The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-01-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have refused to disclose legal advice regarding the impact of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on the NHS.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government considered the information referred to be exempt from release on the basis that it is subject to legal professional privilege.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-03-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of why the UK retail sector is predicted by the British Retail Consortium to lose up to 900,000 jobs in the next decade.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to promote Bristol as a location for small businesses with an eco-agenda.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Supporting our cities to grow is a key part of the Government’s long-term economic plan. As such Government departments are working together to support UK businesses by creating an effective business environment that allows them to flourish.
An example of this work can be seen in the Bristol City Deal. As part of this deal the Government agreed to provide over £2m towards creating Invest in Bristol and Bath, a dedicated service established to attract investment to the region. In its first year of operation, Invest in Bristol and Bath helped 30 new companies locate or expand in the West of England area. This has the potential to deliver more than 530 new jobs by 2017.
Building on the Bristol City Deal, the recently announced West of England Devolution Agreement sets out further ways in which Government will work with the planned West of England Combined Authority to support business growth across the city-region.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-09-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that has identified an 18 per cent gap between men’s and women’s earnings.
Lord Nash
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) research notes that the differential in average earnings between women and men remains substantial. The Office for National Statistics figures show that the gender pay gap has been virtually eliminated for women under 40 years of age working full-time, and has decreased for all women over 40 years of age working full-time, but we know that there is more to do. New regulations requiring large employers to be more transparent will take us one step closer to eliminating the gender pay gap within a generation.
The IFS research also highlighted that the gender pay gap widens once women start a family. We have extended the right to request flexible working to all employees; introduced a new system of shared parental leave; and committed to providing 30 hours of free childcare a week for working families.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of comments by Kristin Forbes, a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, on possible over-counting of the economic effects of Brexit, what assessment they have made of the Bank of England’s growth forecasts.
Lord Young of Cookham
The government has produced no such assessment of the independent Monetary Policy Committee’s forecasts for the UK economy.
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has the responsibility to produce detailed forecasts for the economy and public finances twice a year. The OBR will produce forecasts to accompany the Autumn Statement on 23 November.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-11-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increasing business rates on retailers’ capacity to tackle low pay.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The Government recognises that business rates represent a fixed cost which can be more burdensome during times of economic difficulty. It is currently considering the impact of business rates on the retail sector as part of the ongoing business rates review. The review will complete by the end of the year.
Further, the Chancellor recently set out major plans to devolve new powers from Whitehall to local areas to promote growth and prosperity. This includes giving councils the power to reduce business rates to support businesses in their area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-11-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the Prince of Wales’ visit to the startup academy Wayra UK, they have plans to promote the #iwill campaign.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Cabinet Office has pledged to support the #iwill campaign by ensuring that all young people have the opportunity to engage in meaningful youth social action opportunities. The Cabinet Office has renewed its commitment to the campaign and will invest £1million to support the development of youth social action opportunities in 2015/16. Any future investment will be announced after the autumn statement 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-12-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to introduce measures to set quotas for women on boards.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Government is committed to seeing more women on the boards of British companies. We believe that a business led, voluntary approach is the best way to get more women on boards, as set out in Lord Davies of Abersoch’s review 2010 into the subject.This approach is working, with 26.2% representation in the FTSE 100, up from 12.5% in 2011. We will build on this with a new programme of work set out by Lord Davies in his recent 5 year report on progress. Government will therefore not be introducing measures to set quotas for women on boards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-01-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the global economy of gender equality in the technology sector.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The technology industry contributes over £91 billion to the UK economy and forecasts show the number of tech specialists in the UK will increase from 1.2m in 2014 to 1.6m in 2024. However, women only make up 17% of the current tech specialist workforce.
That is why the Government is supporting independent campaigns such as Your Life and #notjustforboys which inspire girls to consider STEM careers. Top graduates are being recruited into teaching through bursaries and scholarships in mathematics and the sciences and over the next 5 years up to 2,500 additional teachers will be trained in maths and physics. Since 2010, the Government’s plan for education has resulted in 12,000 more STEM A level entries for women.
Increasing the number of women in the tech sector will not only be good for women, who will benefit from rewarding and interesting careers, but it will also benefit the businesses they work for, improving both profits and the quality of decision making.
This government is committed to encouraging women and girls to consider STEM careers and on International Women’s Day, we will be convening a Round Table with key stakeholders from industry, academia and government to agree what more we can take collectively to increase the number of women in digital roles.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-03-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of criticism from the British Retail Consortium that proposed changes in business rates are inadequate.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The Government announced at Budget 2016 the biggest ever cut in business rates in England – worth £6.7 billion over the next five years. All ratepayers will benefit from the package and 600,000 of the smallest businesses, including many retailers, will not have to pay business rates again.