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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

170285

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the savings to the Law Officers' Departments 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 the Law Officers' Departments have introduced or plan 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	218771
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p>The Attorney General’s Office has made an estimated saving of £164 in respect of stationery costs since June 2014. There may also have been some savings in staff time but it is not possible to quantify this without incurring a disproportionate cost. There have been no other identified savings.</p><p> </p><p>There have also not been any modifications made to existing ICT systems that were dependent on introduction of the Q&amp;A system.</p><p> </p><p>One of the benefits of the new system is the possibility for the reporting of the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions to be delivered with greater consistency and accuracy across all answering bodies.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Mr Robert Buckland question first answered 05/01/2015 17:40:06 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

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

170294

	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	Business: Procurement
	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 make it his policy to prohibit companies from requiring a supplier company to make a payment in order to join or to remain on that company's list of suppliers.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Greg Mulholland
	uin	218825
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government has already taken action to prohibit this practice in certain sectors. The statutory Grocery Supply Code prohibits payments as a condition of stocking or listing a supplier’s grocery products.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are currently consulting on extent of the problem and on whether Government should take further action with respect to supplier lists.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 19/12/2014 16:15:09 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock previous answer version 35664 answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	1540 label Biography information for Greg Mulholland

170295

	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	Business: Procurement
	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 implications of the practice of companies requiring a supplier company to make a payment in order to join or to remain on that company's list of suppliers on competition in the UK economy.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Greg Mulholland
	uin	218826
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department is aware that the practice of suppliers having to pay to join or remain on a supplier list is an issue in some sectors. The Government has already taken action to prohibit this practice in certain sectors.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are currently consulting to understand the prevalence and impact of this practice economy wide. This will ensure that any action is appropriately targeted and achieves real change on the ground.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 19/12/2014 16:14:15 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock previous answer version 35666 answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	1540 label Biography information for Greg Mulholland

170289

	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	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, if he will take steps to ensure that interns used for full-time work are paid at least the National Minimum Wage; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Helen Jones
	uin	218759
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The term “intern” is not defined in any legislation: entitlement to the minimum wage depends on whether or not an individual is a worker. If an internship meets the legal definition of a worker, then they must be paid at least the minimum wage from the start.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Given this dependency on employment status, it is vital that employers and workers understand how this is determined. We continue to carry out targeted awareness raising initiatives with interns and HMRC have been working with employers to identify potential non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Complaints from interns about non-payment of the minimum wage are prioritised by HMRC for investigation and HMRC will investigate every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the helpline on 0800 917 2368.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Determining an individual’s employment status can be complicated. This is why the Business Secretary announced a review of employment status in October this year, to help ensure an employment status framework in the UK that meets the needs of everyone. This is an internal review and will present findings to ministers early next year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 18/12/2014 12:13:10 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	432 label Biography information for Helen Jones

170288

	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	Further Education
	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 people aged 24 years and older participated in Government-funded further education courses at all levels in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14.
	tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
	tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
	uin	218803
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p>Table 1 shows the number of people aged 24 years and older who participated in Government-funded further education courses at all levels in the last five academic years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: 24+ FE &amp; Skills Participation (2009/10 to 2013/14) – Learner Volumes</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td colspan="5"><p><strong>Funded Learners</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td><p><strong>2009/10</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2010/11</strong></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><strong>Participation</strong></p></td><td><p>2,873,400</p></td><td><p>2,515,100</p></td><td><p>2,493,600</p></td><td><p>2,583,100</p></td><td><p>2,273,300</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes</strong></p><p> </p><p>1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100; percentages are calculated on pre-rounded data.</p><p> </p><p>2) Age is reported as at 31 August of the academic year and is based upon self-declaration by the learner.</p><p> </p><p>3) The data source for this table is the Individualised Learner Record.</p><p> </p><p>4) Figures for 2011/12 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years as a Single Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data collection system has been introduced. Small technical changes have been made in the way learners from more than one provision type are counted, leading to a removal of duplicate learners and a reduction in overall learner numbers of approximately 2 per cent.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 05/01/2015 14:05:48 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

170304

	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	Postal Services
	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 make an assessment of the financial sustainability of the Universal Postal Service in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22, (d) 2022-23 and (e) after 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Knowsley
	tabling member printed	Mr George Howarth
	uin	218700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/01/2015 answer text <p>Parliament has given Ofcom, as an independent regulator, the primary statutory duty to secure the provision of a universal postal service and to have regard for its financial sustainability.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ofcom have a detailed monitoring and forecasting regime in place to assess the health of the universal postal service on a monthly basis and if the evidence suggests the need for a further review – which can be carried out at any given point in time - Ofcom would not hesitate to do this.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 02/01/2015 14:02:44 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	481 label Biography information for Sir George Howarth

170305

	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	Postal Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether end-to-end postal providers other than the Universal Service Provider will be required to publish Quality of Service standards.
	tabling member constituency	Knowsley
	tabling member printed	Mr George Howarth
	uin	218701
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/01/2015 answer text <p>There are no plans to require postal providers other than the Universal Service Provider to publish quality of service standards.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 02/01/2015 11:51:06 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	481 label Biography information for Sir George Howarth

170306

	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	Universal Service Obligation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what time constraints would apply to Ofcom in conducting a review of the net cost of the Universal Service Obligation.
	tabling member constituency	Knowsley
	tabling member printed	Mr George Howarth
	uin	218702
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/01/2015 answer text <p>Section 44 of the Postal Services Act 2011 covers “Review of costs of the universal service obligations”. Section 44(10) states that “Unless directed to do so by the Secretary of State, Ofcom may not carry out a review under this section before the end of 5 years beginning with the day this section came into force.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This means that Ofcom cannot carry out such a review before October 2016 unless directed to do so by the Secretary of State.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After October 2016 Ofcom “may from time to time review the extent (if any) of the financial burden for a universal service provider of complying with its universal service obligations” [section 44(1)].</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 02/01/2015 12:36:12 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	481 label Biography information for Sir George Howarth