Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
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 publish an update on the distribution plans for the £177 million investment announced in the November 2020 spending review for the future of the post office network.
Answered by Paul Scully
In the most recent Spending Review for 2021/2022, the Government announced Post Office investment funding of £177 million. This reflects the Government’s commitment to the role that post offices play in our communities. This funding will allow Post Office Ltd to invest for the future and to ensure the Post Office remains a vital force on our high streets.
The management of the Post Office network is an operational matter for the Company.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department plans to provide to businesses following the completion of the new Help to Grow programme.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is committed to improving the provision of support to SMEs across the country. Following the completion of the programme, the Help to Grow: Management Programme will provide participants with further direct business-to-business support, through the alumni network.
Participants will also be signposted to other leadership programmes on the market if they wish to progress with further learning. This programme is one of range of opportunities that the Government provides to businesses to support their growth.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there will be an application process for business mentors to get involved in the Help to Grow programme.
Answered by Paul Scully
We are currently developing the mentoring element for the Help to Grow Management programme. We are looking at how mentors are onboarded and matched to participants. Our aim is to develop a high quality mentoring offer, which will support SMEs to boost their business performance, resilience and long term growth.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
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 publish the credentials of the providers of the Help to grow programme announced on 3 March 2020.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Help to Grow: Management Programme will be delivered by Business Schools who have obtained the Small Business Charter (SBC) accreditation.
A list of the SBC schools can be found here: https://smallbusinesscharter.org/find-business-school/.
We are currently in the process of determining the criteria for eligible providers for the Help to Grow Digital scheme. These will be published in due course.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the types of businesses that the 'help to grow' scheme announced 3 March 2021 is seeking to support.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government’s new ‘Help to Grow’ scheme will help small businesses across the UK learn new skills, reach new customers, and boost profits. We have consulted with key stakeholders from industry when designing this scheme including those who represent the breadth of UK SMEs.
Businesses across all sectors are welcome to apply for the Help to Grow Scheme so long as they meet the eligibility criteria as follows:
- Size of 5 to 249 employees
- More than a year old
- Attendee should be a decision-maker within the business e.g. CEO, Finance Director
- Must have at least one line of management in business employment structure
Those interested in participating can find further details about the Help to Grow Scheme by visiting: https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has in place for the gradual and safe reopening of the wedding industry to help the people who work in and support that sector.
Answered by Paul Scully
On 22 February, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister published the Government’s COVID-19 Response-Spring 2021. The roadmap is a step-by-step plan to ease restrictions in England gradually , starting with education. Across the four steps, the roadmap sets out the sequencing and indicative timing for easing restrictions, including those on the wedding sector.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment he has had made of the difference in covid-19 transmission rates for in-store shopping and click and collect services.
Answered by Paul Scully
Throughout the national restrictions, we have sought to keep as much of the retail sector open as possible, whilst balancing the need to reduce our day-to-day contact. All along we have taken evidence from SAGE into account when making decisions.
Click-and-collect services allow goods to be pre-ordered and collected without customers entering the premises. Customers thus remain in well ventilated spaces - which are, by definition, safer environments and where transmission is less likely to occur.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
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 (a) list the types of business that are eligible to operate a click-and-collect delivery policy during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021 and (b) provide the risk assessment for covid-19 transmission for each of those business types.
Answered by Paul Scully
All retailers, both essential and non-essential, can offer click-and-collect services during the current national restrictions.
We have published safer workplace guidance which provides information to help employers make their workplaces COVID-Secure for their employees, visitors, and customers. The guidance does not replace existing employment, health and safety or equalities legislation. It provides information to employers on how best to meet these responsibilities in the context of COVID-19.
Each individual business should complete a risk assessment which should be shared with their employees.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what scientific evidence on the transmission of covid-19 was used to determine that essential retail should remain open whilst non-essential retail should close during lockdown periods.
Answered by Paul Scully
Throughout the national restrictions, we have sought to keep as much of the retail sector open as possible, whilst balancing the need to reduce our day-to-day contact. Throughout this we have taken evidence from SAGE into account when making decisions.
It is also important that consumers have access to food and essential items that they need.
Restrictions have been brought in because we have to limit social contact. That is why the decision to close non-essential retail is part of a wider package of measures to make clear that people should stay at home except for a limited set of exemptions – allowing non-essential retail to remain open would run contrary to that aim.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
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 (a) Coronavirus Interruption Business Loan applications and (b) Bounce Back Loan applications have been declined.
Answered by Paul Scully
A breakdown on the number of loans provided through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, as of 24 January 2021, are provided in the table below.
Scheme | Number of Facilities Approved | Value of Facilities Approved | Total Number of Applications |
Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme | 87,529 | £20.84 billion | 201,343 |
Bounce Back Loan Scheme | 1,471,001 | £44.74 billion | 1,953,564 |
The figures reported under the heading Total Number of Applications includes: approved applications; applications that are still to be processed; applications that have been declined; and applications that may turn out not to be eligible or cases where customers will decide not to proceed.
Decisions on whether to specifically capture information relating to declined loans are at the discretion of the lender.