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101521

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
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	Met Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the increased accuracy in weather forecasting arising from the new Met Office supercomputer.
tabling member constituency	South Antrim
tabling member printed	Dr William McCrea
uin	212467
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>The new supercomputer will enable the Met Office to improve the accuracy of its weather forecasts on all timescales. At short-range, for example, the Met Office expects that during the lifetime of the new supercomputer its 24-hour forecast will become as accurate as its 12-hour forecast is now. This will enable the Met Office to provide earlier, more accurate and more detailed warning of severe weather and help the UK to be more resilient and better prepared for high impact events.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tunbridge Wells answering member printed Greg Clark question first answered 06/11/2014 14:14:04 answering member 1578 label Biography information for Greg Clark
tabling member	655 label Biography information for Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown

101522

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
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	European Space Agency
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 his Department has made of the reasons for the time taken for the general release of data from European Science Agency (ESA) projects; and if he will make future UK contributions to ESA projects conditional on full and immediate release of all data.
tabling member constituency	Gower
tabling member printed	Martin Caton
uin	212454
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>Data release from ESA missions is governed by agreements approved by all Member States. Release is normally after 6 months, allowing the scientists leading the mission –including many from the UK - to check the integrity of the data and undertake necessary calibrations. This is essential for the data to be scientifically useful.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK will continue to press for the best agreements to maximise the effective use of the data and ensure that images are available as soon as possible to inform the public about these exciting projects.</p> answering member constituency Tunbridge Wells answering member printed Greg Clark question first answered 06/11/2014 14:20:32 answering member 1578 label Biography information for Greg Clark
tabling member	566 label Biography information for Martin Caton

101523

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
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	Apprentices: Cumbria
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 new apprenticeships were created in (a) Cumbria and (b) South Lakeland in each year since 2005.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	212460
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>Information on apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a Statistical First Release (SFR):</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364255/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364255/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 06/11/2014 14:16:59 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

101524

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
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	Public Opinion
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department spent on (a) focus groups and (b) surveys in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
uin	212492
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>This information is not held centrally within BIS and could only be provided at disproportionate cost to the Department.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 05/11/2014 12:52:16 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

101619

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
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	UK Coal
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 full-time equivalent officials of what grade in his Department have been assigned to assist UK Coal in the drafting of a state aid bid.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	212484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>Senior Officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Yorkshire Humber North East Office have been assigned to assist UK Coal following their interest in applying for government funding to extend the operation of the two remaining deep mines until the end of 2018. These officials met with UK Coal on 10 October and are now working with them to help prepare a case for Government support. The company fully understands that this is the first phase of a complex and challenging process before the government submits a state aid case to the European Commission.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 03/11/2014 16:24:19 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

101683

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
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	EU Grants and Loans
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government which United Kingdom organisations have received European Union funding in the last year from structural, cohesion or other funds.
tabling member printed	Lord Vinson
uin	HL2505
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The United Kingdom receives an allocation for the Structural Funds (the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund) but not the Cohesion Fund.</p><p> </p><p>A large number of United Kingdom organisations received European Funding under Structural Funds programmes in the last year. As these are too numerous to set down here, I have provided below details of websites which contain lists of beneficiary organisations.</p><p> </p><p>The links to the Structural Funds programmes are:</p><p> </p><p>ERDF Programmes in England: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/erdf-programmes-progress-and-achievements" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/erdf-programmes-progress-and-achievements</a>.</p><p> </p><p>ESF England and Gibraltar: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/european-social-fund-2007-to-2013" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/european-social-fund-2007-to-2013</a></p><p> </p><p>Devolved Administrations (ERDF &amp; ESF)</p><p> </p><p>Northern Ireland: <a href="http://www.dfpni.gov.uk/index/finance/european-funding.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dfpni.gov.uk/index/finance/european-funding.htm</a></p><p> </p><p>Scotland: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/17404/StructuralFunds2007-2013" target="_blank">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/17404/StructuralFunds2007-2013</a></p><p> </p><p>Wales: <a href="http://wefo.wales.gov.uk/programmes/progress/searchprojects/?lang=en" target="_blank">http://wefo.wales.gov.uk/programmes/progress/searchprojects/?lang=en</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In terms of other sources of EU funding that BIS is responsible for, this includes the Framework Programme 7 for Research &amp; Innovation with numerous participants from Higher Education, Research Organisations, Private Sector and Public bodies. Project information is not set out on the Commission website in such a way as to make it easy to identify UK recipients of EU funding in a calendar year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Another source of EU funding that BIS was responsible for was the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP) under the Competitiveness of Innovation and Enterprises (CIP). The latest beneficiaries report is the 2012 version. The following link will provide more information about the recipients of the programme, <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/cip/files/cip/docs/beneficiaries-report-october-2012_en.pdf" target="_blank">Beneficiaries Report October 2012 Final Version</a> – <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/cip/files/cip/docs/beneficiaries-report-october-2012.en.pdf" target="_blank">http://ec.europa.eu/cip/files/cip/docs/beneficiaries-report-october-2012.en.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 05/11/2014 14:00:24 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	1807 label Biography information for Lord Vinson

101300

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
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	Environment Protection: Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what definition the Government uses of a green or low carbon job for the purposes of collating official statistics and announcements.
tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
uin	212324
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/11/2014 answer text <p>Broadly, the green and low carbon area consists of goods and services designed for the protection of the environment; the production of renewable energy and the reduction of carbon emissions (either in the production of the relevant goods or services or in the use of the relevant goods or services).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There is no internationally agreed definition of green or low carbon, however the government has previously collected and published information on the size of low carbon and environmental goods and services sectors in the UK and is currently considering ways in which our understanding of this area can be improved, including discussing the role that ONS can play.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 07/11/2014 16:54:25 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

101302

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
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	Video Games
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funds distributed by UK Trade and Investment were allocated to the video games sector in each of the last three years; and what proportion of the total funding from UK Trade and Investment that represented in each such year.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Wavertree
tabling member printed	Luciana Berger
uin	212362
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2014 answer text <p>United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) works with the video games sector, to support exports and attract inward investment. A new international strategy for the Creative Industries has been co-produced with the sector, and there is a joint commitment to its implementation. For example UKTI and the UKIE worked together to deliver the Digital Gaming event at the International Festival of Business in Liverpool in July this year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>UKTI supports sectorally-focused groups, including those from the games sector, through both the Trade Access Programme (TAP) and through the Events and Missions Programme. The amount allocated specifically to the video games sector under these two programmes are shown in the table below together with a figure which gives the value as a percentage of programme expenditure as a whole (across all sectors). In addition, video games companies enjoy the support of UKTI through general services available to all companies.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2011-12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012-13</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013-14</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total TAP Support for Video Games Sector</p></td><td><p><strong>£53,400</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£68,560</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£220,100</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>% of Total TAP Funding</p></td><td><p><strong>0.80%</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0.80%</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1.40%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Video Games Events &amp; Missions Spend</p></td><td><p><strong>£69,000</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£0</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£25,000</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>% of Total Events and Missions Spend</p></td><td><p><strong>0.82%</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>n/a</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0.18%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 10/11/2014 11:47:46 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock previous answer version 25810 answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4036 label Biography information for Luciana Berger

101303

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
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	Video Games
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2014 to Question 211397, what plans the Government has to increase the proportion of Technology Strategy Board funds allocated to the video games sector.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Wavertree
tabling member printed	Luciana Berger
uin	212346
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>Innovate UK is responsible for determining its spending priorities, in the context of the Tasking Framework Letter issued to it by my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills after each Spending Review.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The main competition that has supported games businesses is Innovate UK’s £15M &quot;Cross-Platform Production in Digital Media&quot; programme, which is directed towards encouraging games, film and TV sectors to innovate together. This competition is now closed and Innovate UK has no more planned competitions within the current Spending Review period.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Video games businesses have wider capabilities which make them suited to addressing challenges in areas such as healthcare management, transport management and urban living. Innovate UK funds are available for innovation in each of these areas, and games businesses expertise may have a strong role to play, but the award of any funding will be subject to Innovate UK’s normal competitive processes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Also, Innovate UK support for small and medium-sized businesses is continually available through programmes like its Smart scheme, which is open to businesses in all technology areas.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 03/11/2014 16:23:16 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	4036 label Biography information for Luciana Berger

101304

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
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	Minimum Wage
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 employers in (a) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, (b) the London Borough of Hackney, (c) London and (d) England that have broken the national minimum wage law have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) named since the revision to the national minimum wage law came into effect on 1 October 2013.
tabling member constituency	Hackney North and Stoke Newington
tabling member printed	Ms Diane Abbott
uin	212281
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government has named 30 employers under the revised Naming and Shaming. Between them they owed workers a total of over £50,000 in arrears and have been charged financial penalties totalling over £24,000. Details of these employers can be found on the original press notices (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-gets-tough-with-employers-failing-to-pay-minimum-wage" target="_blank">28 February 2014</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-employers-who-fail-to-pay-minimum-wage" target="_blank">8 June 2014</a>), including the town in which the employer is based. However, these organisations may employ staff or have offices or other operations in other geographical locations.</p><p>No employers have been prosecuted under the National Minimum Wage Act since October 2013.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 04/11/2014 14:09:07 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	172 label Biography information for Ms Diane Abbott