Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations his Department has received on the closure of the main post office in central Luton.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office and allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. This strategy, backed by Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010, has delivered a branch network that is at its most stable and accessible in decades, with over 11,500 branches and 99.7% of the UK population living within 3 miles of their nearest branch. This investment in the Post Office has also led to other benefits to the consumer including an extra 200,000 opening hours per week and over 7,500 modernised branches.
There is no Post Office closure or privatisation programme and the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy has not received any representations on the franchising of the Post Office in Luton. The Post Office ran a 6-week public consultation from 24 October 2018 to 5 December 2018 and will write to locally elected representatives, Consumer Advocacy Bodies and respondents to the consultation on its decisions and plans.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the economic effect on (a) local businesses and (b) local communities of the closure of dedicated high street post offices in Luton.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.
While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. There is no post office closure programme in Luton or across the UK, however, post offices are being franchised and this is an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of whether post offices that have been integrated within other stores are providing the same level of service as dedicated post office branches.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.
While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Hosting or franchising of Post Office branches an operational matter for Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
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 maintains a list of all UK companies which have a global turnover of more than (a) £16 million (b) £26 million (c) £36 million and (d) £46 million.
Answered by Margot James
The department does not maintain such a list of UK companies.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
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 made of the uptake of shared parental leave and maternity leave in each constituent region of the UK in the last 12 months.
Answered by Margot James
The Government does not routinely collect information on the take-up of Shared Parental Leave and Maternity Leave, including by constituent regions.
Maternity Leave is a ‘day 1 right’ and, subject to giving the correct notice, all employed mothers are able to take up to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave and must take at least two weeks of leave immediately following the birth of their child, four weeks if they work in a factory or workshop.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the average salary of mothers who have taken up maternity leave in each year since 2010.
Answered by Margot James
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold information on the average salary of mothers who have taken up maternity leave each year since 2010.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average salary of (a) mothers and (b) fathers taking shared parental leave is.
Answered by Margot James
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold information on the average salary of mothers or fathers taking Shared Parental Leave.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan on increasing trade between the UK and (a) Pakistan and (b) Azad Kashmir.
Answered by Anna Soubry
I have held no discussions with the Federal Minister for Commerce of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan, about increasing trade between the UK and Pakistan or Pakistan Administered Kashmir.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to improve access to further and higher education for young Muslims.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
We have recently introduced the Higher Education and Research Bill which, subject to the will of Parliament, will permit the introduction of a non-interest bearing alternative to student loans. This would be available to students of all faiths and none and will result in no financial advantage or disadvantage relative to the equivalent loan.
The Government is committed to increasing the number of BME students in higher education by 20% by 2020 and the proportion of apprenticeship starts by people from BME backgrounds by 20% by 2020.
We have also recently announced our intention to introduce a Transparency Duty on higher education institutions to publish more statistical information on the number of students who apply for places, receive offers and drop out from higher education institutions by ethnicity, gender and social background.
Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) men and (b) women in each of the sectors covered by his Department's 11 industrial strategies.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The original industrial strategies did not contain estimates for employment by gender. Where sectors are clearly defined by Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC) we have been able to calculate estimates of these using published ONS data. Where this is not the case estimates are unavailable.
Employment in Industrial Strategy Sectors by Gender 2014
| Male | Female | Total |
Aerospace | 99 | 14 | 113 |
Automotive | 131 | 17 | 148 |
Construction (Contracting only) | 1,833 | 283 | 2,116 |
Digital Economy | 1,071 | 475 | 1,546 |
Life Sciences | 55 | 35 | 90 |
Oil and Gas | 24 | 5 | 29 |
Professional and Business Services | 2,439 | 1,812 | 4,251 |
Source: BIS Calculations on ONS Annual Business Survey and Employee Jobs Data