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  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what (a) inquiries have been made and (b) investigations have been carried out by (i) Ministers in his Department, (ii) officials in his Department and (iii) Business Bank staff into allegations of misselling relating to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme since 2012.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been pro-active in its engagement with Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) lenders, with regular audits of the use of the scheme since its launch. In February 2014 BIS wrote to all lenders participating in the EFG scheme reiterating their operational responsibilities, including the way in which it is presented to their front line staff and customers. Following evidence of concerns of lending by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in August 2014, BIS officials asked RBS to instigate an internal review into this issue.

    My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has met with RBS to discuss these findings, and I have asked the British Business Bank – which now administers the programme on behalf of the Department – to continue to closely monitor the action being taken by RBS to address these issues. I have been given assurance from RBS that they will put right any cases where they are at fault to ensure that no detriment is suffered by either the borrower or the taxpayer.

    The Enterprise Finance Guarantee remains a valuable programme which helps viable businesses gain access to finance where they have insufficient security or an inadequate track record to access finance.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what discussions and meetings (a) Ministers in his Department, (b) officials in his Department and (c) Business Bank staff have had with (i) participating lenders and (ii) business organisations where allegations of misselling relating to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme were discussed since 2012.

    Matthew Hancock

    The British Business Bank maintains regular contact with all of the main lenders participating in the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. Quarterly meetings are held at a senior level and the allegations of mis-selling have been on the agenda of those meetings since early in 2014. In addition, operational meetings take place on a regular basis. From August 2014 onwards more frequent senior level meetings have taken place with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). At a meeting in August 2014 RBS agreed to our request that they should undertake to conduct an internal review. The findings of that review and a proposed course of action were presented at a meeting with the British Business Bank in December 2014, and senior executives from RBS met the Secretary of State on 14 January 2015. The British Business Bank has also discussed the ‘mis-selling’ allegations with the British Bankers’ Association and the Lending Standards Board, each on one occasion.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what (a) safeguards and (b) monitoring processes and producers are operated by his Department or the Business Bank in relation to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme; what scrutiny of lenders takes place routinely; and what data his Department collects on the operation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme by lenders.

    Matthew Hancock

    Participating lenders under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme are subject to a continuous cycle of risk based and thematic independent audits to monitor their compliance with the scheme. Regular communications and meetings take place with lenders to discuss the results of the audits, additional correspondence and EFG related complaints. Oversight is enhanced through analysis by the British Business Bank of the transactional data recorded by the lenders.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what the operational responsibilities of lenders under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme are; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure these are upheld.

    Matthew Hancock

    We require all lenders participating in the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme to give clear and accurate information to borrowers and to ensure that their customer-facing staff understand the way in which the scheme operates. Lenders are provided with a comprehensive EFG scheme manual and are subject to a continuous cycle of independent external audit to monitor their compliance with the scheme terms. Following evidence of concerns of lending by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in August 2014, my officials asked RBS to instigate an internal review into this issue, and the Secretary of State has subsequently met with RBS to discuss these findings.

    EFG lenders follow their normal procedures according to internal policies throughout the administrative lifecycle of an EFG-backed loan. Lenders confirm eligibility of applicants and provide a transactional record to the British Business Bank – which now administers the programme on behalf of the Department – through an on-line tool. Regular dialogue is maintained between the British Business Bank and the lenders.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will carry out an investigation into allegations of misselling to businesses by lenders relating to loans made under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been pro-active in its engagement with Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) lenders, with regular audits of the use of the scheme since its launch. In February 2014 BIS wrote to all lenders participating in the EFG scheme reiterating their operational responsibilities, including the way in which it is presented to their front line staff and customers. Following evidence of concerns of lending by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in August 2014, BIS officials asked RBS to instigate an internal review into this issue.

    My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has met with RBS to discuss these findings, and I have asked the British Business Bank – which now administers the programme on behalf of the Department – to continue to closely monitor the action being taken by RBS to address these issues. I have been given assurance from RBS that they will put right any cases where they are at fault to ensure that no detriment is suffered by either the borrower or the taxpayer.

    The Enterprise Finance Guarantee remains a valuable programme which helps viable businesses gain access to finance where they have insufficient security or an inadequate track record to access finance.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many women under the age of 25 were diagnosed with cervical cancer in (a) the borough of Barnsley and (b) the UK in 2013 and 2014.

    Mr Rob Wilson

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

  • Andy Sawford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andy Sawford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much UK Export Finance has spent on advertising in each year since 2010.

    Matthew Hancock

    UK Export Finance records spending on all activities associated with the promotion of UK Export Finance, including advertising, marketing, attendance at exhibitions etc, as Business Promotion or Marketing.

    The table below shows the amount spent by UK Export Finance on these activities in each financial year since 2010/11. Spend has increased in recent years as UK Export Finance seeks to raise awareness of its services particularly amongst smaller businesses following the introduction of products targeted at the smaller exporter in 2011.

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15 to date

    Spend (£)

    19,395

    41,915

    27,958

    377,434

    801,341

  • Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if the Government will launch an inquiry into the price of fuel to identify the reasons for the disparity between global oil prices and the domestic prices paid by motorists.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government has made it clear to the industry that it is vital the benefits of plunging oil prices are passed on quickly to the domestic prices paid by motorists.

    UK national average pump prices are now at their lowest levels since March 2010 for diesel and at its lowest since Dec 2009 for petrol. We expect fuel retailers to cut prices further as the decline in crude oil prices in recent weeks continues to feed through the system.

    We continue to monitor price movements very closely.

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his letter of 24 October 2014 to the chief finance officers of English billing authorities, which local authorities have offered a business rate discount to premises with a free-to-use cash machine since the sending of that letter; and if he will make a statement.

    Kris Hopkins

    We do not hold this information centrally. Councils do not need the permission of Whitehall to levy such local discounts.

    The Localism Act 2011 gave local authorities in England powers to grant business rates discounts. We have urged authorities to use their powers to provide relief to cash machines where there is a clear community benefit, such as where cash machine providers commit to introduce extra cash machines or reduce charges on existing machines. Central government now funds 50% of local discounts.

    We also announced at the 2014 Autumn Statement an extra £650 million of support for 2015-16 business rates bills in England, bringing the total support from 2013 and 2014 Autumn Statement measures to £1.4 billion in 2015-16.

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assistance has been (a) requested from or (b) offered by his Department to South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils following the fire at their offices in Crowmarsh Gifford.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Following the fire at the council offices on 15 January local business continuity arrangements were immediately put into place. Telephone calls were made to Councillor John Cotton, leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, and Councillor Ian Hudspeth, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, on the day to offer support and no central government assistance was requested. I would like to pay tribute to Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service, and to neighbouring fire and rescue services that supported them, for their response to this incident, and to council officials who have maintained essential council services. Officials from Fire, Resilience and Emergencies Directorate have been in contact with Oxfordshire’s Chief Fire Officer, Dave Etheridge.