Tag: Phil Boswell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what statistical information his Department holds on small- and medium-sized enterprises which have defaulted on a loan received through the Funding for Lending Scheme.

Harriett Baldwin

The Bank of England does not lend directly to small and medium sized enterprises as part of the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS). Under the FLS, the Bank of England provides funding to UK banks and building societies participating in the scheme. The amount of funding participant banks and building societies are eligible to borrow from the Bank of England is determined by their net lending to certain sectors of the economy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 20474, what proportion of businesses which have been in receipt of funding from the apprenticeship programme for the creation of apprenticeships in the retail and commercial enterprise sector subject area (a) pay at least the living wage to employees under contract and (b) have paid at least the living wage to such employees since the beginning of the apprenticeship programme in 2010.

Nick Boles

We do not hold this information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-02-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the Prudential Regulation Authority on the level of risk at (a) financial institutions with high energy market exposure and (b) such institutions which have issued loans to the North Sea oil industry.

Harriett Baldwin

The Chancellor set out the government’s view on the challenges facing the UK economy in a speech on 7 January. The transcript of the speech is available from www.gov.uk/government/speeches/chancellor-on-challenges-facing-uk-economy-in-2016. The Chancellor and other Ministers meet regularly with regulators and the Bank of England. In addition, the Bank of England’s Financial Stability Report sets out an analysis, which can be found here:

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/fsr/2015/dec.aspx

The Financial Policy Committee’s (FPC) stress test results in December 2015 suggest that the major UK banks would be resilient to a sustained commodity price downturn.

The UK now has a robust system of financial regulation, where the regulators have clear objectives and powers to deal with risks to the financial sector. The Government established the FPC to identify, monitor and address systemic risks to financial stability.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding of the Young Women’s Trust on page 13 of its report, Making apprenticeships work for young women, that apprenticeships are reinforcing, rather than challenging, occupational segregation by gender.

Nick Boles

We want to make apprenticeships accessible to the widest possible range of people, as part of meeting our commitment to reach 3 million starts in England by 2020.

Women are well-represented within English apprenticeships – 53.0% of starts in 2014/15 were made by women. This is higher than in both 2013/14 (52.9%) and 2009/10 (49.6%). We will continue to support the extension of this positive representation across all sectors.

We have made it a priority to ensure that all young people have access to quality careers advice and support to help them make the right personal choices. This includes communicating career opportunities in sectors such as science and engineering. We will launch a new communications campaign in May aimed at promoting the benefits of apprenticeships. Our promotional campaigns include role models of successful female apprentices in sectors where they are under-represented.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-10-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the level of financial protection available to investors in mini-bonds not covered under the financial services compensation scheme.

Simon Kirby

The government is committed to regulating only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid putting additional costs on lenders that would ultimately lead to higher costs for businesses and consumers.

The marketing and promotion of mini-bonds is subject to financial promotion restrictions set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA). Firms that fail to meet any of these requirements may be subject to enforcement action by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how his Department and the Bank of England assess the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises which have received a loan through the Funding for Lending scheme.

Harriett Baldwin

The Bank of England does not lend directly to small and medium sized enterprises as part of the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS). Under the FLS, the Bank of England provides funding to UK banks and building societies participating in the scheme. The amount of funding participant banks and building societies are eligible to borrow from the Bank of England is determined by their net lending to certain sectors of the economy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 20474, how many apprenticeships created in the retail and commercial enterprise sector subject area have led to full-time, permanent employment with that employer following the completion of the apprenticeship.

Nick Boles

The 2014 Apprenticeship Evaluation Learner Survey found that for apprentices in the survey who completed Retail and Commercial Enterprise sector frameworks, 90 per cent were employed following their apprenticeship. Of these, 73 per cent were employed by the same organisation with whom they completed the apprenticeship. The sample size of this cohort is not large enough to produce robust estimates of the proportion that are employed full-time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-02-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of (a) the effects on financial institutions with high energy exposure of the falling price of oil and (b) the effect of that falling price on businesses in the North Sea.

Harriett Baldwin

The Chancellor set out the government’s view on the challenges facing the UK economy in a speech on 7 January. The transcript of the speech is available from www.gov.uk/government/speeches/chancellor-on-challenges-facing-uk-economy-in-2016. The Chancellor and other Ministers meet regularly with regulators and the Bank of England. In addition, the Bank of England’s Financial Stability Report sets out an analysis, which can be found here:

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/fsr/2015/dec.aspx

The Financial Policy Committee’s (FPC) stress test results in December 2015 suggest that the major UK banks would be resilient to a sustained commodity price downturn.

The UK now has a robust system of financial regulation, where the regulators have clear objectives and powers to deal with risks to the financial sector. The Government established the FPC to identify, monitor and address systemic risks to financial stability.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-06-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much has been spent on television advertising for the Government’s apprenticeship programme in each year since 2006.

Nick Boles

The Government has spent the following amounts on TV media to advertise apprenticeships in the financial years since 2006.

These costs are exclusive of VAT.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-10-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to investigate reports of misconduct by Royal Bank of Scotland relating to small business finance.

Simon Kirby

HM Treasury has no plans to investigate these reports. This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority, which is undertaking a review.