On 2 October my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State announced the appointment of Paul Uppal as the UK\u2019s first Small Business Commissioner (SBC). Mr Uppal and his team will provide general advice and information to small businesses on matters such as resolving payment disputes, including signposting small businesses through the SBC\u2019s website to existing support and dispute resolution services.<\/p>
<\/p>
The SBC complaints scheme is dependent on secondary legislation, which is currently being considered by Parliament. Small businesses will be able to submit complaints once the service fully launches, including complaints relating to issues from Ofgem is considering options to protect vulnerable consumers and has yet to announce a formal proposal. <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> A New Productivity Fund (NPIF) announced in the Autumn Statement will provide for £23 billion of spending between 2017-18 and 2021-22.<\/ins><\/p> <\/ins><\/p> Through the NPIF the government will fund the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The fund will cover a broad range of technologies, to be decided by an evidence-based process. It will be delivered by Innovate UK and the Research Councils, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) when it is established.<\/ins><\/p> <\/ins><\/p> We will begin to identify different challenge areas between now and the Budget in 2017. More detail on funding breakdown and proposals will be set out in due course.<\/ins><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p>"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has for the implementation of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund; and how that fund will be funded.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/573962", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/573962/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The latest figures from the ONS suggest that, in 2014, 238,500 full-time equivalent employees were working directly in the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy sectors in the UK. This figure does not include additional jobs that have been created in the wider renewable energy supply chain.<\/p> The Low Carbon and Renewable Energy sectors will be at the heart of this Governments Industrial Strategy to support jobs and growth.<\/p>"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential for job creation in renewable energy sectors in the next five years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/541128", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to base staff of his Department working on industrial strategy in offices outside London.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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1<\/del> 6<\/ins> April 2017. The office of the SBC will be operational by the end of 2017, subject to the will of Parliament.<\/p>"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the commitment set out in the document Small Business Commissioner: Policy for Secondary Legislation, published in February, that the Small Business Commissioner's complaints scheme will formally begin on 1 October, whether small businesses may now submit complaints; and through what process they can do so.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/754967", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of constituents in Vale of Clwyd constituency eligible for the safeguard price cap for energy.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/658022", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/658022/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "Yes, employees are represented on the Department\u2019s board. The Permanent Secretary is a standing member of the Departmental Board, and meets with the Departmental Trade Unions as staff representatives.<\/del><\/p>There are several other ways in which the views of employees of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are currently already taken into account by the Departmental Board and its supporting committees.<\/del><\/p>The Board regularly discusses staff related matters, such as the Civil Service People Survey results which reflect the views of the Department\u2019s employees, including views on the transition programme to create a new Department.<\/del><\/p>The Department\u2019s governance structure includes a People and Operations Committee, chaired by the Directors General responsible for People, Corporate Services and the transition programme. This Committee has standing representation from the HR Director and staff diversity networks as full members. Recommendations from the Committee are routinely taken to the Department\u2019s Executive Committee for endorsement and approval.<\/del><\/p>The composition of the Departmental Board is determined by Cabinet Office and HMT\u2019s Corporate Governance in Central Government Departments: Code of Good practice<\/em> (2011). Cabinet Office and HMT are currently in the process of refreshing this guidance to reflect current best practice.<\/del><\/p>The Board also has external Non-Executive Board Members (NEBMs) as standing members. NEBMs provide external challenge and scrutiny and offer wider stakeholder views to the Board.<\/del><\/p>The Department announced its decision earlier this year to create a combined headquarters and policy function in London, to deliver a simpler, smaller department that is more flexible and responsive to stakeholders and businesses by 2020. This involves basing all policy roles in London by 2018, which will include those roles working on Industrial Strategy issues. <\/del><\/p>