climate change and improve air quality. We are currently consulting on proposals to remove coal to biomass conversions from the Contract for Difference scheme. In addition, all support for coal-to-biomass conversions will end in 2027.</p><p>[1] The Renewables Obligation Order 2015 in England and Wales, The Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Amendment Order, the Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016 and the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme and Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2015 as amended</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 13/05/2020 08:56:31 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1192826

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Redundancy: Equality
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 the Government has to monitor redundancies by protected characteristics after the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Walthamstow
tabling member printed	Stella Creasy
uin	43000
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government does not routinely monitor redundancy statistics by protected characteristics. However, when employers select employees for redundancy, they must comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and ensure that they do not unlawfully discriminate. There are also additional considerations that employers must take into account when redundancies affect women who are pregnant or on maternity leave.</p><p> </p><p>The Government continues to gather data, including through interactions with stakeholders, to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on all citizens, including groups with protected characteristics.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 11/05/2020 16:53:04 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4088 label Biography information for Stella Creasy