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1150916

registered interest
date	21/10/2019
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	Public Holidays
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 merits of making (a) Diwali and (b) Eid national public holidays; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	2643
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2019 answer text <p>We welcome the celebration of Diwali, Eid, Vaisakhi and other religious festivals. All faiths have a home in this country.</p><p>The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to commemorate a variety of occasions – such as cultural, history, military and religious events. The current pattern of bank holidays is well established and accepted.</p><p>There is a significant cost to business of creating additional public holidays. The estimated cost to the economy of the one-off bank holiday for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was £1.2 billion.</p><p>The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for employers to treat staff from a particular religious group less favourably than those from other religions when considering requests for leave, or requests to refrain from work on particular days.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 24/10/2019 15:26:04 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1151057

registered interest
date	21/10/2019
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	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Jainism and Zoroastrianism
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 representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by her Department in each of the last two years.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	2656
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2019 answer text <p>The Department has invited representatives from both communities to participate in roundtable discussions where relevant issues are discussed.</p><p>The Jain and Zoroastrian communities of this country have made, and continue to make a positive contribution to life in the United Kingdom. The Government values this contribution enormously.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 05/11/2019 11:09:54 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1171364

registered interest
date	16/01/2020
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	Employment: Pregnancy
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 she is taking to end maternity discrimination; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	4292
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of tackling pregnancy and maternity discrimination.</p><p> </p><p>That is why we committed in our Manifesto to reform the law so that women returning from maternity leave receive additional protection from redundancy.</p><p> </p><p>We will extend the redundancy protection period for six months once a new mother has returned to work and provide similar protections for those parents taking adoption leave and shared parental leave.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/01/2020 15:35:51 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1186417

registered interest
date	19/03/2020
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	Employment: 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 he plans to take to ensure that employees are not placed under pressure to continue working to complete contracts for their employers when they should self-isolate or follow social distancing measures as a result of covid-19; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	32041
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2020 answer text <p>Government is clear that we must support people in work to do the right thing.</p><p> </p><p>We have already made plans to temporarily change the rules on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), ensuring that, for those that are eligible, SSP will be available from day 1 in the event of a severe outbreak of Covid-19. People who are eligible for SSP but unable to work because they are following Government advice, for example on self-isolation, are also entitled to SSP.</p><p> </p><p>Those who aren’t entitled to SSP, including those who are self-employed, may be able to claim Universal Credit and/or new-style Employment and Support Allowance.</p><p> </p><p>If employees can work from home, we urge employers to enable them to do so. We must all play our part to reduce the spread of the virus.</p><p> </p><p>In this unprecedented time, we would urge employers to take socially responsible decisions and listen to the concerns of their workforce. Employers and employees should come to a pragmatic agreement about these arrangements. If individuals need advice they should approach ACAS where they can get impartial advice about in work dispute.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 27/03/2020 14:03:14 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1186659

registered interest
date	19/03/2020
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	Business: Government Assistance
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 provide direct payroll subsidies to ensure that no businesses will need to terminate the contracts of (a) directly and (b) indirectly employed staff; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	32044
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government is clear that we must support people in work to do the right thing during this Covid-19 outbreak.</p><p> </p><p>It is essential that we support businesses who are experiencing increased costs and disrupted cashflow as a result of Coronavirus. The Government has introduced a host of new measures to help businesses in this period, with £330 billion worth of Government-backed and guaranteed loans to support UK businesses. Businesses can ring the Business Support Helpine for further advice on the support available.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside this, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will help to pay people’s wages. Employers will be able to contact HMRC for a grant to cover 80% of wages, up to a monthly cap of £2,500, for their workforce who remain on payroll but are temporarily not working due to the Coronavirus outbreak.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 30/03/2020 08:15:24 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1188647

registered interest
date	20/04/2020
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	Retail Trade: 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 he has taken to ensure that online retail businesses that are able to remain open during the covid-19 outbreak are implementing social distancing measures that maximise the safety of (a) their staff, (b) the families of their staff and (c) customers.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	37404
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2020 answer text <p>Everyone must comply with the rules issued by the Government in relation to coronavirus, in order to protect both themselves and others.</p><p> </p><p>We have published guidance for employers and businesses to assist them in the safe operation of their business:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, the British Retail Consortium have published guidance for social distancing in warehouse and distribution settings:</p><p><a href="http://brc.org.uk/news/corporate-affairs/social-distancing-in-warehouse-and-distribution-settings/" target="_blank">http://brc.org.uk/news/corporate-affairs/social-distancing-in-warehouse-and-distribution-settings/</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 27/04/2020 10:40:07 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1230593

registered interest
date	02/09/2020
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	Energy: Standing 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 discussions he has had with the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority to require all Energy providers to offer at least one Zero Standing Charge tariff for each fuel they supply; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	84140
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2020 answer text <p>Setting energy tariffs is a commercial matter for individual suppliers. There are fixed costs in the supply of gas and electricity, such as meter costs and providing an emergency service, so any tariff with a zero standing charge would need to levy the fixed cost via a higher unit rate. This could benefit some low consumption households but could also make higher consumption households worse off, such as those with children or people who need to use more energy due to ill health. The price cap on default and prepayment meter tariffs ensures that all households pay a fair price for gas and electricity.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 10/09/2020 12:50:30 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1242915

registered interest
date	13/10/2020
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	Groceries Code Adjudicator: Developing Countries
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 he will plans to extend the Groceries Supply Code of Practice to include developing country suppliers; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	102655
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2020 answer text <p>Developing country suppliers are protected by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice where they are directly supplying UK supermarkets covered by the Code. These suppliers are supported by the work of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, who ensures they are treated lawfully and fairly, as required by the Code.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 21/10/2020 16:04:35 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1243845

registered interest
date	15/10/2020
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: 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 is taking to create jobs in renewable energy as the UK recovers from the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	104013
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2020 answer text <p>The UK has over 460,000 jobs in low carbon businesses and their supply chains and many of the actions we need to take to reach our target of net zero emissions by 2050 will support the future growth of our economy.</p><p> </p><p>In his Summer Economic Statement, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer emphasised the Government’s intention to make this a green recovery with concern for our environment at its heart and announced a package of over £3 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, which will support up to 140,000 green jobs.</p><p> </p><p>On 6th October, the Government set out new plans to Build Back Greener by making the UK the world leader in clean wind energy. Under these plans, a target has been set to support up to double the capacity of renewable energy in the next Contracts for Difference auction; £160 million is to be made available to upgrade ports and infrastructure; and a new target was announced for floating offshore wind to deliver 1GW of energy by 2030. This will enable the sector to support up to 60,000 jobs directly and indirectly by 2030 in ports, factories and associated supply chains, manufacturing the next-generation of offshore wind turbines and delivering clean energy to the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will also establish a £40m Green Recovery Challenge Fund to help halt biodiversity loss and tackle climate change through local conservation projects, connecting more people to the outdoors by delivering up to 5,000 jobs.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 22/10/2020 16:59:03 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1255984

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
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: Credit Unions
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 he plans to require his Department and its agencies to provide a payroll deduction service to allow staff to save more easily with a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121123
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2020 answer text <p>The Department is committed to providing a strong employee benefit offer to staff. At present, there are no plans to introduce access to a credit union via a payroll deduction service.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 04/12/2020 13:39:14 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas