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229041

registered interest
date	23/03/2015
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	Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, how the increased resources for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in this financial year have been allocated.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	228734
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>All of the increased resources in the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate have been allocated to front line posts</p><p>We have recruited two additional EAS Inspectors and an Operations and Prosecutions Manager, all of whom carry warrant cards and carry out both complaint investigation and targeted enforcement operations in high risk areas.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 14:19:32 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

229043

registered interest
date	23/03/2015
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	Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, what additional staffing the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has allocated to conduct targeted enforcement action in high risk areas.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	228735
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>The resources in Employment Agency Standards (EAS) have doubled this year and will increase again in the next financial year.</p><p>All of the staff in the EAS Inspectorate carry out both complaint investigation and targeted enforcement operations in high risk areas.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 13:01:24 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

229045

registered interest
date	23/03/2015
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	Employment Agencies: Inspections
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, which potential breaches of the (a) Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 and (b) Employment Agencies Act 1973 were identified in the inspections of employment businesses conducted by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in February 2015.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	228736
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>Across the agencies visited in Sheffield in February, the following potential breaches of the Conduct Regulations were found:</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 5 – Cannot make the provision of work-finding conditionally upon buying goods or services supplied by the agency</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 10 – Transfer fees for a temporary worker moving to a permanent position with a hirer or third party</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 13 – Information to be given in writing about goods or services provided by the agency</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 14 – Terms to be agreed with a work-seeker</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 15 – Specific information to be contained in the terms agreed under Regulation 14</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 17 – Terms to be agreed with the hirer</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 18 – Information to be obtained from the hirer in relation to the work to be undertaken</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 19 – Confirmation to be obtained about a work seeker</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 21 – Confirmation of information to be passed to both the work-seeker and hirer about each other</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 24 – Covers where a work seeker is required to travel and/or live away from home to undertake an assignment, and loans</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 28 – Confidentiality and use of the information provided to the agency by the work-seeker</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 29 – Maintenance of records to show compliance with these Regulations</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 32 – Changes that need to be made to terms to reflect the fact that the work-seeker is incorporated</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There was also one potential instance of charging for work finding services which is a breach of Section 6 (1) of the Employment Agencies Act 1973.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 13:03:26 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

229047

registered interest
date	23/03/2015
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	Employment Agencies: Inspections
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, what the most common breaches of obligations under the (a) Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 and (b) Employment Agencies Act 1973 identified by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate are.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	228737
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>The most common breaches of the obligations under the Conduct Regulations are:</p><p> </p><p>Regulation 12 - Withholding payment for work undertaken</p><p>Regulation 13 – Information to be given in writing about goods or services provided by the agency</p><p>Regulation 14 – Terms to be agreed with a work-seeker</p><p>Regulation 15 – Specific information to be contained in the terms agreed under Regulation 14</p><p> </p><p>The most common breach of the obligations under the Employment Agencies Act is charging for work finding services which is a breach of Section 6 (1) of the Employment Agencies Act 1973.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 13:01:59 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

229049

registered interest
date	23/03/2015
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	Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233 and the Written Statement of 4 November 2013, Official Report, 1WS, if he will ensure that staff seconded from the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) to HM Revenue and Customs will be returned to EAS.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	228738
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>The resources in EAS have doubled this year and will increase again in the next financial year. Since November 2014, three staff who were on loan to HMRC have returned to EAS.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently undertaking a recruitment exercise to further increase EAS resources and the remaining EAS staff on loan may apply to return if they choose.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 13:02:33 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

229054

registered interest
date	23/03/2015
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 Law
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had on the EU Accounting and Transparency Directives; and what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with those Directives.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Mr Chuka Umunna
uin	228761
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>Since making the Reports on Payments to Government Regulations and the introduction of the Financial Conduct Authority rules in December 2014 the government has continued to have discussions with all stakeholders. The most recent meeting between the department, civil society and industry representatives was held in February 2015. I have since spoken to representatives from the Publish What You Pay coalition.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government takes extractive transparency very seriously. To support compliance the department has made information available on the gov.uk website. This includes a schema for delivering reports and step by step guidance on how to fill in the report format, both agreed with industry and civil society.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government expects companies to comply with the requirements of the Regulations, which set out the enforcement and penalty regime for any company that fails to comply in part or in full.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Reports will be published on the Companies House website in 2016, when all interested parties will be able to consider the reports and their accuracy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 14:19:32 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4128 label Biography information for Chuka Umunna

229056

registered interest
date	23/03/2015
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	Entertainments: Pay
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 paragraph 5.27 of the Low Pay Commission Report 2015, if he will take steps alongside stakeholders in the entertainment industry to produce and publish national minimum wage guidance for that sector.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	228763
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>We are committed to improving compliance with the National Minimum Wage. We do not currently have plans to publish guidance for individual sectors; however we will carefully consider the Low Pay Commissions (LPC) recommendations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We continue to work with the LPC and HMRC to ensure we provide clear and comprehensive information on the minimum wage rules, particularly in those sectors with complex ways of working. We will work with our stakeholders, including the entertainment industry, to make further improvements to the clarity of National Minimum Wage guidance and consider whether sector-specific guidance is necessary.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To date, we have improved the clarity of the National Minimum Wage regulations by consolidating the numerous amendments made since 1999 and making it easier for employers to understand the rules. These will come into force on 6 April.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have listened to stakeholders and have recognised that employers and workers also value official guidance. We have published detailed guidance on calculating the National Minimum Wage which is available on Gov.uk. This guidance aims to equip employers with the information they need to ensure they pay their workers the statutory minimum.</p><p> </p><p>We have also improved the information available on gov.uk on the National Minimum Wage rules, including:</p><p> </p><p>· The current and future National Minimum Wage rates</p><p> </p><p>· The Worker checklist</p><p> </p><p>· Work experience and internships</p><p> </p><p>· The increased penalty for breaching National Minimum Wage</p><p> </p><p>· The revised Criteria for Naming and shaming employers who breach National Minimum Wage legislation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Employers and workers can access further guidance by contacting the Acas Helpline online at: <a href="http://www.acas.org.uk/helplineonline" target="_blank">www.acas.org.uk/helplineonline</a> or by phone on 0300 123 1100.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 14:41:40 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

229060

registered interest
date	23/03/2015
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	Public Houses
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 he is taking to support pubs.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	228768
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>This Government is committed to supporting a fair and flourishing pubs sector. We have scrapped the beer duty escalator, and in Budget 2015 we cut beer duty for the third year in a row.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Through the Community Right to Bid, we are giving community organisations in England a better chance to save their local pub by listing it as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). And, from 6 April, we will strengthen the hands of communities whose pub is listed as an ACV still further by removing permitted development rights from those pubs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill, we are introducing a Statutory Code of Practice and an independent Adjudicator to govern the relationship between large pub-owning companies and the thousands of tenants that run tied pubs across England and Wales. These measures will help to ensure the pubs industry continues to flourish, to the benefit of all those who work so hard to make the pub the mainstay of our communities.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 14:16:56 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

228770

registered interest
date	20/03/2015
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	Textiles: Labelling
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 his Department is taking to ensure market compliance with EU Regulation 1007/2011 on textile labelling in regard to (a) the new requirement for textile products containing non-textile parts of animal origin to be clearly labelled as such and (b) other provisions in the regulation.
tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
uin	228532
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p /> <p>It is important that consumers have accurate information to enable them to make informed choices when they are buying textile products that contain non-textile parts of animal origin.</p><p> </p><p>The 2012 regulations on textile labelling replaced three separate Directives and simplified and improved a complex framework which was difficult to enforce and confusing for business. Responsibility for enforcement lies with local authority trading standards officers in Great Britain and the Department of Enterprise and Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland. Any evidence of possible offences should be brought to their attention.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 13:18:59 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

228771

registered interest
date	20/03/2015
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	Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average hourly pay is of employees in his Department identified as (a) White or White British and (b) from a Black, Asian or other minority ethnic group.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
uin	228576
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>In the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the average hourly rate of pay for White or White British employees is £23.53. For BIS employees that are Black, Asian or other minority ethnic groups (including mixed race), the hourly rate is £20.07.</p><p> </p><p>Please note that the above figures reflect the different levels of seniority of the employees that have provided their ethnicity information. This information is declared on a voluntary basis.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 26/03/2015 13:02:59 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero