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985647

registered interest
date	11/10/2018
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: Billing
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 10 October 2018 to Question 174703 on Small Businesses: Billing, what encouragement the Chartered Institute for Credit Management has given to organisations on signing up to the prompt payment code.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	178284
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2018 answer text <p>The Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) administer the Prompt Payment Code on behalf of the Department. The Code is a voluntary set of best-practice principles, which organisations can choose to sign up to. CICM promote the Code through a variety of industry led events and through their dedicated website found at <a href="http://www.promptpaymentcode.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.promptpaymentcode.org.uk/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Prompt Payment Code plays an important role in setting best practice principles in payment terms and practices. The government has recently announced new measures that will help strengthen the Code in enforcing these principles, including appointing the Small Business Commissioner to the Code’s Compliance Board to embed greater independence from industry and support his role in tackling late payment.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, my Department has now launched a call for evidence seeking views on how we can build on the government’s existing late payment policies, including the Prompt Payment Code, to drive an end to late payments. The Call for Evidence will look at whether there is merit in introducing additional measures, including whether the Small Business Commissioner should have a greater role in the Code’s administration.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 16/10/2018 16:21:42 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

985698

registered interest
date	11/10/2018
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	Consumer Goods: Electronic Commerce
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 potential merits of the introduction of a quality mark for online sellers of electrical goods.
tabling member constituency	Swansea East
tabling member printed	Carolyn Harris
uin	178333
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2018 answer text <p>Products sold in the UK must comply with the relevant applicable legislation, including safety legislation. Safety rules apply whether good is sold on the high street or online. Enforcing authorities can take action where the law is not complied with. Electrical products sold on the UK market are required to have a CE marking to demonstrate that they meet all the relevant legislation, including safety rules. Consumers have protection and right to redress if a product is faulty or unsafe. Quality marks which go beyond legal compliance are a matter for industry.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 19/10/2018 09:47:19 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4480 label Biography information for Carolyn Harris

985703

registered interest
date	11/10/2018
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	Overseas Companies: Imports
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 effect of companies moving production to European locations and importing the goods on the job security, pay and conditions of their workers.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	178286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2018 answer text <p>We are committed to getting the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for all parts of the UK economy.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is working to maintain employment security by actively engaging with employers and ensure them that the UK remains one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business.</p><p> </p><p>That includes supporting those businesses that trade with the EU and wider international markets, as well as continuing to encourage record foreign direct investment that supports business and communities up and down the country.</p><p> </p><p>Investor confidence remains high and according to EY’s 2018 annual attractiveness survey, “the UK remains the number one destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in Europe, ahead of Germany and France”.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 16/10/2018 16:22:02 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

985705

registered interest
date	11/10/2018
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	Trading Standards: Recruitment
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 increase the number of Trading Standards Officers in England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	Swansea East
tabling member printed	Carolyn Harris
uin	178336
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2018 answer text <p>Trading Standards Officers are employed by local authorities which are independent from central government. These authorities are responsible for determining their spending priorities and for the recruitment of Trading Standards Officers; they are accountable to their local electorate.</p><p> </p><p>The Department provides funding to National Trading Standards (NTS) to enable local authorities in England and Wales to take coordinated action on consumer harm issues that cross local authority boundaries.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 19/10/2018 09:47:38 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4480 label Biography information for Carolyn Harris

984779

registered interest
date	10/10/2018
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 Offices
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 discussions his Department has had with representatives of the Post Office on ensuring the size and accessibility of the branch network.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	177571
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2018 answer text <p>In our 2017 Manifesto we committed to safeguarding a Post Office network of at least 11,500 branches and to protect existing rural services. The Government sets the parameters in which the Post Office operates and then allows the Post Office to operate as an independent commercial organisation.</p><p>BEIS officials are in regular discussions with the Post Office and continue to monitor the network size.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/10/2018 14:30:13 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

984781

registered interest
date	10/10/2018
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: North East
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 close the employment rate gap between the North East of England and the rest of the UK.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne North
tabling member printed	Catherine McKinnell
uin	177690
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2018 answer text <p>The North East LEP Growth Deal is providing £379m to the North East LEP, to support the delivery of their Strategic Economic Plan, with its focus on more and better jobs. This has resulted in 67,000 more people in employment in the area than in 2010, and unemployment is at its lowest level for 20 years. We continue to work with the LEP in the development of an ambitious Local Industrial Strategy, designed to increase both the quantity and quality of jobs in the North East.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 15/10/2018 16:01:06 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell

984844

registered interest
date	10/10/2018
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: Loans
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 discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on supporting companies that have potential cash-flow problems after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Mr John Hayes
uin	177594
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2018 answer text <p>The Department continues to engage regularly both across Whitehall and with business and industry on the matter of exiting the EU.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding financial support for business, the British Business Bank already offers a number of programmes and support mechanisms to small businesses at all stages of their development. British Business Bank programmes are already supporting more than £5.2bn of finance to nearly 75,000 smaller businesses (as at August 2018).</p><p> </p><p>Through the British Business Bank’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee programme EFG a lender is enabled to extend credit to businesses which, while viable, may have insufficient security to otherwise secure credit lines to support their businesses; this can include revolving facilities, such as overdrafts, and can be a powerful tool in supporting SMEs needing working capital.</p><p> </p><p>The British Business Bank also supports a variety of cash flow finance options through its Investment programme, including unsecured loans to businesses through alternative providers such as debt funds and peer to peer platforms, and dedicated cash flow lenders who can advance loans to small businesses secured against their future income, such as invoices payable or future credit card payments.</p><p> </p><p>Businesses are encouraged to explore the variety of funding opportunities available to them and to visit the British Business Bank’s Finance Hub which can direct them to the most appropriate sources of support: <a href="https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/finance-hub/" target="_blank">https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/finance-hub/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>As negotiations progress, the Department is working hard to put plans in place that ensure businesses across the UK can easily access the information they need to properly prepare for our departure from the EU.</p><p>We will continue to listen to businesses up and down the country through our regular engagements.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, we will continue to publish all relevant material on gov.uk. Businesses can register to get information on the progress of negotiations direct to their inbox by signing up to the DExEU stakeholder bulletin.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/10/2018 14:31:02 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

984852

registered interest
date	10/10/2018
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	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: 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, how many and which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited the Irish border in the last 12 months; when those visits took place; and how long they spent at the border in each of those visits.
tabling member constituency	Oxford West and Abingdon
tabling member printed	Layla Moran
uin	177801
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2018 answer text <p>Ministers and officials from the Department at all levels have visited both Northern Ireland and Ireland regularly to gain understanding of the issues relating to the border. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has visited Belfast in both May and August this year, accompanied by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. My rt. hon Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth met the Irish Minister for Business in London in June, and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Business and Industry visited Dublin in December last year.</p><p>Officials working on Energy Networks and on Customs visit regularly, holding extensive meetings with local officials and businesses to understand in detail the relevant areas of concern, including the Single Electricity Market and cross-border trade. BEIS has built a clear picture of cross-border supply chains of a number of businesses (including SMEs) and East-West and North-South trade flows.</p><p>In addition, Northern Ireland Office Ministers have also conducted an extensive programme of engagement in Northern Ireland on EU exit with a wide range of stakeholders.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 18/10/2018 15:01:30 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4656 label Biography information for Layla Moran

984895

registered interest
date	10/10/2018
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: 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, what steps he is taking to improve access to finance for small businesses in (a) Kettering and (b) England.
tabling member constituency	Kettering
tabling member printed	Mr Philip Hollobone
uin	177660
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2018 answer text <p>Improving access to finance is the mission of the Government-owned British Business Bank, which addresses gaps in the finance market through guarantees, debt and equity finance. The bank is currently supporting around £5.2 billion of finance to almost 75,000 businesses across the United Kingdom, including through British Patient Capital, a £2.5bn fund for long-term equity investment.</p><p>From March 2012 to July 2018, the Start-Up Loans initiative delivered more than 57,000 loans across all parts of the UK, lending a total of £436 million and contributing to the creation of more than 56,600 jobs. Over the same period, 49 start-up loans with a total value of £366,644 were awarded to entrepreneurs in Kettering.</p><p>Access to invoice finance is an issue for many small businesses, because of terms in commercial contracts that prohibit or restrict them from assigning the value of their invoices. I have recently introduced regulations to ensure that any such contractual restrictions entered into after 31 December 2018, with certain exceptions, would have no effect and could be disregarded by small businesses and finance providers. This new measure is expected to provide a long-term boost to the UK economy worth almost £1billion.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 15/10/2018 16:01:53 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	1537 label Biography information for Mr Philip Hollobone

984902

registered interest
date	10/10/2018
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	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: 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, whether he plans to publish his Department's preparations for no deal.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	177706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2018 answer text <p>We firmly believe it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved. But it is the job of responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, so we have already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations for the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal.</p><p> </p><p>We have already published over 100 technical notices so that businesses and citizens have time to prepare in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario. These are available on gov.uk in a centralised location that is easy for people to access and use.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 15/10/2018 16:15:36 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra