The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 24265, what criteria colleges and post-16 educational institutions will have to meet in order to access the transitional funding facility allocated by his Department.
Nick Boles
Further details of the purpose and availability of the transitional funding facility will be available in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 24265, when he plans to (a) assess how many further education institutions are likely to incur financial penalties as a result of triggering break clauses in loan agreements they hold with banks resulting from his Department’s area reviews and (b) publish such data.
Nick Boles
I refer the hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 24265
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to encourage businesses to advertise flexible working arrangements by default in job advertisements.
Nick Boles
Flexible working is now a key aspect of today’s employment landscape with a growing number of employees taking advantage of flexible working – either through an informal arrangement with their employer or through the statutory Right to Request Flexible Working. This was extended to all employees with 26 weeks qualifying service in June 2014 and at the same time it was made easier for employers to consider requests for flexible working.
At the time this change was introduced, employers were encouraged to use the strapline “Happy to Talk Flexible Working” when advertising jobs. The Right to Request was promoted in various ways, including a conference for employers which explained the benefits of flexible working and provided practical tips and as part of the GREAT campaign.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the amount of financial penalties was for non-compliance with national minimum wage (a) imposed on and (b) paid by each of the 92 employers who were named and shamed by his Department for such non-compliance on 5 February 2015.
Nick Boles
We do not publish details of penalties in individual cases. The employers named in the February 5th round were issued with a combined total of over £629,000 in penalties. To date, 84 of the 92 employers have paid penalties. The remaining 8 are being pursued by HM Revenue and Customs compliance officers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average pay is of (a) men and (b) women working in his Department.
Joseph Johnson
This information is published by the Office for National Statistics for all departments on an annual basis. The latest publication date was 8 October 2015.
Detailed breakdowns of mean and median salaries for both men and women (including within BIS) are contained in the Civil Service Statistics 2015 Statistical Bulletin Tables (tables 24 to 35), available here:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-414427
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding from the (a) European Regional Development Fund and (b) European Social Fund was spent in (i) London and (ii) each London borough in each year from 2010 to 2015.
Anna Soubry
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) are administered in London by the Greater London Authority. Annual allocations are set out in the London ERDF Operational Programme 2007-2013 and London ESF Regional Framework 2011-2013 which can be found on the Greater London Authority’s website. The allocations could be spent up to the end of 2015. Allocations were not broken down for each London borough but a full list of projects funded by ERDF can be found also on the Greater London Authority’s website. A list of projects funded by ESF can be found under ESF funding for London on the Department for Work and Pensions website on gov.uk.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding from the (a) European Regional Development Fund and (b) European Social Fund he forecasts will be spent in (i) London and (ii) each London borough in each year from 2016 and 2020.
Anna Soubry
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) are administered in London by the Greater London Authority and will respond to priorities set out in the European Structural and Investment Strategy prepared by the London Enterprise Panel and other local partners. The Strategy updated in February 2016 sets out the amounts to be spent in London from ERDF and ESF and can be found on the London Enterprise Panel website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created as a result of funding from the European Structural and Investment Funds spent in London between 2016 and 2020.
Anna Soubry
Information on the number of jobs that will be created from the European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds spent in London in the 2014-2020 programming period is set out in the ESI Funds strategy prepared by the London Enterprise Panel and other local partners which can be found on the London Enterprise Panel website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department plans to make available to small companies operating in deprived areas to help meet the costs of the introduction of the living wage; and if he will make a statement.
Nick Boles
The Government has introduced measures to help businesses with the transition to the new National Living Wage. The Government is reducing corporation tax to 18% by 2020, setting the Annual Investment Allowance at a new permanent level of £200,000, and increasing the Employment Allowance from £2,000 to £3,000. The increase in the Employment Allowance means a business could employ four people on the National Living Wage and pay no National Insurance Contributions. It will benefit up to 590,000 employers and take up to 90,000 firms out of National Insurance Contributions altogether. These measures will help small businesses across the country.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to reduce the burden of regulation on businesses.
Anna Soubry
The Government is committed to cutting £10bn worth of red tape, as set out in the 2015 Conservative Manifesto, and will report on progress by June this year. We are putting forward proposals in the Enterprise Bill to systematically track for the first time the impact of regulators’ actions. This will drive savings through, for instance, simpler guidance, less paperwork and coordinated inspections. Through my department’s Cutting Red Tape programme, businesses are encouraged to report burdens and recommend sectors that Government may wish to review. There are currently seven reviews in progress: Energy; Care; Agriculture; Mineral Extraction; Waste; Anti-Money Laundering; and House Building.