Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of applications to the Future Fund scheme have been processed by the British Business Bank as at 24 March 2021; and how many and what proportion of those applicants have been notified of the decision taken by the British Business Bank on their applications as at that date.
Answered by Paul Scully
As of 24 March 2021, 1,851 applications to the Future Fund had been received of which 100% had been processed. On that same date, 1,766 applicants (96% of the total) had been notified. ‘Processed’ in this context means that an application has been completed by a lead investor and the proposed investee company and has entered the next stage of checks.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 61822 on Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect of the easing of covid-19 lockdown restrictions on people from (a) Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and (b) other groups with protected characteristics.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government continues to monitor the impact of easing Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and other groups with protected characteristics.
Guidance to help employers, employees and the self-employed understand how to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic has been developed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with input from firms, unions and industry bodies, and in consultation with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE): www.gov.uk/workingsafely
The Government has also developed a tool to help businesses in England to reopen safely during coronavirus. The tool encourages businesses to carry out a risk assessment and helps to identify the workplace adjustments that they should make. Employees can also use the tool to check what their workplace needs to do to keep people safe: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-reopening.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of people working in sectors that have had covid-19 lockdown restrictions eased are from Black, Asian and minority ethic backgrounds.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government continues to monitor the impact of easing Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and other groups with protected characteristics. The Race Disparity Unit’s Ethnicity Facts and Figures website publishes data on the percentage of workers in each ethnic group employed by different sectors.
This can be found at:
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to hold meetings with (a) employer organisations and (b) trade unions on a strategy to manage the potential effect on workers of further covid-19 infection.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Government is closely monitoring the impacts on the UK economy, including on individuals, businesses, supply chains, and for consumers. We are working with key industry partners, employer organisations, and trade unions to understand the effect of Covid-19 on employees, employers, and businesses, and to share the latest guidance and information.
On 17 March, the Government announced an unprecedented package of Government-backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses,?making available an initial £330 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of GDP.