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444542

registered interest
date	13/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Green Investment Bank: Privatisation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what impact assessment the Government has undertaken on its decision to privatise the Green Investment Bank.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
uin	22471
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>The Government is moving UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) into private ownership so it can continue operating in the same way it does now only funded with private capital rather than relying on taxpayers’ support. The detailed background and supporting case for this move was set out in the policy statement we published on 18 November. Decisions on the proposed sale are being taken in accordance with best practice to ensure all available options are properly examined in a detailed business case and that a robust valuation process is followed. The process does not involve preparation of an impact assessment as there are no regulatory or significant cost impacts of a majority sale of GIB, or changes to pre-existing policy goals for GIB.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 18/01/2016 16:28:50 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

444110

registered interest
date	12/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Arms Trade
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether there have been any changes to the Government's policy on arms export licences since the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 March 2014, 9WS.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	22028
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>The framework for arms export licensing remains as set out in the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, known as the Consolidated Criteria. This was last updated by the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 March 2014.</p><br /> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 18/01/2016 16:31:27 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

444114

registered interest
date	12/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Arms Trade: International Law
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Written Statement of 25 March 2014, 9WS, whether it is still the Government's policy not to grant an arms license if there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	22036
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>The framework for arms export licensing remains as set out in the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, known as the Consolidated Criteria. All licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated Criteria. A licence would not be granted if to do so would be a breach of the Criteria, including if there was a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 18/01/2016 16:27:01 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

444127

registered interest
date	12/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
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, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to improve access to finance for SMEs.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	22104
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p><strong></strong></p><p>The Government is taking steps to improve financing opportunities for smaller businesses through the British Business Bank. The Bank is making business finance markets for smaller businesses work more effectively and dynamically and is already supporting £2.4 billion of finance to over 40,000 smaller businesses, and participating in a further £3.3 billion of finance to mid-cap businesses. It aims to facilitate up to £10 billion of finance by 2019. In addition, measures in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 will require banks to refer customers who have been declined for a loan to alternative finance providers via designated platforms. This is expected to provide a significant boost to diversity and competition in business lending and is due to be implemented later this year.</p><p><strong></strong></p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 18/01/2016 16:19:33 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

444128

registered interest
date	12/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Exports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the ease by which UK SMEs can access the export market.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	22105
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>Increasing exports is a key factor in the Government’s long-term economic plan and, through the GREAT campaign, it continues to promote the support available to those UK businesses looking to take advantage of overseas opportunities.</p><br /><p>According to data from the Office of National Statistics, since 2010 UK exports have increased from £444.4bn to £513.5bn per annum. At the same time, the number of UK exporting businesses has increased from 188,000 in 2010 to over 221,000 in 2014. The Government commitment is to increase this figure to over 288,000 UK exporting businesses per annum by 2020; an increase of 100,000 on the 2010 figure.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 18/01/2016 16:02:00 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

444181

registered interest
date	12/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Fireworks: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department plans to review its policy on the safety of private firework use in residential areas.
tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
tabling member printed	Charlotte Leslie
uin	22049
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>I am aware of concerns raised recently regarding the safety of fireworks available for sale to the general public. However, I have no immediate plans to review the regulations governing their use.</p><br /><p>The general public are allowed by law to buy and use Category 1 to 3 fireworks which have low risk and noise levels and are considered safe for family use and for private displays in residential areas.</p><br /><p>They are banned from purchasing, using or possessing Category 4 fireworks which present higher levels of risk and noise. These can only be bought and used by professional fireworks display operators who have successfully undertaken an accredited pyrotechnics training course.</p><br /><p>Although a minority of anti-social people misuse fireworks, the majority enjoy them sensibly, responsibly and in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions.</p><br /> <br /> <br /><p><strong></strong></p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 18/01/2016 16:24:53 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	3933 label Biography information for Charlotte Leslie

443609

registered interest
date	11/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Universities: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are responsible for any aspects of the finance and operation of the two universities in Northern Ireland, and if not, who is.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL4893
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p><strong></strong></p><p>Higher Education policy is devolved. The Department for Employment and Learning of the Northern Ireland Executive is the department responsible for Higher Education Institutions in Northern Ireland. This includes responsibility for providing funding to their HEIs for teaching and for recurrent research (also known as Quality Related research funding). In addition, the UK Government provides funding through the Department for Business Innovation and Skills’ Science &amp; Research Budget for Research Councils, which are reserved bodies, and to the National Academies. The Research Councils provide funding for specific projects and programmes of research on a competitive basis open to universities across the United Kingdom, including those in Northern Ireland. Similarly, academics from universities across the UK can bid for funding from the National Academies.</p><br /> <br /> answering member printed Baroness Evans of Bowes Park question first answered 18/01/2016 12:11:23 answering member 4329 label Biography information for Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

443734

registered interest
date	11/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many requests for arms export licences to Saudi Arabia (a) have been made, (b) were rejected by the Export Control Organisation (ECO), (c) were granted by the ECO and (d) were revoked after being granted in each year since 2009-10.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	21721
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>a) The number of Saudi Arabian arms export licences submitted for processing, per calendar year since 2009, is as follows:</p><p>Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015</p><p>Number of Applications 118 148 143 158 161 167 203</p><br /><p>b-d) Information on arms export licences are published as Official Statistics in the quarterly and annual reports on Strategic Export Controls. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. They are available to view at GOV.UK.</p><br /><p>The most recently published information covers the period until 30 June 2015. Information covering 1 July to 30 September 2015 will be published on 19 January 2016 and information covering 1 October to 31 December 2015 will be published on 19 April 2016.</p><p><strong></strong></p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 18/01/2016 16:09:08 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

443779

registered interest
date	11/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Students: Grants
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students studying higher education in further education colleges received maintenance grants in the last year for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
tabling member printed	Gordon Marsden
uin	21886
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>Statistics showing the number of English applicants awarded maintenance grants are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘<em>Student Support for Higher Education in England</em>’.</p><p><a href="http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx</a></p><br /><p>Data provided by the SLC indicates there were 33,700 English applicants awarded maintenance grants for HE courses associated with publicly-funded further education colleges in the academic year 2014/15.</p><p><em></em></p><p>A course can be held at a campus of the associated institution or at a franchise location, therefore numbers of applicants to courses associated with an institution may not necessarily reflect the numbers studying at the institution. An awarded applicant will only receive payments once SLC have received confirmation from the applicant’s provider that the student has been registered on the course.</p><br /> <br /> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Joseph Johnson question first answered 18/01/2016 17:48:54 answering member 4039 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Marylebone
tabling member	465 label Biography information for Gordon Marsden

443810

registered interest
date	11/01/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: UK Membership of EU
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what contingency arrangements his Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.
tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
uin	21933
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>I refer my hon Friend to the reply given on 14 January by my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister's answer to UIN <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-01-11/21952/" target="_blank">21952</a>.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 18/01/2016 16:15:19 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton