Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
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 potential merits of adding the National Association of Sub-Postmasters to his Department's industry group.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has already established a quarterly working group between the BEIS Minister for Postal Affairs, the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters (NFSP) and Post Office Limited to discuss how the relationship between the Post Office and postmasters can be improved. The working group also provides the NFSP with a forum to challenge Government and the Post Office on key issues, such as postmaster remuneration and hard-to-place branches. Officials also meet the NFSP on a regular basis
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Post Office on their 100 day strategy for growth.
Answered by Paul Scully
The CEO of Post Office Limited regularly meet with BEIS Ministers, through scheduled monthly meetings with the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets as well as through wider Shareholder Meetings.
These meetings are held to discuss a range of matters including the development of the business’s new strategy under CEO Nick Read.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require large companies to pay smaller firms on time.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is committed to delivering on our manifesto commitment to clamp down on late payment and strengthen the powers of the Small Business Commissioner (SBC) to support small businesses who are least able to cover financial shortfalls and find temporary finance more difficult and more expensive to obtain.
Legislation already exists under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, which sets out that payment terms between two businesses should not exceed 60 days, unless they are fair to both parties.
Suppliers can also claim statutory interest, and debt recovery costs, on invoices not paid within the agreed period or (if no period is agreed) within 30 days. It also establishes maximum 30 day payment terms for transactions with public authorities.
We will shortly be consulting on the merits of extending the powers of the Office of the Small Business Commissioner to intervene and advocate for small businesses, with less than 50 employees, in payment disputes with a larger business (50 or more employees).
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much of the £2 billion investment in the Post Office network has been spent in North Cornwall.
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. Any allocation of funding to specific branches and regions is an operational matter for Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Alisdair Cameron, the Group interim Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to my hon Friend on this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how the Government-backed British business bank will help support small businesses in North Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
We are committed to ensuring all small businesses have access to the support they need to succeed to start, grow, and scale their businesses.
The Government-backed British Business Bank is there to make finance markets work better for small businesses at all stages of their development. The Bank’s programmes are currently supporting over £6.6bn of finance to over 89,000 smaller businesses (as at end-March 2019). The British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans programme provides loans to entrepreneurs seeking to start and grow their own businesses. Since 2012, the programme has delivered almost 65,000 loans, worth nearly £511m to small businesses (as at end-June 2019).
In North Cornwall specifically, since 2014 the Bank has supported over £5.75m of finance to over 180 smaller businesses (as of July 2019). 99 Start-Up Loans have been issued in North Cornwall, totalling £912,033. The Bank’s programmes will continue to support smaller businesses in North Cornwall.
In June 2018, the British Business Bank launched the £40m Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) to provide debt and equity finance in this area. The fund has deployed £1.9m into 10 small businesses as at the end of May 2019.
The Bank’s online Finance Hub helps small business owners identify potential sources of finance via the finance finder web tool. The Business Bank has also established a UK Network, with team members based within each of the English regions and the three Devolved Nations, including a representative for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. The UK Network works with small business finance intermediaries to enhance business finance ecosystems across the UK, so smaller businesses, wherever they are, can grow and prosper.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of a washing machine scrappage scheme.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government has no plans to introduce a scrappage scheme for washing machines. However, some retailers do offer a recycling scheme on a voluntary basis for old appliances including washing machines.
Electrical Products must be safe when placed on the market and producers must keep consumers informed of risks and take appropriate action to avoid risks once they are in use.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the timetable for Ofgem's Targeted Charging review on (a) investment and (b) innovation in (i) onsite flexible generation and (ii) a future flexible energy system.
Answered by Claire Perry
Ofgem’s Targeted Charging Review is seeking to ensure all parties connected to the electricity network make a fair contribution to its fixed costs. As was outlined in the ‘After the Trilemma’ speech of 15 November 2018, it is important that we develop an energy system that discourages free riding and ensures a fair distribution of such costs.
Network charging is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and decisions on its Targeted Charging Review are for it to make. However, Government is working to understand the policy implications of Ofgem’s review proposals across a broad range of interests. The analysis which Ofgem has published as part of its recently closed consultation shows that the proposals could affect investment decisions across a number of technologies, but no final decisions have been taken on timetable or other aspects.