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61452

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	Space Technology
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 effectiveness of the UK Space Agency in promoting the UK space industry; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	200304
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p>The UK Space Agency (UKSA) was created in April 2011 to lead and foster the growing UK space sector. It does so through funding and delivery of civil space projects and downstream space related activities, developing space policy including advice to Ministers and regulating UK space activities to meet international obligations.</p><p>The UKSA formally tests its performance against such objectives in a number ways and includes amongst these a measure of its effectiveness in promoting the UK space industry. This is primarily through an independent bi-annual “Size and Health” survey of the UK industrial sector which assesses the growth of the UK space economy. The Agency also monitors contracts that flow back to UK industry from Agency-targeted subscriptions to the European Space Agency as well as monitoring where Agency-supported research and development work has positioned UK industry for success in future operational contracts. More recently the Agency has extended its role in actively supporting and promoting UK industrial exports of both satellite and emerging space-related data services.</p><p>All objective measures from these activities point to a growing success story for our space industry. Indeed it is one of our economy's fastest growing sectors, with an average growth rate of almost 7.5%, and it has ambitions to increase its annual turnover to £40 billion by 2030. The role of the Agency in this development is significant and it has developed close relationships with industry.</p><p>The Size and Health survey due to be published in autumn 2014 is expected to show that the Space Economy has continued to grow between 2011 and 2013.</p><p>Its coordination of a business-driven industrial space policy has provided leadership for the UK industrial community (acknowledged by the UK space Innovation and Growth Strategy published in 2013) and this has been recognised by the Parliamentary Select Committee report into the UKSA which was published in October 2013.</p><p>The Agency serves as an effective platform to raise awareness of the successes of the UK space sector. BIS and Agency officials continue to evaluate its success in promoting that work using Government Communications Service best practice.</p><p>A further key measure of success is the increasing number of overseas space companies choosing to invest in the UK and so growing the UK's wider space capability and economic development.</p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Mr David Willetts question first answered 18/06/2014 15:01:36 answering member 53 label Biography information for Lord Willetts
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

61454

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	Space Technology
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 return on public investment in the UK Space Agency; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	200305
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p>The return on investment delivered by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) is subject to biennial assessment as part of the Agency survey of the size and health of the space industry. Results of the 2014 survey are due to be published in the autumn of 2014, though I hope to be in a position to announce headline figures such as turnover and employment numbers at the Farnborough Airshow in July 2014.</p><p>The European Space Agency (ESA) is the primary route for Government R&amp;D space investment. Several economic analyses of investment impact have been undertaken, drawn together in BIS Economics Paper No3 . The Agency's biennial survey of the size and health of the UK space industry has shown growth from £3.4Bn turnover in 1999/2000 to £9.5Bn in 2011, reflecting the results of sustained investment as well as the growth of the market.</p><p>UKSA investment through the European Space Agency (ESA) in the last five years is as follows:</p><p>2009/10: £242.8m</p><p>2010/11: £231.1m</p><p>2011/12: £232.0m</p><p>2012/13: £207.6m</p><p>2013/14: £267.5m</p><p>In addition, national expenditure averaging £20M a year has been invested within the UK to build and operate scientific instruments carried on ESA spacecraft. The funding to ESA has been used to contribute to missions and technology in the fields of space science and exploration, Earth observation for science and applications, telecommunications and broadband delivery, access to microgravity facilities for life and physical sciences, space weather, navigation technologies, human spaceflight and weather monitoring. As well as resulting expenditure in the UK due to the <em>juste retour</em> principle, wider benefits have accrued in economic growth; new scientific knowledge and improved delivery of public services.</p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Mr David Willetts question first answered 18/06/2014 15:57:10 answering member 53 label Biography information for Lord Willetts
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

61436

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	Nigeria
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether Ministers or officials of his Department have (a) met the Attorney General of Nigeria since January 2012 and (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian government.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	200207
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p>Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.</p><p>Information on meetings by other officials is not held centrally.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 18/06/2014 15:11:02 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

61437

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	Employment Tribunals Service
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his Department's press release of 1 November 2013 entitled Government considering new powers to tackle non-payment of tribunal awards, what progress he has made in considering the various policy options for improving enforcement of unpaid employment tribunal awards.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	200177
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p>It is wrong that where an Employment Tribunal has found in favour of a claimant and ordered that an award should be made to them by the respondent, so few awards are actually paid.</p><p>The Government is committed to tackling this issue and there is already a lot of work underway. We are aware, however, that there is no single solution and are instead working on a number of different measures to ensure that people get what they are owed. We will be able to say more about developments in this area shortly.</p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 18/06/2014 15:07:34 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

61438

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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, how many of the employers issued with a notice of underpayment of the minimum wage by HM Revenue and Customs since 1 October 2013 have been considered for naming and shaming by his Department; how many of those employers have successfully appealed against being named and shamed; how many employers have been named and shamed; and how many cases remain under consideration.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	200277
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p>Under the revised Naming Scheme the Government will name all employers that have been issued with a Notice of Underpayment (NoU) unless employers meet one of the exceptional criteria or have arrears of £100 or less.</p><p>Employers have 28 days to appeal against the NoU. If the employer does not appeal or unsuccessfully appeals against this NoU, BIS will consider them for naming. The employer then has 14 days to make representations to BIS outlining whether they meet any of the very exceptional criteria: naming by BIS carries a risk of personal harm to an individual or their family, or there are national security risks associated with naming, or there are other factors which suggests that it would not be in the public interest to name the employer or company. Of these, the public interest criteria will only apply in very exceptional circumstances. If BIS do not receive any representations or the representations received do not meet the criteria, the employer will be named via a BIS press release.</p><p>One employer has made a representation that was successful and four employers have had arrears of under £100. We are unable to release information on how many cases are under consideration.</p><p>The Government has already named 30 employers under the revised scheme. Between them they owed workers over £50,000 in arrears and have been charged financial penalties totalling over £24,000.</p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 18/06/2014 15:04:53 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

61469

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	Animal Experiments: Yorkshire and the Humber
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with B&K Universal Ltd, Yorkshire Evergreen or their associates relating to their planning application for a facility at Grimston, Yorkshire for the breeding of dogs and other animals for laboratory use in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame M. Morris
uin	200262
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p>UK Trade and Investment and BIS officials provided general planning advice to B&amp;K Universal in the last year at the company's request. BIS officials met with B&amp;K's parent company Marshall and signposted other sources of advice and information. Officials were also asked to provide advice on EU Directive 2010/63 and referred this query to the Home Office as the Department with responsibility for implementing the Directive in the UK.</p><p>The use of animals in scientific research remains a vital tool in improving our understanding of how biological systems work both in health and disease and in the development of new medicines and treatments vital for human health and for that of animals. It also underpins the success of the UK's life science sector which has one of the strongest and most productive industries in the world.</p><p>The UK has a rigorous regulatory system which ensures that animal research and testing is carried out only where no practicable alternative exists, and under controls which keep suffering to the minimum.</p><p>The Government is committed to working to further reduce the use of animals in scientific research and in February 2013 published its delivery plan. This demonstrates our commitment to the “3Rs”: where possible to replace animal use, reduce the number of animals used and to refine the procedures involved so as to find additional ways to minimise suffering. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-to-reduce-the-use-of-animals-in-research-delivery-plan" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-to-reduce-the-use-of-animals-in-research-delivery-plan</a></p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Mr David Willetts question first answered 18/06/2014 15:23:37 answering member 53 label Biography information for Lord Willetts
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

61853

registered interest
date	13/06/2014
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	China
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he had on human rights during his recent visit to China.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	200693
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills met civil society organisations during his visit and discussed a range of human rights issues, including the rule of law, labour and trade union rights.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 18/06/2014 16:28:01 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

61898

registered interest
date	13/06/2014
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	China
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who has been invited to the UK-China business summit scheduled during the visit of the Chinese Premier, Li Keqian, to the UK.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	200694
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>A number of business events were arranged to coincide with Premier Li's visit to the UK. These included a business lunch hosted by the Prime Minister at No.10 with Ministers, business leaders from UK and Chinese companies and senior Government officials from both sides.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A number of other events were arranged by the China Britain Business Council and others including over 600 UK and Chinese businesses, large and small, from a range of sectors. These were open to all with companies being able to book tickets for the event.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 18/06/2014 16:26:54 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

57569

registered interest
date	04/06/2014
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	Disabled Students' Allowances
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on defining complex needs for the Disabled Students' Allowance.
tabling member printed	Lord Addington
uin	HL42
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>Extensive discussions are underway with a wide range of stakeholders to help inform the Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) Guidance for 2015/16, due this autumn. The guidance will set out the conditions under which DSA will apply. Students will continue to undergo individual study needs assessments, but their needs will be met by DSA and Higher Education Institutions through their duties under the Equality Act.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL43 question first answered 18/06/2014 13:04:32 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

57570

registered interest
date	04/06/2014
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	Disabled Students' Allowances
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what definition of severity for those with dyslexia or specific learning difficulties will be used to justify continued support under the Disabled Students' Allowance.
tabling member printed	Lord Addington
uin	HL43
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>Extensive discussions are underway with a wide range of stakeholders to help inform the Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) Guidance for 2015/16, due this autumn. The guidance will set out the conditions under which DSA will apply. Students will continue to undergo individual study needs assessments, but their needs will be met by DSA and Higher Education Institutions through their duties under the Equality Act.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL42 question first answered 18/06/2014 13:04:31 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington