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1134810

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	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 the Government is taking to ensure that employers meet their legal obligations to pregnant employees.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	269738
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government has taken a number of steps to increase employers’ awareness of their legal obligations to pregnant employees. This has included working with ACAS to develop comprehensive advice and guidance and updating the content on the GOV.UK website. The Government’s recent consultation on pregnancy and maternity discrimination also asked how effective the current approach is in helping employees and employers to understand their rights and obligations. We will be publishing the Government response in due course.</p><p>The Equality Advisory and Support Service advises and assists individuals on issues relating to equality and human rights, across England, Scotland and Wales. Where an employer fails to meet its obligations, a pregnant employee can seek redress through an employment tribunal.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 269739 question first answered 02/07/2019 14:09:42 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1134811

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	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 action will be taken against employers who do not meet their legal obligations to pregnant employees.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	269739
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government has taken a number of steps to increase employers’ awareness of their legal obligations to pregnant employees. This has included working with ACAS to develop comprehensive advice and guidance and updating the content on the GOV.UK website. The Government’s recent consultation on pregnancy and maternity discrimination also asked how effective the current approach is in helping employees and employers to understand their rights and obligations. We will be publishing the Government response in due course.</p><p>The Equality Advisory and Support Service advises and assists individuals on issues relating to equality and human rights, across England, Scotland and Wales. Where an employer fails to meet its obligations, a pregnant employee can seek redress through an employment tribunal.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 269738 question first answered 02/07/2019 14:09:42 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1134828

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff
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 staff in his Department are working primarily on (a) fossil fuels, (b) renewables, (c) energy efficiency and (d) nuclear energy.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	269698
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department currently employs the following numbers of staff working primarily in these areas:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Upstream oil and gas policy</p></td><td><p>23.3 FTE</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Downstream oil resilience</p></td><td><p>18.5 FTE</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Gas policy, including security of gas supply and the future of the gas market</p></td><td><p>14.1 FTE</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Coal policy, including closure of unabated coal-fired generation by 2025, emissions limits for fossil-fuelled generation technologies, and the emissions performance standard</p></td><td><p>4.5 FTE</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Liabilities from the former nationalised coal industry</p></td><td><p>8.4 FTE</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>The Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning, based in Aberdeen</p></td><td><p>92.6 FTE</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Renewable energy</p></td><td><p>107 FTE</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Energy efficiency</p></td><td><p>115 FTE</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Nuclear energy</p></td><td><p>205.4 FTE</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 03/07/2019 15:41:21 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1134832

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	Construction: Musculoskeletal Disorders
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 effect of joint and muscle ill health on the construction industry.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	269753
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government has not conducted an assessment on the effect of joint and muscle ill health in the construction industry. The firms within the construction sector are best placed to conduct their own assessments to develop a better occupational health model for the industry.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 02/07/2019 14:09:49 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1134851

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	Trade Marks: Fraud
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 prevent individuals and companies from fraudulently registering trademarks with the Intellectual Property Office.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	269692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>The Intellectual Property Office has a comprehensive procedure in place with regards to the registration of trade marks and examines every application in accordance with the Trade Mark Act 1994 and Rules 2008 to make sure that it meets the requirements for filing. Section 3(6) of the Act states that a trade mark shall not be registered if or to the extent that the application is made in bad faith.</p><p> </p><p>Anyone can oppose the registration of a trade mark during the application process, once it has been published. Therefore, if a third party believes that an application has been filed in bad faith then an opposition can be filed on that basis, prior to the mark being registered. Opposition can be made through the Intellectual Property Office’s low-cost tribunal service. This provides a robust mechanism for all parties to submit detailed submissions and evidence in order to resolve any dispute that has arisen regarding ownership of a particular name. A similar mechanism is in place following the registration of a mark, via the ability for third parties to apply for the invalidation of a trade mark.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 02/07/2019 14:09:32 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1134929

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	Public Houses: 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 steps his Department is taking to help reduce trends in the number of pubs closing each year.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	269679
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>Several measures have been introduced across Government to support pubs, including a freeze on beer duty announced at Budget 2018. This means that the price of a typical pint of beer in 2019 is 2p lower than it would have been had duty increased with inflation and 14p lower than it otherwise would have been since ending the beer duty escalator in 2013.</p><p> </p><p>Many small pubs are benefitting from the business rates retail discount announced at Budget 2018, which cuts bills for eligible businesses by one third from April 2019 for two years. It is available to eligible businesses with a rateable value below £51,000.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, some 2,000 pubs have been listed as Assets of Community Value (ACVs), meaning that if they are put up for sale, the community can have up to six months to bid to buy them. Planning regulations which came into effect in May 2017 removed permitted development rights from all pubs, meaning that planning permission must now be obtained prior to change of use or demolition.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, the Government’s recent announcement of a tourism sector deal, as part of the Industrial Strategy, will be a boost for pubs and the hospitality industry.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/07/2019 16:13:11 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1134960

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage
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 investment in carbon capture usage and storage to help reach the Government's net zero by 2050.
tabling member constituency	Clacton
tabling member printed	Giles Watling
uin	269797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>On 27 June, a new, legally binding, target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 came into force. This will require ambitious action across the economy building on our Clean Growth Strategy, and carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) is likely to play a vital role. Our CCUS Action Plan sets out that we will move to deploying CCUS in the 2020s, working in partnership with industry to achieve this.</p><p> </p><p>We are investing over £50 million in CCUS innovation programmes, supporting innovative technologies across the UK between 2017 and 2021. As part of this investment we announced on 27 June that nine companies have secured £26 million of government funding, in addition to industry backing, to advance the rollout of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) in the UK - a crucial step towards the UK’s net zero emissions and the end of the UK’s contribution to global warming. It is the next milestone for the Government’s ambition for the UK to be a world-leader in the field as laid out in the Clean Growth Strategy and the CCUS Action Plan.</p><p> </p><p>One company, Tata Chemicals is being awarded £4.2m toward the construction of a facility to capture and utilise 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year – the equivalent of 22,000 cars. When fully operational in 2021 it will be the largest carbon capture plant in the UK, removing 100 times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than the country’s current largest facility.</p><p> </p><p>Our Clean Growth Grand Challenge Mission sets an ambition to establish at least one low-carbon industrial cluster by 2030, and the world’s first net-zero carbon industrial cluster by 2040. The Mission is technology neutral but is focussed on technologies that can be delivered cost-effectively through the use of shared networks, and CCUS is one of the key technologies that could help to deliver the mission. The mission is backed by £170 million public investment through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.</p><p> </p><p>Also supporting the mission, the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund is a £315 million fund aimed at helping industry to transition to a low-carbon future. The fund will help companies cut their energy bills and carbon emissions through investing in energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies. This could include supporting technologies that are strategically important to long-term emissions reductions such as CCUS and Hydrogen.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 03/07/2019 15:41:36 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4677 label Biography information for Giles Watling

1134981

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	Electrical Goods: Secondhand Goods
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 second-hand electrical products sold online meet the relevant safety standards.
tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
uin	269803
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 any distributor, including those selling second-hand goods online, must act with due care to ensure that electrical products are safe.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the challenge in applying and enforcing legislation to online sales, where consumers can import goods directly from outside the UK. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) was set up, in part, to meet the evolving challenges of product safety by responding to the increasing rate of product innovation, the growth in online shopping and expanding international trade.</p><p> </p><p>OPSS is gathering evidence on the online sales of second-hand electrical goods and the prevalence of these sales. It will use this information to provide advice to consumers and to sellers of goods about their responsibilities when selling or buying second-hand electrical goods online.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 02/07/2019 14:09:55 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1135068

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	Copyright: EU Law
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the Copyright Directive in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
uin	HL16695
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>Whether the Government is required to implement the Directive will depend on the nature of our departure from the EU. Any new legislation after a no-deal exit would be subject to usual legislative processes, including public consultations and full impact assessment.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 02/07/2019 15:32:16 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1135072

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
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	Construction: Migrant Workers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the impact on the ability of the construction industry to recruit skilled workers from the EU of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
uin	HL16699
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government has set up a cross Whitehall skills group to review the construction skills shortage and the effect of a reduction in migrant workers in a no deal outcome. The analysis highlighted the effects of the government’s current training efforts and improved uptake on digital and offsite construction and the impact it would have on the construction skills shortage. CITB’s Construction Skills Network forecasts that the construction industry will need to fill 168,500 jobs between now and 2023. If construction continued to grow at the current rate of 1.1% – the average growth rate for the last five years – to 2030 this would increase to just over 250,000 jobs to fill by 2025, and 410,000 by 2030.</p><p> </p><p>Government will focus on high skills to prioritise those migrant workers who bring in the most benefit to the UK, including the 7% of EU nationals working in UK construction to maximise the benefits of immigration through a single skills-based system. Government is therefore committed to engaging with industry on the Immigration White Paper over the coming year to shape the details of the final policy and processes; and we are introducing measures to increase skills and apprenticeships through the Construction Sector Deal which aims to transform the productivity of the sector.</p><p> </p><p>The deal sets an industry-led target of increasing the number of apprenticeships starts to 25,000 per annum by 2020. Other measures include £34m investment in the Construction Skills Fund, to establish 20 onsite training hubs by 2020; an improved careers portal for the sector (through CITB’s GoConstruct), to help improve diversity of recruitment; work with industry to ensure sufficient high-quality work placements are available for the introduction of construction T Levels in 2020; and using public procurement to help drive investment in construction skills.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 03/07/2019 16:38:53 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham