Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the number of employers who have prevented migrant workers from joining a union during their time working in the UK.
Answered by Margot James
The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold this information.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2016 to Question 48990 and the correction to that Answer of 21 October 2016, whether he has received representations on migrant employees in the UK being forced to repay funds to their employers which had been paid to such employees as a result of shortfalls in wages upon return to their country of origin.
Answered by Margot James
The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy is not aware of any representations on migrant employees in the UK being forced to repay funds paid to them as a result of shortfalls in wages to their employers upon return to their country of origin.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there has been a recent change to the policy that the Government would take a 25 per cent equity stake in Tata Steel's UK assets if a sale was necessary to secure the future of UK steel.
Answered by Nick Hurd
There has been no change in the Government’s policy
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
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 potential effect of proposed increases to electricity network costs on manufacturers.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Government published in November 2014, an estimate of the projected electricity networks costs for households and small, medium and large businesses users, in Annex D of the ‘Estimated impacts of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills’. These estimates reflect the eight year price control settlements that run from 2013 to 2021 (electricity transmission) and 2015 to 2023 (electricity distribution), as approved by the regulator, Ofgem.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
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 support for the British Steel Pension Scheme in securing the future of the UK steel industry; and what steps he is taking to support that scheme.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Government is committed to achieving a sustainable long term future for the UK steel industry and has and is taking a wide range of action, working with the industry, to help achieve this goal. The British Steel Pension Scheme is a private pension scheme. Therefore, decisions on the future of this are a matter for the Trustees and the Company.