Jennifer Willott: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not visited Australia in the last 12 months.
Jennifer Willott: There have been no recent discussions between the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) and the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning in Scotland directly relating to the use of zero-hour contracts in Scottish education establishments.
Jennifer Willott: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), launched a consultation on proposals to tackle abuses in the use of zero-hours contracts. The consultation was launched on 19 December 2013, closed on 13 March 2014 and received over 30,000 responses. The Government response to the consultation will be published in due...
Jennifer Willott: There has been no recent meeting or discussion between the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and Scottish representatives directly relating to the national minimum wage (NMW) increase. Each year, the Government ask the Low Pay Commission (LPC) to consider the impact of the NMW in Scotland as part of its...
Jennifer Willott: ...?departments%5B%5D =department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type= transparency-data The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and I last met the Chairman and Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd on 5 March 2014. With regard to Royal Mail, the Minister of State for Business and Energy, the right...
Jennifer Willott: Central records show that the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not received any representations on the Flood Re scheme.
Jennifer Willott: ...of the low paid without damaging their employment prospects by setting it too high. In addition, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has broadened the LPC's remit this year and asked them to look at the conditions that will allow for faster increases in the minimum wage in the future. The LPC are due to...
Jennifer Willott: ...criminal allegations referred to it, principally from the Insolvency Service, in relation to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), oversight of the Company and Insolvency regimes. BIS is authorised to deploy powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) including the ability to...
Jennifer Willott: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has no responsibility for the regulation of property management agents in Wales as housing is a devolved issue.
Jennifer Willott: ...authority to authorise an insolvency practitioner. As no competent authority has been designated, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), is the de facto competent authority and will no longer directly authorise insolvency practitioners. In respect of the measure to allow specialised authorisation of...
Jennifer Willott: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not conducted a specific assessment of the effect of specialised authorisation for insolvency practitioners on small businesses seeking financial advice. Views were invited on the proposal from interested parties, including business bodies and creditor representatives.
Jennifer Willott: ...of the latest economic data relevant to the remit which we issued to it in June 2013. In addition the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has asked the Low Pay Commission to look at what economic conditions would be needed to allow the national minimum wage to rise in the future by more than current...
Jennifer Willott: ...(LLW) to those working within the BIS estate. On the basis of fairness and current affordability, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has instructed the Department to raise the wages of the lowest paid contracted staff working at BIS premises across the UK. We hope to report progress with implementing...
Jennifer Willott: ...of an independent Low Pay Commission (LPC) in framing the pay rate recommendations for 2014, and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has also asked them to consider the conditions needed for faster, above inflation, increases in the national minimum wage (NMW). On 15 January 2014 Government submitted...
Jennifer Willott: ...to support those they regulate to enable enforcers to choose proportionate and effective approaches. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), does not deal with complaints about trading standards. Local authorities are responsible for the delivery and performance of local trading standards services....