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156727

registered interest
date	19/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Flexible Working
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men have made a statutory application to request flexible working in his Department; and how many of those applications have been granted to date.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
uin	215176
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills operates a flexible working policy that enables employees to work flexibly wherever possible and where this meets the needs of the business. We have been offering our employees the opportunity to work flexibly since April 2012.</p><p>Decisions on how this operates for an individual employee, and consideration of statutory applications to request flexible working, are managed by line managers at a local level.</p><p>We do not hold central records on this and there would therefore be a disproportionate cost incurred in collecting this information from our line managers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 24/11/2014 15:09:37 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero

156771

registered interest
date	19/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Remembrance Day
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with his Ministerial colleagues on the creation of a new bank holiday on 11 November to honour the armed forces.
tabling member constituency	Mid Worcestershire
tabling member printed	Sir Peter Luff
uin	215232
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to celebrate a variety of occasions. We have had many suggestions for the creation of a bank holiday after Remembrance Sunday, to celebrate the contribution of the armed forces. We fully understand the support for the idea, as our armed forces do a tremendous job and sadly some make the ultimate sacrifice for our country.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We believe however that Remembrance Sunday is the most fitting way to commemorate our armed forces, and so we have no plans to observe their achievements and their great sacrifices by means of a new bank holiday.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We also have to bear in mind the costs of additional bank holidays. The most recent assessment for the Diamond Jubilee is that a bank holiday across the whole of the UK costs employers around £1.2bn.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 25/11/2014 11:02:12 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	268 label Biography information for Sir Peter Luff

156777

registered interest
date	19/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Clacton
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of his policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises on businesses in Clacton constituency.
tabling member constituency	Clacton
tabling member printed	Mr Douglas Carswell
uin	215147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p>Small businesses are vital to our economy and our small business owners have driven this economic recovery. The Clacton constituency has benefitted from a number of support schemes. The Business Bank’s Start-Up Loan programme has already provided 26 loans, with a value of £99,230 to people starting a business in Clacton. And since May 2010, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme has supported 14 loans in the area with a total value of £1.8m.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>We are committed to making Britain the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and are doing this in a number of ways:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>A more stable economic environment.</li><li>£10 billion of financing will be unlocked for smaller business over the next 5 years by our British Business Bank;</li><li>Government grants of up to £3,000 for better internet connectivity are available to small businesses;</li><li>The Business Support Helpline is available to provide bespoke information and advice;</li><li>Cuts to corporation tax from 28% to 21%; and</li><li>£2,000 cut from the National Insurance bills of small firms from the new Employment Allowance.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 25/11/2014 11:13:51 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1527 label Biography information for Mr Douglas Carswell

156806

registered interest
date	19/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Consumers: Protection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of consolidating Government schemes relating to the accreditation of tradespeople.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Ann McKechin
uin	215318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government aims to foster greater collaboration between schemes aimed at protecting the consumer as it believes that such collaborations will both enhance clarity and protection to the consumer and thus further marginalise the unscrupulous trader. To support these ambitions relevant Departments are engaged in exploratory discussions to foster closer working between government-sponsored schemes in the home repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 25/11/2014 13:08:48 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1419 label Biography information for Ann McKechin

156153

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	British Business Bank: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he made of the level of the support given by (a) the Northern Ireland Assembly and (b) other organisations in Northern Ireland for the British Business Bank; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	North Down
tabling member printed	Lady Hermon
uin	214956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>The Northern Ireland Executive and other organisations in Northern Ireland work closely with counterparts in the British Business Bank. The Bank is engaged on the Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Banking and Access to Finance between HM Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, most recently meeting on 15 October 2014; in February 2014, Invest NI hosted a Roadshow for the British Business Bank to promote its solutions to financial intermediaries; and in September 2014, the British Business Bank presented at an event hosted by the Federation of Small Businesses in Belfast which looked at how to harness the power of SMEs in Northern Ireland. The British Business Bank will also be hosting a road show in Northern Ireland in early 2015.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In Northern Ireland, the Business Bank works through delivery partners to deliver the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, the Investment Programme (including its predecessor Business Finance Partnership), and the Start Up Loans Programme. This activity complements the venture capital programmes run by Invest NI.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Enterprise Finance Guarantee has unlocked more than £38 million of lending in Northern Ireland since its launch in 2009. Currently, the programme supports over 130 businesses with £13 million of loans.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Investment Programme builds upon the success of the Business Finance Partnership, and is open to applications from finance providers in Northern Ireland. The combined Investment Programmes supported £2 million of lending to businesses in Northern Ireland between July and September 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The British Business Bank has signed up four Start Up Loans providers which are active in Northern Ireland and are making progress in delivering the programme. The programme has now provided Start Up Loans worth nearly £900,000 in Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 25/11/2014 13:01:01 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1437 label Biography information for Lady Hermon

156154

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Procurement
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by his Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.
tabling member constituency	Islwyn
tabling member printed	Chris Evans
uin	214978
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>Since August 2012 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has benefitted from having central records of contracts let by the Department. However, the operational management of each contract continues to rest with the respective project SRO (Senior Responsible Owner) or team, and there may often be valid reasons for any subsequent contract changes. The Department is reviewing its Commercial Strategy and expects to increase management information in this area soon but presently lacks the capacity to marry contracts let with actual payments made, and to do so would involve disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 24/11/2014 13:11:42 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

156157

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Low Pay: Scotland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received from the Scottish Government on the living wage; and if he will place in the Library any correspondence on this issue between his Department and the Scottish Government.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	Margaret Curran
uin	214844
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>We have received no representations from the Scottish Government regarding the living wage.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 24/11/2014 11:12:12 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3982 label Biography information for Margaret Curran

156159

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	NHS: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government requesting the exemption of the Welsh National Health Service from negotiations on the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
tabling member printed	Jonathan Edwards
uin	214882
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>The Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership (TTIP) and the NHS have been raised and discussed with the Welsh Government at official and Ministerial level during Joint Ministerial Committee meetings.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In the negotiations, the European Commission has explicitly ruled out public services from the scope of any market liberalisation in TTIP, and it has therefore not been necessary to discuss any exclusions related to specific public services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 25/11/2014 13:07:51 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	3943 label Biography information for Jonathan Edwards

156161

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Nuclear Engineering
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when a decision will be made on the location of the new nuclear engineering college.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Oliver Colvile
uin	214886
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p>The industry is developing a detailed proposal which is designed to meet the skill specialisms that will be needed by different parts of the industry, including for new build and decommissioning. The proposal will build on existing and planned capital investment in facilities and equipment, and ensure strong alignment with higher education institutions and other providers of vocational education. A decision on location will be made once this work has been completed.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 25/11/2014 12:07:20 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	4022 label Biography information for Oliver Colvile

156162

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Post Offices: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the Network Transformation programme on rural communities; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Thirsk and Malton
tabling member printed	Miss Anne McIntosh
uin	215118
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>I refer my hon Friend to the response to her recent written question, UIN 212643.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To be clear, the Government is securing, modernising and protecting the Post Office network across all communities in the UK – including, or course, branches in rural communities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Since 2012, the Network Transformation programme has seen over 3,400 branches modernised, and a further 3,400 branches designated as Community Branches. These branches are the last shop in the community, and many are in rural and remote communities. Community Branches are benefitting from access to the £20 million Government funded Community Branch Fund, which is providing investment into these socially important branches.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 25/11/2014 13:12:09 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering