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170297

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Scottish Power
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he received reports from the MacDonald Partnership in relation to mis-sold Scottish Power Power Plan warranties; what the titles of such reports were; and when he plans to respond to those reports.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
	tabling member printed	Steve Rotheram
	uin	218595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The initial report from Mr MacDonald was received on 17 July 2014 for review by the Insolvency Service. Further information including another more detailed report was received from him during September and October 2014, and these again have been reviewed by the Insolvency Service. The reports are confidential.</p><p> </p><p>The reports themselves do not require a direct response but I can confirm that the Insolvency Service has completed its review of this material and is in communication with Mr MacDonald.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 17/12/2014 11:11:20 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4035 label Biography information for Steve Rotheram

179062

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2015
	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	Zero Hours Contracts
	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 for classifying a zero hours contract.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral South
	tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
	uin	223955
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2015 answer text <p>There is no legal definition of a zero hours contract in UK domestic employment law. In general terms a zero hours contract is an arrangement under which an employer does not guarantee the individual any work, and the individual is not obliged to accept any work offered.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The ONS in their Labour Force Survey describe a zero hours contract as a contract ‘where a person is not contracted to work a set number of hours, and is only paid for the number of hours that they actually work’.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 24/02/2015 11:48:33 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

179263

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2015
	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	Zero Hours Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that employees working on zero-hours contracts, who are in practice working regular hours over an extended period, have the right to a fixed-term contract.
	tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent South
	tabling member printed	Robert Flello
	uin	907603
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2015 answer text <p>All employees on zero hours contracts can already, after 26 weeks, request a move to fixed hours contracts under flexible working legislation, brought in on 30 June 2014. We are also currently banning exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts and the employment status review currently taking place is looking further at the employment rights zero hours workers have.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 12/02/2015 16:28:53 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	1569 label Biography information for Robert Flello

170286

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Written Questions
	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 savings to his Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems his Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	218770
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/01/2015 answer text <p>No financial estimate of savings has been made since the introduction of the Q&amp;A system. However, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has seen a reduction in paper usage and BIS staff no longer have to physically deliver PQ answers to hon. Members and the House authorities. These obvious savings will continue.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BIS changed its IT platform for managing PQs to eCase last summer. This would have happened regardless of the introduction of the Q&amp;A system.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 02/01/2015 11:52:42 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

223515

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2015
	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	Working Mothers: Breastfeeding
	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 potential merits of introducing a statutory right for mothers to take breaks for breastfeeding in the workplace.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Leslie
	uin	225438
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2015 answer text <p>The Government encourages breastfeeding and recommends employers enable women to breastfeed as a matter of best practice.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is conducting research on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage in the workplace; which includes the experiences of mothers returning to work from maternity leave. This research will identify the number of mothers who would like to breastfeed or express milk in the workplace but do not; either because they are not allowed to, or because they think they would not be allowed to. These results will help to assess the scale of unmet demand from mothers to take breaks for breastfeeding in the workplace. The research results will be published in due course.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Alongside the new entitlement to shared parental leave the Government will continue to work with employers to highlight the business benefits of supporting breastfeeding; and promote best practice and guidance. BIS will continue to keep under review the evidence around this issue.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 02/03/2015 17:49:50 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	3933 label Biography information for Charlotte Leslie

174352

	registered interest
	date	19/01/2015
	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	Working Hours: EU Law
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress the Government has made since 2010 in negotiating a revision of the Working Time Directive; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Christchurch
	tabling member printed	Mr Christopher Chope
	uin	221280
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>The Working Time Directive was last negotiated in 2012 by European Social Partners. That negotiation ended without agreement in 2013 and the initiative is back with the European Commission. The Directive is not currently in negotiation, but the UK is making its priorities clear. The European Commission have just issued a public consultation on the Directive. The Government is preparing its response and encourages interested organisations and individuals to respond.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 22/01/2015 14:17:10 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

179260

	registered interest
	date	11/02/2015
	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	Working Hours: EU Law
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the EU Commission on the UK's implementation of the Working Time Directive.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
	tabling member printed	Ian Murray
	uin	224307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is in regular contact with the European Commission on a range of issues. In 2014 the European Commission requested national reports on the practical implementation of the Working Time Directive. The Government provided its response on 31 October 2014, setting out recent developments in case law, and evidence of the impacts of the Working Time Directive. That evidence was recently published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389676/bis-14-1287-the-impact-of-the-working-time-regulations-on-the-uk-labour-market-a-review-of-evidence.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389676/bis-14-1287-the-impact-of-the-working-time-regulations-on-the-uk-labour-market-a-review-of-evidence.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The response re-iterated the Government’s priorities for the future of the Working Time Directive. They are to maintain the economy-wide individual right to opt-out of the 48 hour working week, and seek more flexibility following EU court rulings around on-call time, compensatory rest and holiday pay.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 23/02/2015 09:38:11 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

166454

	registered interest
	date	26/11/2014
	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	Window Blinds: Safety
	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 children under the age of three died from entanglement in looped blind cords in the UK in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.
	tabling member constituency	Ochil and South Perthshire
	tabling member printed	Gordon Banks
	uin	216237
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>The latest figures available from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents are that there were three reported deaths in 2012, and two reported deaths in 2013 of children under the age of three from entanglement in looped blind cords.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 01/12/2014 10:08:45 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	1589 label Biography information for Gordon Banks

177604

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2015
	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	Water Companies: Living Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with water companies on payment of the living wage in that sector.
	tabling member constituency	Penistone and Stocksbridge
	tabling member printed	Angela Smith
	uin	223140
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2015 answer text <p>My Rt. hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has not had any discussions with water companies on payment of the Living Wage.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government supports employers that choose to pay the Living Wage when it is affordable and not at the expense of jobs. Decisions on what wages to set are for employers and workers to agree as long as employers pay at least the national minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This Government is committed to improving living standards, particularly for the low paid and the only way to achieve a sustainable increase in living standards is to focus on economic growth, employment and cutting taxes for the low paid. This is exactly what we are doing.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 09/02/2015 15:56:19 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	1564 label Biography information for Angela Smith

165869

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	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	Water
	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 is taking to reduce water (a) usage and (b) bills in his Department; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
	tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
	uin	215952
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), including 9 arm-lengths bodies, has a baseline for water use of 283,495m<sup>3 </sup>across the estate. In April 2014 the Department achieved a 45% reduction compared to the baseline.</p><p> </p><p>One method for reducing water consumption since April 2014 has been to install waterless urinals throughout the building at 1 Victoria Street. In addition to this, BIS has also reduced flush capacity by 3 litres so far in year 2014/15.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is aiming to build on the current reduction by the end of year 2014/15 and we anticipate that the decrease in water usage by BIS will equate to a significant financial saving.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 02/12/2014 17:35:35 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby