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1007894

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2018
	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	New Businesses: Females
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to support graduate women to start their own businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	191923
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to a cohesive society, where everyone – no matter what their background – has the opportunity to enter into and progress at work and achieve on merit. We know that companies with diverse workforces perform better and are more profitable. An inclusive economic policy is vital to the success of our Industrial Strategy.</p><p> </p><p>Supporting female graduates is captured in our Government support offer which is available to all, regardless of gender, age or ethnicity. There are now 1.1 million female-led small and medium-sized businesses in the UK. This accounts for 19% of SMEs in the UK, 5% higher than in 2010. The Government is also pleased that the female employment rate is 71% and a higher percentage of women are on FTSE 350 company boards than ever before.</p><p> </p><p>The Government-owned British Business Bank provides Start-Up Loans for individuals wishing to start a business and women account for 39% of recipients. The Bank is also conducting a review into the specific barriers female-led businesses face in accessing Venture Capital.</p><p> </p><p>On 21 September 2018, HM Treasury also launched a review into the barriers women face getting into business. Businesswoman Alison Rose, Chief Executive of RBS Commercial and Private Banking, will lead the government review to identify the extent of these barriers and explore what can be done to overcome them. This review will bolster our work to make it easier for them to access the support they need to get their ideas off the ground and grow their businesses.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 21/11/2018 16:51:29 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1012286

	registered interest
	date	22/11/2018
	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	Pay
	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 his Department has issued public information setting out the difference between the national minimum wage and the living wage.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	194636
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2018 answer text <p>We are committed to ensuring all employers pay their workers correctly. As part of our enforcement strategy, HMRC target workers and employers with information and advice.</p><p> </p><p>In April 2018 we launched a £1.48 million campaign to raise awareness of NMW rules, particularly in sectors with a high risk of non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p>Full guidance setting out the difference between the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage is available on <a href="http://www.gov.uk" target="_blank">www.gov.uk</a> and within the associated guidance document entitled ‘Calculating the National Minimum Wage’.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 29/11/2018 10:05:20 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1012287

	registered interest
	date	22/11/2018
	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	Job Security
	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 recent meetings he has had with union representatives on job security in the work force.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	194637
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2018 answer text <p>Ministers and officials of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy meet union representatives regularly to discuss a wide range of issues, including those relating to employment and the UK’s labour market.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 29/11/2018 10:09:13 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1037124

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2019
	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	Equal Pay: Ethnic Groups
	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 the Government is taking to tackle the ethnicity pay gap.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	205930
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2019 answer text <p>In October 2018 my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a package of measures to make the workplace fairer for people from ethnic minorities, including a consultation on mandatory ethnicity pay reporting by employers with 250 or more employees. The consultation closed on 11<sup>th</sup> January and we will set out next steps in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 10/01/2019 16:00:39 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1042259

	registered interest
	date	16/01/2019
	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	Public Houses: Legal Costs
	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 make an assessment of the effectiveness of crowdfunding by lessees to raise money to challenge decisions made by pub companies in the courts.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	209335
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2019 answer text <p>If a dispute arises between a lessee (also known as a tenant) and a pub company - following a decision made by the latter, that is a matter for those parties to resolve. If parties wish to pursue a dispute through the courts, they are free to determine how they will fund advice and representation.</p><p> </p><p>In England and Wales, if a matter falls within the scope of the relevant provisions of the Pubs Code it can be referred to the Pubs Code Adjudicator.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 22/01/2019 12:09:28 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1042260

	registered interest
	date	16/01/2019
	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	New Businesses: Northern Ireland
	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 his Northern Ireland counterparts on the support offered to entrepreneurs seeking to start new businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	209336
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2019 answer text <p>Due to the current absence of an Executive in Northern Ireland, discussions between HMG and the administration are currently being held with officials in the Northern Irish Civil Service. The monthly EU Exit Devolved Administrations Forum, which rotates location between Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and London, is one particular example of cross-governmental engagement on business issues. In January, the forum discussed various issues relevant to the devolved administrations, such as no deal planning, Statutory Instruments, as well as other topics such as business engagement and operational readiness regarding EU Exit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Regarding support for Northern Ireland entrepreneurs, they can access support through schemes such as the the Go For It programme providing step by step advice and mentoring to produce their own business plan for people wishing to start a business. The British Business Bank-owned StartUp Loans Company (SULCO) has lent 945 startup loans, worth over £6.5 million. The Autumn Budget 2018 announced that Government would extend Start-Up Loans funding to 2021, meaning it will be able to back a further 10,000 entrepreneurs across the UK.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 22/01/2019 17:06:38 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1060065

