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  • Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Health and Safety Executive’s submission to the Inter-Departmental Group for the Valuation of Life and Health review and evidence submitted to the series of interviews with his Department’s staff conducted by researchers from the University of Leeds in 2008.

    Mike Penning

    The submission will be placed in the Library shortly.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Debbie Abrahams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the (a) Competition Commission and (b) Office of Fair Trading spent on assessing mergers in the NHS in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

    Jo Swinson

    The Competition Commission’s (CC’s) inquiry into the proposed merger between Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals Foundation Trust and Poole Hospital Foundation Trust, which was concluded in 2013/14, was the Commission’s only assessment of an NHS Foundation Trust merger. The cost of this inquiry was £710,000, which includes the cost of the staff on the inquiry amounting to £639,000 and direct costs of £71,000 (including survey costs).

    The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) did not collect specific information on the resources used in considering mergers involving NHS Foundation Trusts. However, the average approximate cost involved in scrutiny of a merger by the OFT was £20,000; in total, the OFT considered four mergers involving NHS Foundation Trusts in 2012-13 and 2013-14, of which only one was referred for further scrutiny by the CC.

  • Tom Clarke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Clarke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Clarke on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will ensure that his legislative proposals aimed at creating a public register of beneficial ownership ensure that information in the register has undergone verification.

    Jo Swinson

    The Government recognises that register integrity is an important issue. This Department is carefully considering with Companies House and others what checks are necessary to ensure integrity of data and that the registration of company information in the UK remains quick, simple and inexpensive.

    The current UK register is one of the most open in the world, and is accessed over 240 million times a year. This means the information is policed on a significant scale by the public, who report anomalies to Companies House for follow up.

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions under the Export Control Order 2008 have taken place in each year since 2008.

    Mr David Gauke

    There has been one prosecution/conviction under the Export Control Order 2008 since 2008, however there have been a number of successful prosecutions under other export control legislation. Details of those prosecutions can be found in the Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls in the House of Commons library. The report for the most recent complete year (2013-2014) is due to be published in mid-July.

  • Ms Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ms Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Diane Abbott on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many start-up loans have been granted to businesses in Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency in each of the last five years.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Start-Up Loans programme commenced in September 2012, in that year there was 1 loan with a value of £5000 drawn down in Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency. In 2013 there were 110 loans with a drawn value of £752,465 granted and 2014 to date there have been 53 loans with a drawn value of £259,065 granted.

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to introduce a legal requirement for pubcos to offer a free-of-tie option in the public house sector.

    Jo Swinson

    The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill, introduced to this House on 25 June 2014, does not include provision for mandatory free-of-tie. The Government recognises that some tenant groups and campaigners support this option, which might appear to offer a simple way of ensuring that tied tenants are no worse off than free-of-tie tenants. We looked carefully at this measure but have decided not to introduce it.

    The responses to the Government’s consultation on a Statutory Code and Adjudicator for the pubs sector raised concerns that mandatory free-of-tie would create uncertainty for pub-owning companies and have an unpredictable impact on the wider pubs sector which could even undermine the tied model. Even among the polarised views in the industry, there is strong support for the tie as a business model. What is important to the Government is that there are protections in place so that the tied model operates fairly. The reforms being taken forward in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill will rebalance the relationship between pub-owning companies and their tied tenants, without threatening the balance of the wider industry.

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement regulations on UK public services and businesses as a result of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; and what UK Government policy is towards such regulations in international investment agreements.

    Michael Fallon

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has commissioned research into Investor State Dispute Clauses (ISDS), reviewed academic research, consulted external experts and carried out its own internal analysis on investment provisions. The UK currently has over 90 investment protection agreements with other countries. There has been no successful action against the UK in respect of any of these agreements. ISDS provisions in investment and trade treaties can help to create a positive investment climate. The ISDS provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are still under negotiation. We believe these provisions must strike the right balance between protecting investors and the host nation’s right to regulate and determine policy and also provide transparency of process. A balanced ISDS clause in TTIP could act as a model for future trade and investment agreements.

  • David Nuttall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Nuttall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Nuttall on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what changes his Department plans to bring forward to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.

    Jo Swinson

    For the past ten months, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been discussing with industry, enforcement authorities and the fire services, a proposal to bring forward changes to the match and cigarette tests in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. We believe this would bring benefits to both businesses and consumers by reducing the levels of potentially harmful flame retardant chemicals generally used to meet the requirements of the match test, while also improving fire safety. Any such changes would be subject to formal public consultation.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 147W, on Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce, for what reasons the Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce has been reconstituted; what the terms of reference and mandate for the new taskforce are; what the membership of that taskforce is; and when the minutes of the reconstituted taskforce will be made available.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Before 2010 there was no coordinated action to tackle fraud, error and debt across Government despite the significant losses to the Exchequer. In 2011 alone the Annual Fraud Indicator estimated Government annual losses from fraud and error were over £30bn. It is also estimated that between £7bn and £8bn per annum is lost through debts owed to Government not being pursued.

    This Government established the first cross-departmental taskforce to address this issue after the last General Election. In 2012-13 the Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce reported savings and improved performance in detecting and preventing fraud and error of £6.5bn, and is overseeing initiatives to improve debt collection. Despite this progress we know there’s much more to do. The reconstituted taskforce is chaired jointly by the Cabinet Secretary and myself, and attended by senior Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, supported by industry sector experts, to ensure there is full alignment towards further reducing fraud and error losses and improving debt collection in benefits and tax credits.

    As was the case under previous administrations, minutes of internal meetings are not usually disclosed.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths related to respiratory disease there were in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) the UK in each year since 2001.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.