Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

174156

registered interest
date	16/01/2015
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	Engineering: Females
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 9 January 2015 to Question 219396, on the Employee Ownership Fund, what estimate he has made of the amount of the £0.72 million that will be spent on training women engineers.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
tabling member printed	Meg Munn
uin	221085
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>I have decided to support two of the three applications that we received under the women in engineering call under the Employer Ownership Fund. The two companies will receive a total of £104k, £12k of which is planned to be drawn down by one of the companies in the current Financial Year. The Women in Engineering call is now closed. There are, however, further opportunities to support women engineers in the two Employer Ownership Fund calls that are currently open: supporting companies in the automotive supply chain and supporting engineering careers in smaller companies.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 21/01/2015 15:40:07 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	1448 label Biography information for Meg Munn

173876

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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	Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme
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 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what (a) inquiries have been made and (b) investigations have been carried out by (i) Ministers in his Department, (ii) officials in his Department and (iii) Business Bank staff into allegations of misselling relating to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme since 2012.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Mr Chuka Umunna
uin	220927
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been pro-active in its engagement with Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) lenders, with regular audits of the use of the scheme since its launch. In February 2014 BIS wrote to all lenders participating in the EFG scheme reiterating their operational responsibilities, including the way in which it is presented to their front line staff and customers. Following evidence of concerns of lending by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in August 2014, BIS officials asked RBS to instigate an internal review into this issue.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has met with RBS to discuss these findings, and I have asked the British Business Bank – which now administers the programme on behalf of the Department – to continue to closely monitor the action being taken by RBS to address these issues. I have been given assurance from RBS that they will put right any cases where they are at fault to ensure that no detriment is suffered by either the borrower or the taxpayer.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Enterprise Finance Guarantee remains a valuable programme which helps viable businesses gain access to finance where they have insufficient security or an inadequate track record to access finance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock grouped question UIN 220931 question first answered 20/01/2015 15:48:31 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4128 label Biography information for Chuka Umunna

173877

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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	Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme
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 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what discussions and meetings (a) Ministers in his Department, (b) officials in his Department and (c) Business Bank staff have had with (i) participating lenders and (ii) business organisations where allegations of misselling relating to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme were discussed since 2012.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Mr Chuka Umunna
uin	220928
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>The British Business Bank maintains regular contact with all of the main lenders participating in the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. Quarterly meetings are held at a senior level and the allegations of mis-selling have been on the agenda of those meetings since early in 2014. In addition, operational meetings take place on a regular basis. From August 2014 onwards more frequent senior level meetings have taken place with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). At a meeting in August 2014 RBS agreed to our request that they should undertake to conduct an internal review. The findings of that review and a proposed course of action were presented at a meeting with the British Business Bank in December 2014, and senior executives from RBS met the Secretary of State on 14 January 2015. The British Business Bank has also discussed the ‘mis-selling’ allegations with the British Bankers’ Association and the Lending Standards Board, each on one occasion.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 20/01/2015 16:07:55 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4128 label Biography information for Chuka Umunna

173878

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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	Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme
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 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what (a) safeguards and (b) monitoring processes and producers are operated by his Department or the Business Bank in relation to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme; what scrutiny of lenders takes place routinely; and what data his Department collects on the operation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme by lenders.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Mr Chuka Umunna
uin	220929
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>Participating lenders under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme are subject to a continuous cycle of risk based and thematic independent audits to monitor their compliance with the scheme. Regular communications and meetings take place with lenders to discuss the results of the audits, additional correspondence and EFG related complaints. Oversight is enhanced through analysis by the British Business Bank of the transactional data recorded by the lenders.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 21/01/2015 11:35:01 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock previous answer version 39325 answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4128 label Biography information for Chuka Umunna

173879

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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	Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme
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 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what the operational responsibilities of lenders under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme are; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure these are upheld.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Mr Chuka Umunna
uin	220930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>We require all lenders participating in the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme to give clear and accurate information to borrowers and to ensure that their customer-facing staff understand the way in which the scheme operates. Lenders are provided with a comprehensive EFG scheme manual and are subject to a continuous cycle of independent external audit to monitor their compliance with the scheme terms. Following evidence of concerns of lending by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in August 2014, my officials asked RBS to instigate an internal review into this issue, and the Secretary of State has subsequently met with RBS to discuss these findings.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>EFG lenders follow their normal procedures according to internal policies throughout the administrative lifecycle of an EFG-backed loan. Lenders confirm eligibility of applicants and provide a transactional record to the British Business Bank – which now administers the programme on behalf of the Department – through an on-line tool. Regular dialogue is maintained between the British Business Bank and the lenders.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 20/01/2015 16:14:05 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4128 label Biography information for Chuka Umunna

173880

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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	Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme
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 carry out an investigation into allegations of misselling to businesses by lenders relating to loans made under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Streatham
tabling member printed	Mr Chuka Umunna
uin	220931
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been pro-active in its engagement with Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) lenders, with regular audits of the use of the scheme since its launch. In February 2014 BIS wrote to all lenders participating in the EFG scheme reiterating their operational responsibilities, including the way in which it is presented to their front line staff and customers. Following evidence of concerns of lending by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in August 2014, BIS officials asked RBS to instigate an internal review into this issue.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has met with RBS to discuss these findings, and I have asked the British Business Bank – which now administers the programme on behalf of the Department – to continue to closely monitor the action being taken by RBS to address these issues. I have been given assurance from RBS that they will put right any cases where they are at fault to ensure that no detriment is suffered by either the borrower or the taxpayer.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Enterprise Finance Guarantee remains a valuable programme which helps viable businesses gain access to finance where they have insufficient security or an inadequate track record to access finance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock grouped question UIN 220927 question first answered 20/01/2015 15:48:31 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4128 label Biography information for Chuka Umunna

173665

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
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	Social Services: Pay
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 contribution of 13 January 2015 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Official Report, columns 218-22WH, on care sector, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department of Health on the effect of commissioning decisions by local authorities on the level of compliance with the national minimum wage in the care sector; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Sutton and Cheam
tabling member printed	Paul Burstow
uin	220728
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The Government is taking action to improve compliance with the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the social care sector. We are working closely with the Department of Health, Communities and Local Government and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).</p><p> </p><p>Over the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013, HMRC have made enquiries into 224 employers in the social care sector. Over half of these were paying less than the minimum wage between them owing £1,319 729 arrears of pay to 6550 workers, with penalties issued with a total value of £146,931. There are 94 investigations currently underway in the social care sector.</p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health have recently published statutory guidance for local authorities as part of the package of secondary legislation to accompany the Care Act. The chapter of statutory guidance on commissioning and market shaping explicitly states that local authorities should have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels will not compromise care providers’ ability to pay at least minimum wages.</p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health is asking all Local Authorities to sign up to the Social Care Commitment which incorporates a statement about employer compliance with minimum wage legislation. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has written out to all its members encouraging them to support the Commitment as a way of raising standards in adult social care.</p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health is also working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Health Services Management Centre at Birmingham University to develop as set of Commissioning Standards. Local authorities will be encouraged to use these as a benchmark to support them to improve commissioning practices, including those which have an impact on the social care workforce such as employer compliance with National Minimum Wage.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the actions we are currently taking to reduce non-compliance in the social care sector, we will also be:</p><p> </p><p>• issuing guidance to employers so that they understand the NMW law, including tips to avoid common mistakes and the records that they should be keeping to prove that they are paying their workers correctly.</p><p> </p><p>• encouraging care sector workers who have been underpaid to make a complaint- making sure that they understand their entitlement.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC have started work on new targeted enforcement work in the care sector.</p><p> </p><p>Any worker who is concerned that they have not received what they are entitled to should call the helpline on 0800 917 2368. HMRC follow up every complaint.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 19/01/2015 15:37:41 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	204 label Biography information for Paul Burstow

173706

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
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	Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on investor-state dispute settlement in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
tabling member constituency	South Down
tabling member printed	Ms Margaret Ritchie
uin	220794
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 7 November 2014 to question 212541.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 19/01/2015 16:10:26 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

173735

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
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	Staff
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) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Pamela Nash
uin	220857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The majority of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) training budget is delegated to the individual business units. This enables them to target resources to their learning priorities. BIS does not centrally collate details of individual course attendances.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The spend on training in core BIS in the last five years is</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Spend</strong></p><p><strong> £</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>2,340,575</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>2,662,967</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>2,070,999</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>1,840,850</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15 (figure as at end November 2014)</p></td><td><p>1,000,995</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are unable to provide details of spend in relation to parts (a) and (b). The information is not held against discrete finance headings and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 19/01/2015 15:15:56 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3909 label Biography information for Pamela Nash

173794

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
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	Higher Education: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of successful applications to UK universities were made by British people from BME communities in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	220852
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The latest available figures are shown in the table. The figures for 2014 entry will be published by UCAS on January 21<sup>st</sup>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Accepted applicants from the UK to full-time undergraduate courses in the UK, by ethnic group</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="8"><p><strong>Year of entry</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>2010</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>2011</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>2012</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Numbers</p></td><td><p>%</p></td><td><p>Numbers</p></td><td><p>%</p></td><td><p>Numbers</p></td><td><p>%</p></td><td><p>Numbers</p></td><td><p>%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>424,634</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td><td><p>431,235</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td><td><p>407,391</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td><td><p>434,690</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>of which:</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>White</p></td><td><p>331,491</p></td><td><p>78.1</p></td><td><p>333,198</p></td><td><p>77.3</p></td><td><p>308,545</p></td><td><p>75.7</p></td><td><p>328,625</p></td><td><p>75.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Black</p></td><td><p>27,162</p></td><td><p>6.4</p></td><td><p>29,688</p></td><td><p>6.9</p></td><td><p>30,794</p></td><td><p>7.6</p></td><td><p>32,485</p></td><td><p>7.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Asian</p></td><td><p>40,737</p></td><td><p>9.6</p></td><td><p>43,211</p></td><td><p>10.0</p></td><td><p>42,561</p></td><td><p>10.4</p></td><td><p>45,665</p></td><td><p>10.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mixed</p></td><td><p>14,185</p></td><td><p>3.3</p></td><td><p>15,494</p></td><td><p>3.6</p></td><td><p>14,821</p></td><td><p>3.6</p></td><td><p>16,255</p></td><td><p>3.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other</p></td><td><p>4,419</p></td><td><p>1.0</p></td><td><p>4,709</p></td><td><p>1.1</p></td><td><p>5,901</p></td><td><p>1.4</p></td><td><p>6,195</p></td><td><p>1.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Unknown</p></td><td><p>6,640</p></td><td><p>1.6</p></td><td><p>4,935</p></td><td><p>1.1</p></td><td><p>4,769</p></td><td><p>1.2</p></td><td><p>5,460</p></td><td><p>1.3</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: UCAS</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tunbridge Wells answering member printed Greg Clark question first answered 19/01/2015 15:13:23 answering member 1578 label Biography information for Greg Clark
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis