The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether Government subsidies and financial incentives to retail companies to encourage the creation of apprenticeships in the retail sector were given to companies known to use zero-hours or casual contract since 2010.
Nick Boles
We do not hold this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value was of Government subsidies and financial incentives to retail companies to encourage the creation of apprenticeships in the retail sector since 2010.
Nick Boles
Information on the value of apprenticeships funding allocation is not broken down by business type. Since May 2010, there have been 504,900 apprenticeship starts in the retail sector subject area.
In England, the Government provides funding for training where employers hire an apprentice and currently fully funds apprenticeship training for 16 -18 year olds and up to 50% of apprenticeship training for over 19s.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-12-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the investment rate in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.
Anna Soubry
The ONS only publishes investment data at a country level, for which the latest published data was in the 23rd December Business Investment release, available on the ONS website. Investment data is unavailable on a regional basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-12-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will set out the exemptions and compensation for the steel industry, and the dates from which each will apply, announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.
Anna Soubry
On 14 December, the EU Commission approved our first state aid case – to commence relief from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and small-scale Feed-in-Tariff (FiT). Eligible companies will be able to apply for compensation in January 2016, once scheme guidance and application forms have been published. The second state aid case – to compensate competitors of eligible Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) – is currently being considered by the Commission.
The Government is expected to pay compensation for RO/FiT costs until the exemption is implemented – the aim is to achieve that from 2017-18.
This is in addition to the £50 million of support the Government has already given to the steel industry to mitigate the impact of climate change policies.
This relief from energy costs will save industry hundreds of millions of pounds and will give the UK Steel Industry greater certainty around energy costs for the life of the Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2015-12-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received on the ease with which the Student Loans Company can be contacted.
Joseph Johnson
My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) regularly receives representations about the Student Loans Company covering a wide range of issues.
BIS closely monitors the Student Loans Company’s performance against targets for handling calls and correspondence from customers.
Information on contacting the Student Loans Company is available via the following web page: https://www.gov.uk/contact-student-finance-england
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to reduce the level of fuel poverty.
Amber Rudd
A reformed domestic supplier obligation (ECO) from April 2017, which will run for 5 years, will upgrade the energy efficiency of over 200,000 homes per year tackling the root cause of fuel poverty. Our extension of the Warm Home Discount to 2020/21 at current levels of £320m per annum will also help vulnerable households with their energy bills.
We intend to focus our efforts through ECO and the Warm Home Discount more effectively on the fuel poor, and will be consulting on our future approach in the spring.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that the UK meets its EU renewable heat target for 2020.
Amber Rudd
The UK does not have a specific renewable heat target. However, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which supports homes and businesses in transitioning to renewable heating, is designed to help us to meet our binding domestic and international targets on both carbon emission reduction and renewable energy.
The recently agreed RHI budget guarantees funding out to 2020/21, and provides consumers and industry with certainty about the future of the RHI scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with energy suppliers on the effect of pre-payment meter tariffs on low-income households’ energy costs.
Amber Rudd
My Right Hon member, DECC Ministers and officials meet with energy companies on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues.
The Government shares the CMA’s concerns that there is a lack of competitive tariffs for pre-payment customers, despite the recent increase in competition from independent suppliers.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the market works effectively for all consumers, including through implementing the final recommendations of the CMA following their investigation.
In the meantime, we will continue our focus on keeping bills down through promoting competition, making switching quicker and easier and providing direct help to the most vulnerable.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Stuart on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to increase parliamentary engagement in the implementation of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.
Amber Rudd
My Rt Hon Friend, the role of Parliamentarians in helping ensure delivery of nationally determined commitments is very important. We will continue to take every opportunity to encourage other countries, including members of their Parliaments, to take action to deliver on their commitments and consider how they might increase ambition further. I recognise the valuable part that my Rt Hon Friend plays as the Chairman of the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she has taken to ensure that the National Infrastructure Commission gives priority to energy efficiency programmes in its investment decisions.
Andrea Leadsom
The Commission is already working with the Department on its study called ‘Delivering future-proof energy infrastructure’ and the Government intends to shortly launch a public consultation on how the Commission will work with different departments in the future.
The Commission has been set up to look at long term policy and the first energy topics it will consider are interconnectors and storage.