Tag: Matthew Pennycook

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-04-21.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of low long-term real interest rates on house prices.

Harriett Baldwin

According to the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics, UK house price growth moderated to 7.6% in the year to February 2016, down from a peak of 12.1% in September 2014. A number of factors are likely to have supported demand for housing in recent years, including low interest rates.

The Government has established the independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) within the Bank of England, designed to monitor risks to the UK financial system and take action to address those where appropriate. The FPC has been given the authority and a powerful set of tools to tackle the risks posed to financial stability from the housing market.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on reform of the feed-in tariff for solar generation.

Jesse Norman

Almost 11 GW of solar capacity has now been installed. Solar continues to deploy under the Feed-in Tariff scheme, with over 140 MW of applications since the scheme reopened in February.

Changes to the Feed-in Tariff scheme were introduced in 2016 to manage costs and ensure value for money. While it is appropriate to allow for a period of stability following these changes, the Secretary of State continues to keep the performance of the scheme under review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Capacity Market does not favour any class of generators.

Andrea Leadsom

The Capacity Market is technology neutral, i.e. it does not seek to procure specific volumes of capacity from different types of technology. Before the start of pre-qualification for the auction, National Grid discounts the capacity available from each technology according to its historic reliability. These steps ensure that all types of eligible capacity are able to participate on an equal basis. The principle of technology neutrality allows the market to identify which technology type is cost efficient in delivering security of supply.

We are satisfied with the wide range of different technologies that have prequalified for the next Capacity Market auction, which will take place next month.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans she has to support solar thermal systems in the domestic and non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive.

Andrea Leadsom

We intend to reform the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to improve value for money and reduce costs; improve cost control and budget management; and ensure the scheme focuses more on our long-term needs, while contributing to both our carbon and renewable energy targets. We plan to consult on the changes shortly. Therefore, I am unable to make specific commitments as to the future shape of the scheme at this point.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to improve consumer awareness of the presence of high-fructose corn syrup in food with better labelling.

Jane Ellison

The Food Information for Consumers Regulation has recently overhauled the food labelling system. Under the regulations, any corn syrup must be clearly marked on all prepacked food products in the ingredients list. All ingredients must be listed by order of weight and in at least the minimum font size, making them clearly apparent to consumers.

In addition, nutrition labelling of pre-packed foods, including the amount of total sugars, will be mandatory from 13 December 2016. It will supplement the ingredient information on food labels. Some parts of the food industry already provide nutrition information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-04-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the methodology used to measure productivity in the UK.

Greg Hands

The Independent Review of UK Economic Statistics, commissioned by the Chancellor and Minister for the Cabinet Office last summer, suggested that fuller measurement of the economy could add between one-third and two-thirds of a percent to the growth to UK GDP. Better measurement of the digital economy, intangible investment and the sharing economy could therefore improve measurement of output, and thus productivity. The Chancellor welcomed the report’s findings at Budget 2016 and committed to invest over £10m in a new hub for data science, and a centre for excellence for improving measurement of the modern economy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans for South East London.

David Mowat

Local areas will submit their plans to the national health and care bodies for review in October, with further public engagement and consultation taking place from this point.

We expect that most areas will take a version of their Sustainability and Transformation Plan to their organisation’s public board meeting for discussion between late October and the end of the year. We would also expect that most areas will publish their plans, for more formal engagement, during this period, building on the engagement they have already done to shape thinking. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation.

NHS England, with other national health and care bodies, released guidance to the local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans entitled ‘Engaging local people’ in September 2016 which can be found on their website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the National Infrastructure Commission on ensuring it helps deliver a future-proof energy infrastructure as part of its early work.

Andrea Leadsom

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with the Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission to discuss the focus of the Commission’s early work, how this focus relates to the Department’s priorities going forward, and how the Department can assist in the work of the Commission more broadly. DECC officials will continue to work closely with the Commission to ensure that their early work builds on the existing evidence and our current expectations of the country’s energy infrastructure needs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will instruct the National Measurement and Regulation Office to publish a list of all known heat networks in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom

In the final quarter of this year DECC will publish summary tables, including regional breakdowns, of the data gathered as a result of the notification requirement in the Heat Networks (Metering and Billing) Regulations. Due to the commercially sensitive nature of the data, this information will be aggregated rather than a list of individual networks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to provide advice and support to small and medium-sized enterprises to boost their productivity before the introduction of the national living wage.

Anna Soubry

Government is committed to providing an environment in which all businesses can manage the transition to the National Living Wage. To help with the transition we are cutting taxes and employer National Insurance contributions in total by over £3 billion a year through the Employment Allowance and Corporation Tax.

SMEs will benefit from an ACAS produced online productivity tool designed to help organisations take simple steps to improve workplace relations, raise staff engagement and boost productivity. In addition, businesses can continue to benefit from a range of general support services including:

• Access to local support through Growth Hubs which join up local resources and are being rolled out across the country.
• The Business Support helpline and the’ My Business Support Tool’ on GOV.UK which help businesses find the support they need quickly.
• British Business Bank programmes which are supporting £2.4bn of finance to over 40,000 smaller businesses.