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1121351

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Vacancies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which sectors are facing labour shortages; and what steps he plans to take with cabinet colleagues to support future recruitment and training for those sectors.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	244062
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Education’s (DfE) Employer Skills Survey provides a comprehensive picture of labour and skills shortages by sector, occupation and region across the UK. DfE is running the survey later this year, with publication expected in Spring 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is already working to support recruitment and training across the UK for different sectors through the Industrial Strategy. This sets out a long-term plan to boost productivity and earning power across the country, including through the four Grand Challenges, which position the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future.</p><p> </p><p>Through the Industrial Strategy, we committed £406m investment in education and skills. In addition, through this year’s Autumn Budget the Government has invested over £1bn to support students throughout their education and give people the tools they need to succeed in the new economy.</p><p> </p><p>Our reforms to the skills system place employers at the centre, making the system more responsive to deliver the skills employers need and which the economy demands.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/04/2019 16:29:34 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

1121353

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Local Enterprise Partnerships: Coastal Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his department has taken to support Local Enterprise Partnerships in (a) coastal communities and (b) Portsmouth.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	244176
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government wants to ensure that communities, including those across Portsmouth and the wider Hampshire area, benefit from new investment and economic growth and strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships help deliver this vision of prosperous communities across England. Through the Local Growth Fund the Government has awarded over £9 billion to LEPs between 2015 and 2021.</p><p> </p><p>Across Portsmouth and the wider Hampshire area Government has committed £182.92m of Local Growth Deal funding through the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership. The LEP estimate that the Growth Deal will deliver 15,000 jobs; 1,000 new apprenticeships; 7,250 new homes; and 527,000 m2 of employment land. Projects are already achieving positive outcomes, such as the opening of The Hard Interchange a £4.9m investment to provide improved connectivity and provide an impressive new gateway to the City of Portsmouth.</p><p> </p><p>The UK coastline plays a vital role in the economy, history and culture of our country and Government is helping coastal communities flourish and strengthen their appeal as places to live, work and visit, through dedicated investment of over £200m.</p><p> </p><p>In Portsmouth, this includes £1.75 million to regenerate the Victorian Arches at Point Battery, Old Portsmouth, to create a centrally located &quot;creative hub&quot; with affordable work and exhibition space with leisure and catering facilities, £50,000 towards the restoration of South Parade Pier, Southsea and £50,000 towards the Southsea Lighthouse restoration project.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/04/2019 16:30:05 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1121364

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Post Offices: Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many post office branches Post Office Ltd pay above the normal remuneration fees scales.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	244157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.</p><p> </p><p>While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Remuneration fees paid to Post Office Branches is an operational matter for Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Alisdair Cameron, the Group interim Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/04/2019 16:29:49 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1121365

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Post Offices: Retail Trade
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which retailers operate over ten post offices; and how many post offices do each of those retailers operate.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	244158
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.</p><p> </p><p>While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Commercial arrangements with retailers are an operational matter for Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Alisdair Cameron, the Group interim Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/04/2019 16:29:57 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1121392

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	New Businesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many start-up businesses have been created in (a) Medway, (b) Kent and (c) England since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Gillingham and Rainham
tabling member printed	Rehman Chishti
uin	244054
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>When looking at business start-ups we look at business births, this is because there is no direct measure of the number of business start-ups in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The Business Demography Publication by the Office for National Statistics details the number of business births in the UK with data available from 2012.</p><p> </p><p>Business births are defined as businesses newly registered for at least one of VAT and PAYE.</p><p> </p><p>The following table gives the number of business births in Medway, Kent and England from 2012 to 2017:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Birth count of new businesses</p></td><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>Total period:</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>a) </strong><strong>Medway</strong></p></td><td><p>940</p></td><td><p>1,215</p></td><td><p>1,230</p></td><td><p>1,370</p></td><td><p>1,470</p></td><td><p>1,305</p></td><td><p><strong>7,530</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>b) </strong><strong>Kent County</strong></p></td><td><p>6,325</p></td><td><p>7,745</p></td><td><p>7,680</p></td><td><p>8,335</p></td><td><p>8,730</p></td><td><p>7,895</p></td><td><p><strong>46,710</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>c) </strong><strong>England </strong></p></td><td><p>239,660</p></td><td><p>308,565</p></td><td><p>312,920</p></td><td><p>344,065</p></td><td><p>373,580</p></td><td><p>339,345</p></td><td><p><strong>1,918,135</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/04/2019 16:29:13 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3987 label Biography information for Rehman Chishti

1121395

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to help businesses create more highly skilled jobs in (a) Gillingham and Rainham, (b) Medway and (c) Kent.
tabling member constituency	Gillingham and Rainham
tabling member printed	Rehman Chishti
uin	244055
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government has invited all Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in England to develop Local Industrial Strategies. We aim to agree these with all places by early 2020. For Kent, the South East LEP will set out an ambitious long-term vision for the area to increase its productivity, build on its established strengths, and create new opportunities for people and businesses in emerging sectors and industries.</p><p> </p><p>The government know that regions across the UK have different skills needs, so will build on local strengths to deliver opportunities for people wherever they live. One way we will achieve this is through Skills Advisory Panels which bring together local employers and skills providers to pool knowledge on skills and labour market needs and work together to understand and address key local challenges. These Panels will be led by the Local Enterprise Partnership, and will influence Local Industrial Strategy development.</p><p> </p><p>In Kent, and the wider South East LEP area, the government is working in partnership with local business and civic leaders to grow skills and opportunities for workers across the area by:</p><p>- Delivering an increase of 198,900 jobs since 2010 and 31,080 apprenticeship starts last year.</p><p>- Investing £590 million of Growth Deal funding to the South East LEP since 2014. delivering 78,000 jobs, 29,000 homes and attracting a further £960 million extra investment into the South East, including £22 million spent on 29 skills projects.</p><p>- Investing £6.5 million for the Kent and Medway EDGE Hub. .</p><p>- Backing the Innovation Park Medway, within the Kent Enterprise Zone with £4.4 million funding to help attract high quality technology, engineering and manufacturing companies to the area.</p><p>Supporting the Local Enterprise Partnership’s Kent and Medway Growth Hub to help small and medium sized enterprises in the areas access the support they need to grow and thrive.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/04/2019 16:29:21 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3987 label Biography information for Rehman Chishti

1121430

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Consumer Goods: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that consumers are protected from household appliances that are found to be faulty.
tabling member constituency	Inverclyde
tabling member printed	Ronnie Cowan
uin	244165
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) sets out the standards consumers can expect of the goods they obtain from traders and remedies if these rights are breached. Under the CRA goods sold by traders must be as described, of a satisfactory quality, and fit for a particular purpose if that purpose was made known to the trader by the consumer before the contract was made.</p><p> </p><p>Consumers have a 30-day time period from delivery and/or installation when they can return sub-standard goods and get a full refund. After 30 days consumers are entitled to require the trader to repair or replace faulty goods within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to the consumer. If this cannot be met, the consumer would be entitled to a final right of rejection with full refund or the right to keep the goods and receive a partial refund.</p><p> </p><p>Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 where a product is found to be unsafe appropriate action must be taken by the manufacturer or importer to withdraw, recall or otherwise bring the equipment into conformity.</p><p> </p><p>The Office for Product Safety and Standards commissioned a new British Standards Institution code of practice on recalls and corrective actions last year and is working with UK manufacturers and suppliers of white goods to ensure that their recall plans and processes are adequate as part of a new compliance review programme.</p><p> </p><p>For free advice and information on their rights, consumers should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 (<a href="http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/" target="_blank">www.citizensadvice.org.uk/</a>). However, if the consumer resides in Scotland, they should contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 (<a href="http://www.consumeradvice.scot" target="_blank">www.consumeradvice.scot</a>).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 24/04/2019 15:31:19 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4465 label Biography information for Ronnie Cowan

1121528

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Government Assistance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the House Of Lords Secondary Legislation Committee report page 13 on Draft State Aid (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, paragraph 47, if he will publish the response of the Local Government Association; and if he will (a) confirm whether the meeting between the LGA and the CMA took place and (b) publish minutes of that meeting.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	244063
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has met with the Local Government Association (LGA) to discuss the future operation of the state aid regime by the CMA. The minutes of this meeting were prepared by the CMA, and the CMA does not routinely publish the minutes of its meetings.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 24/04/2019 15:29:58 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1121532

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Government Assistance: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the First Delegated Legislation Committee of Wednesday 10 April 2019 and the oral contribution of the member for Sefton Central, when he plans to respond to the request of the Welsh Government for an explanation of the government's legal position that State Aid is a reserved matter; and if he will confirm whether the government has previously given the commitment not to amend domestic legislation in devolved areas without the agreement of the devolved administrations.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	244064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>Ken Skates, Minister for Economy and Transport at the Welsh Government, wrote to the Secretary of State on 25 January 2019. Whilst noting that the regime established by the State aid regulation was an important step in ensuring alignment between the UK and EU on state aid, the letter queried the position on reservation.</p><p>My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State explained that there is no difference of opinion between the administrations on the current policy adopted in relation to State aid and explained the UK Government’s intention to work closely with them (and the other devolved administrations) on the development of State aid policy.</p><p> </p><p>I understand this correspondence enabled Jeremy Miles, Counsel General and Brexit Minister for the Welsh Government, to update the National Assembly for Wales’ Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee by letter dated 20 March 2019, noting that he was, “<em>reassured that there is still scope to resolve the ongoing dispute between our administrations to reflect devolution in the medium to longer term, and will continue working with the UK Government towards that end</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Under the EU Withdrawal Act 2018, the UK Government can amend deficiencies in retained EU law where this would fail to operate effectively otherwise. Where EU law falls within an area of devolved competence, the Memorandum on the EU Withdrawal Bill and the Establishment of Common Frameworks (April 2018) clarifies that the Government will not normally seek to use these powers without the agreement of the devolved administrations.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Government remains fully committed to this position. However, given that we consider that the regulation of State aid is reserved, we did not consider that this commitment was engaged in respect of the draft State aid regulations. I am nevertheless still committed to working closely with the Welsh Government and the other devolved administrations on the development of State aid policy.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 24/04/2019 15:30:06 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1121534

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Government Assistance: Scotland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the First Delegated Legislation Committee of Wednesday 10 April 2019 and the oral contribution of the member for Sefton Central, whether the Scottish government made representations in response to a request by him on the draft state aid regulations.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	244065
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>The Scottish Government wrote to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 21 November 2018 and 28 January 2019. Whilst expressing broad agreement with the policy position of reflecting the current EU State aid regime, the letter queried the position on reservation and the fact that the draft State aid regulations provided a limited role for Scottish ministers.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State recognised these queries, but explained that the administrations are closely aligned on policy and that the UK Government will work closely with the Scottish Government (and other devolved administrations) on the development of State aid policy.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 24/04/2019 15:30:18 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson