Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the Government has spent on R&D in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Government has increased spending on R&D in the last five years.
Table 3 of the ONS statistical bulletin “UK Government expenditure on science, engineering and technology 2016” gives the following figures for total UK Government net expenditure on R&D, including indicative UK contributions to EU R&D, of
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2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
9,953 | 10,816 | 10,941 | 11,070 | 11,230 |
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We have an ambition to raise total public and private R&D expenditure to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. As a first step to reaching the 2.4% target, we announced in the 2016 Autumn Statement, and expanded in the 2017 Budget, an additional of £7 billion for R&D over 5 years from 2017-18 to 2021-22 as part of the National Productivity Investment Fund.
We expect to see 2017 data next March.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to incorporate (a) big society and (b) civic society considerations into its policy formulation process.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 8th November to Question 186968:
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the planned timescale is for the review of the UK audit industry.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Competition and Markets Authority CMA is undertaking a review of the audit sector. It has announced that it plans to consult on provisional findings by the end of the year and complete the study as soon as possible thereafter.
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has also asked Sir John Kingman to provide his thoughts on whether there is any case for change in the way in which audits are procured and audit fees are set, alongside his independent review of the Financial Reporting Council, to conclude by the end of 2018.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the planned timescale is for the proposed ban on businesses taking a proportion of their workers' tips.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
On 1 October 2018, the Government announced its intention to legislate to ban employers from making deductions from tips. This will ensure a better deal for workers, but also for consumers who will have the confidence that their tips go to workers as they intended.
These new rules will require primary legislation and will be introduced in due course.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support the financial sustainability of rural convenience stores.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
This Government recognises that local convenience stores are a vital part of both our economy and our society, often serving as so much more than a shop, but as a hub for local people and a voice in our communities.
We work closely with the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) to understand the specific needs of rural convenience stores. ACS contribute through a number of forums including the Retail Sector Council, National Retail Crime Steering Group and the Future High Street Forum.
We are committed to supporting small businesses across the country and are working to reduce the cost of doing business; cutting corporation tax to 19%, linking business rate increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) 2 years earlier than planned and exempting small and micro businesses from regulations where possible. Business rates are devolved and information on business rates relief in Wales can be found on the Business Wales website: https://businesswales.gov.wales/business-rates-relief-in-wales
Programmes operated by the Government-owned British Business Bank are currently supporting over £5.2 billion of finance to nearly 75,000 smaller businesses in the UK.
In England, our network of 38 Growth Hubs bring together public and private sector partners to deliver business support making it easy for businesses to access the help and advice they need.
Business Support is a devolved matter and Business Wales website also provides business support to people starting, running and growing a business in Wales. The Business Wales Helpline is 0300 060 3000.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department uses Office for National Statistics estimates of personal well-being when formulating policy; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national well-being in the last 12 months.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Department uses a range of surveys and data on well-being when formulating and evaluating its policies. The Office for National Statistics personal well-being questions are also included as measures for the wider Measuring National Well-being programme, which began in November 2010.
The Department has introduced several policies that have a positive impact on national well-being. This includes the Industrial Strategy White Paper, published in November 2017, which aims to boost productivity by backing businesses to create good jobs and increase the earning power of people throughout the UK.
The Industrial Strategy’s Grand Challenge Missions bring government, businesses and organisations across the country together to make a real difference to people’s lives. The Ageing Society Mission is to ensure that people can enjoy at least 5 extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest; and the Clean Growth Mission is to at least halve the energy use of new buildings by 2030.
The Good Work plan, announced in February 2018, set out how for the first time the government will be accountable for good quality work as well as the quantity of jobs, and that government recognises well-being as one of the five principles that underpin quality of work. In addition we have increased the National Living Wage to £7.83, whilst the UK has experienced the lowest unemployment rate since 1975.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will increase the national living wage to the rate recommended by the Living Wage Commission.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Through the National Living Wage, since it was introduced in 2016, the Government has boosted incomes for the lowest paid by £2,000.
We have asked the Low Pay Commission (LPC) to recommend the rate of the National Living Wage such that it reaches 60 per cent of median earnings in 2020, subject to sustained economic growth. In making their recommendations, the LPC draw on a wide range of independent research and stakeholder evidence – including an assessment of the affordability to businesses.
The Government is responsible for setting minimum pay thresholds - and strongly supports employers that choose to pay in excess of the statutory minima.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much each nation and region of the UK received per capita in EU structural funding for the (a) 2007-13 and (b) 2014-2020 reporting periods.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
(a) In the 2007-13 period, the UK was allocated the following amount from EU Structural Funds:
| Total allocation | Equivalent per capita allocation |
England | £4,344m | £84.5 |
Scotland | £557m | £107.8 |
Northern Ireland | £321m | £182.5 |
Wales | £1,509m | £502.2 |
(b) In the 2014-20 period, the UK was allocated the following amounts from EU Structural Funds:
| Total allocation | Equivalent per capita allocation |
England | £5,410m | £99.6 |
Scotland | £698m | £130.5 |
Northern Ireland | £400m | £217.4 |
Wales | £1,881m | £608.5 |
The level of support for each nation and region depends on its position in relation to the average GDP per capita of all EU member states.
Population data used derived from ONS Population estimates for 2007 and 2014. The foreign exchange rates used were the ones valid at the time of the allocations, i.e. €1=£0.68 for 2007 and €1=£0.78 for 2014.