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1142092

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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	Loneliness
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 progress has been made against the commitment set out in the Loneliness Strategy to work in partnership with Campaign to End Loneliness, British Red Cross, the Association of Convenience Stores and others, to explore how businesses can provide community space out of business hours or engage with the wider community in other ways.
tabling member constituency	Leeds West
tabling member printed	Rachel Reeves
uin	282313
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Employers can play an important role in tackling loneliness in their workforce and wider society.</p><p> </p><p>The Department continues to work with the Campaign to End Loneliness to run an Employers’ Leadership Group on Loneliness. The group strengthens cooperation and coordination between Government, business and other groups with an interest in tackling loneliness. The group, which includes the Association of Convenience Stores and the British Red Cross, is currently carrying out work to identify good practice and produce case studies and guidance to help employers tackle loneliness – both in the workforce and in the wider community.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 282314 question first answered 09/09/2019 07:41:34 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4031 label Biography information for Rachel Reeves

1142093

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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	Loneliness
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 progress has been made against the commitment set out in the Loneliness Strategy to capture and share the work businesses are doing to help tackle loneliness in the wider community and to promote that work and develop it further.
tabling member constituency	Leeds West
tabling member printed	Rachel Reeves
uin	282314
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Employers can play an important role in tackling loneliness in their workforce and wider society.</p><p> </p><p>The Department continues to work with the Campaign to End Loneliness to run an Employers’ Leadership Group on Loneliness. The group strengthens cooperation and coordination between Government, business and other groups with an interest in tackling loneliness. The group, which includes the Association of Convenience Stores and the British Red Cross, is currently carrying out work to identify good practice and produce case studies and guidance to help employers tackle loneliness – both in the workforce and in the wider community.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 282313 question first answered 09/09/2019 07:41:34 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4031 label Biography information for Rachel Reeves

1142298

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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	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, what progress her Department has made on reviewing the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme; and when she plans to resume naming employers under that scheme.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	282556
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to taking tough action against employers who underpay the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage (NMW). Our budget for enforcement and compliance stands at a record high and last year HM Revenue and Customs issued a record £17 million in penalties to employers who broke the rules.</p><p>We are in the process of concluding the evaluation of the NMW Naming Scheme. Any changes made to the Scheme will be made through an updated version of our published enforcement policy in due course, following which regular naming of employers who have breached NMW rules will resume.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:23:47 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1142311

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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	Gratuities
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when she plans to (a) publish a response to the consultation on tips, gratuities, cover and service charges which closed on 27 June 2016 and (b) bring forward legislative proposals on service charges.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	282563
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>Through the Good Work Plan we have committed to legislate on a range of areas to enhance workers’ rights, including to ensure that all tips left to workers go to them in full.</p><p> </p><p>We expect over a million workers to benefit, many of whom are in low-paid jobs. Consumers will have reassurance that the money they leave in good faith is going to the staff, as they intended.</p><p> </p><p>The Good Work Plan set out an ambitious programme to take forward the vast majority of the recommendations made in the Taylor Review. We have already implemented key commitments, through secondary legislation to increase workers’ rights and protections, and improve transparency for workers, from day one. We will bring forward further measures when Parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:21:49 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1141729

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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: West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
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 businesses in the West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine constituency.
tabling member constituency	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
tabling member printed	Andrew Bowie
uin	281793
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government is supporting businesses in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine to develop and thrive.  The British Business Bank has issued 46 loans in the area totalling £493,319 and we continue to deliver the £250 million Aberdeen City Region Deal investing in oil &amp; gas, bio-therapeutics and food innovation, improvements in digital infrastructure, a strategic transport appraisal and the expansion of Aberdeen harbour.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 09/09/2019 07:34:25 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4601 label Biography information for Andrew Bowie

1141792

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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
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 she will make an assessment of the potential for pre-packaged administrations to be open to abuse as a way of passing on pension liabilities to the Pension Protection Fund.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>A pre-packaged sale in administration, whereby the sale of all or part of the business is arranged prior to the company entering formal insolvency and realised on or immediately after the appointment of the administrator, is a valuable business rescue tool. Pre-pack sales help to avoid a deterioration of the value of the company’s business between appointment of the administrator and sale, meaning there is more money available for creditors, including the pension scheme. In most cases where pre-packs are used, the only alternative would be the collapse of the business and the loss of all employees’ jobs.</p><p> </p><p>The government is aware of concerns about the transparency of pre-pack sales, particularly where a business is sold to a person connected with the old company. It is currently evaluating whether legislative measures are necessary to regulate pre-pack sales to a connected person, following a review of a package of voluntary industry measures implemented in 2015 to improve creditor confidence in pre-packs. As part of the review the government liaised with the Pension Protection Fund, which made clear in its response to concerns raised by the Chair of the Department of Work and Pensions Select Committee, that it does not fundamentally take issue with pre-packs but where there are concerns, these are referred to the Pensions Regulator for investigation.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:19:42 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141793

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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	Johnston Press: Insolvency
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 she will make an assessment of (a) the reasons for the collapse of Johnston Press and (b) whether additional powers for the Pension Regulator would help to safeguard pension funds and mitigate the potential financial loss to employees.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Johnston Press Group entered administration on 17 November 2018 and its business and assets were sold to a company owned by the Group’s bondholders (JPI Media Group) under a pre-pack arrangement. The government cannot comment on individual insolvency cases. However, the Pensions Regulator in its report of March 2019 found no evidence that the insolvency of Johnston Press was avoidable and had no reason to use its anti-avoidance powers.</p><p> </p><p>The government’s White Paper 2018 “Protecting Defined Benefit Pension Schemes” proposed a number of new measures to provide better protection for scheme members’ benefits, including giving the Pensions Regulator additional powers to enable it to be more proactive with tougher penalties to deter wrongdoing.</p><p> </p><p>A response to the consultation was published on 11 February 2019.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:18:13 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141794

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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
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 she will review pre-packaged administration deals and make an assessment of the potential merits of preventing directors of a failed company becoming directors of the new company in cases where pension liabilities are passed onto the Pension Protection Fund.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The government has recently carried out a review of the impact of voluntary industry measures introduced in 2015 to improve confidence in pre-packaged sales in administration. The review will inform a decision on whether further regulation is required where a business is sold via a pre-pack sale to a person connected with the old company. We expect to publish the outcome of the review shortly.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the review the Government liaised with the Pension Protection Fund, which made clear in its response to concerns raised by the Chair of the DWP Select Committee, that it does not fundamentally take issue with pre-packs but where there are concerns, these are referred to The Pensions Regulator for investigation.</p><p> </p><p>The government already has robust measures in place to prevent directors of insolvent companies who are guilty of poor behaviour from taking part in the management of companies in the future. When a company enters a formal insolvency procedure, such as administration, the insolvency practitioner has a legal duty to report to the Insolvency Service on the conduct of the directors and where wrongdoing is identified, action can be taken to disqualify them for up to 15 years.</p><p> </p><p>The government response to the 2018 White Paper “Protecting Defined Benefit Pension Schemes” proposes additional powers for The Pensions Regulator with a tougher approach to the minority of employers whose irresponsible behaviour does put pension schemes at risk.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 09/09/2019 07:37:17 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141396

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
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	Consumer Goods: Electrical Safety
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 (a) to improve and regulate qualifications for PAT testing and (b) to ensure those qualifications cannot be gained through online only courses.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281004
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive enforces the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. This legislation requires that any electrical equipment in the workplace has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition and anyone carrying out work on any electrical equipment to be competent for the work they are doing.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:28:04 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1141397

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
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	Electricians: Qualifications
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 for the certification of electricians with a specialism in the repair of white goods and small appliances.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	281005
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive enforces the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. This legislation requires that any electrical equipment in the workplace has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition and anyone carrying out work on any electrical equipment to be competent for the work they are doing.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 03/09/2019 15:25:53 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris