To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Energy: New Businesses
Wednesday 31st October 2018

Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)

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 promote (a) co-operative and (b) mutual energy start-up businesses.

Answered by Claire Perry

The Government wants a fully working, competitive market that is innovative, adaptive and flourishing and continues to promote competition as the best driver of value and service for customers.

Ofgem’s approach to licensing aims to enable entry into the retail market of new companies with innovative offers or business models, whilst ensuring all firms provide consumers with a robust and reliable service. Where regulation prevents the launch of a product, Ofgem’s Regulatory Sandbox can enable trials, without some of the usual rules applying.

Ofgem’s approach applies equally to privately owned, co-operative and mutual energy start-up businesses.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 31 Oct 2018
Budget Resolutions

"I would say that it is a pleasure to speak in this debate, but it clearly is not. This is a horrendous time for many people in this country. They were told that the people with the broadest shoulders would bear the biggest burden of austerity, and that proved to …..."
Jim McMahon - View Speech

View all Jim McMahon (LAB - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) contributions to the debate on: Budget Resolutions
Written Question
Post Offices: Closures
Thursday 18th October 2018

Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)

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 stop the closure of post offices and their relocation to WHSmith branches.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The Government recognises the important role that post offices play in communities across the country. That is why we made a Manifesto commitment to safeguard the Post Office network and have invested over £2 billion since 2010. As a result, the post office network is at its most stable in decades at over 11,500 branches and 99.7% of the national population lives within three miles of their nearest branch.

The vast majority of Post Office branches are run on a franchise or agency basis with almost 98% already operating successfully. This business model has helped securing key services on high streets whilst reducing need for taxpayer subsidy.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 16 Oct 2018
Oral Answers to Questions

"Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have been desperately trying to catch your eye. We have had a number of comments on post office relocations and closures. Will the Minister make it absolutely clear that relocating a post office to WHSmith does not save the services within it? Many have been …..."
Jim McMahon - View Speech

View all Jim McMahon (LAB - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Written Question
Energy: Cooperatives
Wednesday 23rd May 2018

Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)

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 makes available for new community energy co-operatives.

Answered by Claire Perry

This Government is committed to empowering communities and these projects, which put local people in the driving seat, are an important part of a clean, secure and affordable energy system.

To deliver this ambition, we announced a new Local Energy Programme in the Clean Growth Strategy and to date have committed £7m with a further £1m allocated for this year. This will support communities in all their forms, alongside Local Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to design and develop low carbon projects locally.

Since 2013, the UK Government has committed over £16 million to support community energy, including:

  • the £15m Rural Community Energy Fund, which continues to offer support and development finance for community-scale renewable energy projects in England;
  • a local authority best practice community energy programme with Bristol City, supporting Greater Manchester through their Devolution deal and working with London on their community energy funds; and
  • supporting the Community Energy Hub, a digital platform owned and run by the community energy sector to enable peer networking and knowledge transfer.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 01 May 2018
Shop Direct (Greater Manchester)

"I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate and on the sterling work she has done to co-ordinate our collective response to this issue. Many people have worked for Shop Direct over many generations, right from the early days of Littlewoods, some with 30 or 40 years of …..."
Jim McMahon - View Speech

View all Jim McMahon (LAB - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) contributions to the debate on: Shop Direct (Greater Manchester)
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 01 May 2018
Shop Direct (Greater Manchester)

"I accept that the Minister cannot comment on the commercial decisions taken by Shop Direct, but can he confirm whether it has been given any inducements to move to the east midlands, such as business rate benefits or relocation grants?..."
Jim McMahon - View Speech

View all Jim McMahon (LAB - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) contributions to the debate on: Shop Direct (Greater Manchester)
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 01 May 2018
Shop Direct (Greater Manchester)

"While we are on the business rates point, is the Minister aware that the two sites in Oldham together have rateable values of £1.3 million? Of course, Oldham is one of the business rates pilot authorities. If we do not find an alternative employer to take those premises, that will …..."
Jim McMahon - View Speech

View all Jim McMahon (LAB - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) contributions to the debate on: Shop Direct (Greater Manchester)
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 12 Dec 2017
Oral Answers to Questions

"Access to finance is critical for small businesses, but the protection in place when things go wrong is non-existent. Do the Government agree, and will they look at extending the role and remit of the Financial Conduct Authority in that regard?..."
Jim McMahon - View Speech

View all Jim McMahon (LAB - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Written Question
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Telephone Services
Wednesday 18th October 2017

Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many 0345 telephone numbers are in use by his Department; and how much revenue has been generated by each such telephone number in each year since 2010.

Answered by Margot James

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has two 0345 numbers in operation: 0345 015 0010 which is the BEIS publications order line and 0345 001 2222 which is an Internal IT Service Desk helpline. No revenue is generated for either number.