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10 Jun 2010 : Column 232W—continued
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he will announce details of his plans to allow the public to challenge regulations; and whether primary legislation will be required to implement those plans. [1661]
Mr Prisk: We are committed to giving the public the opportunity to challenge the worst regulations, thus putting power back into the hands of businesses and citizens, making regulations less complicated and boosting enterprise by cutting red tape. We are working to develop innovative and practical ways to achieve these objectives, and also examining whether new legislation is needed to do so. I will make a statement to the House with more detail in due course.
Company Accounts
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of the company reporting requirements of the Companies Act 2006. [1663]
Mr Davey: The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills is currently evaluating the impact of the major provisions of the Companies Act 2006 including the narrative reporting provisions of the business review. We will publish the results of this evaluation later in 2010.
In addition, the Government are committed to reinstating an Operating and Financial Review to ensure that directors' social and environmental duties have to be covered in company reporting and investigate further ways of improving corporate accountability and transparency. We intend to consult on this issue this summer with a view to publishing our proposals by the end of the year.
Conditions of Employment
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to announce details of the planned review of employment laws and practices; and what consultation he plans to undertake on the form of the review. [1660]
Mr Davey: We are considering the detail of our approach in this area, including how to involve those with an interest.
Departmental Flags
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on flying the Union flag each day from each official building for which his Department is responsible. [1807]
Mr Davey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport issues guidance for the flying of the Union flag on UK Government buildings. The guidance encourages the Union flag to be flown 365 days a year, and as a minimum all Departments must fly the Union flag on the 19 special designated days e.g. Queen's birthday, Remembrance Day, etc. and other special occasions as required e.g. State Opening of Parliament.
More information on the guidance is available on the DCMS website:
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills flies the Union flag 365 days of the year from those buildings for which we have flagpoles.
Departmental Responsibilities
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which Ministers in his Department have responsibility for the postal service. [1656]
Mr Davey: I have responsibility for the postal service in my capacity as Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs.
Further Education
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which further education colleges Ministers in his Department have visited since their appointment. [1706]
Mr Hayes: Ministers in this Department have not yet visited any further education (FE) colleges but have already met representatives from the FE sector. The Government are committed to developing a valued relationship with the FE sector; this will include visiting institutions across the country. I will be making my first visit to a college shortly and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be visiting a FE college on Thursday 10 June while on a visit to the West Midlands.
New Businesses: Ex-servicemen
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to continue the "Be the Boss" scheme announced in March 2010 to assist ex-service personnel in starting businesses; and if he will make a statement. [1700]
Mr Prisk: The "Be the Boss" scheme is being delivered by the Royal British Legion. To date, £2 million of endowment funding has been provided to them and the remaining funding for the endowment (potentially up to £3 million in the current financial year) is at the discretion of the Secretary of State and conditional upon an assessment that the scheme is making a positive impact.
The Royal British Legion will be accepting applications to the scheme from 14 June 2010 via
Northwest Regional Development Agency: Wigan
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what projects in the Wigan local authority area received funding from the North West Regional Development Agency in the last 12 months. [1643]
Mr Prisk: The information is as follows:
Sector Skills Councils
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his plans are for the future of sector skills councils. [1669]
Mr Hayes: Sector skills councils have a crucial role in all aspects of our skills policy, including apprenticeships. We will continue to empower them as the voice of employers in the skills system, and to challenge them to perform with maximum effectiveness.
Supermarkets: Competition
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to create a supermarket ombudsman; and if he will make a statement. [1920]
Mr Davey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend for St Ives (Andrew George) and the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) on 2 June 2010, Official Report, column reference 44W.
Communities and Local Government
Garden Development
9. Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to increase the powers of local authorities to prevent infill and garden development. [1543]
Mr Pickles: We yesterday implemented our coalition agreement to give powers to local authorities to prevent overdevelopment and 'garden grabbing', by removing gardens from the definition of brownfield land and removing the top down density target. These changes will give power back to local authorities to take decisions that are right for their areas.
Regional Spatial Strategies
16. Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to end regional spatial strategies. [1551]
Greg Clark: We committed in the Queen's Speech to abolishing regional strategies. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to all council leaders saying that he expects them to have regard to this as a material planning consideration in any decisions they are currently taking.
Homelessness
18. Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to improve the co-ordination of Government policy on homelessness. [1553]
Grant Shapps: I will be very shortly announcing plans for a new cross-Government approach to tackling homelessness. This will, for the first time, mean that our policies on homelessness are properly joined up to reflect the multifaceted nature of the problems that homeless people face.
Home Information Packs
22. Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable he has set for the ending of the home information pack scheme. [R] [1557]
Grant Shapps: We took swift action to suspend the Home Information Pack (HIP) from 21 May and intend to introduce legislation to abolish the HIP later in the parliamentary session.
Travellers
23. David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the change in the number of unauthorised Traveller sites since 1997. [1558]
Mr Pickles: The number of caravans on unauthorised developments has increased from 887 in 1997 to 2,395 in 2010-an increase of 170% over 10 years.
Allotments
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure that local authorities provide allotments under the terms of the Allotments and Small Holdings Act 1908. [1712]
Andrew Stunell: The Government recognise that allotments are valuable green spaces and community assets, and policy in this area is currently under consideration.
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