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99773

registered interest
date	20/10/2014
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	Written Questions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's latest internal guidance for officials on the drafting of answers to parliamentary questions.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	211071
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>A copy of the Department’s internal guidance will be placed in the Libraries of the House.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Office of the Leader of the House also provides guidance to all Departments on the practice of answering Parliamentary Questions.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The full Guide is available on the gov.uk website at: http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A copy of this guidance has already been placed in the libraries of the House. The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons intends to review the Guide to Parliamentary Work in the coming months.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 27/10/2014 14:36:52 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson attachment 1 file name mpst-WrittenPQs - 211071 attachment.doc title Parliamentary Unit Process and Guidance
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

99774

registered interest
date	20/10/2014
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	New Businesses: Surrey
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 start-up loans have been granted to businesses in (a) Woking constituency and (b) Surrey to date.
tabling member constituency	Woking
tabling member printed	Jonathan Lord
uin	211072
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Woking Constituency</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Surrey</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Volume of drawn Start Up Loans</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>31 loans</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>223 loans</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 27/10/2014 14:46:19 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4090 label Biography information for Mr Jonathan Lord

99776

registered interest
date	20/10/2014
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	Scottish Power
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 last reviewed the adequacy of prior investigations in connection with the nature of the warranties sold by Scottish Power to its customers between 1980 and 1999 and any potential losses suffered by such customers.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North East
tabling member printed	Mr William Bain
uin	211060
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>It is not the policy of the Secretary of State to announce or comment on confidential enquiries conducted using powers contained in the Companies Acts.</p><p>However, the Secretary of State has recently received further information regarding the Extended Warranty schemes sold by Scottish Power between 1997 and 2001 from the liquidators of two companies involved in administering the schemes. Officials are currently reviewing this information together with the conclusions of an earlier investigation to determine what further action, if any, is appropriate.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 27/10/2014 14:06:40 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1610 label Biography information for Mr William Bain

99778

registered interest
date	20/10/2014
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	Scottish Power
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will reopen the enquiry into the nature of the warranties sold by Scottish Power to its customers between 1980 and 1999 and any potential losses suffered by such customers.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North East
tabling member printed	Mr William Bain
uin	211059
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has recently received further information regarding the Extended Warranty schemes sold by Scottish Power between 1997 and 2001 from the liquidators of two companies involved in administering the schemes. Officials are currently reviewing this information together with the conclusions of an earlier investigation to determine what further action, if any, is appropriate, within the limits of his powers of investigation under the Companies Acts.</p><p> </p><p>The liquidators have also notified other regulators who may have an interest in this matter and who will be considering their own courses of action.</p><p> </p><p>It should be noted that any decision whether or not to commence an investigation using s447 Companies Act 1986 is confidential and the existence or otherwise of such an investigation will not be announced or commented on.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 27/10/2014 14:09:30 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	1610 label Biography information for Mr William Bain

99779

registered interest
date	20/10/2014
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	Interest Rate Hedging Products
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 discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the interest rate swap redress scheme.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	211066
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>We have asked the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for an assurance that redress offers which take the form of a substitute hedging product are only being offered where it is fair and reasonable to do so. In response, the FCA has said that robust oversight and challenge processes are in place to ensure that this is the case and that a replacement product offer can only be made if an independent reviewer is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to support the decision.</p><p>In addition, my officials liaise regularly with the FCA to draw the regulator’s attention to swaps redress cases that have been raised with the department where we think this is justified.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 27/10/2014 14:15:56 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

99780

registered interest
date	20/10/2014
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	Apprentices: Surrey
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 apprenticeship starts there were in each sector in (a) Woking constituency and (b) Surrey in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Woking
tabling member printed	Jonathan Lord
uin	211117
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>Information on apprenticeship starts by geography and sector subject area is published in a supplementary table to a Statistical First Release (SFR): <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364257/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-and-sector-subject-area.xls" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364257/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-and-sector-subject-area.xls</a></p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 27/10/2014 14:13:29 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	4090 label Biography information for Mr Jonathan Lord

99948

registered interest
date	20/10/2014
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, what recent steps he has taken to ensure employer compliance with minimum wage legislation.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Paul Flynn
uin	211009
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>Individuals who are entitled to the National Minimum Wage should receive it and we are committed to taking the steps necessary to improve compliance; ensuring employers understand their responsibilities and workers know their rights, and ensuring robust enforcement of the law.</p><p>Detailed guidance, including how to calculate the minimum wage, is available on the gov.uk website. Confidential advice is also available for both workers and employers through the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. Any worker who is concerned that they have not been paid what they are legally entitled to or who wants to make a complaint, should call the helpline on 0800 917 2368.</p><p>We have taken a number of steps to strengthen enforcement activity. This year, HMRC’s enforcement budget has increased by £1.2million to £9.2 million. This extra funding will enable HMRC to increase the number of National Minimum Wage compliance officers who, as well as continuing to respond to every complaint, will also undertake targeted enforcement, focusing on the worst offending employers in the highest-risk sectors.</p><p>Employers who are found to have broken the law face substantially higher penalties. We increased the financial penalty percentage that employers pay for breaking minimum wage law from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the unpaid wages owed to workers and the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. The increase came into effect on 7 March 2014. Since revising the Government’s naming scheme, we have also named 30 employers who between them owed over £50,000 in arrears, to provide further incentive to all employers to comply.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 27/10/2014 14:11:14 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	545 label Biography information for Paul Flynn

93712

registered interest
date	15/10/2014
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	Apprentices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new apprenticeships have been created in (1) the United Kingdom, (2) the South West of England, and (3) Bristol, in the last 12 months.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL2141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>Provisional data for the 2013/14 academic year show there were 432,400 apprenticeship starts in England, 45,200 in the South West Region and 2,970 in Bristol Local Authority. It is not possible to directly compare 2013/14 estimates with figures from previous years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department does not collect Further Education information relating to the devolved administrations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 27/10/2014 16:57:24 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

93092

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
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	Management
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Government will take steps to implement the recommendations made in the report entitled Management 2020 by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Management and the Chartered Management Institute.
tabling member constituency	North Antrim
tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
uin	210610
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government recognise the value of young people having a hands-on experience of enterprise in schools, colleges and universities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has introduced a number of measures to help inspire young people and open up opportunities for future careers. For example, seed funding the launch of a new enterprise competition in primary schools, 'Fiver', in partnership with Young Enterprise and Virgin Money.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Last year we asked Lord Young, the Prime Minister's advisor on enterprise, to look at what more could be done. His report, Enterprise for All, was published in June 2014 and makes a number of recommendations across all education sectors to encourage a lifelong experience of enterprise. The Government welcomed the report and will be responding in full this autumn.</p><p> </p><p>We are also recognising the excellent practice that already exists. For example, the Small Business Charter was set up this year to recognise business schools that work with students and local small businesses to promote enterprise.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, See Inside Manufacturing is a partnership between BIS and industry sectors that aims to inspire young people (aged 11-19 years) into manufacturing by dispelling outdated ideas of the industry, providing a more accurate picture of career prospects, and helping young people understand what they need to succeed in manufacturing. It does this by encouraging manufacturing businesses to open their doors and give students the chance to “see behind the scenes” of a modern manufacturing company. Last year 6,300 young people and their teachers attended events up and down the country, taking part in over 175 visits and events throughout the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, the Government’s ambitious programme of reform for adult vocational education in England is based on instilling rigour in qualifications, teaching and testing and ensuring that skills provision is more responsive to the needs of employers and learners. As part of our reform of apprenticeships, new apprenticeship standards will be expected to meet professional registration requirements in sectors where these exist (for example, in engineering, science and accountancy). This will support the drive to improve the quality of apprenticeships and ensure that apprentices are trained to the level of professional competence required by employers and the sector they work in.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 27/10/2014 12:02:24 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

93414

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
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	Asylum: English Language
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance is given to successful asylum seekers who wish to learn English.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL2080
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>Refugees recognised by the UK Government, along with their husband, wife, civil partner and children, are eligible for funding to attend an English for Speakers of Other Languages course. The level of funding is determined by existing eligibility rules, which are set out in the Skills Funding Agency’s rules at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287917/Funding_rules_2014_15.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287917/Funding_rules_2014_15.pdf</a>. Education and skills funding is devolved and the eligibility criteria apply to England.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Those isolated by their lack of English can also access pre-entry level English training through the Department for Communities and Local Government’s £6million Community-Based English Language programme, which offers tuition to 24,000 adults most isolated by their lack of English in 29 target areas.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 27/10/2014 16:44:21 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno