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Tag: Toby Perkins

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many responses he has received to the consultation on the introduction of a Land Registry service delivery company; and how many of those were in favour of the proposals.

    Michael Fallon

    We are currently considering all consultation responses. The Government response to the consultation will set out the main issues raised by respondents and how the Government intends to address these issues.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when Ministers in his Department met officials from the Insolvency Service to discuss insolvency practitioner (a) fees and (b) partial licences in the last 12 months.

    Jenny Willott

    Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills meet with officials from the Insolvency Service on a regular basis to discuss a wide variety of insolvency issues.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) Official Receivers and (b) all Insolvency Service officials who will receive training leading to a (i) personal insolvency partial licence and (ii) corporate insolvency partial licence.

    Jenny Willott

    The legislation relating to official receivers and Insolvency Service technical staff, does not require study to hold an Insolvency Practitioners’ Licence and, as such, no staff will receive training that will lead to either a personal insolvency partial licence or a corporate insolvency partial licence.

    Under S399(1) of the Insolvency Act 1986 “………the official receiver, in relation to any bankruptcy, winding up, individual voluntary arrangement, debt relief order or application for such an orderis any person who by virtue of the following provisions ………….is authorised to act as the official receiver ………..” and S399(2) “The Secretary of State may ……. appoint persons to the office of official receiver ……………….”.

    All technical staff are required to study for, and pass, a bespoke accredited training programme at Qualifications & Credit Framework Level 3 and are required to undertake a minimum of 5 days Continuous Professional Development per year.

    Incidentally, over 50% of Official Receivers hold a professional qualification e.g. ACCA.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will commission an inquiry into the extent of problems arising from the use of motorised vehicles on unmetalled roads.

    Dan Rogerson

    In the Deregulation Bill Committee debate on 25 March, we announced that we propose to form a working group along the lines of the current rights of way Stakeholder Working Group. We will invite stakeholders with the relevant experience and expertise to join a group with an independent chair and secretariat, ensuring that the group contains a balance across the full range of interests.

    Any proposals made by the group for changing the current framework for managing the recreational use of motor vehicles would be subject to a full public consultation.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which organisations (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department met to discuss regulation of pub companies in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014; and on what dates those meetings took place.

    Jenny Willott

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has taken an even handed approach to speaking with stakeholders from all sides of the debate in developing our proposals for statutory intervention in the pubs sector.

    In 2013, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:

    Date

    Organisation

    Minister

    22 January

    Ministerial Roundtable with licensee groups including:

    British Institute of Innkeeping; GMB Union; Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations; Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers; Brighton & Hove Licensees Association; Campaign for Real Ale; Fair Pint Campaign; Independent Pub Confederation; Federation of Small Businesses; Guild of Master Victuallers.

    Jo Swinson

    28 January

    Ministerial Roundtable including:

    British Beer and Pub Association; Punch Taverns; Star Pubs and Bars.

    Jo Swinson

    7 February

    Ministerial Roundtable including:

    Greene King; Shepherd Neame; Everards Brewery; Admiral Taverns; Hook Norton Brewery; Independent Family Brewers of Britain.

    Jo Swinson

    21 February

    Meeting with the Scottish Licensed Trade Association.

    Jo Swinson

    27 February

    Meeting with Enterprise Inns

    Michael Fallon

    10 June

    Ministerial Roundtable including:

    Everards Brewery; Fuller Smith & Turner; Admiral Taverns; Hook Norton; McMullen & Sons; Shepherd Neame; Wadworth & Co; Trust Inns; Greene King; Titanic Brewery; Westerham Ales; Society of Independent Brewers.

    Jo Swinson

    12 June

    Ministerial Roundtable including:

    British Beer and Pub Association; Enterprise Inns; Marston’s; Mitchells & Butlers; Punch Taverns; Spirit Pub Company; Star Pubs and Bars; Wellington Pub Company.

    Jo Swinson

    18 July

    Meeting with Greg Mulholland MP and the Independent Pub Confederation.

    Jo Swinson

    30 September

    Meeting with the British Beer and Pub Association.

    Vince Cable

    29 October

    Meeting with the Federation of Small Businesses (pubs were discussed as part of a wider meeting).

    Vince Cable

    In 2014, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:

    Date

    Organisation

    Minister

    30 January

    Meeting with the Federation of Small Businesses.

    Vince Cable

    12 February

    Meeting with Sir Peter Luff MP and Admiral Taverns; Hook Norton Brewery.

    Jenny Willott

    17 March

    Meeting with Greene King.

    Jenny Willott

    24 March

    Meeting with representatives of the British Beer and Pub Association; Punch Taverns; Shepherd Neame.

    Jenny Willott

    31 March

    Meeting with the Campaign for Real Ale.

    Jenny Willott

    25 April

    Meeting with S A Brains.

    Jenny Willott

    In addition to meetings with organisations, Ministers met with a number of tied tenants. Officials also met with stakeholders before, during and after the consultation process to discuss our proposals to establish a Statutory Code and an independent Adjudicator.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many approved partners of the Start Up Loans programme there are in each region.

    Matthew Hancock

    The number of approved partners of the Start Up Loans programme by region are as follows:

    England (National): 15

    Greater London: 11

    North West: 8

    North East: 4

    East Of England: 2

    Yorkshire And Humberside: 6

    West Midlands: 5

    East Midlands: 4

    South East: 4

    South West: 2

    Northern Ireland: 5

    Wales: 6

    Scotland: 5

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many Start Up Loans applications have been supported by each approved provider of Start Up Loans mentoring services in each region in which the new company was based or planned to be based.

    Matthew Hancock

    All loan recipients in all regions receiving a start-up loan are offered mentoring, although take up of support services is not a mandatory condition of making the facility available. The number of loans made in each region will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the additional cost to small businesses of abolishing the percentage threshold scheme for recovering statutory sick pay.

    Mike Penning

    The Department for Work and Pensions has published an impact assessment outlining the abolition of the Percentage Threshold Scheme (PTS) and introduction of the new provision of health assessments and occupational health advice available at the following link:

    <http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111108468/impacts>

    “

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on alternative models of compensating small businesses for sickness absence after the abolition of the percentage threshold scheme for recovering statutory sick pay.

    Mike Penning

    The Government believes that reinvesting savings from the abolition of the Percentage Threshold Scheme to establish the Health and Work Service is the most effective means of targeting public funds to tackle sickness absence. The Health and Work Service will reduce the length of sickness absence and offers a more proactive approach to sickness absence management. Small businesses are least likely to have access to occupational health services, and will benefit from having access to occupational health assessments and advice through the Health and Work Service.

    We have considered an alternative approach along the lines of restricting access to a reimbursement scheme to employers with fewer than five employees. However, this was discounted because it resulted in additional burdens on employers and additional Statutory Sick Pay reimbursement costs for the state.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on the ability of small businesses to manage sickness absence of abolishing the Percentage Threshold Scheme for recovering statutory sick pay.

    Mike Penning

    The SSP Percentage Threshold Scheme compensates employers with high levels of sickness absence but an independent review of sickness absence[1] found it does nothing to tackle the causes of absence. As a result, the Government accepted a recommendation in the Review to abolish the Percentage Threshold Scheme. The Government also accepted a recommendation to establish a Service (now known as the Health and Work Service) to offer specialist occupational health assessment and advice to employers, employees and GPs. The Service is designed to reduce the costs of sickness absence for employers by addressing the obstacles preventing a return to work, and supporting employees back to work as quickly as appropriate. It will be funded from the savings made from the abolition of the PTS and will provide a more proactive way to manage sickness absence.

    Small businesses are least likely to have access to occupational health services, and will benefit from having access to occupational health assessments and advice through the HWS.

    [1] Black, C. and Frost, D (2011) Health at work – and independent review of sickness absence.