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  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has produced a cross-departmental strategy for the UK to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK Government as a whole is committed to implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Government’s manifesto sets out the plan of action for which it will be held accountable by the British people. This includes commitments relevant to each of the Goals, and it will guide our efforts to achieve them. The Global Goals are the starting point for, and will be embedded across, DFID’s work.

    DFID is the lead Department on the Goals, and will be working with the Cabinet Office across Government to ensure a joined-up approach to implementation. Other Government Departments will lead on their respective policy areas.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the proportion of weekend retail transactions which have been conducted on a Sunday over the last three years.

    Anna Soubry

    On 9 March the Government published an impact assessment on Sunday trading which is available in the libraries of both Houses.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the proportion of the working population in Southampton which was working in small retail outlets over the last three years.

    Anna Soubry

    Official statistics are not sufficiently detailed to answer this question directly. However a rough estimate may be possible by combining sources.

    The ONS Business Registers and Employment Survey shows that the retail sector accounted for 10 – 11% of employment in Southampton in each year between 2012 and 2014.

    Furthermore BIS Business Population Estimates suggest that across the UK as a whole small firms (those below 50 employees) account for around 29% of employment in the retail sector.

    Applying this assumption we could estimate that small retailers accounted for around 3% of employment in Southampton in 2012-2014.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many arbitration proceedings were started by Acas (a) in each employment sector and (b) relating to each topic on its database in each year since 2009-10.

    Nick Boles

    The table below provides details of Acas collective arbitrations between 2009-10 and 2014-15 broken down by employment sector and topic:

    2009/10

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    Total arbitrations

    44

    31

    21

    17

    15

    19

    By sector:

    Aerospace

    1

    0

    2

    0

    0

    2

    Clothing

    0

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Education

    3

    3

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Energy

    24

    11

    9

    10

    9

    7

    Engineering

    0

    0

    0

    1

    0

    1

    Food

    0

    0

    0

    1

    0

    0

    Health

    1

    0

    1

    0

    0

    0

    Law

    0

    0

    0

    1

    0

    0

    Logistics

    0

    5

    4

    1

    0

    3

    Manufacturing

    0

    0

    0

    0

    1

    2

    Media

    1

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Other

    0

    0

    0

    0

    3

    0

    Ports and Shipping

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    2

    Public

    2

    4

    3

    2

    1

    2

    Retail

    5

    2

    0

    1

    0

    0

    Security

    1

    2

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Transport

    2

    2

    2

    0

    0

    0

    Waste

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Logistics

    3

    0

    0

    0

    1

    0

    By topic:

    Annual pay

    13

    8

    2

    4

    2

    6

    Other pay / employment conditions

    6

    2

    8

    1

    1

    2

    Dismissal / Discipline

    24

    11

    8

    10

    8

    10

    Grading

    0

    2

    2

    0

    0

    0

    Other

    1

    8

    1

    2

    4

    1
  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many referrals Acas made to each public body relating to each (a) employment sector and (b) topic on its database in each year since 2009-10.

    Nick Boles

    The only referrals recorded by Acas are those made to the various enforcement bodies that have been set up to protect vulnerable workers. Acas has made these referrals since taking over the Pay and Work Rights Helpline in April 2015. The number of referrals made to each enforcement body since April 2015 is set out in the following table:

    HMRC

    EAS

    HSE

    GLA

    Total

    April to Feb Total

    1,667

    229

    111

    11

    2,018

    Source: Acas

    • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – calls on potential enforcement of the National Minimum Wage
    • Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate – calls on potential enforcement of employment agency legislation (except Agency Worker Regulations)
    • Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) – calls relating to agency workers in agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering or associated processing and packaging
    • Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – calls on potential enforcement of working time issues, including enforcement of maximum weekly working hours
  • Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to UK businesses of implementing EU harmonised legislation.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government produces Impact Assessments that set out the impacts to business of legislation. These are published on the LEGISLATION.GOV.UK website.

    The UK has one of the lightest regulatory regimes in the OECD. The Netherlands, also in the EU, has the lightest. The European Commission has already reformed its approach to regulation, reducing the number of new initiatives proposed in its annual work programmes by over 80 per cent since 2014.

    As part of the UK’s settlement with the EU, the European Commission is now committed to reviewing the burden of regulation each year, looking in particular at cutting red tape for small businesses. For the first time ever, specific targets to reduce costs for businesses will be introduced in the most burdensome areas.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the new body to deliver procurement of the successor submarines will be stood up; whether it has been decided what form the new delivery body will take, and whether the government of the US has been consulted; and whether they will establish that body via primary legislation.

    Earl Howe

    Options for the new organisations continue to be developed and assessed. We expect to announce further details later this year, once the relevant decisions have been made.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether an experienced commercial specialist has been appointed to act as the single sponsor for all aspects of the defence nuclear enterprise, as highlighted in Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

    Earl Howe

    Options for the new organisations continue to be developed and assessed. We expect to announce further details later this year, once the relevant decisions have been made.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of the recommendations of the Report from the Science and Technology Committee Nuclear Research and Development Capabilities (3rd Report, Session 2010–12, HL Paper 221), particularly the development of a long-term strategy for nuclear energy looking beyond 2025, have been taken forward.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    Government provided a response to the Science and Technology Committee’s Nuclear Research and Development Capabilities Report in February 2012, setting out the actions that would be undertaken in response to the Committee’s recommendations. The response is attached.

    Subsequently, Government worked with both Industry and Academia to develop and publish the Nuclear Industrial Strategy and a number of supporting documents in March 2013. The strategy set out, in detail, ambitions and plans for the role of nuclear in the UK energy mix to 2050 and beyond.

    The Nuclear Industrial Strategy also set out the remit for the creation of both the Nuclear Industrial Council and the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board (NIRAB), to provide advice, assistance and coordination across the relevant parties in the nuclear landscape. A working group was also created under the umbrella of the Low Carbon Innovation Coordination Group (LCICG) to better coordinate public sector spending in this area.

    In the recent Spending Review, the first since the Committee’s Report, Government announced at least £250m of funding for nuclear R&D. This funding is made up of 2 components: 1) an ambitious nuclear R&D programme; 2) a competition to select the best value Small Modular Reactor design for the UK.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 10 March (HL Deb, col 1406), whether the 60 per cent of jobs guaranteed in the supply chain for Hinkley Point remain guaranteed for the third nuclear plant and beyond, with which the Chinese are fully involved.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The government is working to maximise the economic and social benefits accruing to the UK local and national economies as the result of the development of all new UK nuclear power stations.

    The developers of New Nuclear Power Plants, Hinkley Point C located in Somerset, Wylfa Newydd on the Isle of Anglesey and Moorside in West Cumbria are all working towards ensuring that 60% or more is spent with UK companies

    For further proposed new build including Sizewell C in Suffolk, Oldbury in South Gloucestershire & Bradwell in Essex, the Government is working with the new build developers to match or better this percentage for work placed with UK firms.