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1139693

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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	William Hill: 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, if his Department will make an assessment of the effect on trends in the level of high street footfall of William Hill's recent announcement to close branches throughout the UK.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	278547
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not hold data on the effects of individual store closures on High Street footfall.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 22/07/2019 16:56:32 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1139694

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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	Carbon Emissions: EU 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, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2019 to Question 275103 on Carbon Emissions: EU Countries, what dates have been set as targets for net zero emissions by (a) Finland, (b) Denmark, (c) Germany and (d) Portugal.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	278338
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The UK was the first major economy to legislate for a net zero target. The action we are taking in setting this target will continue our proud tradition of climate leadership.</p><p> </p><p>Finland, Denmark, Germany and Portugal have all set out aspirations or proposals to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions or net zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, none has yet enshrined such a commitment in law.</p><p> </p><p>Finland has stated its intention to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2035. Denmark has set out an intention to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in its climate plan ‘Together for a Greener Future’. Germany is currently debating a draft climate law which proposes a target for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Portugal has approved a roadmap to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 23/07/2019 13:53:06 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1139698

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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	Boilers: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his Answer of 9 July 2019 to Question 272120, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the statement in BRE's paper of 7 February 2018, that there is therefore an increased risk that boilers will in fact be non-compliant.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	278339
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>BEIS discussed the matter with BRE following release of their paper of February 2018. BRE do not agree with the interpretation of their paper that boilers sold in England do not meet the efficiency standards set by Government, and they have confirmed that they have never held this view.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 23/07/2019 13:51:02 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1139700

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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	Avara Avlon Pharma Services: 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, what discussions he has had with Astrazeneca and Avara Avlon about the (a) three year guarantee on enhanced redundancy payments and terms for staff agreed as part of the sale of the company for £1 in December 2016 and the (b) collapse of Avara Avalon.
tabling member constituency	Newport East
tabling member printed	Jessica Morden
uin	278449
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with Avara. This is a commercial matter which BEIS have been monitoring for some time, however we have not sought to intervene while staff consultation and the administration process are underway.</p><p> </p><p>AstraZeneca announced on Wednesday that they have set aside funding of up to £12m, to be administered independently, to make sure their former employees at the Avlon site receive full severance should the ongoing administration of the site not generate enough funds to cover redundancy costs.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 22/07/2019 16:50:37 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	1548 label Biography information for Jessica Morden

1139722

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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	Packaging: Innovation
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 R&D support his Department provides to small- and medium-sized enterprises for innovation in packaging.
tabling member constituency	Ipswich
tabling member printed	Sandy Martin
uin	278602
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/08/2019 answer text <p>This Government is building a globally competitive sustainable packaging industry through research and innovation. As confirmed on Monday 22 July 2019, the Department will provide up to £60 million, bolstered by an expected £149m investment from the private sector, to establish the UK as the world’s leading innovator in smart sustainable plastic packaging.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Joseph Johnson question first answered 21/08/2019 14:31:36 answering member 4039 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Marylebone
tabling member	4678 label Biography information for Sandy Martin

1139726

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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	Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries
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 funding the Government plans to allocate to the modernisation of the UK steel industry.
tabling member constituency	Ipswich
tabling member printed	Sandy Martin
uin	278606
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department commissioned independent research to identify high value opportunities for UK steel, worth up to £3.8 billion a year by 2030. We have made clear to the sector that we are keen to work with them to support their future investment proposals to secure these future opportunities as part of a steel sector deal. We stand ready to work with the sector as soon as their proposals are ready.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this, we have been encouraging the UK steel sector to submit competitive proposals for UKRI funds, including Transforming Foundation Industries, and work with us to shape future funding programmes, such as the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, to further improve their efficiency and competitiveness.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 30/07/2019 16:32:41 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4678 label Biography information for Sandy Martin

1139736

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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: 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 steps his Department is taking to provide (a) advice, (b) support and (c) services for small business owners looking to grow their business.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	278354
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>Through our ambitious, modern Industrial Strategy we are working to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business. We are committed to ensuring all small businesses have access to the advice and support they need to succeed to start, grow, and scale their businesses.</p><p>All businesses can access core services, information and guidance on starting up and running a business, as well as their statutory rights and obligations, on our GOV.UK sites and <a href="http://www.gov.uk/browse/business" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/browse/business</a>. The Business Finance and Support Finder tool on the website provides information on how to access a wide range of Government-backed financial support for start-up businesses, such as funding and grant schemes.</p><p>The Business Support Helpline forms a key part of the Government’s offer to SMEs in England, providing trusted and joined-up information and sign-posting businesses to relevant sources of support. The Helpline number is 0300 456 3565. In 2018, it helped 31,500 businesses, of which 65% were entrepreneurs and start-ups.</p><p>The network of 38 Growth Hubs across England (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area) provide businesses with tailored advice and support, as a dedicated, free and impartial ‘single point of contact’. At the end of FY18/19, Government had invested £56.4 million in Growth Hubs, with a further £12 million committed of core grant funding to LEPs for Growth Hubs for the FY19/20 funding period. LEPS have self-reported that in FY17/18 their Growth Hubs supported over 130,000 businesses, of which over 13,000 received high intensity support of 12 hours or more. They helped over 8,000 individuals start a business and achieved an average customer satisfaction rate of 89.5%.</p><p>The Government-backed British Business Bank is there to make finance markets work better for small businesses at all stages of their development. The Bank’s programmes are currently supporting over £6.6bn of finance to over 89,000 smaller businesses (as at end-March 2019). The British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans programme provides loans to entrepreneurs seeking to start and grow their own businesses. Since 2012, the Programme has delivered almost 65,000 loans, worth nearly £511m to small businesses (as at end-June 2019).</p><p>Finally, we are working to make small business owners more aware of the wide range of advice and support available to them. We continue to develop our online support through GOV.UK, ensuring SMEs can access the key information they need on running their business any time they wish. And we are also improving SME awareness of finance options: the British Business Bank helps publish the Business Finance Guide, and has launched an online Finance Hub, an online advice platform aimed at raising awareness of appropriate finance options for SMEs.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 278355 question first answered 22/07/2019 16:54:59 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1139737

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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: 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 steps he is taking to ensure that small business owners are aware of the advice, support, and services available from the Government to help them grow their business.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	278355
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>Through our ambitious, modern Industrial Strategy we are working to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business. We are committed to ensuring all small businesses have access to the advice and support they need to succeed to start, grow, and scale their businesses.</p><p>All businesses can access core services, information and guidance on starting up and running a business, as well as their statutory rights and obligations, on our GOV.UK sites and <a href="http://www.gov.uk/browse/business" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/browse/business</a>. The Business Finance and Support Finder tool on the website provides information on how to access a wide range of Government-backed financial support for start-up businesses, such as funding and grant schemes.</p><p>The Business Support Helpline forms a key part of the Government’s offer to SMEs in England, providing trusted and joined-up information and sign-posting businesses to relevant sources of support. The Helpline number is 0300 456 3565. In 2018, it helped 31,500 businesses, of which 65% were entrepreneurs and start-ups.</p><p>The network of 38 Growth Hubs across England (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area) provide businesses with tailored advice and support, as a dedicated, free and impartial ‘single point of contact’. At the end of FY18/19, Government had invested £56.4 million in Growth Hubs, with a further £12 million committed of core grant funding to LEPs for Growth Hubs for the FY19/20 funding period. LEPS have self-reported that in FY17/18 their Growth Hubs supported over 130,000 businesses, of which over 13,000 received high intensity support of 12 hours or more. They helped over 8,000 individuals start a business and achieved an average customer satisfaction rate of 89.5%.</p><p>The Government-backed British Business Bank is there to make finance markets work better for small businesses at all stages of their development. The Bank’s programmes are currently supporting over £6.6bn of finance to over 89,000 smaller businesses (as at end-March 2019). The British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans programme provides loans to entrepreneurs seeking to start and grow their own businesses. Since 2012, the Programme has delivered almost 65,000 loans, worth nearly £511m to small businesses (as at end-June 2019).</p><p>Finally, we are working to make small business owners more aware of the wide range of advice and support available to them. We continue to develop our online support through GOV.UK, ensuring SMEs can access the key information they need on running their business any time they wish. And we are also improving SME awareness of finance options: the British Business Bank helps publish the Business Finance Guide, and has launched an online Finance Hub, an online advice platform aimed at raising awareness of appropriate finance options for SMEs.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 278354 question first answered 22/07/2019 16:54:59 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1139744

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Working Hours
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 much time off in lieu has been taken by staff in his Department in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	278366
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2019 answer text <p>This information is not held centrally.</p><p>BEIS is committed to maintaining working hours for all workers that comply with the requirements of the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR). The provisions of the WTR are incorporated into BEIS's terms, conditions and policies. Our Working Time policy is published on our intranet and accessible to all staff.</p><p>Line Managers are responsible for ensuring that staff are aware of the hours they are required to work and the arrangements for taking appropriate breaks so that working time is complied with. Managers are also responsible for monitoring the working hours of their staff. Any time off in lieu taken because of excess hours worked is agreed at a local level between an employee and their line manager.</p><p>BEIS operates a variety of flexible working approaches where, subject to the needs of their team and the business, individuals can agree working hours/patterns with their manager which enable them to maintain their work/life balance.</p><p>BEIS follows the Civil Service Wellbeing Strategy - ensuring the good health and wellbeing of our staff is a priority for us. We have a range of support in place for our employees which includes the delivery of an ongoing programme of in-house health and wellbeing events and access to employee assistance programmes. BEIS promotes good mental health for all and has trained in-house Mental Health First Aiders. We have also delivered a tranche of “Wellbeing Confident Leadership” training to around 69% of our Senior Civil Servants to enable them to create a working environment which recognises the importance of individual wellbeing and how this might be affected by working patterns and practices.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 30/07/2019 16:30:32 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1139755

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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: Urban Areas
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 support small businesses in towns and small cities.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	278358
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>Through our ambitious, modern Industrial Strategy we are working to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business. We are committed to ensuring all small businesses have access to the advice and support they need to succeed to start, grow, and scale their businesses.</p><p> </p><p>All businesses can access core services, information and guidance on starting up and running a business, as well as their statutory rights and obligations, on our GOV.UK sites and <a href="http://www.gov.uk/browse/business" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/browse/business</a>. The Business Finance and Support Finder tool on the website provides information on how to access a wide range of Government-backed financial support for start-up businesses, such as funding and grant schemes.</p><p> </p><p>The Business Support Helpline forms a key part of the government’s offer to SMEs in England, providing trusted and joined-up information and sign-posting businesses to relevant sources of support. The Helpline number is 0300 456 3565. In 2018, it helped 31,500 businesses, of which 65% were entrepreneurs and start-ups.</p><p> </p><p>An integral part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy is at local level, working to develop prosperous communities across the UK. For example, the Government is providing help to local businesses to create more highly skilled jobs through Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s commitment to work with all LEPs and Mayoral Combined Authorities in England to develop Local Industrial Strategies. These are locally led and developed in partnership with Government, setting out clearly defined priorities for how cities, towns and rural areas will make the most of their distinctive strengths and better coordinate economic policy at the local level.</p><p> </p><p>Earlier this year we published the first Local Industrial Strategies in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. We aim to agree Strategies with all local areas in 2020.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Government backed British Business Bank’s programmes are currently supporting over £6.6 billion of finance to over 89,000 SMEs. The Start-Up Loans programme, now part of the British Business Bank, has delivered nearly 65,000 loans totalling almost £511m (as at end-June 2019). It was extended in the autumn budget to April 2021 to enable an additional 10,000 loans to be made to entrepreneurs.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 22/07/2019 16:55:47 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham