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45856

registered interest
date	31/03/2014
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
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 people applied to the 2014 Sirius Programme for young entrepreneurs; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	194417
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>The Sirius Programme, led by UK Trade and Investment, enables talented graduates with innovative start up ideas to start a business in the UK. Successful applicants receive support via a structured mentoring programme and participants requiring a visa, are able to access support through a dedicated visa route for the Sirius Programme. The current programme is a 2 year pilot - the first round was launched on 6 September 2013 and closed on 15 January 2014. A total of 1543 people applied.<br><br>A second round of the Sirius Programme will open shortly.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

46020

registered interest
date	31/03/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken to support part-time entrepreneurs; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	194519
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2014 answer text <p>People are setting up and growing different types of businesses all the time. We continue to work hard to provide the right support to make life easier for them all.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/" target="_blank">www.gov.uk</a> is the home for Government services and information online. One of the tools available is the 'Finance Finder;' a searchable database of publicly-backed sources of finance. The website <a href="http://www.greatbusiness.gov.uk/" target="_blank">www.greatbusiness.gov.uk</a> also provides support and advice for anyone trying to grow a business as well as for entrepreneurs starting out.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to on-line support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs. For those looking for start up finance and advice there are Start-Up Loans: 7 loans worth a total of £37,000 have been drawn down in Windsor since the scheme began in 2012.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 08/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

47897

registered interest
date	09/04/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that exporters of intangible goods can access the resources of UK Export Finance.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	196127
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2014 answer text <p>UK Export Finance can provide support for intangibles, such as software licenses, where they are provided in connection with goods or services. As far as the supply of intangibles by themselves are concerned, UK Export Finance has initiated a public consultation on proposals to widen its powers under its enabling legislation, the Export and Investment Guarantees Act 1991 (as amended). These proposals include giving UK Export Finance the ability to support exports of intangible goods such as intellectual property rights by themselves. If, having regard to the responses to that consultation, it is deemed to implement these proposals, they will form part of a Bill that will be introduced in the next session of Parliament.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 01/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

48730

registered interest
date	28/04/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken to support elderly first-time entrepreneurs.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	196834
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p>People of all ages and experiences are setting up and growing businesses all the time. We continue to work hard to provide the right support to make life easier for them all.</p><p> </p><p>www.gov.uk is the home for Government services and information online. One of the tools available is the 'Business Finance and Support Finder;' a source of government backed support and finance for business. The website www.greatbusiness.gov.uk also provides support and advice for anyone trying to grow a business as well as for entrepreneurs starting out.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to on-line support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs. For those looking for start-up finance and advice there are Start-Up Loans: 7 loans worth a total of £37,000 have been drawn down in Windsor since the scheme began in 2012.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

50010

registered interest
date	06/05/2014
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
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 people registered a business (a) online and (b) offline in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	197731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>There is no register containing every business in the UK. The Companies House register provides information on a subset of businesses required to file information with the registrar of companies; for example, those businesses that incorporate as companies or limited liability partnerships or register as limited partnerships. Not all of the companies that register with Companies House are businesses or go on to becomeactively tradingbusinesses.</p><p> </p><p>Companies House statistics show that in the years in question the following numbers of companies were registered (a) online and (b) offline:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2010/11</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2011/12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012/13</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Online </strong></p></td><td><p>366,051</p></td><td><p>437,441</p></td><td><p>470,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Offline</strong></p></td><td><p>34,504</p></td><td><p>18,208</p></td><td><p>11,995</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p>400,555</p></td><td><p>455,649</p></td><td><p>482,795</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

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

64458

registered interest
date	27/06/2014
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	Comet Group
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he expects the report from the Insolvency Service into the collapse of Comet to be published.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
tabling member printed	Alan Johnson
uin	202955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2014 answer text <p>The Insolvency Service's fact-finding inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the insolvency of Comet Group Ltd is being conducted under section 447 of the Companies Act. Publication of the findings of such investigations is prohibited by law although when an inquiry results in the winding up of the company, or the prosecution or disqualification of its directors, this is publicised.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 07/07/2014 15:49:37 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	376 label Biography information for Alan Johnson

64170

registered interest
date	26/06/2014
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	National Careers Service
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 potential changes in the number of jobs at the National Careers Service arising from the Government's digital-by-default policy.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	202577
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The new National Careers Service has been designed to respond to the changing needs of the economy with a focus on local leadership and providing inspiring careers advice for customers, including a new brokerage role to facilitate relationships between schools and employers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As part of the re-procurement process organisations were assessed on their capacity and capability to deliver the service through face to face services and a range of media that meet customers' specific needs and preferences. It is a matter for the new contractors how they achieve outcomes for customers including how they deploy their staff resource to deliver the service.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 01/07/2014 14:16:46 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

65126

registered interest
date	01/07/2014
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	Vocational Guidance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what contractual requirements to provide face-to-face advice will be in the contracts of providers of the National Careers Guidance; and what the current levels of provision are.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	203479
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Twelve regional National Careers Service providers will be contractually obliged to deliver an area based service that will provide careers advice to adults through digital and social media platforms, on the telephone and face to face from 1 October 2014. The contractors must ensure that customers are aware of the ways they can access the service. Face to face careers advice is available for customers that request it, those who need intensive direct support or those who are unable to access digital and telephone services. <br> <br> The National Careers Service delivered the following during the 2013-14 financial year:</p><p> </p><p>664,948 new adult customers who accessed face to face advice;</p><p> </p><p>371,778 telephone advice sessions for adults;</p><p> </p><p>52,150 telephone advice sessions, webchat, emails and texts for young people;</p><p> </p><p>15,710,908 website visits.</p><p> </p><p>25,871 mobile web home page views</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 07/07/2014 15:42:03 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham