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1142298

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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, what progress her Department has made on reviewing the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme; and when she plans to resume naming employers under that scheme.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	282556
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to taking tough action against employers who underpay the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage (NMW). Our budget for enforcement and compliance stands at a record high and last year HM Revenue and Customs issued a record £17 million in penalties to employers who broke the rules.</p><p>We are in the process of concluding the evaluation of the NMW Naming Scheme. Any changes made to the Scheme will be made through an updated version of our published enforcement policy in due course, following which regular naming of employers who have breached NMW rules will resume.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:23:47 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1142311

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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	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, when she plans to (a) publish a response to the consultation on tips, gratuities, cover and service charges which closed on 27 June 2016 and (b) bring forward legislative proposals on service charges.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	282563
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 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>The Good Work Plan set out an ambitious programme to take forward the vast majority of the recommendations made in the Taylor Review. We have already implemented key commitments, through secondary legislation to increase workers’ rights and protections, and improve transparency for workers, from day one. We will bring forward further measures when Parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:21:49 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1141792

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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	Insolvency
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 for pre-packaged administrations to be open to abuse as a way of passing on pension liabilities to the Pension Protection Fund.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>A pre-packaged sale in administration, whereby the sale of all or part of the business is arranged prior to the company entering formal insolvency and realised on or immediately after the appointment of the administrator, is a valuable business rescue tool. Pre-pack sales help to avoid a deterioration of the value of the company’s business between appointment of the administrator and sale, meaning there is more money available for creditors, including the pension scheme. In most cases where pre-packs are used, the only alternative would be the collapse of the business and the loss of all employees’ jobs.</p><p> </p><p>The government is aware of concerns about the transparency of pre-pack sales, particularly where a business is sold to a person connected with the old company. It is currently evaluating whether legislative measures are necessary to regulate pre-pack sales to a connected person, following a review of a package of voluntary industry measures implemented in 2015 to improve creditor confidence in pre-packs. As part of the review the government liaised with the Pension Protection Fund, which made clear in its response to concerns raised by the Chair of the Department of Work and Pensions Select Committee, that it does not fundamentally take issue with pre-packs but where there are concerns, these are referred to the Pensions Regulator for investigation.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:19:42 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141793

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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	Johnston Press: Insolvency
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 (a) the reasons for the collapse of Johnston Press and (b) whether additional powers for the Pension Regulator would help to safeguard pension funds and mitigate the potential financial loss to employees.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Johnston Press Group entered administration on 17 November 2018 and its business and assets were sold to a company owned by the Group’s bondholders (JPI Media Group) under a pre-pack arrangement. The government cannot comment on individual insolvency cases. However, the Pensions Regulator in its report of March 2019 found no evidence that the insolvency of Johnston Press was avoidable and had no reason to use its anti-avoidance powers.</p><p> </p><p>The government’s White Paper 2018 “Protecting Defined Benefit Pension Schemes” proposed a number of new measures to provide better protection for scheme members’ benefits, including giving the Pensions Regulator additional powers to enable it to be more proactive with tougher penalties to deter wrongdoing.</p><p> </p><p>A response to the consultation was published on 11 February 2019.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:18:13 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141331

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
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	Private Rented Housing: Energy
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 she has plans to bring all houses in multiple occupation within the scope of the minimum energy efficiency standard for the domestic private rented sector.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	280984
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Private Rented Sector (PRS) Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard regulations require rented properties that are legally required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to meet a minimum standard of EPC band E, except where an exemption applies. There are no blanket exemptions in the PRS regulations for Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) however, where rooms are let individually, there is currently no requirement for an EPC to be issued. Government launched a Call for Evidence on EPCs in July last year where we outlined suggestions for improvement. We welcomed views on whether a HMO without an EPC should be legally required to have one when a room in that property is marketed for rent. We are currently analysing EPC Call for Evidence responses and intend to publish a summary of responses to the Call for Evidence in due course.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng question first answered 03/09/2019 14:43:13 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1141396

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
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	Consumer Goods: Electrical Safety
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 bring forward legislative proposals (a) to improve and regulate qualifications for PAT testing and (b) to ensure those qualifications cannot be gained through online only courses.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281004
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive enforces the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. This legislation requires that any electrical equipment in the workplace has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition and anyone carrying out work on any electrical equipment to be competent for the work they are doing.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:28:04 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141397

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
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	Electricians: Qualifications
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 bring forward legislative proposals for the certification of electricians with a specialism in the repair of white goods and small appliances.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281005
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive enforces the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. This legislation requires that any electrical equipment in the workplace has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition and anyone carrying out work on any electrical equipment to be competent for the work they are doing.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:25:53 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141107

registered interest
date	22/07/2019
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	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, what parts of the Government’s plan for state aid in the event of a no deal Brexit have been implemented.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Chuka Umunna
uin	280347
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>Following the no-deal technical notice published on 23<sup>rd</sup> August 2018, the Government laid the draft State Aid (EU Exit) Regulations on 21 January 2019. The draft Regulations make amendments to the retained EU law on State Aid, where appropriate to correct deficiencies, in accordance with the powers in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. These draft Regulations transfer the State Aid regulatory functions of the European Commission to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).</p><p> </p><p>The draft Regulations were approved in the House of Lords on 14 March and debated by the Delegated Legislation Committee in the House of Commons on 10 April. No date has yet been set for the final approval motion.</p><p> </p><p>The CMA has already recruited and trained the staff that it considers necessary to start operating the regime at the point this is required.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:13:02 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4128 label Biography information for Chuka Umunna

1141109

registered interest
date	22/07/2019
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	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 parts of the Government’s plan for workplace rights in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal have been implemented.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Chuka Umunna
uin	280349
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government’s plan for workplace rights in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal has been implemented.</p><p> </p><p>We laid no deal Employment Rights SIs earlier this year. These SIs were passed on 4<sup>th</sup> March 2019 and will come into effect on exit day in the event of no-deal. These SIs ensure that we are upholding the commitment not to roll back workers’ rights as we leave the EU.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has prepared guidance for businesses and individuals to help prepare for a no-deal exit from the EU. This includes guidance on employment rights. All guidance for a no deal scenario is published on the internet: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-to-prepare-if-the-uk-leaves-the-eu-with-no-deal" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-to-prepare-if-the-uk-leaves-the-eu-with-no-deal</a></p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:11:48 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4128 label Biography information for Chuka Umunna

1141116

registered interest
date	22/07/2019
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	Small Businesses
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 survey small businesses to measure the potential effect of the UK's departure from the EU on their viability.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	280356
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>We are aware of issues faced by small businesses connected with leaving the EU, such as increasing costs due to sterling fluctuations, cash flow impacts and late payments by customers. Government is already in close engagement on these and more issues, both directly across the UK and through regular meetings with business representative organisations - the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), MakeUK, the British Chamber of Commerce, the Institute of Directors and the CBI. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also co-ordinates the EU Exit business readiness forum, attended by business intermediaries and representative organisations.</p><p>Regarding the failure of businesses due to uncertainty over exiting the EU, the following seasonally unadjusted figures show the absolute number of insolvencies as measured by the insolvency service for 2018 Q1 to 2019 Q1. The insolvencies listed are due to all causes, not just uncertainty, and the current UK rate of insolvency (ie: the number of insolvencies proportional to the number of active firms) remains low by historical standards – well below that seen around the time of the financial crisis.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>England and Wales</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Northern Ireland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q1</p></td><td><p>4,561</p></td><td><p>237</p></td><td><p>51</p></td><td><p>4,849</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q2</p></td><td><p>4,078</p></td><td><p>266</p></td><td><p>125</p></td><td><p>4,469</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q3</p></td><td><p>4,230</p></td><td><p>232</p></td><td><p>65</p></td><td><p>4,527</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q4</p></td><td><p>4,586</p></td><td><p>245</p></td><td><p>73</p></td><td><p>4,904</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019 Q1</p></td><td><p>4,528</p></td><td><p>275</p></td><td><p>66</p></td><td><p>4,869</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>ONS statistics on business demography (2018) show that the number of UK business births in 2017 was 414,000, a birth rate of 13.1%. The number of UK business deaths was 357,000 in 2017, a death rate of 12.2%.</p><p>Businesses that are unfortunately experiencing difficulties – including requiring advice on the business implications of leaving the EU – have immediate access to guidance through the Government’s network of 38 Growth Hubs in England, (and equivalent services in the devolved administrations), and via the Business Support Helpline.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 280358 question first answered 03/09/2019 14:15:18 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah