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1173629

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2020
	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	Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which employers have been named by the national minimum wage enforcement unit for non-compliance in the last three years; and what criteria her Department uses to decide on naming an employer.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	8456
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2020 answer text <p>The current NMW Naming Scheme commenced in 2013; employers named for National Minimum Wage (NMW) non-compliance since then, and the policy document which sets out how the scheme operates, can be found on gov.uk.</p><p>Following a recommendation from the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, the NMW Naming Scheme is currently under review and the Department will shortly publish the outcome of that work. This will detail any changes we are making to the scheme to ensure its continued effectiveness as a deterrent to non-compliance.</p><p>All employers who meet the eligibility criteria for naming are given a chance to make a representation as to why they should not be named. Exemptions to naming can be granted in line with the published exemption criteria. In the most recent naming round in July 2018, 95% of eligible cases were ultimately named.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 8457 question first answered 03/02/2020 14:55:10 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 4126 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1173630

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2020
	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	Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many employers that were identified as non-compliant by the national minimum wage enforcement unit were not publicly named.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	8457
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2020 answer text <p>The current NMW Naming Scheme commenced in 2013; employers named for National Minimum Wage (NMW) non-compliance since then, and the policy document which sets out how the scheme operates, can be found on gov.uk.</p><p>Following a recommendation from the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, the NMW Naming Scheme is currently under review and the Department will shortly publish the outcome of that work. This will detail any changes we are making to the scheme to ensure its continued effectiveness as a deterrent to non-compliance.</p><p>All employers who meet the eligibility criteria for naming are given a chance to make a representation as to why they should not be named. Exemptions to naming can be granted in line with the published exemption criteria. In the most recent naming round in July 2018, 95% of eligible cases were ultimately named.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 8456 question first answered 03/02/2020 14:55:10 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 4127 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1156198

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2019
	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: 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 steps she has taken to support (a) women and (b) people from ethnic minorities that want to set up businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	5002
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>The UK is one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business. Government is committed to supporting all entrepreneurs, whatever their background, to have the opportunity to make their business ideas a reality.</p><p>We provide support to all entrepreneurs to set up businesses through our online services on GOV.UK, the Business Support Helpline, and the network of 38 local Growth Hubs across England. In 2018, 47% of the Business Support Helpline’s callers were women.</p><p>We have been working closely with HM Treasury and industry to implement the eight initiatives from the Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, to tackle the barriers faced by women when starting and scaling a business. We have set an ambition to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by half by 2030 – equivalent to an additional 600,000 female entrepreneurs.</p><p>The British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans Programme provides funding and intensive support to new entrepreneurs, and has delivered over 67,000 loans, worth over £534m since it began in 2012 (as at end-September 2019). 40% of Start Up Loans have gone to women – worth over £198m. 20% of Start Up Loans have gone to BAME entrepreneurs – worth over £100m.</p><p>BEIS has also launched an independent review into Young Entrepreneurship, led by the Prince’s Trust, that seeks to better understand young entrepreneurs, including young female and ethnic minority entrepreneurs, the specific barriers and opportunities they face – such as access to finance, and networks - and what more can be done to support them to start and grow a business.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 30/10/2019 16:32:03 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 2600 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1156199

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2019
	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	Civil Society
	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 she has taken to promote (a) social enterprise and (b) other alternative forms of business.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	5003
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government welcomes the contribution which social enterprises make to local growth and prosperity in our communities up and down the country. The UK’s company law framework allows for a variety of business forms, in part to suit those adopting social or environmental purposes.</p><p> </p><p>We welcome the growth of purposeful businesses and have taken steps to encourage and enable this trend. The Government encouraged the business-led development of ‘Purposely’, a tool to help social entrepreneurs embed purpose into their businesses using the flexibility provided in the Companies Act; it also established the Inclusive Economy Partnership to harness the power of business as a force for good in our society; and it has supported the new Impact Investing Institute to grow social investment.</p><p> </p><p>Community Interest Companies (CICs) are a huge success story. They are delivering benefits to more and more of our communities right across the UK. CICs have grown exponentially since 2005. There are now over 17,000 now on the public register. They are promoted by the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, which is an independent statutory office holder appointed by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State.</p><p> </p><p>The UK’s corporate governance framework has been updated to promote purpose in businesses. The UK’s Corporate Governance Code was revised, with effect from 1 January 2019, to promote the importance of having a clear corporate purpose. The Governance Principles for Large Private Companies developed last year by Sir James Wates do the same. Company reporting requirements, also introduced this year, now require companies to report how they have regard to wider societal interests within the meaning of Section 172 of the Companies Act.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 5004 5005 question first answered 30/10/2019 16:53:08 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 2601 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1156201

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2019
	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	Community Interest Companies
	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 she has taken to promote community interest companies as a form of business.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	5004
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government welcomes the contribution which social enterprises make to local growth and prosperity in our communities up and down the country. The UK’s company law framework allows for a variety of business forms, in part to suit those adopting social or environmental purposes.</p><p> </p><p>We welcome the growth of purposeful businesses and have taken steps to encourage and enable this trend. The Government encouraged the business-led development of ‘Purposely’, a tool to help social entrepreneurs embed purpose into their businesses using the flexibility provided in the Companies Act; it also established the Inclusive Economy Partnership to harness the power of business as a force for good in our society; and it has supported the new Impact Investing Institute to grow social investment.</p><p> </p><p>Community Interest Companies (CICs) are a huge success story. They are delivering benefits to more and more of our communities right across the UK. CICs have grown exponentially since 2005. There are now over 17,000 now on the public register. They are promoted by the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, which is an independent statutory office holder appointed by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State.</p><p> </p><p>The UK’s corporate governance framework has been updated to promote purpose in businesses. The UK’s Corporate Governance Code was revised, with effect from 1 January 2019, to promote the importance of having a clear corporate purpose. The Governance Principles for Large Private Companies developed last year by Sir James Wates do the same. Company reporting requirements, also introduced this year, now require companies to report how they have regard to wider societal interests within the meaning of Section 172 of the Companies Act.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 5003 5005 question first answered 30/10/2019 16:53:08 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 2602 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1156204

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2019
	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
	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 she has taken to encourage people setting up businesses to embed (a) social and (b) environmental purpose into their business structures.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	5005
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government welcomes the contribution which social enterprises make to local growth and prosperity in our communities up and down the country. The UK’s company law framework allows for a variety of business forms, in part to suit those adopting social or environmental purposes.</p><p> </p><p>We welcome the growth of purposeful businesses and have taken steps to encourage and enable this trend. The Government encouraged the business-led development of ‘Purposely’, a tool to help social entrepreneurs embed purpose into their businesses using the flexibility provided in the Companies Act; it also established the Inclusive Economy Partnership to harness the power of business as a force for good in our society; and it has supported the new Impact Investing Institute to grow social investment.</p><p> </p><p>Community Interest Companies (CICs) are a huge success story. They are delivering benefits to more and more of our communities right across the UK. CICs have grown exponentially since 2005. There are now over 17,000 now on the public register. They are promoted by the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, which is an independent statutory office holder appointed by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State.</p><p> </p><p>The UK’s corporate governance framework has been updated to promote purpose in businesses. The UK’s Corporate Governance Code was revised, with effect from 1 January 2019, to promote the importance of having a clear corporate purpose. The Governance Principles for Large Private Companies developed last year by Sir James Wates do the same. Company reporting requirements, also introduced this year, now require companies to report how they have regard to wider societal interests within the meaning of Section 172 of the Companies Act.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 5003 5004 question first answered 30/10/2019 16:53:08 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 2603 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1156419

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2019
	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: Disadvantaged
	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 steps she has taken to support the development of businesses in deprived communities.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	5432
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2019 answer text <p>Across the UK, the Government-backed British Business Bank (the Bank) seeks to increase the supply of finance for smaller businesses and to reduce regional disparities in access to finance. The Bank’s programmes are currently supporting over £6.6 billion of finance to over 89,000 SMEs (as at June 2019). And through the Bank's Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) there is currently approximately £300mn of headroom available to lenders this financial year. There is also approximately £1bn of guarantee headroom currently available to lenders under the Bank's ENABLE Guarantee programme.</p><p>Government has also supported and invested in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs in England – one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area) – to provide a free, impartial, single point of local contact to all businesses, no matter their size or sector, to access advice and support across the public and private sector: in 2018-2019 Growth Hubs in England supported over 121,500 businesses. At the end of FY18/19, Government had invested £56.4 million in Growth Hubs that helped over 9,500 individuals start a business achieving an average customer satisfaction rate of 81.45%.</p><p>Businesses in England can also access business support through GOV.UK, and the National Business Support Helpline.</p><p>Since Budget 2016, the Government has announced reductions to business rates worth more than £13 billion until 2021.</p><p>My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced a £3.6 billion Towns Fund, including £1 billion for an accelerated Future High Streets Fund. Last year the Government also made a number of announcements to support High Street businesses:</p><ul><li>cutting the business rates bills of retailers by one third until April 2021 for properties with a rateable value below £51,000;</li><li>potential for up to 90% of retail properties in England to be eligible for the retail discount, worth almost £900m to businesses over two years; and</li><li>potential for retail discount to help a retailer save up to £8,000 off their 2019-20 bill.</li></ul><p> </p><p>At Autumn Budget 2018, HM Treasury announced that the VAT threshold will be maintained at the current level of £85,000 until April 2022. The VAT threshold is the highest in the EU and the OECD. It keeps an estimated over 3.55 million small businesses out of VAT.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 05/11/2019 14:19:47 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 2862 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1156420

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2019
	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	Social Enterprises
	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 assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the global perception poll conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the UK has fallen from third to 13th place since 2016 in the list of the best places to be a social entrepreneur.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	5433
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government welcomes the contribution which social enterprises make to local growth and prosperity in our communities up and down the country. The UK’s company law framework allows for a variety of business forms, in part to suit those adopting social or environmental purposes, and we will continue to look at what more can be done to support social entrepreneurship in the UK.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 31/10/2019 08:22:03 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 2867 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1133170

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	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, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 264463 on Parental Leave: Childbirth, for how long the consultation will last.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
	tabling member printed	David Linden
	uin	266863
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>We anticipate the public consultation on options for providing further support to parents of premature, sick and multiple babies will last for 12 weeks. This will be confirmed when the consultation document is published.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 26/06/2019 11:52:37 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 124894 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1133174

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	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, with reference to The Prime Minister's oral contribution of 28 November 2018, Official Report, column 246 and pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 264462, on Parental Leave: Childbirth, whether the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has informed her of his reasons for the key findings of the review of the provisions for parents of premature babies to not now be shared with interested parties.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
	tabling member printed	David Linden
	uin	266864
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>The review of provisions for parents of premature babies was an internal review undertaken by officials of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to help them provide advice to Ministers. Advice to Ministers is not routinely shared outside of Government departments.</p><p> </p><p>As indicated in my response to Question <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-13/264462/" target="_blank">264462</a>, the findings of this review will help to inform the public consultation on options for further support for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies, which we will launch before the end of the Summer.</p><p> </p><p>We look forward to working with interested parties during the consultation process.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 26/06/2019 11:52:44 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 124897 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden