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1127193

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2019
	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	Telecommunications and Utilities: Regulation
	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 he has made of the effectiveness of the regulation of the (a) water, (b) energy and (c) telecoms sectors in promoting sustainability.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	255328
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>We keep the effectiveness of our regulatory regimes under review. The National Audit Office also assesses regulation and regulatory outcomes. The Government has asked the National Infrastructure Commission to assess what changes might be necessary to the existing regulatory framework to facilitate future investment needs, promote greater competition and increase innovation, and meet the needs of both current and future consumers.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 21/05/2019 14:55:07 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1141116

	registered interest
	date	22/07/2019
	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	Small 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, if he will survey small businesses to measure the potential effect of the UK's departure from the EU on their viability.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	280356
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>We are aware of issues faced by small businesses connected with leaving the EU, such as increasing costs due to sterling fluctuations, cash flow impacts and late payments by customers. Government is already in close engagement on these and more issues, both directly across the UK and through regular meetings with business representative organisations - the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), MakeUK, the British Chamber of Commerce, the Institute of Directors and the CBI. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also co-ordinates the EU Exit business readiness forum, attended by business intermediaries and representative organisations.</p><p>Regarding the failure of businesses due to uncertainty over exiting the EU, the following seasonally unadjusted figures show the absolute number of insolvencies as measured by the insolvency service for 2018 Q1 to 2019 Q1. The insolvencies listed are due to all causes, not just uncertainty, and the current UK rate of insolvency (ie: the number of insolvencies proportional to the number of active firms) remains low by historical standards – well below that seen around the time of the financial crisis.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>England and Wales</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Northern Ireland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q1</p></td><td><p>4,561</p></td><td><p>237</p></td><td><p>51</p></td><td><p>4,849</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q2</p></td><td><p>4,078</p></td><td><p>266</p></td><td><p>125</p></td><td><p>4,469</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q3</p></td><td><p>4,230</p></td><td><p>232</p></td><td><p>65</p></td><td><p>4,527</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q4</p></td><td><p>4,586</p></td><td><p>245</p></td><td><p>73</p></td><td><p>4,904</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019 Q1</p></td><td><p>4,528</p></td><td><p>275</p></td><td><p>66</p></td><td><p>4,869</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>ONS statistics on business demography (2018) show that the number of UK business births in 2017 was 414,000, a birth rate of 13.1%. The number of UK business deaths was 357,000 in 2017, a death rate of 12.2%.</p><p>Businesses that are unfortunately experiencing difficulties – including requiring advice on the business implications of leaving the EU – have immediate access to guidance through the Government’s network of 38 Growth Hubs in England, (and equivalent services in the devolved administrations), and via the Business Support Helpline.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 280358 question first answered 03/09/2019 14:15:18 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1141121

	registered interest
	date	22/07/2019
	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	Insolvency: Brexit
	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 estimate he has made of the number of business failures due to uncertainty over the UK's departure from the EU in (a) the last two quarters of 2018-19 and (b) the first quarter of 2019-20; and if he will make an estimate of that number for the current quarter.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	280358
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>We are aware of issues faced by small businesses connected with leaving the EU, such as increasing costs due to sterling fluctuations, cash flow impacts and late payments by customers. Government is already in close engagement on these and more issues, both directly across the UK and through regular meetings with business representative organisations - the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), MakeUK, the British Chamber of Commerce, the Institute of Directors and the CBI. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also co-ordinates the EU Exit business readiness forum, attended by business intermediaries and representative organisations.</p><p>Regarding the failure of businesses due to uncertainty over exiting the EU, the following seasonally unadjusted figures show the absolute number of insolvencies as measured by the insolvency service for 2018 Q1 to 2019 Q1. The insolvencies listed are due to all causes, not just uncertainty, and the current UK rate of insolvency (ie: the number of insolvencies proportional to the number of active firms) remains low by historical standards – well below that seen around the time of the financial crisis.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>England and Wales</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Northern Ireland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q1</p></td><td><p>4,561</p></td><td><p>237</p></td><td><p>51</p></td><td><p>4,849</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q2</p></td><td><p>4,078</p></td><td><p>266</p></td><td><p>125</p></td><td><p>4,469</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q3</p></td><td><p>4,230</p></td><td><p>232</p></td><td><p>65</p></td><td><p>4,527</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018 Q4</p></td><td><p>4,586</p></td><td><p>245</p></td><td><p>73</p></td><td><p>4,904</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019 Q1</p></td><td><p>4,528</p></td><td><p>275</p></td><td><p>66</p></td><td><p>4,869</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>ONS statistics on business demography (2018) show that the number of UK business births in 2017 was 414,000, a birth rate of 13.1%. The number of UK business deaths was 357,000 in 2017, a death rate of 12.2%.</p><p>Businesses that are unfortunately experiencing difficulties – including requiring advice on the business implications of leaving the EU – have immediate access to guidance through the Government’s network of 38 Growth Hubs in England, (and equivalent services in the devolved administrations), and via the Business Support Helpline.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 280356 question first answered 03/09/2019 14:15:18 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1170769

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2020
	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	Conditions of Employment
	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 the Government has plans to diverge from the EU on employment rights after the UK leaves the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	3199
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2020 answer text <p>It is a priority to make the UK the best place in the world to work. The Government has committed to protect and enhance workers’ rights after the UK leaves the EU. Workers’ rights in the UK already go above the EU minimum standards in a number of areas and as such the UK already diverges from these in a way which is positive for UK workers.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 20/01/2020 14:28:08 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1178918

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Bus Services: North East
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the effect of real terms funding reductions to North East bus services on the provision of those services.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	18392
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2020 answer text <p>Announced on February 2020, there is £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London. This package of investment will boost bus services by focusing on a range of priorities, set to include: higher frequency services, new priority schemes will make routes more efficient, more affordable simpler fares and at least 4,000 new Zero Emission Buses.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Department for Transport provides £250m of support to local authorities and bus operators via Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG). In October 2019, the Government committed to review how BSOG is paid to ensure it supports the environment and improved passenger journeys.</p><p>In October 2019, the Government published A Better Deal for Bus Users, which sets out the Government’s plans for buses, including providing local authorities with an additional £30m of funding in 2020/21 and publishing a National Bus Strategy.</p><p> </p><p>In 2018/19, bus operators received around £2.1bn of support from the public sector, with around £1bn of funding for older and disabled people’s concessions and £850m of subsidy for socially necessary services provided by local authorities and funded via MHCLG’s Revenue Support Grant.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 27/02/2020 11:22:03 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 8638 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1178919

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Bus Services: North East
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to increase funding for bus services in (a) Newcastle and (b) the North East.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	18393
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2020 answer text <p>The £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package provides new funding to transform bus services and includes a National Bus Strategy, which together will detail measures to improve bus services.</p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users</a></p><p>This includes an extra £30 million for local authorities in 2020/21.</p><p>If the North East Joint Transport Committee (responsible for public transport policy in Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland) complete statements of intent demonstrating how they will meet the funding requirements, they will be provided with the additional allocation of £1,454,485.</p><p>In addition, there is £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London. This package of investment will boost bus services by focusing on a range of priorities, set to include: higher frequency services, new priority schemes will make routes more efficient, more affordable simpler fares and at least 4,000 new Zero Emission Buses.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 27/02/2020 11:28:34 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 8639 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1194904

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Transport: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department had to provide personal protective equipment to transport workers during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	46055
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>Keeping transport workers and passengers safe is of paramount importance. The new guidance for transport operators and passengers that we published on 12 May is designed precisely to help achieve this.</p><p> </p><p>The guidance is clear that when managing the risk of COVID-19, additional PPE beyond what workers usually wear is not beneficial. This is because COVID-19 is a different type of risk to the risks they normally face in a workplace, and needs to be managed through social distancing, good hand hygiene and fixed teams or partnering, not through the use of PPE. We are working closely with transport operators across the sector on the implementation of the guidance.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 18/05/2020 16:16:10 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1194905

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Transport: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether families of transport workers who die from covid-19 are eligible for death in service benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	46056
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced on 27th April a scheme where families of eligible NHS and care workers, who die from coronavirus in the course of their frontline work, will receive a £60,000 payment.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also looking at other professions that work on the frontline against coronavirus, who may not have access to death in service schemes, to see where this may be required. These discussions are ongoing as the situation evolves and will be considered carefully across government.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 18/05/2020 16:12:45 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1221101

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	British Airways: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with British Airways about job retention.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	69546
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2020 answer text <p>The Department for Transport is in close contact with the aviation sector, ensuring that the Government is kept fully aware of the latest developments with all firms and to understand where additional policy measures could address specific industry issues.</p><p> </p><p>British Airways is able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor to protect jobs and incomes, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme covering 80% of furloughed employees’ usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, alongside the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions.</p><p> </p><p>I and the Secretary of the State have met with both British Airways and IAG, and I continue to encourage BA and the unions to engage constructively with each other.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 14/07/2020 13:19:25 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1256657

	registered interest
	date	30/11/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Business Rates: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether small businesses that fail to pay business rents due in December 2020 can be evicted by their landlord during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	122692
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>Government recognises that this is a very challenging time for everyone, and Covid-19 is having a significant impact on our businesses. That is why we have introduced temporary new measures to further safeguard the high street and millions of jobs.</p><p>Section 82 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 provides for a moratorium on forfeitures of commercial leases due to the non-payment of rent accrued during the pandemic. This means that landlords of commercial properties will not have the option to evict tenants for not paying the rent that was due after 23 March 2020. Government has announced that it will extend the moratorium on forfeiture until the end of the year. The extension provides landlords and tenants with a further opportunity to come together to have these discussions and reach agreements on outstanding rent.</p><p>Government has also restricted landlords’ ability to seize goods in lieu of rent and protected tenants from insolvency measures including statutory demands and winding up petitions.  All these measures are currently in place until 31 December 2020. Government has published a voluntary Code of Practice to encourage constructive dialogue between tenants and landlords; and is clear that those tenants who can pay in full should do so, those who cannot should pay what they can, and those landlords who can grant concessions should do so.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/12/2020 17:57:06 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 66506 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah