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47877

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name	Attorney General
answering dept sort name	Attorney General
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions have taken place under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 for the offence of providing unrestricted access to hardcore pornography online, as set out in the 2005 Crown Prosecution Service guidelines, disaggregated by year.
tabling member constituency	Bishop Auckland
tabling member printed	Helen Goodman
uin	196000
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)indicate the number of offences charged, in which a prosecution commenced at magistrates' courts under Section 2 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 (publishing or having an obscene article for publication for gain), rather than identifying the number of people prosecuted.</p><p>Section 2 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 creates the offence of publishing or having an obscene article for publication for gain.</p><p>The table below shows, in each of the last 8 years, for which figures are available, the number of offences, charged by way of Section 2 of the OPA 1959, and which reached a first hearing at magistrates' courts, in England and Wales.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Obscene Publications Act 1959 { 2 }</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2005-2006</strong></p></td><td><p>111</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2006-2007</strong></p></td><td><p>105</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2007-2008</strong></p></td><td><p>111</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2008-2009</strong></p></td><td><p>152</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2009-2010</strong></p></td><td><p>82</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2010-2011</strong></p></td><td><p>71</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2011-2012</strong></p></td><td><p>76</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2012-2013</strong></p></td><td><p>34</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p>Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Hertfordshire answering member printed Oliver Heald question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 69 label Biography information for Sir Oliver Heald
tabling member	1484 label Biography information for Helen Goodman

47882

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
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 Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, what engagement plan for disseminating high value opportunity programme opportunities has been developed; and what opportunities have been identified within the professional and business services sector.
tabling member constituency	Hartlepool
tabling member printed	Mr Iain Wright
uin	195986
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>Through this strategy UKTI has invigorated its support for this vital sector including a sector-focused trade mission programme, new business ambassadors, a marketing plan, and a sharper focus on the High Value Opportunity (HVO) programme, to make sure professional and business services (PBS) businesses are aware of theexport opportunities and are able to get involved. We are engaging with industry on how we maximise the impact of these activities and what more we can do to help. This has included discussions with businesses from this sector across the country and the Devolved Administrations.</p><p> </p><p>Companies are able to find out more about HVO opportunities including a link to an opportunity map at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/high-value-opportunities" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/high-value-opportunities</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	1478 label Biography information for Mr Iain Wright

47888

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
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 Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, if the new envoy network has been convened through UK Trade & Investment; and what progress his Department has made in orchestrating a mission programme.
tabling member constituency	Hartlepool
tabling member printed	Mr Iain Wright
uin	195994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>In line with the commitment in “Growth is Our Business” to invite leading business people from professional and business services (PBS) to act as sector envoys whilst travelling abroad, several individuals were approached to join the Prime Minister's list of Business Ambassadors. Appointments of four new PBS Business Ambassadors were announced in January 2014. These were Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE (Chief Executive Officer MITIE), Rona Fairhead CBE, Steve Varley (UK Chairman and Managing Partner (UK and Ireland) of Ernst and Young) and Will Lawes (Senior Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer). They joined Caroline Plumb (Chief Executive Officer, FreshMinds), Alan Parker (Chairman, Brunswick Group), who were already active.</p><p> </p><p>Business Ambassadors agree to undertake a programme of activities agreed with UK Trade &amp; Investment (UKTI) including holding events to promote UK businesses around the world, meeting overseas Ministers and inward missions, participating in trade missions and providing insights into how UKTI can best deliver for business.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	1478 label Biography information for Mr Iain Wright

47889

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
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 Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, whether his Department is on course to run at least two professional and business services dedicated trade missions each year; and what such missions have taken place since the Strategy was published.
tabling member constituency	Hartlepool
tabling member printed	Mr Iain Wright
uin	195995
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>UK Trade &amp; Investment (UKTI) is developing professional and business services dedicated trade missions to North America, South America, South East Asia and India this year. These missions will complement other planned trade missions open to this sector, for example the business delegations which accompany the Lord Mayor of London's overseas visits.</p><p> </p><p>UKTI delivered a professional services event in Russia with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment and the Royal Society of Chartered Surveyors in November 2013.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	1478 label Biography information for Mr Iain Wright

47892

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
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 has taken to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	196014
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has put in place a robust framework to reduce the burden of regulation on all businesses, particularly small business.</p><p> </p><p>In January 2011, we brought in the One-in, One-out rule. This required departments wanting to introduce new regulation which generated costs for business to first identify a corresponding cut in regulation elsewhere with the same value. In January 2013 this was increased to a more demanding One-In, Two-Out rule so that departments now need to find £2 of savings for every £1 cost they introduce. To date, as set out in the 7<sup>th</sup> Statement of New Regulation published on 17 December 2013, we have cut the annual cost of domestic regulation by £1.19 billion.</p><p> </p><p>We are also reducing the stock of regulation through the Red Tape Challenge, with over 3,000 regulations now having been identified to be scrapped or improved. When fully implemented, we expect that these changes will bring estimated annual savings to business of over £850 million.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Specifically to help small business, in April 2011 we introduced a moratorium exempting micro and start-up businesses from new domestic regulation for three years. From 1 April 2014 this was extended to include small businesses (with up to 50 employees) through the introduction of the Small and Micro Business Assessment (SaMBA).</p><p> </p><p>Measures that this Department has introduced specifically to reduce the burden of regulation on small businesses include giving small and medium-sized enterprises the flexibility to determine the most appropriate set of accounting rules for them, along with flexibility in how they submit their company reports through regulatory changes to audit rules. We have also extended the qualifying period of unfair dismissal to two years and introduced a new employment status of employee shareholder.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

47893

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what research and development into the commercial application of robotics his Department funds; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	196017
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>This Department has worked with the Technology Strategy Board's (TSB) Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Special Interest Group to develop a National Strategy for robotics in the UK, which will identify commercial opportunities in key sectors of the Government's Industrial Strategy.</p><p> </p><p>The Department and its partner organisations fund research and development into the commercial application of robotics as follows:</p><p> </p><p>BIS</p><p>This Department is currently providing funding of £1.5m to support the development of autonomous road vehicles. The consortium (which includes Oxford and Cambridge Universities, the Transport Systems Catapult and other partners) will develop small pod-like vehicles capable of carrying up to 2 passengers and which will ultimately be capable of autonomous operations.</p><p> </p><p>BIS has previously funded a two year automation programme with the British Automation and Robot Association that ended in September 2013. The £600k programme over two years enabled the provision of a one day manufacturing review and diagnostic to small and medium-sized enterprises on the potential to apply robotics and automation in their businesses. The programme also provided the opportunity for more detailed interventions. Over 268 one day reviews were carried out, and more detailed interventions accounted for a further 282 days of advice.</p><p> </p><p>Research Councils</p><p>The Research Councils current investment into research related to the commercial application of robotics is £36.5m, which includes a £10m investment through the Natural Environment Research Council into Marine Autonomous Systems.</p><p> </p><p>Technology Strategy Board</p><p>The TSB is the prime channel through which Government supports business-led technology innovation. Since 2010 it has invested £8 million in robotics and robotics related projects, helping business develop and commercialise new products and services.</p><p> </p><p>The TSB is arranging an entrepreneur-led overseas delegation to the US in June 2014 to develop the UK's brand in robotics and to engage with the rapidly growing robotics cluster in San Francisco and San Diego. This creates a real opportunity for UK robotics companies to capitalise on this growth and take a lead in integrating their technologies in a range of markets that could exploit them. The message behind the mission is that the UK is open for business and has innovative robotics companies that are interested in the US market and are ready to engage in dialogue, form partnerships and do business in the international arena.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Government (through TSB) has previously funded research and demonstration of civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicles through the £62m ASTRAEA programme over the past seven years. The programme has made possible the ‘unmanned' flight of a Jetstream 31 from Lancashire to Inverness, clocking up to 2,500 miles in flights between Lancashire and Inverness and around the Irish Sea.</p><p> </p><p>UK Space Agency</p><p>The UK Space Agency encourages and supports companies and research organisations to spin-out technology developed through space exploration into non-space sectors. The funding provided by the Agency is for feasibility studies. The relevant studies funded are:</p><p> </p><ul><li>the application of Mars rover autonomous navigation for large off road vehicles; and</li><li>development of Auto-Resonant Control System.</li></ul> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Mr David Willetts question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 53 label Biography information for Lord Willetts
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

47894

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether information included in the registry of company beneficial ownership information will be available for free.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Martin Horwood
uin	196058
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>Companies House is a Trading Fund and must recover the costs for the services it provides where there are clear identifiable costs. However, Companies House already provides a lot of company data for free, including company appointments. It is actively working to increase the amount of data available for free and company beneficial ownership information will form part of this ongoing strategy.</p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	1499 label Biography information for Martin Horwood

47895

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether information included in the registry of company beneficial ownership information will be cross-checked against data held by (a) passport authorities, (b) vehicle licensing authorities, (c) electoral registers and (d) other databases.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Martin Horwood
uin	196059
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>Companies House currently undertakes a range of checks across the breadth of documents delivered to them. In 2012-13 over 400,000 documents were rejected because they did not pass these checks.</p><p> </p><p>We are carefully considering whether any further reform is necessary, whilst ensuring the UK's company registration regime remains quick, simple and inexpensive. We do not however envisage that this would include cross-checking data against other sources of information.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	1499 label Biography information for Martin Horwood

47896

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the registry of company beneficial ownership information will contain a description of how the beneficial owner exercises control over (a) a company, (b) names of the chain of companies that demonstrate a person is the beneficial owner and (c) any other means by which a person exercises control over a company.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Martin Horwood
uin	196061
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>As outlined in the Government's response to the <em>Transparency and Trust </em>discussion paper we are continuing to develop how details of the beneficial interest are to be recorded on the company's register and at Companies House. We intend that this information will allow users of the register to build a meaningful picture of the company's ownership and control structure.</p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	1499 label Biography information for Martin Horwood

47898

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the student loan default rate is for students and graduates of (a) Bristol, (b) Cambridge, (c) Durham, (d) Exeter, (e) Leeds, (f) Manchester and (g) Oxford Universities.
tabling member constituency	Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
tabling member printed	Mr Nick Gibb
uin	196099
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>Information on the repayment status of student loans is available in the Student Loans Company (SLC) publication <em>‘Income Contingent Repayments by Repayment Cohort and Tax Year'</em>, which is availableat the following link: <a href="http://www.slc.co.uk/media/589346/slcosp012013.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.slc.co.uk/media/589346/slcosp012013.pdf</a> .</p><p> </p><p>Institution-specific information is not published and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Mr David Willetts question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 53 label Biography information for Lord Willetts
tabling member	111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb