The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-07-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions the Future High Streets Forum has met this year; and who has attended each such meeting.
Penny Mordaunt
The Future High Streets Forum has met three times this year, on 21 January, 29 April and 8 July. Attendee details can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/future-high-streets-forum
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-07-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 292W, on Royal Mail, from which directorate each member of staff working on the privatisation of Royal Mail was drawn.
Matthew Hancock
The core team of 17 people working on the sale of Royal Mail shares comprised staff from the Shareholder Executive. Staff in other BIS Directorates contributed to the work – primarily from Legal Directorate, Finance Directorate, Press Office and Economics and Markets Directorate.
The project received scrutiny outside BIS from the Cabinet Office’s Major Projects Authority and a Treasury Approval Point panel.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-07-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 292W, on Royal Mail, how many staff of the Shareholder Executive worked on the privatisation of Royal Mail.
Matthew Hancock
The 17 core staff referred to in the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 292W, were all from the Shareholder Executive working on the Royal Mail Initial Public Offering.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of shares in Royal Mail allocated to priority investors in its recent privatisation are still held by those investors.
Michael Fallon
As set out in the National Audit Office report, 22% of Royal Mail shares (220.5m) were sold to priority investors. As set out in the NAO report, at the end of January, over a half of the shares remain owned by these investors. Some have sold all their shares; some sold part of their shareholding; and others have acquired more shares.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of individuals employed on zero-hours contracts by (a) region and (b) gender; and what research his Department has commissioned on that matter.
Mr Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many officials from (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies and associated public bodies worked on the Royal Mail privatisation.
Michael Fallon
The core team working on the sale of Royal Mail shares was comprised of 17 people. None of the Department’s Partner organisations were involved in taking forward the initial public offering.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 415, on Royal Mail, over what time period the (a) final price achieved and (b) aftermarket performance of the shares will be assessed under the benchmarks set by the Government.
Michael Fallon
We have not set a rigid timetable for the assessment of whether the discretionary payment should be made. As seen in recent days, there is still volatility in Royal Mail’s share price.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the names are of (a) the 16 priority investors selected and (b) the 21 priority investors under initial consideration by the Government in the privatisation of Royal Mail.
Michael Fallon
All investors in Royal Mail, whether individuals or institutions, have a legitimate expectation of privacy. It would not be appropriate to disclose the list of institutions that were allocated shares in the Initial Public Offering (IPO) or the names of investors that participated in the investor engagement prior to the IPO.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many business rates appeals to the Valuation Office Agency are currently classified as (a) outstanding, (b) received and (c) cleared, by region; and what the current median time taken in days is to clear business rates challenges in each region.
Mr David Gauke
Table 1 shows the latest available statistics on proposals (appeals), by region, to amend the 2010 rating lists. The numbers provided cover England and Wales for the duration of the 2010 rating list as of 30 September 2013.
Table 1: Proposals to amend the 2010 Rating Lists
|
Region |
Total Received1,2 1 Apr 10 to 30 Sept 13 |
Total Cleared1,2 1 Apr 10 to 30 Sept 13 |
Total Outstanding1,2 at 30 Sep 13 |
Median time to clear (days) 30 Sept 13 |
|
England and Wales |
572,780 |
409,680 |
163,100 |
360 |
|
England |
544,550 |
388,850 |
155,700 |
360 |
|
North East |
23,030 |
17,370 |
5,660 |
360 |
|
North West |
79,090 |
58,620 |
20,470 |
370 |
|
Yorkshire and the Humber |
52,920 |
41,150 |
11,770 |
330 |
|
East Midlands |
34,530 |
26,520 |
8,010 |
300 |
|
West Midlands |
53,310 |
40,540 |
12,770 |
320 |
|
East |
53,340 |
37,530 |
15,820 |
380 |
|
London |
119,130 |
71,540 |
47,590 |
400 |
|
South East |
77,700 |
56,440 |
21,260 |
380 |
|
South West |
51,500 |
39,150 |
12,350 |
350 |
|
Wales |
28,230 |
20,830 |
7,400 |
360 |
1 Figures may not sum to the totals due to the rounding of figures.
2 VOA Official Statistics, Local Rating Lists: Business Rates
(Experimental Statistics): Table As, November 2013
http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/_downloads/xls/NDR_TableA_All_2010.xls
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what process the Government adopted to (a) identify and (b) select priority investors in the recent Royal Mail privatisation.
Michael Fallon
The process of investor engagement commenced 12 months prior to the Initial Public Offering (IPO). In the initial period, Royal Mail’s management met with over 60 high quality institutions to educate them about the business. During pilot fishing in early September 2013, the management team and the Government’s banking advisers engaged further with a focused group of 21 well-informed and longer-term investors. Initial indications of potential demand were received from this group; this gave the Government the confidence to proceed with announcing the Intention to Float on 12th September 2013.