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  • 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 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the default rate has been on each of the Government’s export guarantee funds since May 2010.

    Michael Fallon

    UK Export Finance (UKEF) supports UK exports, principally through the provision of guarantees to banks extending loans to overseas buyers and insurance to UK exporters against the risk of non-payment. From 1 May 2010 to 31 March 2014, the percentage of guarantees and insurance policies issued by UKEF that have subsequently defaulted resulting in a claim being paid, or where a claim is currently under examination, is 0.2%.

    Given the tenor of transactions that UKEF typically supports, which can be up to 15 years, an in-year default rate does not give a clear indicator of the performance of UKEF’s portfolio. In accordance with the financial objectives and risk measures agreed with HM Treasury, UKEF measures the Expected Loss of its portfolio. Expected Loss is the statistical estimate of the amount of UKEF’s contingent liability which could be expected to turn into claims that are irrecoverable. Full details of UKEF’s performance and risk management can be found in its Annual Report and Account which is available in the libraries of the House.

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Justin Tomlinson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many workplaces employ apprentices in each (a) region and (b) parliamentary constituency.

    Matthew Hancock

    I am placing the information sought by my hon Friend in the libraries of the House. Table 1 shows the number of workplaces that employ Apprentices by Region and Table 2 shows the number of workplaces that employ Apprentices by Parliamentary Constituency.

    The tables will also be published online through the FE Data Library:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-other-statistics-and-research

    “

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much work from outside the Hull region was undertaken by staff in the Hull Official Receiver’s office in the last 12 months.

    Jenny Willott

    The Official Receiver’s office in Hull imported 866 cases from outside the Hull region in the last 12 months.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what bodies he consulted before the decision was made to close the Hull Official Receiver’s office.

    Jenny Willott

    Extensive discussions have taken place between the Insolvency Service and Trade Union officials in connection with the estates review, in the context of the estates strategy. As customer service will be maintained in the Hull area, no other bodies were contacted prior to the decision.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what research he commissioned on the effects of the closure of the Hull Official Receiver’s office before the decision to close that office; and if he will make a statement.

    Jenny Willott

    Before taking the decision to close the Hull office the Insolvency Service reviewed the impact on customers, employees, and the agency’s finances; the strategic viability of the move; and how it could be delivered.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of amending the Furniture and Furnishing (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 on the number of house fires.

    Michael Fallon

    BIS is currently exploring options for a revised match test in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. It will not have a material effect on the fire safety of UK domestic upholstered furniture, but could lead to a small overall decrease in house fires as it will include currently unregulated materials in products which can contribute to the ignitability of furniture. The test will also reduce the levels of flame retardant chemicals in UK furniture. These contribute to smoke toxicity when burned and can have adverse effects on human health and the environment when they break down into constituent parts. These changes should bring savings to the industry of £30-50 million a year.

  • Ian Paisley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian Paisley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products on the work of Trading Standards’ officers in combating the trade in illicit tobacco.

    Jane Ellison

    In the Department’s 2012 Consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products, consultation questions were asked about illicit tobacco. A consultation-stage impact assessment was also published with the consultation.

    Sir Cyril Chantler included a chapter on illicit tobacco in his report on standardised packaging of tobacco and concluded that, ‘I am not convinced by the tobacco industry’s argument that standardised packaging would increase the illicit market, especially in counterfeit cigarettes.’

    The Government will be holding a final, short consultation in which Ministers will ask, in particular, for views on anything new since the last full public consultation that is relevant to the development of this policy, including in relation to illicit tobacco. A further consultation stage impact assessment will be published alongside this.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken to support elderly first-time entrepreneurs.

    Matthew Hancock

    People of all ages and experiences are setting up and growing businesses all the time. We continue to work hard to provide the right support to make life easier for them all.

    www.gov.uk is the home for Government services and information online. One of the tools available is the ‘Business Finance and Support Finder;’ a source of government backed support and finance for business. The website www.greatbusiness.gov.uk also provides support and advice for anyone trying to grow a business as well as for entrepreneurs starting out.

    In addition to on-line support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs. For those looking for start-up finance and advice there are Start-Up Loans: 7 loans worth a total of £37,000 have been drawn down in Windsor since the scheme began in 2012.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 201 of HM Treasury’s Central Government Supply Estimates 2013-14, Supplementary Estimates and New Estimates, February 2014, HC 1006, what factors led to the need for the revised forecast that gave rise to the reserve claim of £5.455 billion for non-cash relating to revised forecasts for student loans; for what reasons this was unforeseen in his Department’s main estimate for 2013-14; and what steps he plans to take to avoid the need for such a supplementary estimate in the future.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Supplementary Estimates claim covered additional impairment of up to £3.2 billion resulting from improvements made to the student loans repayment model. Significant changes were made to the model after Main Estimates 2013-14 which enabled the Department to make better use of historical earnings data, which in turn produced greater accuracy in modelling borrowers’ earnings paths. These changes, in addition to greater use of Student Loan Company data to support the model, have enabled us to address the historic over-forecasting of repayments.

    The claim also included a contingency of £1.4 billion for any change to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) economic forecasts between December 2013 and March 2014. If unusually low interest rates were forecast to continue for longer than expected, this would result in a cost to Government as future cash flows would be lower. Any changes to forecasts of earnings growth and RPI would also mean that lower loan repayments would be likely in future years The Department will continue to take account the possibility that the OBR will change its forecasts in March of future years.

    Non-cash pressures of £0.4 billion from higher than forecast growth in the take-up of loans and pre-agreed claims of £0.7 billion for higher impairment charges identified at SR13 were also included.

    The Department will continue to update its modelling of student loan repayments in the light of the latest data and forecasts, and methodological innovation.

  • Caroline Spelman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Spelman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Spelman on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to address the barriers to remanufacturing identified in the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group’s recent report on remanufacturing.

    Michael Fallon

    The Government welcomes the broad thrust of the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group’s recent report Remanufacturing: Towards a resource efficient economy. It recognises the important role that remanufacturing has in supporting the long-term sustainability of the UK economy, encouraging resource resilience whilst boosting business opportunities and skilled employment.

    BIS is working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and across Whitehall on a number of areas touched on by the report; such as the regulatory regime that governs waste, where work is already in progress to ensure that it encourages greater re-use of materials in existing and developing manufacturing processes.

    We will use the report to inform a number of areas of policy that impact on sustainability and remanufacturing.