	registered interest
	date	12/02/2019
	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	Zero Hours Contracts
	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 he is taking steps to end the use of zero hour contracts.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	220219
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2019 answer text <p>Both the Government and independent research have identified that zero hours contracts are beneficial for the labour market as they allow flexibility for both employers and individuals. The latest figures show that only 2.4% of the UK’s workforce are on a zero hours contracts because, for that small proportion, that may be the right contract for them.</p><p> </p><p>In the Review of Modern Working Practices, Matthew Taylor said that banning zero hours contracts altogether “would negatively impact many more people than it helped&quot;. We agree with his assessment and have committed to bring forward legislation to introduce the right to request a more predictable and stable contract for all workers, including those on zero hours contracts. This will allow individuals and businesses to strike the right balance between flexibility and job security.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 19/02/2019 16:28:57 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1082283

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	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	Business: 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 support he plans to provide to businesses to help with the UK leaving the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	228730
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government provides a range of business finance measures aimed at supporting SMEs to do business in the UK. Through our industrial strategy, we are currently taking action to reduce the costs of doing business, including cutting corporation tax to 19%, linking business rate increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) 2 years earlier than planned, and exempting micro businesses from regulations where possible.</p><p>The British Business Bank is also currently delivering more than £5.9 billion of finance to over 82,000 smaller businesses in the UK, and since 2012, the Start-Up Loans programme has lent over £468m to nearly 61,000 entrepreneurs. At Budget 2018, the Start-up Loans programme was extended by one year to April 2021 meaning that another 10,000 loans will be made to entrepreneurs.</p><p>Further, the British Business Bank is increasing deployment of its Enterprise Finance Guarantee loan-guarantee scheme, which has headroom to double commitments from current levels (around £200-220m this year) without further funding and through existing and new delivery partners under existing approvals, subject to demand.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 13/03/2019 17:33:53 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1088821

	registered interest
	date	14/03/2019
	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	Parental Leave
	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 the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on additional paid leave for (a) parents of premature babies and (b) multiple birth parents.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	232569
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2019 answer text <p>The Department is conducting a short, focussed internal review of the provisions for parents of premature babies and sick babies and those that experience multiple births.</p><p> </p><p>Preliminary work on this has now completed and my officials have identified potential areas for further work and options for taking this forward, including opportunities to work with other Government Departments.</p><p> </p><p>I expect to be in a position to say more about this in due course.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 22/03/2019 11:44:09 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1109263

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2019
	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, what work the Office of Product Safety and Standards (a) is undertaking and (b) plans to undertake to protect consumers from unsafe and non-compliant electrical goods in Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	239983
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, electrical goods must be safe before they can be placed on the market in Northern Ireland, as in the rest of the UK. The Regulations place duties on manufacturers, importers and distributors of electrical equipment to ensure that where a safety issue is identified, appropriate action is taken to withdraw, recall or otherwise bring the equipment into conformity.</p><p> </p><p>The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) operates an incident management procedure for managing consumer product safety incidents across the UK, to deliver on its wider purpose of protecting consumers and building public confidence in the product safety system. It also makes available information on recalled electrical products through its dedicated product recall website.</p><p> </p><p>OPSS has provided training for Environmental Health officers in Northern Ireland on product safety recalls, PAT testing and intelligence use and has also provided them with access to testing of products that are imported or manufactured in Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p>OPSS will continue to work closely with District Councils and other partners to further develop capability and capacity on product safety to ensure consumers in Northern Ireland are protected from unsafe electrical products.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 08/04/2019 16:08:03 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon