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750414

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2017
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Commonwealth: Foreign Relations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to strengthen relations with Commonwealth partners.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	900355
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2017 answer text <p>Strengthening our relationship with the Commonwealth and all its members is a priority for the Government, as part of our vision for a Global Britain. We look forward to hosting an ambitious and dynamic Commonwealth Summit in 2018 and are working with Commonwealth partners to deliver it.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 11/07/2017 13:47:13 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

967827

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	New Enterprise Allowance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of recent trends in the number of individuals in receipt of the New Enterprise Allowance.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	170294
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2018 answer text <p>The Department regularly publishes official statistics for the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme, including an overview of the latest trends seen in the data. The latest publication can be accessed at:</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/new-enterprise-allowance-april-2011-to-december-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/new-enterprise-allowance-april-2011-to-december-2017</a></strong></p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 12/09/2018 16:33:04 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

967828

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	New Enterprise Allowance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse has been of the New Enterprise Allowance in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	170295
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2018 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>Between April 2011 and December 2017, New Enterprise Allowance has supported over 113,000 people to start their own business.</p><p> </p><p>The Departmental spend on New Enterprise Allowance (NEA), comprising contracted mentoring costs and Allowance payments to participants who had started to trade from 2013/14 is set out in the table below:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>£m</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013/14</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014/15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total NEA spend</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>58.8</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>44.2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>20.2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>29.1</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>22.1</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p> </p><p>The reducing spend reflects:</p><p> </p><ol><li>Rising employment rates</li><li>The introduction of the Link Up Start Up (LUSU) workshop in April 2017 (to assess the viability of a claimant’s business) prior to starting on NEA</li><li>A refund of costs in 2015/16 from suppliers from the Grant Funded phase of the NEA which ended in December 2014.</li></ol> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 19/09/2018 14:47:49 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

155745

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Foreign Investment in UK
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to encourage more foreign direct investment in UK companies.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	214745
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p><strong>In 2013-14 the UK attracted 1,773 foreign direct investment projects, giving a total stock of £1.6 trillion of such investments - more than any other country apart from the USA. During this Parliament the Government has taken action to make the UK a more attractive location to run a business including reducing corporation tax so that it will reach 20% next year – the lowest in the G20 - and investing in skills, science and infrastructure. The Government has also increased resources at UK Trade and Investment including for example establishing private sector-led teams in the Gulf, Central Europe, and South America dedicated to attracting inward investment into the UK. </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 24/11/2014 17:43:50 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

177084

	registered interest
	date	02/02/2015
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Financial Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to encourage banks to offer their services to money service businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	222940
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2015 answer text <p>The UK Government is committed to supporting a healthy and legitimate remittance sector, and ensuring that UK citizens are able to continue to remit funds safely to family abroad. That is why, in response to the withdrawal of banking services from the Money Service Business sector we set up an Action Group on Cross Border Remittances to address this issue. The group is monitoring changes to the market, has developed guidance for MSBs and banks and is promoting a shared understanding of risk. The group is also overseeing the development of a Safer Corridor to ensure the continued, secure flow of remittances to Somalia.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Treasury Ministers have been engaging closely with the banking industry both through the British Bankers Association and directly with those banks involved in this issue, including personally writing to and phoning a number of banks.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 04/02/2015 12:29:59 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

224414

	registered interest
	date	02/03/2015
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Financial Services: Technology
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to boost the growth of the financial technology industry.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	225806
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2015 answer text <p>As part of our long term economic plan, the Government is committed to supporting the continued growth of the Financial Technology (FinTech) sector. The Government has taken a number of steps to achieve this, including:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li><p>Creating a new Payments Systems Regulator (PSR), which will ensure that smaller banks and alternative providers of finance – including FinTechs – can access payment systems in a fair and transparent way, and thereby contributing to a fairer and more competitive payments industry. The PSR will open its doors on 1 April this year.</p><p> </p></li><li><p>Committing to additional funding of £100m to the British Business Bank’s Investment Programme – including funding for FinTech.</p><p> </p></li><li><p>Launching the GO-Science’s Blackett Review on FinTech Futures, which looks ahead 10 years to the future and identify what the technologies, enablers and barriers are that will shape the future of the UK FinTech sector.</p><p> </p></li></ul><p> </p><ul><li><p>Naming the big banks that will have to share credit data, and refer on SMEs they reject for finance – helping alternative finance providers, including FinTech firms, to lend more effectively;</p></li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li><p>Supporting the development of the peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding market: consulting on ISA eligibility for crowdfunded debt securities; announcing we will review EU regulations standing in the way of P2P institutional lending; and creating a bespoke regulatory framework for P2P.</p><p> </p></li></ul><p> </p><p>Most recently at budget 2015, we announced a further package of measures to build on the government’s wide-reaching programme of reform to drive competition in banking and FinTech, including announcing that:</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>The Government intends to apply anti-money laundering regulation to digital currency exchanges in the UK, launch a new research initiative into digital currency technology, with £10 million additional funding, and work with the British Standards Institution and the digital currency industry to develop voluntary standards for consumer protection.</p><p> </p></li><li><p>Gocompare will launch the first personal current account comparison tool making use of customers’ bank midata releases on 26 March 2015.</p><p> </p></li><li><p>The Government will work with the banks and FinTech firms to develop an open API (Application Programming Interface) standard for banks, by the end of the year.</p></li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li><p>the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ‘Project Innovate’ will work with HMT and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to investigate the feasibility of developing a regulatory ‘sandbox’ for financial services innovators</p><p> </p></li><li><p>Innovate Finance has agreed to deliver its FinTech regional strategy through a series of local partnerships; the first partnership has already been established in Leeds, and further partnerships will be established in Manchester and Edinburgh by April, and in Newcastle, Bristol and other centres before the end of the year.</p></li></ul><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 25/03/2015 11:07:37 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

391418

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2015
	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	Energy: Meters
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the reason is for the difference between the estimated cost of the Smart Metering Implementation Programme of £10.9 billion included in her Department's Third Annual Report on the roll-out of Smart Meters, December 2014 and the whole life costs of £19.25 billion included in the Major Project Authority's Portfolio data for her Department of June 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	8015
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2015 answer text <p>The Annual Report on the roll-out of Smart Meters and the Major Project Authority’s report use the same underlying data, taken from the Programme’s Impact Assessment:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-meter-roll-out-for-the-domestic-and-small-and-medium-non-domestic-sectors-gb-impact-assessment" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-meter-roll-out-for-the-domestic-and-small-and-medium-non-domestic-sectors-gb-impact-assessment</a>.</p><p>The difference between the estimated costs is due to the two reports using different methodologies to present the same cost information of the Programme.</p><p>The Annual Report on the roll-out of Smart Meters expresses information in real prices and present values. This follows Treasury guidance for policy appraisal and is aimed at providing future cost and benefit information in a way that is most meaningful for decision making.</p><p>The cost figures in the Major Project Authority’s report are expressed in nominal terms and are not discounted to present value terms. This is aimed at achieving comparability across Government projects but can result in different figures between Impact Assessments and the data reported by the Major Project Authority.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 08/09/2015 15:55:21 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

391421

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2015
	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	Energy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress she has made on reducing the time taken for homeowners to switch energy and gas supplier; and what forecast she has made of the effect on switching times of the completion of the smart metering implementation programme.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	7974
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2015 answer text <p>The Department has worked with Energy UK, Ofgem, suppliers and other key industry partners to develop and implement proposals which have enabled domestic customers to switch supplier within 17 days, half the time it previously took.</p><p>The roll-out of smart metering will make switching energy supplier easier and faster and is a key enabler to 24-hour switching. The Government announced in the Summer Budget 2015 that it will work with Ofgem with the ambition of introducing 24-hour switching by the end of 2018.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 07/09/2015 08:37:52 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

391422

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2015
	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	Energy: Meters
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will review the effects to date of the use of smart meters; and if she will estimate how much consumers reduce gas and electricity usage once a smart meter has been installed.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	7975
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2015 answer text <p>Our central estimate of energy savings to domestic consumers as a result of smart metering is 2.8% for electricity every year in comparison to what consumption would have been in that year without smart meters (prepayment and credit) and 2% for gas (credit) and 0.5% for gas (prepayment). The energy savings assumptions are conservative in comparison to international evidence.</p><p>In March 2015 DECC published research on the effects of the early rollout of smart meters – The Early Learning Project:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-metering-early-learning-project-and-small-scale-behaviour-trials" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-metering-early-learning-project-and-small-scale-behaviour-trials</a>.</p><p>The Early Learning Projects findings around levels of energy consumption reduction are that DECC’s steady-state projections for the main roll-out fall within the confidence intervals of the energy consumption reductions observed in the research for both gas and electricity. However evidence suggests that larger energy savings are achievable; it is realistic to expect durable energy savings of 3 per cent provided engagement is effective, and larger savings are feasible in the future.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 08/09/2015 16:02:38 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

419093

	registered interest
	date	16/09/2015
	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	Smart Data Communications Company: Small Businesses
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she has taken to remove barriers to small energy providers using the services of the Data Communications Company.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	10487
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2015 answer text <p>DECC has undertaken a continuous programme of outreach with independent suppliers. This has allowed us to monitor their views on a range of issues, including costs and their ability to use the services of the Data Communications Company (DCC). One challenge we recognised independent suppliers may face was the cost effective procurement of adaptor software enabling them to access DCC services. Over the last twelve to eighteen months, this challenge has been taken up by a number of commercial providers bringing managed service IT solutions to the market which allow independent suppliers to access the DCC with minimal upfront cost. We will continue to monitor the situation to verify that smaller suppliers are able to access the DCC services satisfactorily.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 12/10/2015 14:00:45 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

419094

	registered interest
	date	16/09/2015
	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	Smart Data Communications Company: Small Businesses
	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 her Department has made of the effect of the fixed charge system outlined in the Smart Energy Code on the ability of small energy providers to access the services of the Data Communications Company.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	10488
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2015 answer text <p>The Data Communications Company (DCC) charges for access to the DCC’s services in proportion to suppliers’ market share, calculated on a meter point basis, rather than an equal amount per supplier. This is designed to strike a balance between ensuring a fair contribution from all parties who will have access to the DECC services, and not disadvantaging those parties that are likely to use these services less than others.</p><p>The amount small energy providers will pay in fixed charges is therefore directly reflective of their smaller customer base and likely more limited use of the system that results from their lower market share.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 12/10/2015 14:01:52 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

422219

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2015
	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	Energy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 7974, what research her Department has conducted into the ease of switching energy supplier.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	12450
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2015 answer text <p>The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has, as part of its investigation into the energy market, commissioned research into consumer experiences and views of the energy market including the ease of switching energy supplier.</p><br /><p>The CMA investigation is still ongoing but the report it commissioned has already been published can be found at:</p><br /><p><a href="https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/54e75c53ed915d0cf700000d/CMA_customer_survey_-_energy_investigation_-_GfK_Report.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/54e75c53ed915d0cf700000d/CMA_customer_survey_-_energy_investigation_-_GfK_Report.pdf</a></p><br /> <br /> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 27/10/2015 13:35:29 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

422220

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2015
	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	Energy: Meters
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many In Home Displays have been installed in households to date; and how many such displays are still in operation 12 months after installation.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	12307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2015 answer text <p>It is not possible to give an accurate figure on the number of In Home Displays (IHDs) installed as while energy suppliers are required to offer their domestic consumers an IHD where they install a smart metering system, domestic consumers can choose not to accept one.</p><br /><p>Data from the Early Learning Project1 (ELP) which covered the very early part of the rollout at time when energy suppliers were trialling and testing approaches to consumer engagement, found that six in ten (61%) smart meter customers who had received an In Home Display (IHD) reported that they still had their IHD plugged in. These consumers had had their smart meters over a period of between six months and two and half years. The research also found that smart meter customers who had received their installation more recently were no more likely than those who did so around two years ago to still have their IHD plugged in.</p><br /><p><em><strong>[1]</strong></em><em><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-metering-early-learning-project-and-small-scale-behaviour-trials" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-metering-early-learning-project-and-small-scale-behaviour-trials</a></em></p><br /> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 26/10/2015 15:17:40 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

422222

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2015
	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	Energy: Meters
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department (a) has conducted and (b) plans to conduct any research into alternative customer engagement tools to In Home Displays.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	12308
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2015 answer text <p>In 2011 the Energy Demand Research Project reported on a series of Government-supported supplier-led trials covering a range of feedback mechanisms from over 50,000 GB houses. These included but were not limited to In Home Displays with research into energy efficiency advice, benchmarking, billing, financial incentives and digital media (e.g. web and television). The findings showed that electricity savings with an In Home Display were generally 2-4% higher than with a smart meter only.</p><br /><p>More recently, the Department has consulted on enabling suppliers to undertake controlled trials of innovative In Home Display alternatives when they install a compliant smart metering system. We are currently considering responses ahead of publishing decisions.</p><p><br></p><br /> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 26/10/2015 15:17:18 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

425361

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2015
	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	Energy: Meters
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the estimated cost per household will be to suppliers of having to issue an in-home display as part of the smart meter home display.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	14289
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2015 answer text <br /><p>Energy suppliers are required to offer their domestic customers an In Home Display (IHD) for no upfront charge. Our latest Impact Assessment published in January 2014 estimates that IHDs will cost energy suppliers £15 per display.</p><br /><p>GB trials and international experience demonstrate that real time feedback from In Home Displays are instrumental to energy savings.</p><p><br></p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 10/11/2015 15:12:28 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

428504

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2015
	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	Energy: Meters
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of in-home displays need to remain in operation after installation for the smart metering implementation programme to have the potential to deliver overall economic benefit for customers and energy providers.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	16346
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2015 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">We are supporting older and vulnerable people to keep warm through support including the Energy Company Obligation and the Warm Home Discount. Over 1.6 million measures have been installed in around 1.3 million households through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) alone.</del></p><br /><p><del class="ministerial">This year, over 2 million households will get help under the Warm Home Discount scheme– including an automatic electricity bill discount of £140 for over 1.3 million of the poorest pensioners. In winter 2014/15, Winter Fuel Payments were made to around 12.5million older people in around 9 million households. The Cold Weather Plan, published by Public Health England, helps to raise awareness of the harm to health from cold, and provides guidance on how to prepare for and respond to cold weather.</del></p><br /><p><del class="ministerial">The Government has also provided around £3 million to fund the creation of the ‘Big Energy Saving Network’ which focuses on helping consumers understand tariffs and switching options as well as how they could benefit from energy efficiency programmes available to them. As we approach winter, DECC officials will continue to maximise awareness of the Energy Saving Advice Service (ESAS –contact number 0300 123 1234), which also provides a referral service for ECO Affordable Warmth.</del></p><br /><p><ins class="ministerial">DECC’s most recent Impact Assessment for the roll-out of smart metering, published in January 2014, estimates a positive net present benefit of £6.2 billion over the period to 2030, with total benefits of £17.1 billion and costs of £10.9 billion.</ins></p><br /><p><ins class="ministerial">Of the £17.1 billion of overall benefits around one third stems from energy savings, for which the In Home Displays (IHDs) are a critical enabler. They are an important first step in wider consumer engagement and behaviour change that can unlock additional economic benefit, for example through the development of a smart grid and more flexible and resilient future energy system.</ins></p><br /><p><ins class="ministerial">Smart metering also enables significant operational efficiency savings within the energy industry, so even without the energy savings benefits the Smart Metering Implementation Programme has the potential to deliver overall economic benefit for UK customers and energy providers.</ins></p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 24/11/2015 13:18:01 question first ministerially corrected 30/11/2015 11:12:29 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom previous answer version 31788 answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

435844

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2015
	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	Energy: Meters
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to paragraph 2.31 of her Department's policy conclusions: Early Learning Project and Small-scale Behaviour Trials, relating to the Smart Metering Implementation Programme, published in March 2015, what wider evidence was used to reach the conclusion that durable energy savings of three per cent could realistically be expected; and what assessment she has made of whether the programme remains on course to achieve such savings.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	19020
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2015 answer text <p>The wider evidence used to reach the conclusions relating to energy savings is set out under ‘Research and theory on energy saving linked to smart metering’ in chapter 6 of the Smart Metering Early Learning Project: Synthesis report:</p><br /><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/407568/8_Synthesis_FINAL_25feb15.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/407568/8_Synthesis_FINAL_25feb15.pdf</a></p><br /><p>Our assessment remains that it is realistic to expect durable energy savings of 3 per cent provided engagement is effective, and that larger savings are feasible in the future. The Department is continuing to work with energy suppliers, Smart Energy GB and others to ensure that the energy savings and wider benefits to consumers are maximised.</p><br /> <br /> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 14/12/2015 15:02:24 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

450806

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2016
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Motor Vehicles: Brakes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of autonomous emergency braking systems in reducing the number of road traffic accidents.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	25845
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2016 answer text <p>The Department has not made any detailed assessment of the effectiveness of autonomous emergency braking systems, but we are aware that a number of studies have highlighted the potential for a reduction in collisions. Most trucks exceeding 8 tonnes and coaches registered after 1 November 2015 are fitted with it, and we support measures by EuroNCAP to encourage its fitment in new cars.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harrogate and Knaresborough answering member printed Andrew Jones question first answered 12/02/2016 11:42:52 answering member 3996 label Biography information for Andrew Jones
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

425306

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2015
	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	Economic Situation
	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 contribution of (a) crowdfunding businesses, (b) peer-to-peer lending businesses and (c) big data businesses to the UK economy.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	14290
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2015 answer text <p>The state of equity investment in small businesses was assessed by the British Business Bank in March this year. Their report shows an overall increase in equity investment to small firms in each of the past four years, with both the number of deals and the total amount invested showing a clear upward trend. The contribution from crowdfunding has grown strongly since 2012. By the third quarter of 2014, deal numbers exceeded those of private equity, accounting for almost one-third of seed funding deals in the first half of 2014.</p><p>The Peer-to-Peer Finance Association publishes quarterly performance data, which show net new lending to small businesses of £91m in Q3 2015. According to NESTA, peer-to-peer lending in the UK grew at a rate of 250% annually between 2012 and 2014. The growth of the UK peer-to-peer lending sector has been facilitated by a responsive and flexible regulatory regime that recognises the importance of a competitive and diverse market for business finance.</p><p>The Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates that the big data market could benefit the UK economy by up to £216 billion between 2012 and 2017. Research by NESTA has also found that UK companies making greater use of online customer data are up to 13% more productive than their peers.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 09/11/2015 14:52:44 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

425397

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2015
	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	South East Asia: Exports
	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 boost exports to (a) Indonesia, (b) Vietnam, (c) Thailand, (d) Malaysia, (e) the Philippines and (f) other countries in South East Asia.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	14282
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2015 answer text <p>UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has established a regional network to support UK trade and investment across South East Asia. This helps provide UK companies with access to the fast-growing markets of the region. The network is on target to assist nearly 10,000 businesses this year. UKTI has directly assisted in export deals with the region worth £2bn in the first six months of this financial year, putting us on track to deliver the UK’s best ever trade figures for the region. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister urged the European Union to accelerate negotiations on the EU-ASEAN FTA, a deal that is worth an additional £3 billion a year to the UK economy.</p><p>Closer collaboration across the region, supported by continued investment from government, has enabled UKTI to operate ever more efficiently, working with more British businesses and securing a higher value of business wins. Six regional priority sectors have been identified- reflecting UK strengths as well as the scale of opportunities in the region – enabling a more strategic approach to trade delivery in Infrastructure, Education, Energy, Financial &amp; Professional Services, Consumer Retail and Healthcare.</p><p>Significant investment is also being made in the development of additional trade service capacity, being delivered by industry partners in the region, principally through Chambers of Commerce. This represents the government’s growing focus on the region as a global growth engine, and is indicative of the continuing importance that this government places in seeking out global opportunities to boost the UK economy.</p><p>In July of this year my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister led a trade mission to Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. The mission was made up of 30 British businesses, and included the signing of trade deals worth over £750 million. Concurrently, my right hon. Friend the Secretary for State for Business, Innovation and Skills led the inaugural Northern Powerhouse delegation, comprising over 50 UK companies, to Singapore and Malaysia.</p><p>During his visit to Indonesia, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the Government will make available up to £1 billion to finance infrastructure projects involving UK business, in Indonesia through its export guarantee scheme. The UK welcomes the recent commitments made by President Joko Widodo’s government on deregulation and improving the business and investment environment in Indonesia, as well as the talks between Indonesia and the EU on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will benefit both Indonesia and the UK. Richard Graham MP, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Indonesia and the Asian Economic Community (AEC) has paid two visits this year to Indonesia, pushing forward trade priorities and promoting work on second-tier cities within Indonesia.</p><p>Two-way trade with Vietnam more than doubled between 2009 and 2014, reaching £2.81 billion, with the UK being amongst Vietnam’s largest trading partners within the EU. During my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s visit in July, the first by a serving British Prime Minister, Rolls Royce and Vietnam Airlines signed an agreement totalling £340 million, Prudential announced a £100 million investment and ZincOx agreed a £75 million investment for hazardous waste recycling.</p><p>In the past year, over 1000 UK businesses have been helped to trade with Thailand. Notable improvements to the business environment include: British beef and lamb now being allowed to be imported into the Thai market after a 20-year hiatus, which will bring business of some £9m over the next five years; the British Embassy Bangkok, with other embassies and Chambers, encouraged the Thai authorities not to proceed with new regulations which would have directly impacted foreign ownership of over 5000 companies, many British, as well as deter further UK investment opportunities; finally the Government has encouraged the Thai authorities, with strong support from the Thai Prime Minister, to sign up to the Construction Transparency Initiative, which should improve public procurement practice for major infrastructure projects.</p><p>Exports to Malaysia (the UK’s second largest export market in ASEAN) have risen by almost 25% between 2010 and 2014. Over the past four years, there have been more UK Ministerial and VIP visits to Malaysia promoting trade and investment than ever before, including two visits by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Recent successes include a £4.2bn supply and maintenance deal between Rolls Royce and Air Asia. Posts have successfully worked to tackle market access barriers, for example, helping to open up engineering and legal services in Malaysia.</p><p>In the first half of this year UK exports to the Philippines grew by 44%, the third highest growth in exports to any country worldwide. Major deals include a £90m contract for the supply of electronic voting machines, a £70m deal for a British solar company and the appointment of Arup as the lead designer on the country’s second largest airport.</p><p>Lord Puttnam, UK Trade and Cultural Envoy to Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam has also made two visits to the region this year, strengthening important business and governmental links and working on campaigns ranging from infrastructure to education.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 11/11/2015 14:53:07 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

431608

	registered interest
	date	23/11/2015
	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	Business: Billing
	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 effect of the Prompt Payment Code on (a) UK businesses in the FinTech sector and (b) other businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	17357
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2015 answer text <p>The Prompt Payment Code is a voluntary code which organisations from the public, private and third sector can sign up to. The Government monitors a variety of sources to monitor the level of late payment debt. We are not able to assess the direct effect of the Prompt Payment Code on any individual sector.</p><p>New transparency measures will allow us to monitor the payment performance of signatories. Through powers in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 the Government will introduce a new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies – including many Code signatories - to report on their payment practices and performance. We plan to introduce this next year, and the Code will make full use of this new information. From next year small and medium-sized Code signatories will also report on their payment performance directly to the Code. Small and medium-sized companies will report, on an annual basis, on a comply or explain basis.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 30/11/2015 11:15:43 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

435773

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2015
	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	Driverless Vehicles
	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 has been made on pilot schemes of driverless cars.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	18898
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2015 answer text <p>Following the Innovate UK competition, ‘Introducing Driverless Cars to UK roads’ in July last year three exciting world leading projects, UKAutodrive, Venturer and GATEway, are now underway and making good progress.</p><p>The Government-backed Milton Keynes driverless Pathfinder pods have been incorporated into the UKAutodrive project. They were demonstrated recently at the ITS World Congress in Bordeaux and attracted a great deal of international attention. Venturer, based in Bristol is delivering important insights around situational awareness, a key area for autonomous systems. The GATEway project will evaluate the integration and acceptance of automated vehicles in the real world.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 14/12/2015 11:26:07 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

448173

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2016
	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	Financial Services
	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 plans to take to widen access to sources of alternative finance.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	24417
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2016