Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1128871

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Short Time Working: Climate Change
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 merits of working shorter hours to tackle climate change.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	259032
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK is a world leader in cutting emissions while creating wealth. Between 1990 and 2017, the UK reduced its emissions by over 40 per cent while growing the economy by more than two thirds. The Clean Growth Strategy sets out our plans to build on our progress in decarbonising the power sector, while looking further across the whole of the economy and the country. It includes ambitious proposals on housing, business, transport, the natural environment and green finance. We have not made any assessment of the impact of working shorter hours on climate change.</p><p> </p><p>The Government does, though, continue to support flexible working practices, as part of our commitment to ensuring that everyone can access fair and decent work as set out in the Good Work Plan. For example, all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer have the right to request Flexible Working. We have also committed to consult on a new duty on employers to consider when a job can be done flexibly, and make that clear when advertising.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 15:49:59 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1128917

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Post Offices: Closures
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 Post Office Ltd on the closure of Crown Post Offices; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	258990
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>BEIS Ministers and officials engage regularly with representatives of Post Office Limited on a range of strategic issues of mutual interest. While the Post Office is publicly owned, it is a commercial business operating in competitive markets. The Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office – to maintain a national network accessible to all and to do so more sustainably for the taxpayer – and allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Therefore, issues relating to the Post Office network, including Crown Post Offices and franchising agreements with WHSmith, are all operational matters for Post Office Limited.</p><p>Most of the UK’s Post Office network of over 11,500 branches (almost 98%) already operates successfully on a franchise or agency basis. Research by Citizens Advice (June 2017) found that franchised branches are delivering to the same, or better, standards.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 12:59:58 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1128938

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Electricity (Connection Offer Expenses) Regulations 2018
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 potential merits of updating the Electricity (Connection Offer Expenses) Regulations 2018, Regulation 2(4) to prevent repeated expenses charges being applied to applicants by distributors for distribution quotations without renewed written warning that those charges may be incurred.
tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
uin	259312
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>Distribution network operators (DNOs) must notify connection applicants that they may be required to pay connection offer expenses under the Electricity (Connection Offer Expenses) Regulations 2018, Regulation 2(4) before those expenses are incurred. Unless they have done so, DNOs may not require the applicant to pay. There are established complaint procedures should applicants feel they that a DNO is not acting in accordance with the Regulations. Details are available on all DNO websites.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 06/06/2019 13:20:14 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1129013

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Delivery Services: Scotland
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 recent assessment he has made of the effect of excess delivery charges on people in the far north of Scotland; and what steps he is taking to reduce those charges.
tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
tabling member printed	Jamie Stone
uin	259389
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>As a Government we have ensured that everyone, including retailers, has access to an affordable postal service for deliveries across the UK via the Universal Service.</p><p> </p><p>The Consumer Protection Partnership is engaging with industry to understand their pricing models and how to reduce costs for consumers in Scotland and Northern Ireland but ultimately these are commercial decisions for each business. Wayfair’s decision to scrap delivery charges on purchases over £40 anywhere in the UK is the type of commercial decision that will drive competition and lead to lower costs.</p><p> </p><p>Through the CPP’s engagement, industry is showing signs of shifting with marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay currently looking at how they can improve the transparency of their delivery options. Menzies Distribution also took a commercial decision to launch a new delivery service (HighlandParcels.com) last year enabling residents in the Highlands and Islands to register and receive their parcels for a fixed fee of £4.99 per delivery.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 13:00:19 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4612 label Biography information for Jamie Stone

1129014

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Delivery Services: Fees and Charges
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 he is taking to ensure business accountability to online guarantees of delivery costs.
tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
tabling member printed	Jamie Stone
uin	259390
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>We have been clear to retailers the need to comply with legislation by ensuring information about delivery conditions or restrictions is clear and up front at the point of purchase so consumers can make an informed choice and if appropriate choose to shop elsewhere.</p><p> </p><p>We have issued revised guidance for business and both the Competition and Markets Authority and the Advertising Standards Authority have undertaken compliance reviews and taken action as a result. The “delivery.law” website launched by Highland Trading Standards last year enables consumers to register a complaint for referral onto the relevant authority to consider enforcement action where there has been a breach of consumer law. The portal also provides guidance to business and consumers.</p><p> </p><p>Government has ensured that everyone, including retailers, has access to an affordable postal service for deliveries across the UK via the Universal Service.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 13:00:26 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4612 label Biography information for Jamie Stone

1129051

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Horizon 2020
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 he is taking to ensure that research and innovation activities carried out under Horizon 2020 comply with ethical principles and legislation.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	259203
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>As an EU Member State, the UK was involved in negotiating the EU Regulations governing Horizon 2020, and in the preparation by the European Commission of its model grant agreement for Horizon 2020 beneficiaries. These require research and innovation activities carried out under Horizon 2020 to comply with ethical principles.</p><p> </p><p>Under the conditions of the grant, UK institutions, organisations or individuals that receive Horizon 2020 funding must adhere to ethical principles and applicable international, EU and national law. Responsibility for ensuring beneficiaries comply with the grant agreement rests with the European Commission or its agencies.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 06/06/2019 09:31:10 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1129125

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Consumers: 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, when he plans to publish his Department's consumer white paper; and whether the white paper will include proposals on the mortgage market.
tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
uin	259313
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government’s Consumer White Paper is due to be published later this year. It will report back on the issues raised in the Consumer Green Paper.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 13:00:14 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1129132

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Solar Power: VAT
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 the Chancellor of the Exchequer on planned future VAT increases on solar panel installations.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh West
tabling member printed	Christine Jardine
uin	259405
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>Solar PV is a UK success story, with rapid deployment over the last 8 years, over 99% of the UK’s solar PV capacity has been deployed since May 2010. We are already exceeding our 2020 projections today, with over 13GW of solar capacity installed in the UK, enough to power over 3 million homes.</p><p> </p><p>I regularly discuss a range of issues with my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer. HM Treasury’s proposed changes reflect the strong result we negotiated on behalf of industry; solar installations should be largely unaffected where material costs make up less than 60% of total installation costs.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 06/06/2019 13:20:20 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4634 label Biography information for Christine Jardine

1129203

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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	Solar Power
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 that solar energy is (a) accessible and (b) affordable to all households.
tabling member constituency	Belfast East
tabling member printed	Gavin Robinson
uin	259259
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>Solar is a UK success story, having until now received 81% of the £5.9bn Feed in Tariff scheme, which has enabled 6.5 GW of new renewable generation across the country. In the future, our proposals for a Smart Export Guarantee will ensure that all small-scale generators are paid for the power they export to the grid. This coupled with the fact that residential solar panels are now over 50% cheaper than in 2011, makes solar more accessible and affordable than ever.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 06/06/2019 13:20:07 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4360 label Biography information for Gavin Robinson

1129287

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
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, if he will make it his Department's policy to restore immediately the policy of naming of employers for National Minimum Wage breaches whilst the review of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme is ongoing.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South
tabling member printed	Stewart Malcolm McDonald
uin	259296
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>As announced in the Government response of December 2018, the review of the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage (NMW) Naming Scheme commenced in response to recommendations made by the Director of Labour Market Enforcement in his 2018/2019 Labour Market Enforcement Strategy. Naming of employers for NMW breaches will recommence once that review has been completed.</p><p> </p><p>We are reviewing the effectiveness of the naming scheme to ensure that our enforcement approach balances the need to crack down on the most egregious non-compliant employers with the need to help employers understand their responsibilities and how to comply.</p><p> </p><p>Naming remains an important part of our enforcement toolkit. Enforcement of the national minimum wage and the national living wage is a priority for this Government to ensure that workers receive at least the Minimum Wage. We have more than doubled the budget for minimum wage compliance and enforcement since 2015, to a record high of £27.4 million. This resulted in over 220,000 UK workers receiving a record £24.4 million in arrears last year.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 06/06/2019 13:00:05 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4461 label Biography information for Stewart Malcolm McDonald