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1132472

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2019
	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	Whirlpool Corporation: Tumble Dryers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason he decided to issue a recall notice to Whirlpool in relation to that company's tumble driers; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
	tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
	uin	265581
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Office for Product Safety and Standards’ (OPSS) actions have been driven by a commitment to ensure public safety. On 4 June, OPSS issued a letter of intent to serve a recall notice. As a result, Whirlpool is instigating a full recall of unmodified, affected tumble dryers. The House was updated of this action in a written ministerial statement on 10 July.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 15/07/2019 13:33:33 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 124355 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1136741

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2019
	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	Business: Finance
	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 report entitled, The state of the nation: The UK Family Business Sector 2018-19 by Oxford Economics, published in July 2019, what steps his Department is taking to make it easier for family businesses to access external finance.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	272777
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>As the report notes, the family business sector is vital to the UK economy, employing over 13 million people and generating more than a quarter of the nation’s GDP. In May this year, I attended the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Family Business and discussed a range of issues including access to external finance. The authors of the Report, The Institute for Family Business, are also a member of the BEIS SME Advisory Board, who last met on 24 June.</p><p>As part of the modern Industrial Strategy, this Department’s aim is to improve access to finance for all UK businesses, including family-owned businesses. The Government-backed British Business Bank supports more than £6.4bn of finance to over 85,000 SMEs. The Bank’s online Finance Hub also helps small business owners identify potential sources of finance via the finance finder web tool.</p><p>The Business Bank has also established a UK Network, with team members based within each of the English regions and the three Devolved Nations. The UK Network works with small business finance intermediaries to enhance business finance ecosystems across the UK, so smaller businesses, wherever they are, can grow and prosper.</p><p>In addition, Government has actively supported and invested in the creation of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area), providing businesses across England support and advice via a free and impartial, local single point of contact. At the end of FY18/19, Government had invested £56.4 million in Growth Hubs.</p><p>The Government provides support and advice to all types of businesses through our core services including GOV.UK, the Business Support Helpline and Growth Hubs operating in England.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 16/07/2019 15:34:53 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1137132

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2019
	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	Supermarkets: 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, what assessment the he has made of the merits of the application of Oxfam’s supermarket scorecard on human suffering in global supply chains for his Department’s policies.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol East
	tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
	uin	273754
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government welcomes campaigns such as Oxfam’s ‘Behind the Price’ with the supermarket scorecard that is a part of it and which includes scores for the fair treatment of women.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the positive competitive environment which benchmarks of this type help to create, whereby businesses aim to be at the top of an annual ranking. At the same time, such benchmarks enable consumers, investors, civil society and regulators to challenge those businesses who could improve, using this evidence base.</p><p> </p><p>The retail sector recognises it has a responsibility on these issues and is pioneering responsible sourcing practices. The Government welcomes industry initiatives in this context such as the British Retail Consortium’s ‘Better Retail, Better World’. The Government is determined to eliminate exploitation of workers in the food supply chain in the UK. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 increased specialist support for victims and it requires businesses to be transparent about their supply chains. The Government response to the independent review of the legislation will set out how it intends to strengthen this approach further.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 273756 273757 question first answered 15/07/2019 13:33:26 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1137134

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2019
	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	Supermarkets: 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, what steps he is taking to support supermarkets to publish a human rights strategy for workers in the food supply chain in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol East
	tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
	uin	273756
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government welcomes campaigns such as Oxfam’s ‘Behind the Price’ with the supermarket scorecard that is a part of it and which includes scores for the fair treatment of women.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the positive competitive environment which benchmarks of this type help to create, whereby businesses aim to be at the top of an annual ranking. At the same time, such benchmarks enable consumers, investors, civil society and regulators to challenge those businesses who could improve, using this evidence base.</p><p> </p><p>The retail sector recognises it has a responsibility on these issues and is pioneering responsible sourcing practices. The Government welcomes industry initiatives in this context such as the British Retail Consortium’s ‘Better Retail, Better World’. The Government is determined to eliminate exploitation of workers in the food supply chain in the UK. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 increased specialist support for victims and it requires businesses to be transparent about their supply chains. The Government response to the independent review of the legislation will set out how it intends to strengthen this approach further.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 273754 273757 question first answered 15/07/2019 13:33:26 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1137135

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2019
	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	Supermarkets: 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, what steps the Government has taken in the last year to help ensure women workers in the supermarket food supply chain are treated fairly.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol East
	tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
	uin	273757
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government welcomes campaigns such as Oxfam’s ‘Behind the Price’ with the supermarket scorecard that is a part of it and which includes scores for the fair treatment of women.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the positive competitive environment which benchmarks of this type help to create, whereby businesses aim to be at the top of an annual ranking. At the same time, such benchmarks enable consumers, investors, civil society and regulators to challenge those businesses who could improve, using this evidence base.</p><p> </p><p>The retail sector recognises it has a responsibility on these issues and is pioneering responsible sourcing practices. The Government welcomes industry initiatives in this context such as the British Retail Consortium’s ‘Better Retail, Better World’. The Government is determined to eliminate exploitation of workers in the food supply chain in the UK. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 increased specialist support for victims and it requires businesses to be transparent about their supply chains. The Government response to the independent review of the legislation will set out how it intends to strengthen this approach further.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 273754 273756 question first answered 15/07/2019 13:33:26 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1137187

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2019
	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	Business: 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, with reference to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in April 2018 in Belfast, what progress he has made in developing a business strategy for Northern Ireland after the UK leaves the EU.
	tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
	tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
	uin	273750
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government is supporting Northern Ireland business to develop and thrive. The British Business Bank has issued 1,009 loans in Northern Ireland since 2012, to an average value of £7,217 and £7,285,132 in total and we announced in May a £105 million economic package for the Derry/Londonderry region.</p><p> </p><p>BEIS officials have an ongoing working relationship with officials in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. However, it is essential that devolved government is restored in Northern Ireland to allow for local decision-making and to continue to strengthen the economy.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 15/07/2019 13:30:32 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 128433 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1137415

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2019
	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	Maternity 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, whether he has held discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on extending the period of statutory maternity leave.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	274539
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>In the UK, employed pregnant women and new mothers have a ‘day one’ right to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave; and, if eligible, they are entitled to 39 weeks of pay.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has no current plans to extend the period of statutory Maternity Leave, and so I have not had any discussions on this subject with my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 15/07/2019 13:30:54 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1137480

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2019
	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	Employment: Bullying
	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 bring forward legislative proposals to ban bullying in the workplace.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	274614
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>Any form of bullying and harassment is unacceptable and has no place in today’s workplace. Current legislation provides robust safeguards for employees against harassment in the workplace. This covers harassment on the grounds of gender, race, disability, religion or believe, sexual orientation or age. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997 make intentional harassment a criminal offence.</p><p> </p><p>However, whilst it is important to have a safety net of legislation to protect employees from the worst form of abuses, the best way to address bad behaviour is through cultural change within the workplace. Employers can, for example, establish good practices through a clear anti-harassment policy and ensuring all staff receive training in this area.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 15/07/2019 13:31:02 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1137753

	registered interest
	date	09/07/2019
	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: Yorkshire and the Humber
	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 he has taken to support small businesses in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) Haltemprice and Howden constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Haltemprice and Howden
	tabling member printed	Mr David Davis
	uin	275117
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting all entrepreneurs to start and grow a business. Through our ambitious Industrial Strategy, we want to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business, to create jobs and spread prosperity.</p><p>In addition to accessing national support available such as the Business Support Helpline (0300 456 3565) and advice given on <a href="http://www.gov.uk" target="_blank">www.gov.uk</a>, small and medium sized enterprises in Yorkshire and the Humber can access business advice through their local Growth Hubs. Led and governed by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), Growth Hubs provide a free, impartial, ‘single point of contact’ to help businesses in the area identify and access the right support for them at the right time no matter their size or sector. The LEPs which cover Yorkshire and the Humber have self-reported that in FY2017-2018 their Growth Hubs supported over 12,000 businesses and helped over 900 individuals start a business.</p><p>The Humber LEP area is being supported with up to £83.4m of investment through the Regional Growth Fund, which includes £30m awarded to the Humber LEP for a business support programme. The Growing Places Fund is supporting business growth investment across the Humber with funding worth £8.8m. The Humber LEP’s ‘Growing the Humber’ business investment programme has supported the creation of over 2,800 jobs to date.</p><p>The Government-backed British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans programme provides loans to entrepreneurs seeking to start and grow their own businesses. Since 2012, 5,482 loans have been issued in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, totalling over £45m, and with an average loan amount of £8,249. In the Haltemprice and Howden constituency, 103 loans have been issued, totalling £926,277 (as at end-June 2019).</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 16/07/2019 16:40:47 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	373 label Biography information for Sir David Davis

1137818

	registered interest
	date	09/07/2019
	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	Post Office: Herbert Smith Freehills
	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 8 July 2019 to Question 272157, in what capacity the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills is acting on behalf of Post Office Limited; and for what reason that firm was not listed in the six law firms framework agreement, as outlined in Question 272157.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	275136
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>A reference to Herbert Smith Freehills was omitted from my answer to Question 272157 inadvertently. I can confirm that the six law firms previously listed provide legal support to Post Office Limited and are permitted to subcontract to others within the terms of their contract with the Post Office. In addition, Post Office Limited has instructed Herbert Smith Freehills in respect of the Group Litigation.</p><p> </p><p>The selection of law firms to provide legal services to Post Office Limited is an operational matter for the company in which Government plays no role.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 16/07/2019 15:32:29 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 129146 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones