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47897

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>UK Export Finance can provide support for intangibles, such as software licenses, where they are provided in connection with goods or services. As far as the supply of intangibles by themselves are concerned, UK Export Finance has initiated a public consultation on proposals to widen its powers under its enabling legislation, the Export and Investment Guarantees Act 1991 (as amended). These proposals include giving UK Export Finance the ability to support exports of intangible goods such as intellectual property rights by themselves. If, having regard to the responses to that consultation, it is deemed to implement these proposals, they will form part of a Bill that will be introduced in the next session of Parliament.</p>

47167

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>Treasury Ministers regularly meet with the Office of Tax Simplification and other parts of Treasury group as part of normal departmental and Government business. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions<em>.</em></p><p> </p><p>Details of Ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:</p><p><a href="http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm" target="_blank">http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm</a>.</p><p> </p>

50009

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>Treasury Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Home Office on a wide variety of topics as part of the process of policy development and delivery.</p>

66199

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>Transport investment is central to the Government's long term economic plan. On 7<sup>th</sup> July we announced £3 billion of funding for new local transport schemes within the Local Growth Fund. This included £96.9 million for the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (which includes Windsor). Of this, £94.6 million will support transport schemes that have been bid for by the LEP and will make a real difference to transport accessibility in the whole of the Thames Valley. These include provisional funding from 2016/17 onwards of £4.75 million for a sustainable transport package across the Thames Valley LEP area.</p><p> </p><p>Local transport in the Windsor and Maidenhead area has, since 2010, also benefited from investment that will reduce congestion in the area. This includes just over £2 million of Local Pinch Point Funding, £16.1million investment in improving the state of the roads and on small scale transport schemes and around £2 million from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund to ease congestion by promoting travel behaviour change through a package of sustainable travel measures aimed at residents, schools and businesses.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to investment in the local network the Government continues to progress the M4 smart motorway. A further formal public consultation on the scheme will be held in the autumn and subject to development consent and the final business case, construction could start in late Summer 2016. As well as this the Highways Agency is taking forward a £2.5 million scheme to improve the links between the M4 and A329(M), to provide increased capacity at the junction and improve traffic flows. The scheme will be delivered by the end of March 2015.</p><p>The Government is also investing around £500 million in Western Rail Access to Heathrow subject to a satisfactory business case and agreement of acceptable terms with the Heathrow aviation industry. This will facilitate direct rail services between destinations in the Thames Valley and Heathrow airport.</p><p> </p><p /> <p /><p /> <p /><p /> <p /><p /> <p />

100107

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>This Government is committed to a competitive tax regime and has introduced a range of measures to reduce the burden of National Insurance Contributions (NICs), as part of our long term economic plan to back business and create jobs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Employment Allowance, introduced in April this year, means that around 450,000 employers– one third of all employers – are expected to be taken out of paying employer NICs altogether in 2014-15 and from April 2015, employer NICs for under 21 year olds will be abolished, helping to support jobs for almost 1.5 million young people currently in employment.</p><p> </p>

64638

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>There is no register covering all businesses in the UK. The Registrar of Companies registers a subset of businesses and provides online registration for those businesses that register as companies or limited liability partnerships. HMRC registers sole traders for tax purposes.</p><p>Online incorporation via software filing agents was introduced in July 2001, followed in April 2010 by the launch of the Citizen Incorporation service via Companies House Webfiling. The number of companies on the register has almost doubled, from 1.66 million at the end of March 2001 to 3.25 million at March 2014. In the financial year 2013/14, 98% of all new companies were incorporated electronically.</p><p>Companies House has carried out several studies to identify the main factors contributing to the increasing trend for company incorporations. This is attributed to a number of combined factors, such as the benefits of limited liability, changes to tax legislation and developments in the wider UK economy. There is no indication that the electronic enablement of company registration in itself has acted as a direct driver for the increase in new company registration rates, as just one of the methods the Government has used to help reduce the burden on business and the costs of running a company. This in turn has helped to make the UK one of the best places to set up and run a company.</p><p>Electronic services have also enabled Companies House to absorb the significant additional workload resulting from the growing register, make organisational efficiency savings and pass these efficiencies on to customers in the form of lower fees. For incorporation, the UK charges some of the lowest fees in the World.</p>

50010

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>There is no register containing every business in the UK. The Companies House register provides information on a subset of businesses required to file information with the registrar of companies; for example, those businesses that incorporate as companies or limited liability partnerships or register as limited partnerships. Not all of the companies that register with Companies House are businesses or go on to becomeactively tradingbusinesses.</p><p> </p><p>Companies House statistics show that in the years in question the following numbers of companies were registered (a) online and (b) offline:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2010/11</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2011/12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012/13</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Online </strong></p></td><td><p>366,051</p></td><td><p>437,441</p></td><td><p>470,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Offline</strong></p></td><td><p>34,504</p></td><td><p>18,208</p></td><td><p>11,995</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p>400,555</p></td><td><p>455,649</p></td><td><p>482,795</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p>

65985

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>ThePrime Minister announced in January 2014 that that this would be the first government in modern history to reduce overall domestic regulation for business while in office. As part of this, he announced that the Red Tape Challenge programme had identified over 3,000 regulations to scrap or improve, delivering estimated savings to UK businesses of over £850m per year by the end of the Parliament. Analysis of the impact of the deregulatory reforms on a geographical basis has not been developed.</p><p> </p>

47195

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The £200 million Forces Help to Buy scheme commenced on 1 April 2014, meaning that Servicemen and women can now borrow up to 50% of their salary, up to a maximum of £25,000, interest-free, providing a boost to those needing to find a deposit to buy their own home.</p><p> </p><p>To assist the transition of serving personnel to civilian life, the MOD offers a wide-ranging resettlement programme which includes a briefing by the Joint Services Housing Advice Office. This offers advice and information about a range of topics that armed forces personnel may find useful relating to an individual's housing needs before they leave the armed forces.</p><p> </p><p>Once a person leaves service, any need for social housing becomes a local authority matter. The MOD is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure the fair treatment of service families in need of social housing and ensure they are given proper priority on housing waiting lists.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that there is more that can be done to provide practical support to our veterans and their families in this area. In February I announced LIBOR funding of £40 million to support charities which assist veterans with housing needs in order to build new homes, buy new accommodation and renovate old facilities. Projects are expected to include hostels and half-way houses for veterans who have fallen on hard times, supported housing for the wounded, injured and sick, and long-term care homes.</p><p> </p>

61454

	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	answer	answer answer text <p>The return on investment delivered by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) is subject to biennial assessment as part of the Agency survey of the size and health of the space industry. Results of the 2014 survey are due to be published in the autumn of 2014, though I hope to be in a position to announce headline figures such as turnover and employment numbers at the Farnborough Airshow in July 2014.</p><p>The European Space Agency (ESA) is the primary route for Government R&amp;D space investment. Several economic analyses of investment impact have been undertaken, drawn together in BIS Economics Paper No3 . The Agency's biennial survey of the size and health of the UK space industry has shown growth from £3.4Bn turnover in 1999/2000 to £9.5Bn in 2011, reflecting the results of sustained investment as well as the growth of the market.</p><p>UKSA investment through the European Space Agency (ESA) in the last five years is as follows:</p><p>2009/10: £242.8m</p><p>2010/11: £231.1m</p><p>2011/12: £232.0m</p><p>2012/13: £207.6m</p><p>2013/14: £267.5m</p><p>In addition, national expenditure averaging £20M a year has been invested within the UK to build and operate scientific instruments carried on ESA spacecraft. The funding to ESA has been used to contribute to missions and technology in the fields of space science and exploration, Earth observation for science and applications, telecommunications and broadband delivery, access to microgravity facilities for life and physical sciences, space weather, navigation technologies, human spaceflight and weather monitoring. As well as resulting expenditure in the UK due to the <em>juste retour</em> principle, wider benefits have accrued in economic growth; new scientific knowledge and improved delivery of public services.</p>