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 previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1132435

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
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	Offshore Industry: Training
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 support the Government is providing to assist skilled offshore oil and gas workers who were made redundant after the collapse in oil prices in 2014 with the cost of re-validating basic industry certification which expired during a period of unemployment.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	265487
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government remains committed to the long-term future of the UK’s oil and gas sector, which supports over 280,000 jobs and has been one of our great industrial success stories over the past 50 years. We have provided the sector with unprecedent levels of support during the industry downturn, placing the UK Continental Shelf amongst the most competitive fiscal regimes in the world in order to attract investment and secure jobs.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has not provided any specific support for skilled workers who were made redundant from the offshore oil and gas sector and who are seeking to re-validate expired industry certification.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 20/06/2019 15:40:28 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1132450

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
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	Offshore Industry: Conditions of Employment
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 has taken to protect (a) employment and (b) skills in the North Sea drilling industry since January 2015.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	265514
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to the long-term future of the oil and gas sector which supports over 280,000 jobs and has been one of our great industrial success stories over the past 50 years.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015, the Government established the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), which works hard to attract investment and jobs, helping to anchor valuable skills and expertise in the UK, and prioritises revitalising offshore exploration.</p><p> </p><p>In recent years, the Government has provided unprecedented levels of support to the offshore oil and gas sector to encourage investment in the sector and support jobs, placing the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) amongst the most competitive fiscal regimes in the world. Work is ongoing to ensure the fiscal and regulatory regime is appropriate to support the UKCS and ensure the basin remains open for business.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 20/06/2019 15:41:49 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1132473

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
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	Whirlpool Corporation: Standards
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 adequacy of the Office for Product Safety and Standards inquiry into Whirlpool; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	265582
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring the safety of consumers. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) was tasked with reviewing the effectiveness of Whirlpool’s technical modification and the adequacy of its consumer outreach programme, and that review was published on 4th April.</p><p> </p><p>The review focussed on an engineering assessment of Whirlpool tumble dryers and expert analysis of data including fire and incident data from Fire and Rescue Services, Which? and Whirlpool. It also reviewed whether Whirlpool’s consumer outreach programme was adequate. The OPSS review was conducted by scientific, legal and product safety experts including input from the Government’s Health and Safety Laboratory and it was reviewed by the BEIS Chief Scientific Advisor.</p><p> </p><p>I am satisfied that the review was robust and thorough.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 20/06/2019 09:03:12 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1132516

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
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	Restaurants: 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, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that restaurants are prevented from making deductions from money left for staff by diners.
tabling member constituency	Inverclyde
tabling member printed	Ronnie Cowan
uin	265553
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 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>We have been working closely with stakeholders and across Government to prepare this legislation, and will lay measures to implement the Good Work Plan in Parliament as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p>The Good Work Plan set out an ambitious programme to take forward 51 of the 53 recommendations made in the Taylor Review. We have already implemented key commitments, with Parliament recently passing secondary legislation we brought forward to increase workers’ rights and protections, and improve transparency for workers, from day one.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 20/06/2019 09:03:00 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4465 label Biography information for Ronnie Cowan

1132535

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
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, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2019 to Question 263213 on Conditions of Employment, whether the employers subject to labour market enforcement undertakings for non-payment of the national minimum wage will be considered for naming when the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme resumes.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	265603
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>Enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is a priority for the Government. We have more than doubled the budget for NMW compliance and enforcement since 2015, to a record high of £27.4 million. The 2018/19 financial year was a record year for NMW enforcement; HMRC identified £24.4 million in arrears across 3,018 cases – a record number since the introduction of the National Living Wage in 2016.</p><p> </p><p>In line with the published NMW enforcement policy, any employer who have been issued a Notice of Underpayment resulting from a breach of National Minimum Wage law will be considered for naming under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>This applies regardless of whether the employer is also subject to a Labour Market Enforcement Undertaking or Order.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 20/06/2019 09:03:18 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1132289

registered interest
date	14/06/2019
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: Enforcement
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261273, what the outcomes of the HMRC investigations that were completed but did not result in employers being found non-compliant were.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	264793
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>HMRC may open an investigation into an employer’s compliance with National Minimum Wage law either following a worker complaint or via proactive risk-based enforcement activity. Where HMRC find no minimum wage arrears are due, they will not take enforcement action such as issuing a Notice of Underpayment and financial penalty.</p><p> </p><p>Where HMRC find that arrears are due to workers they will generally issue a Notice of Underpayment and financial penalty. In some cases, employers may be allowed to carry out self-correction action which ensures that workers are paid the money due to them without the issue of a Notice of Underpayment. Overall, in 2018/19 HMRC found arrears in 45% of cases they closed; this “strike rate” has increased year-on year since the introduction of the National Living Wage in 2016.</p><p> </p><p>This information will be covered in more detail in BEIS’ Minimum Wage Enforcement and Compliance report, which we will publish in due course.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 20/06/2019 09:03:25 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 124076 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1132057

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
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 Office: Corporate Hospitality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to Question 257663, what the total cost was of the hospitality received from Post Office Ltd to his Department.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	264362
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 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>Pursuant to Question 257663, the total cost of the hospitality received from Post Office Ltd over the twelve-month period was £742.84.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 20/06/2019 10:54:51 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1131829

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
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	Electric Vehicles: Vans
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 undertaking with industry to support the production of electric vans in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Warley
tabling member printed	John Spellar
uin	263691
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government’s mission is to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. There are a number of manufacturers already producing vans in the UK or with ambitious plans to begin production in coming years. The Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) offers a comprehensive package of support for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs). This will see nearly £1.5bn invested in total over the period 2015-2021.</p><p> </p><p>In order to ensure the development of new technologies happens in the UK, OLEV has awarded over £300m in grants via Innovate UK, supporting vehicle manufacturers, technology companies and academia in delivering a major programme of R&amp;D into ULEVs, including vans.</p><p> </p><p>In order to incentivise the purchase of ULEV vans, grant funding has been available since 2012. The plug-in van grant provides 20% of the price of a qualifying vehicle to a maximum grant amount of £8,000, or £20,000 for the first 200 large vans (3.5t+) or trucks, and will be available in some form until at least 2020. Our grant funding for chargepoint infrastructure in homes, at workplaces and on residential streets, as well as the upcoming Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund, all support charging infrastructure for ultra-low emission vans.</p><p> </p><p>In order to aggregate demand for these vans, Government has focused on the biggest fleets. Working with environmental NGO Global Action Plan, 27 of the UK’s largest van fleet operators have joined the Clean Van Commitment committing to transition their total fleet of 65,000 vans to electric by 2028. Again, to support demand, we have legislated to increase the weight allowance for certain alternatively fuelled vans that drivers can drive on a standard Category B driving licence. This is designed to mitigate the additional weight alternatively fuelled power trains can add and avoid the payload of vans being affected.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 20/06/2019 13:14:35 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	318 label Biography information for John Spellar

1131845

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
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	Zero-hours Contracts
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 has taken to ensure that people employed on zero-hours contracts are able to take advantage of employment rights which are gained after a period of qualifying service.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	263680
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>An individual’s eligibility for statutory employment protections in the UK is determined by their employment status and not the type of work they do, or label given to the arrangement. Individuals who are on a zero hours contract, part-time contract, or any other type of flexible arrangement can still be eligible for the same statutory employment rights as any permanent, full-time individual if they are doing the same work.</p><p> </p><p>The latest figures show that the proportion of people on zero hours contracts remains small (2.6 per cent of the labour force). The number of people reporting being employed on a zero hours contract is 57,000 fewer than for a year earlier.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 20/06/2019 09:05:52 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1131905

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
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	Electric Vehicles: Batteries
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 Gardiner of Kimble on 20 May (HL15733), what progress has so far been made by the Faraday Institution research project into the reuse and recycling of lithium-ion batteries; and when this project is scheduled to be (1) completed, and (2) published.
tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
uin	HL16323
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>The Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries (ReLiB) project is a cross disciplinary research programme investigating the management of End-of-Life Lithium Ion batteries from Electric Vehicles (EVs). Giving end of first life battery cells and components the opportunity for use in a secondary application may be a way to maximise use and value. The ReLiB project aims to develop automated techniques for determining the characteristics and viability of such components so that they can be re-deployed effectively, secure maximum benefits and inappropriate applications can be avoided. Seven leading UK universities are collaborating on this Faraday Institution funded project (£10,060,130). It aims to address technical, commercial, environmental, policy and regulatory aspects of EV battery management.</p><p> </p><p>As an important part of the transition to low carbon vehicles, the ReLiB project is initially funded for a period of 3 years commencing 1<sup>st</sup> March 2018, but with a 10year technology horizon. Outputs from the first phase of the project are now being generated, are and will continue to be, published in peer reviewed scientific journal. Early stage developments include the development of automated systems to dismantle battery packs safely and optimise the processing of the components in the UK. The project will also seek to generate and exploit intellectual property, in the battery re-use and recycling field, generated through the course of the project in collaboration with UK industrial partners.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Developing UK facilities for processing EV batteries will contribute to Government’s aim of developing a more Circular Economy. Recovery of valuable elements such as cobalt and nickel would contribute to securing supplies of the materials required as inputs for indigenous volume automotive UK battery manufacturing facilities.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 20/06/2019 13:27:01 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn