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  • Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) level of tariffs which UK businesses would operate in the event of the UK leaving the EU and negotiating a free trade deal with the EU equivalent to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade agreement between the EU and Canada and (b) costs of customs checks and rules of origin requirements for UK businesses in the event of the UK leaving the EU; and what the annual value to the UK economy is of the EU’s trade agreements with third parties.

    Anna Soubry

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

    The document “Alternatives to membership: possible models for the United Kingdom, outside the European Union”, published on 2 March, looks at the potential models for the UK’s relationship with the European Union, including negotiated bilateral agreements, such as the recent EU-Canada Free Trade Agreement. It concludes that such an agreement would bring significantly less advantageous terms for UK trade than those we currently enjoy, with particular issues for UK services losing access to the Single Market.

    The estimated value to the UK of EU FTA negotiations that have already been concluded is around £ 2.5 billion.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 26810, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of travel expenses, paid car allowances or subsidised health insurance.

    Joseph Johnson

    Individual job titles are not held centrally by the BIS HR database. Roles tend to be grouped under work areas e.g. ‘policy delivery’ or ‘human resources’ instead of job titles.

    Where we are able to identify job titles, they are very specific roles carried out by individual employees, and therefore it would be possible to identify personal information of these employees. This information has therefore not been released.

  • David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the consultation on the UK’s first space port; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    I refer my Hon Friend to my answer of 8 March, UIN 28858 (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=28858).

    “

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed extension of Sunday trading hours on the pay and conditions of retail workers.

    Anna Soubry

    In view of the will of the House, we are no longer proposing to give local authorities the ability to extend the Sunday trading hours of large shops.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations were made by the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise at the Pre Competitiveness Council on 29 February 2016, on the EC Circular Economy package.

    Anna Soubry

    My noble Friend Baroness Neville-Rolfe represented the UK at the meeting of the Competitiveness Council on 29th February 2016.

    In the discussions on the Circular Economy Package, the UK supported the ambition behind the Circular Economy Action Plan and stressed that action should be prioritised to ensure ambitious use of voluntary approaches and measures to improve the coherence between existing EU legislation and initiatives.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make representations to the Post Office on providing free business banking services to small and medium-sized enterprises.

    George Freeman

    The provision of services at post offices is the operational responsibility of the Post Office. Post Office offers a Retail (consumer) Bank Account direct to its own customers and, like any other business, can only offer services which are commercially sustainable for the business. The Post Office does not offer a Business (SME) type Bank Account direct to small businesses.

    In addition to its own consumer financial services, the Post Office has offered access to ‘basic bank branch’ services for business and personal banking customers of almost all high street banks for a number of years. The banks charge their customers at the applicable rate agreed in their customer terms and conditions. The Post Office provides the services free to the customer at the counter, based on a series of commercial agreements with the banks. These agreements have recently been reviewed and discussed as part of the industry response to the Government sponsored ‘Access to Banking Protocol’ from March 2015.

    The Post Office believes that personal and business customers of all banks would benefit from being able to continue to access existing basic banking services at Post Office branches, making sure that all communities can access banking services locally.

  • Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they next plan to meet the Chief Executive of the Go-Ahead Group in order to discuss its Southeastern rail franchise and (1) health and safety, (2) passenger satisfaction, and (3) responsiveness to customer complaints.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Senior officials will continue to meet with the Chief Executive of the Go-Ahead group on a regular basis to discuss the performances of the franchises. The next meeting is on 21st March.

  • Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many meetings they have had in the last three years with the Chief Executive of the Go-Ahead Group about its operation of its Southeastern rail franchise in respect of (1) health and safety, (2) passenger satisfaction, and (3) responsiveness to customer complaints.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Senior officials meet with the Chief Executive of the Go-Ahead group on a quarterly basis to discuss the operation of all franchises under their control. Meetings discuss the overall performance of the franchises operated. Health and Safety for the industry is overseen by the Office of Rail and Road.

  • Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received in the last three years about the Go-Ahead Group and its operation of the Southeastern rail franchise in respect of (1) health and safety, (2) passenger satisfaction, and (3) responsiveness to customer complaints.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    With regard to health and safety, there has been some 20 representations from Honourable Members from the other place received by the Department for Transport, and one representation from a Noble Lord. Two Noble Lords representations and regular communication with Transport Focus have been received with regard to Passenger satisfaction and some half dozen representations with regard to customer complaints. However, most customer complaints are resolved by Transport Focus and London TravelWatch as the official independent watchdogs for rail passengers.

    In the same time period, there has been approximately 120 concerns raised directly by members of the public to the Department for Transport.

  • Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NHS trusts can breach price caps on agency spending if they consider that it is essential to do so in order to ensure patient safety.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS trusts are able to override the price caps on agency spending if it is considered essential to do so to ensure the safety of patients.

    The circumstances in which trusts can override the caps is set out in the attached guidance: ‘Price Caps for Agency Staff: Rules’.