The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to promote the welfare of armed forces personnel.
Mr Julian Brazier
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Kirsten Oswald).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support British jobs and industry through its procurement process.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Ministry of Defence spends some £20 billion a year in the UK, making us British Industry’s largest single customer. Around half of this spend is in manufacturing and some £4 billion with small and medium-sized enterprises. We are determined to drive greater innovation into defence procurement, maximising opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses, investing in skills and supporting responsible exports, to help ensure we maintain a healthy and competitive UK defence sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the projected increase in defence spending during this Parliament.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for South East Cambridgeshire (Lucy Frazer) and Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the standard of housing for service personnel.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence is committed to improving the quality of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) provided to our Service personnel. 88% of SFA currently meet or exceed the decent homes standard. If a property fails to meet the standard, it will either be upgraded or disposed of.
Since financial year 2010-11 investment in housing has resulted in:
The separate installation of some 12,000 kitchens, bathrooms, or central heating systems and the insulation of 16,692 lofts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsty Blackman on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on implementation of the Apprenticeship Levy.
Nick Boles
We are working closely with the Devolved Administrations and Territorial Offices, regularly meeting with officials and Ministers on levy implementation. The last Skills Ministers meeting was in February.
We want to ensure the levy works for employers wherever they are in the UK and will be publishing further information later this month.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to improve broadband access for small businesses.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government recognises the importance of broadband access throughout the UK for businesses of all sizes. Under the Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme, over 50,000 SMEs across 52 cities took a connection voucher, with around 41,000 businesses already connected to super and ultra-fast broadband.
The Government is also undertaking a Review into Business Broadband, jointly led by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to explore the barriers faced by businesses, including SMEs, in accessing the affordable, high-speed broadband they need. That Review is ongoing and will report later this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Glyn Davies on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to support British steelmaking.
Anna Soubry
This Government has taken unprecedented action to help our steel industry.
We’re cutting electricity costs by hundreds of millions, tackling unfair trade and are the first EU country to introduce new flexibility in public procurement.
We have also offered an unparalleled package of support to secure the long term future of Tata Steel’s UK operations.
That is what the steel industry has asked for and that is what we are delivering.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his plans are for the future of the Land Registry.
Sajid Javid
We recently consulted options for the Land Registry.
This consultation closed on 26 May and Government are currently reviewing the responses.
Until this is completed, no decision will be made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that customers are able to receive utility and other bills in paper form on request.
George Freeman
My Department does not intervene in the billing arrangements of individual businesses in the regulated utilities.
But I understand that most utility and other providers give customers the option to receive bills in paper form if they so request.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jake Berry on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to facilitate customers switching suppliers in consumer markets.
Nick Boles
We are taking action to make it quick and easy to switch suppliers. Last year, we published six switching principles, urging industry to improve their processes.
The Government has challenged the mobile phone operators to unlock handsets for free, and the major operators have committed to doing so.
We are also legislating for easier switching in the communications markets in the Digital Economy Bill.