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  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the potential costs to (a) consumers and (b) the public purse of the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government is moving UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) into private ownership so it can continue operating in the same way it does now only funded with private capital rather than relying on taxpayers’ support. The detailed background and supporting case for this move was set out in the policy statement we published on 18 November.

    Decisions on the proposed sale are being taken in accordance with best practice to ensure all available options are properly examined in a detailed business case and that a robust valuation process is followed. We expect taxpayers to gain a receipt to the public purse from a majority sale of GIB, and to benefit from reduced public funding requirements in future.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether any trade missions to Iran are planned involving businesses from the UK in 2016.

    Anna Soubry

    The UK government fully supports expanding our trade relationship with Iran. UK Trade and Investment will be leading a whole of government approach to engage with UK companies to ensure that UK businesses are well equipped to benefit from the commercial opportunities that will arise from sanction relief.

    There is a desire on both sides to build a long-term bilateral relationship based on future partnership, where trade and investment is a key pillar. We plan to take further trade delegations to Iran in the near future across a number of sectors where UK companies are best placed to benefit from commercial opportunities.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many businesses were compensated for the indirect costs of the (a) EU Emissions Trading System and (b) carbon price floor; what the average award per eligible business was; and what the total monetary value of such compensation was in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 to date.

    Anna Soubry

    Since the compensation schemes for indirect costs of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and the Carbon Price Support (CPS) mechanism began, the total number of businesses compensated is 60 and 58 respectively. The table below sets out the amounts of compensation paid from 2013 to 2015 in calendar years. CPS compensation payments began in 2014. The average award per business over that period can be calculated from the table.

    2013

    2014

    2015 (to 21 January 2016)*

    TOTAL

    (£)

    (£)

    (£)

    EU ETS

    31,707,192.00

    19,632,228.00

    18,130,331.00

    69,469,751.00

    CPS

    33,247,349.00

    44,811,626.00

    78,058,975.00

    TOTAL

    31,707,192.00

    52,879,577.00

    62,941,957.00

    147,528,726.00

    (* Claimants have until 31 March 2016 to submit Quarter 4 2015 applications).

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2015 to Question 657, what tangible progress towards the EU-US Free Trade Agreement had been made by the end of 2015; and whether any agreement in principle had been reached on that matter by that date.

    Anna Soubry

    There have now been eleven rounds of negotiations for the EU-US Free Trade Agreement also known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). A significant step forward was taken last June when the US Congress passed the Trade Promotion Authority bill (fast track authority for trade agreements). The agreement reached at the end of negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (in the Asia Pacific region) last October is further good news, and allows the US to increase focus on TTIP.

    The last negotiating round took place in October. A significant milestone was reached with the exchange of revised tariff offers, which would see tariffs almost completely removed. Negotiators also discussed all aspects of market access in public procurement. This helps prepare the ground for the first exchange of procurement offers expected in February.

    We are making tangible progress and our ambition remains to reach an agreement under the Obama presidency.

  • Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on how many occasions in each of the last two calendar years his Department has been notified by outside consultants or other third parties of breaches by employees or subcontractors of those consultants of document retention or security policies relating to confidential or secure materials.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Department for Business Innovation & Skills was notified of 16 breaches by employees of companies processing data on behalf of the Department in 2014 and 4 breaches in 2015. The last breach reported by an employee of a company processing our data was in April 2015.

  • Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his Department’s policy is on providing direct web links to information requested in written parliamentary questions in the Answers to those questions.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not have a specific policy on the provision of web links. Parliamentary Questions are answered according to the preferred approach of each individual Minister.

  • Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding the Green Investment Bank has invested in fracking projects in the UK.

    Anna Soubry

    The Green Investment Bank has not invested in any fracking projects.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the proportion of (a) public and (b) private investment was in each project in which the Green Investment Bank has invested.

    Anna Soubry

    The information requested can be found in the Transaction Table on the Green Investment Bank website.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the timescale is for privatisation of the Green Investment Bank; and whether he has made contingency plans to extend that timescale in the event of adverse market conditions.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government has previously stated that it is seeking to sell a majority stake in the Green Investment Bank (GIB) in the financial year 2016/17.

    Strong market interest currently exists for the GIB and we expect this timetable to be successfully met. Any extension would be considered nearer to the end of that timetable, should it be required.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions officials in his Department have had with officials of the Department for Work and Pensions on JobCentre Plus involvement in the Find An Apprentice Service.

    Nick Boles

    The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). A live link from the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service provides real time apprenticeship vacancies each day to the Jobcentre Plus Universal Jobmatch vacancy website. This ensures that clients who are in receipt of benefits have easy access to information about apprenticeship vacancies.

    In addition, the SFA is working with DWP to train work coaches in job centres so that they have up to date information on apprenticeships to share with clients. The SFA is also ensuring that DWP employer teams have the information needed on apprenticeships to promote these as part of their conversations with businesses.