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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

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

173881

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Cervical Cancer: Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many women under the age of 25 were diagnosed with cervical cancer in (a) the borough of Barnsley and (b) the UK in 2013 and 2014.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	220932
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading East answering member printed Mr Rob Wilson question first answered 20/01/2015 16:17:56 answering member 1556 label Biography information for Mr Rob Wilson attachment 1 file name PQ 220932 ONS 6.pdf title ONS Letter to Member - Cervical Cancer
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

173922

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Dungeness B Power Station
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the future operating life of Dungeness B nuclear power station; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Folkestone and Hythe
tabling member printed	Damian Collins
uin	220873
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>On 20 January 2015, EdF announced that the life of Dungeness B has been extended to 2028. This was a decision for EdF as the owner and operator to make in consultation with the regulator.</p><p>There is no regulatory requirement for nuclear plant operators to gain permission from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), for a plant life extension. Plant operators must instead demonstrate that plant will continue to run safely and in compliance with site licence conditions in the course of regular ONR assessments. However, in the case of Dungeness B, EdF and the ONR agreed it would be beneficial for ONR to review the life extension proposals in advance of the life extension announcement, which they have done.</p><p>Separately, in order to ensure that the extension does not impact on the UK taxpayer, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) reviewed the impact of the decision on the UK’s Nuclear Liability Fund last year. The NDA approved the life extension to the plant. The assessment showed net savings rather than net costs.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 20/01/2015 15:56:38 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	3986 label Biography information for Damian Collins

173923

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastic Bags
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will consult representatives from the compostable plastic bags industry as part of her Department's review of industry standards for the biodegradability of plastic material; and on how many occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have met representatives of (i) oxo-biodegradable and (ii) compostable plastic bag companies in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	220900
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>Neither I nor any of my Defra Ministerial colleagues have met representatives of either the oxo-biodegradable or compostable bag industries in the last 12 months.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At the official level, I set up a Stakeholder Advisory Group in September last year, which will be consulted as part of the review of industry standards for the biodegradability of plastic material. The Stakeholder Advisory Group met twice last year and includes Government officials as well as representatives of the Renewable Energy Association (who represent the compostable bag companies), the Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association, academics and a number of other industry stakeholders such as the British Plastics Federation and the Plastics and Films Association. We expect that this group will meet on three further occasions this year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, officials have met representatives of oxo-biodegradable firms on two occasions in the last 12 months to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications for funding under the Small Business Research Initiative. Officials have also met representatives of companies manufacturing compostable bags on three occasions in the last 12 months.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 20/01/2015 14:57:07 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

173929

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Accident and Emergency Departments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacant A&E consultant posts there were in the NHS excluding London (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) in each of the previous six years.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Dame Tessa Jowell
uin	220878
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>Information on vacancies is not collected by the Department. The last annual National Health Service vacancy survey in England was undertaken by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in 2010. The survey was suspended in 2011 and then discontinued in 2013 following the publication of the Fundamental Review of Data Returns, which aimed to reduce the burden of the collection of data from NHS organisations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The attached table provides vacancy data for 2009 and 2010, the only two years within the last six years for which data is available.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Central Suffolk and North Ipswich answering member printed Dr Daniel Poulter question first answered 20/01/2015 16:08:26 question first ministerially corrected 20/01/2015 16:16:23 answering member 3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter attachment 1 file name Table PQ220878 Vacancy data.xlsx title Vacancy data 2009-10 A&E Consultants previous answer version 39309 answering member constituency Central Suffolk and North Ipswich answering member printed Dr Daniel Poulter answering member 3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter
tabling member	159 label Biography information for Baroness Jowell

173930

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Accident and Emergency Departments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacant A&E consultant posts there are in (a) London and (b) England; and how many such vacant posts there are in each category in each of the last six years.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Dame Tessa Jowell
uin	220879
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>Information on vacancies is not collected by the Department. The last annual National Health Service vacancy survey in England was undertaken by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in 2010. The survey was suspended in 2011 and then discontinued in 2013 following the publication of the Fundamental Review of Data Returns, which aimed to reduce the burden of the collection of data from NHS organisations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The attached table provides vacancy data for 2009 and 2010, the only two years within the last six years for which data is available.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Central Suffolk and North Ipswich answering member printed Dr Daniel Poulter question first answered 20/01/2015 16:08:26 question first ministerially corrected 20/01/2015 16:55:53 answering member 3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter attachment 1 file name Table PQ220878 Vacancy data.xlsx title Vacancy data 2009-10 A&E Consultants previous answer version 39310 answering member constituency Central Suffolk and North Ipswich answering member printed Dr Daniel Poulter answering member 3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter
tabling member	159 label Biography information for Baroness Jowell

173931

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	NHS Property Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Simon Holden, Chief Executive of NHS Property Services, has been paid for home to office travel expenses since taking up the post; for what reasons he is allowed to claim for such expenses; what salary he receives; and which other staff members at NHS Property Services claim for travel expenses.
tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
tabling member printed	Charlotte Leslie
uin	220913
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>It is standard practice for employees to claim the travel expenses incurred as a result of their work, including from their base for work to other locations. Simon Holden’s base for work is Nantwich in Cheshire.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As Chief Executive of NHS Property Services, a national business, Simon Holden travels frequently from his home base to the company’s head office in London and many of the company’s other offices and 4,000 properties across the country, meeting staff, tenants and stakeholders. His travel expenses are therefore significant, even though the Company’s expenses policy permits only standard class travel and overnight stays in hotels at £100 plus VAT per night. These limits are applied to all of the Company’s staff, including the Chief Executive.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>NHS Property Services publishes the salary details of its Chief Executive, along with those of the rest of its board members, in its annual report and accounts, available on the company website at:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.property.nhs.uk/about-us/publications/" target="_blank">www.property.nhs.uk/about-us/publications/</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For transparency purposes, the company has also begun publishing details of Mr Holden’s travel expenses, and those of the company’s other executive directors.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Expenses for the second quarter are still being audited and will be posted on the website in due course.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 2013-14, its first year of operation, NHS Property Services was focused on setting up its systems and processes, and bringing together the systems and processes of 161 predecessor organisations. Collated figures for travel expenses for individual Directors of the company for this year are therefore not available; to establish them would require a manual trawl of every rail ticket and receipt, every expenses payment and claim over a twelve month period, which would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>An important point to note however is that by Simon Holden not having a London based location, the Company saves a London Weighting allowance of £6,279.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>NHS Property Services Ltd has been fully operational and has had a full complement of non-executive directors since 2013-14. The amounts paid to the Company’s non-executive directors is published in the Company’s annual report and accounts and is shown in the table below for the full year 2013-14; the part-year figures to the end of December 2014 are produced in the same format.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Non-Executive Director</p></td><td><p>Amount paid in 2013-14 (£000s)</p></td><td><p>Amount paid April 2014 - December 2014 (£000s)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Robin Williams<sup>1</sup></p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td><td><p>50-55</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Charles Howeson<sup>2</sup></p></td><td><p>35-40</p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Douglas Blausten<sup>3</sup></p></td><td><p>30-35</p></td><td><p>15-20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Martin West</p></td><td><p>20-25</p></td><td><p>15-20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Chris Kane</p></td><td><p>10-15</p></td><td><p>15-20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Rachel Kentleton<sup>4</sup></p></td><td><p>10-15</p></td><td><p>5-10</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><sup>1 </sup>Robin Williams joined the Company in April 2014.</p><p> </p><p><sup>2 </sup>Pro rata – Charles Howeson resigned 31 December 2013: the whole time equivalent salary was £50,000 - £55,000.</p><p> </p><p><sup>3 </sup>Douglas Blausten received additional remuneration from 1 January 2014 – 31 March 2014 for role as Acting Chairman. His whole time equivalent pay for 2013-14 was £20,000 - £25,000.</p><p> </p><p><sup>4 </sup>Rachel Kentleton left the Company October 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The pay levels of the company’s non-executive directors are determined by the Department of Health, taking into account market rates, the required expertise, and the time commitment of the roles.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Tim Litherland was employed as Head of Asset Information at Agenda for Change band 9. He left the company in July 2014, having originally transferred into the Company from a strategic health authority, when the latter was abolished under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The role, which is now a permanent post in the company’s structure, consisted of managing the team that established the company’s estates information database and which collates, reviews and analyses the information relating to the 3,700 properties the company inherited from primary care trusts and strategic health authorities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Charles Siddons is the company’s Head of Business Development, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, Dennis Markey. Mr Siddons was appointed to that role after a competitive, internal recruitment process, and he receives a salary equivalent to NHS Agenda for Change band 8d. He is entitled to claim travel and accommodation expenses incurred as a result of his work in the same way as other employees of the company, and receives no additional benefits.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In summary, the role of Head of Business Development is to produce and implement the company’s operational delivery plan for facilities management. This includes the delivery of operational targets and the management of key projects.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Central Suffolk and North Ipswich answering member printed Dr Daniel Poulter grouped question UIN 220914 220915 220916 question first answered 20/01/2015 16:14:17 answering member 3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter
tabling member	3933 label Biography information for Charlotte Leslie