www.gov.uk<\/a>, small and medium sized enterprises in Yorkshire and the Humber can access business advice through their local Growth Hubs. Led and governed by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), Growth Hubs provide a free, impartial, \u2018single point of contact\u2019 to help businesses in the area identify and access the right support for them at the right time no matter their size or sector. The LEPs which cover Yorkshire and the Humber have self-reported that in FY2017-2018 their Growth Hubs supported over 12,000\u202fbusinesses and helped over 900 individuals start a business.<\/p>The Humber LEP area is being supported with up to £83.4m of investment through the Regional Growth Fund, which includes £30m awarded to the Humber LEP for a business support programme. The Growing Places Fund is supporting business growth investment across the Humber with funding worth £8.8m. The Humber LEP\u2019s \u2018Growing the Humber\u2019 business investment programme has supported the creation of over 2,800 jobs to date.<\/p>
The Government-backed British Business Bank\u2019s Start-Up Loans programme provides loans to entrepreneurs seeking to start and grow their own businesses. Since 2012, 5,482 loans have been issued in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, totalling over £45m, and with an average loan amount of £8,249. In the Haltemprice and Howden constituency, 103 loans have been issued, totalling £926,277 (as at end-June 2019).<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4487", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rochester and Strood"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-16T16:40:47.44Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Small Businesses: Yorkshire and the Humber"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to support small businesses in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) Haltemprice and Howden constituency.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/373", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir David Davis"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Haltemprice and Howden"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr David Davis"}
], "uin" : "275117"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1137818", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1137818/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
A reference to Herbert Smith Freehills was omitted from my answer to Question 272157 inadvertently. I can confirm that the six law firms previously listed provide legal support to Post Office Limited and are permitted to subcontract to others within the terms of their contract with the Post Office. In addition, Post Office Limited has instructed Herbert Smith Freehills in respect of the Group Litigation.<\/p>
<\/p>
The selection of law firms to provide legal services to Post Office Limited is an operational matter for the company in which Government plays no role.<\/p>
<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4487", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst"}
}
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, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1137818/answer/previousversion/129146", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4487", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rochester and Strood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kelly Tolhurst"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-16T15:32:29.477Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Post Office: Herbert Smith Freehills"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2019 to Question 272157, in what capacity the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills is acting on behalf of Post Office Limited; and for what reason that firm was not listed in the six law firms framework agreement, as outlined in Question 272157.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1438", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Durham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Kevan Jones"}
], "uin" : "275136"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1137835", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1137835/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The introduction of \u2018pre-termination negotiations\u2019 or \u2018protected conversations\u2019 in July 2013, provided greater flexibility to the existing arrangements, for employers to have conversations with employees, with a view to ending their employment (even where no employment dispute exists), that can be treated as confidential.<\/p>
<\/p>
By their very nature, these conversations are not recorded and may only be disclosed in an employment tribunal to prove improper behaviour.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4487", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rochester and Strood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kelly Tolhurst"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-16T16:42:07.637Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Employment: Arbitration"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the (a) trends in the number and (b) effectiveness of the use of protected conversations since their introduction.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4418", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Madders"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Ellesmere Port and Neston"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Justin Madders"}
], "uin" : "275221"}
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