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164311

	registered interest
	date	24/11/2014
	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	Regeneration
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what investment in regeneration projects the Regeneration Investment Organisation has secured in the last six months.
	tabling member constituency	Caerphilly
	tabling member printed	Wayne David
	uin	215654
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>Having built up a ‘shovel ready’ pipeline of 41 projects within 12 months, UK Trade and Investment’s Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO) will shortly announce its first win for this financial year. RIO hopes to deliver two more project wins this financial year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Beyond this, RIO’s £112bn long-term pipeline has the potential to create 640,000 jobs. 41 out of a total 180 projects have undergone technical investment evaluation and this number will soon rise to 100 verified projects. RIO has prioritised its overseas investors from 7 key markets and continues to support investment and supply chain development into ongoing projects such as Manchester Airport City and Battersea Power Station.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/12/2014 16:16:40 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock previous answer version 30716 answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	1398 label Biography information for Wayne David

164313

	registered interest
	date	24/11/2014
	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	Iron and Steel
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he last met or spoke to representatives of the UK Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels regarding the traceability and certification of Chinese and Turkish steel products imported to the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
	tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
	uin	215766
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has maintained close contact with the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) who investigated a complaint about CARES from UK Steel about labelling and traceability of imports.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>UKAS concluded that CARES responded in an appropriate way to the concerns raised, in line with the expectations and requirements of the accreditation standard. That conclusion has been communicated to UK steel and to the All Party Parliamentary Group on steel.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We understand from UKAS that there has been an increase in CARES’ vigilance with increased sampling and checks.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I have also been advised that, as a result of ongoing discussions between CARES and UK Steel, the association supplied samples of imported rebar and CARES testing found it was non-compliant. As a consequence we understand CARES visited the Chinese steel mill and conducted further sampling and testing but found no evidence of stock production being non-compliant.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/12/2014 16:25:04 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock previous answer version 30526 answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

167964

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2014
	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	Mentorsme
	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 performance of the Mentors Me website.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Toby Perkins
	uin	217143
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2015 answer text <p>Last year the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) funded the creation of a network of 27,000 accredited business mentors and partnered with the British Bankers Association (BBA) and Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI) to create the mentorsme website. BBA and SFEDI now lead this initiative and have established a sector-led Enterprise Mentoring Advisory Council with responsibility for assessing the performance of the mentorsme website and the initiative overall.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Advisory Council also have responsibility for upholding the standards for enterprise mentoring, promoting awareness of the benefits of and access to enterprise mentoring and acting as a central policy advisory group.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>BIS has a seat on the Advisory Council and continues to support mentorsme by driving awareness and take up of mentoring as part of the national Business is GREAT campaign and by sharing research evidence and insight.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 07/01/2015 11:29:15 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

167973

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2014
	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	Productivity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to improve productivity.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
	tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
	uin	217275
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>Government policy focuses on delivering growth; this in turn partly depends on longer term improvements to productivity. As such, much of the Government’s economic policy is about raising productivity, including but not limited to:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Tax cuts</strong>: Government is actively working to reduce the tax burden where possible to help give businesses the confidence to invest and grow. Initiatives announced at this year’s Autumn Statement include a doubling of the Small Business Rate Relief for a further year, and a continued cap on the annual increase in business rates at 2% from April 2015 to March 2016. More widely the UK now has the lowest headline corporate tax rate in the G7 and 4th lowest in the G20. Budget 2013 announced further measures to reduce the main corporate tax rate to 20% by 2015.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Deregulation</strong>: Government departments are working together to simplify and reduce the regulatory burden for UK businesses through the Red Tape Challenge, One In, One Out , and One In, Two Out policies. This will create a regulatory environment in which businesses have the confidence to invest and grow. This work is already showing significant signs of success; excluding EU regulation, the estimated annual net cost of regulation to UK business has fallen by £1.5bn since 2011.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Skills</strong>: Ensuring employers have access to workers with the right skills plays a crucial role in enhancing the UK’s productivity. This Government has driven up participation in education, employment or training for 16-24 year olds since 2011. Apprenticeship participation has risen by 77% from 2009/10 to 2012/13, and there have been over 2 million Apprentices started since 2010.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government is giving employers more direct control over the design and delivery of training solutions to address skills shortages and improve business performance through the Employer Ownership Pilot (EOP) and its successor Employer Ownership Fund (EOF). The Government is completing round 2 of EOP which will be worth £238m and has announced targeted activity for the auto supply chain and engineering under EOF.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Infrastructure</strong>: High quality infrastructure is essential for supporting productivity growth. Delivering the right infrastructure at a local, regional and national level, across the UK, is therefore key to the government’s long-term economic plan. Since 2010, this Government has completed 55 major roads and local transport projects, completed major improvements to Kings Cross station as well as 400 other stations, opened Heathrow Terminal 2 and introduced £22 billion of private sector investment in water assets.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The National Infrastructure Plan for 2014 outlines a £466 billion plan for the UK’s infrastructure, of which £189 billion is future investment. This includes £15 billion of road improvements, £38bn investment in rail and £46 billion investment in the gas and electricity network.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Science and Innovation</strong>: The government funds and supports innovation in science, technology and engineering to help the UK’s high-tech industries to thrive. This has already seen £600m of government funding committed to the development and commercialisation of eight great technologies, a further £106m investment in new Centres for Doctoral Training, which will train more than 750 new students, and £42m in the creation of the Alan Turing Institute – a world-class research institute specialising in Big Data science. Details of the government’s on-going commitment to science and innovation will feature in the soon to be released Science and Innovation Strategy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/12/2014 16:23:19 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock previous answer version 32571 answering member constituency Tunbridge Wells answering member printed Greg Clark answering member 1578
	tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

168580

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2014
	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	Iron and Steel: Wales
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answers to Questions 58 and 86 in his oral evidence of 29 January 2014 to the Welsh Affairs Committee on the steel industry in Wales, HC 882-i, what progress he has made in initiatives to create supply chain groups.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	217589
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government has initiated a supply chain plan policy in the renewable electricity sector. To be able to take part in the allocation process for a Contract for Difference, developers of projects above 300MW must submit a supply chain plan providing evidence that the project will make a material contribution to the economic growth and viability of the industrial supply chain. Any plans assessed by Government to be unsatisfactory would not be allowed to enter the Contract for Difference round. In addition the Offshore Wind Industry Council – a partnership between industry and Government - is taking forward actions from the offshore wind supply chain review conducted by Matthew Chinn that was published last month.</p><p> </p><p>Through the industrial strategy programme, we are working in partnership with industry to develop strong supply chains in the UK. We have set out a range of measures in our sector strategies published last year, which we are continuing to deliver.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/12/2014 11:31:17 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

169364

	registered interest
	date	10/12/2014
	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	EU Trade: Trade Agreements
	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 trade negotiations are being conducted by the EU on behalf of the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Warley
	tabling member printed	Mr John Spellar
	uin	218050
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The European Commission is conducting, on behalf of the UK, nine bilateral trade negotiations, and a number of negotiations at the World Trade Organisation where the EU negotiates on behalf of the UK and the EU.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/12/2014 16:21:46 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	318 label Biography information for John Spellar

169721

	registered interest
	date	11/12/2014
	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	Business: Procurement
	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 prevalence of the practice of companies requiring a supplier company to make a payment in order to join or to remain on a list of suppliers.
	tabling member constituency	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
	tabling member printed	Simon Hart
	uin	218268
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department is aware that the practice of suppliers having to pay to join or remain on a supplier list is an issue in some sectors. The Government has already taken action to prohibit this practice in certain sectors. We are consulting to help us understand the wider extent of the problem and on whether Government should take any action with respect to supplier lists.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government has already taken action to prohibit this practice in certain sectors. This is why the statutory Grocery Supply Code prohibits payments as a condition of stocking or listing a supplier’s grocery products.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 19/12/2014 16:17:08 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	3944 label Biography information for Simon Hart

169723

	registered interest
	date	11/12/2014
	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: Procurement
	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 small and medium-sized businesses about companies that require a supplier company to make a payment in order to join or to remain on a list of suppliers.
	tabling member constituency	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
	tabling member printed	Simon Hart
	uin	218269
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has received a number of representations about this issue both from small business representative organisations and from small- and medium-sized businesses themselves. The recent media coverage relating to Premier Foods has prompted an increase in such representations. However, there is not a consensus amongst correspondents: some are in favour of company investment and/ or discount schemes and have explained how they have helped them thrive as a supplier; others are against such schemes and have highlighted the negative impact of their imposition.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/12/2014 16:20:33 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	3944 label Biography information for Simon Hart

169731

	registered interest
	date	11/12/2014
	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	New Businesses: Stourbridge
	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 new businesses have opened in Stourbridge constituency in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Stourbridge
	tabling member printed	Margot James
	uin	218371
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2015 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>The estimated number of business start-ups in the Stourbridge constituency between 2009 and 2013, is shown in the table below.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Estimated number of business start-ups in Stourbridge</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>610</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>640</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>590</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>550</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>550</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: BankSearch: number of new business bank accounts opened. All figures rounded to the nearest 10.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 07/01/2015 14:09:13 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	4115 label Biography information for Margot James

170087

	registered interest
	date	12/12/2014
	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: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
	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 a possible exemption for the NHS in Scotland negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Cathy Jamieson
	uin	218548
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership (TTIP) and the NHS have been discussed with the Scottish Government at official and Ministerial level.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Both the European Commission and US negotiators have 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. The Scottish Government’s ability to determine how publically funded health services in Scotland are provided will not be affected. It will be completely up to the Scottish Government to take decisions on which providers deliver health care services in the best interests of their patients.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/12/2014 16:18:24 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	4011 label Biography information for Cathy Jamieson