1-20 of 423 results for house:"House of Lords"
Librarians' tools
- Search time
- 0.479 seconds
- Solr query time
- 0.006 seconds
- Search query
- house:"House of Lords"
- We searched for
- legislature_ses:25277
Type
House
Session
Year
Department
Member
More
Primary member
More
Answering member
More
Legislative stage
Legislation
Subject
More
Publisher
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which official, with what job title, is responsible and accountable for departmental management information in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. [HL6891]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which official, with what job title, is responsible and accountable for departmental management information in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. [HL6891]
The Cabinet Committee PEX(ER) agreed that all Departments appoint a Senior Civil Servant level Head of Management Information. In the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills this responsibility is held by The Director of Finance, Planning and Performance, Charu Gorasia.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what dates the Industrial Strategy Council has held meetings since it was set up; and, for each meeting, (1) who attended, and (2) what was the agenda.[HL6873]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what dates the Industrial Strategy Council has held meetings since it was set up; and, for each meeting, (1) who attended, and (2) what was the agenda.[HL6873]
The first meeting of the Industrial Strategy Council was on 14 May 2013. The agenda consisted of:
1. Role of the Council
2. September Conference
3. Supply chains
4. Witty Review
The meeting was attended by:
Tera Allas, Keith Anderson, Gordon Ballard, Marcus Bryson, Vince Cable, Victor Chavez, John Cridland, Martin Donnelly, Warren East, Peter Hansford, Lord Hutton, Harry Keenan, Sir Richard Lambert, Janice Munday, Mark Turner, Robin Webb, Frances O’Grady, Michael Snyder, Keith Wiggins.
The second meeting of the Industrial Strategy Council took place on 27th November 2013. The agenda consisted of:
1. Policy update
2. Progress update and next steps
3. Update on small businesses
4. Supply chains
The meeting was attended by:
Keith Anderson, Gordon Ballard, Judith Batchelar, Marcus Bryson, Vince Cable, Neil Carson, John Cridland, Martin Donnelly, Warren East, Peter Hansford, Lord Hutton, Harry Keenan, Bernadette Kelly, Sir Richard Lambert, Janice Munday, Richard Parry-Jones.
The third meeting of the Industrial Strategy Council will take place on 19th May 2014.
My Lords, the UK is the second-largest exporter of services globally, with services exports valued at £193 billion in 2012, accounting for 40% of overall UK exports. The Government have identified opportunities for further growth and are taking steps to strengthen exports of the service sector through trade negotiations, UKTI business support for service exporters, and through the current industrial strategy, which incorporates 11 sector strategies, including for the highly regarded professional and business services sector.
My Lords, the UK is the second-largest exporter of services globally, with services exports valued at £193 billion in 2012, accounting for 40% of overall UK exports. The Government have identified opportunities for further growth and are taking steps to strengthen exports of the service sector through trade negotiations, UKTI business support for service exporters, and through the current industrial strategy, which incorporates 11 sector strategies, including for the highly regarded professional and business services sector.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the export potential of the United Kingdom service sector; and what steps they are taking to strengthen it.
My noble friend is right: gross export data may underestimate the role of services, omitting the linkages between services and manufacturing. Services account for around 60% of the value added in the UK’s total exports, which demonstrates their importance both as direct exports and as embedded services within manufacturing exports. It is interesting to note that Rolls-Royce now earns more from managing clients’ procurement strategies and maintaining the aerospace engines itself than it does from making them.
My noble friend is right: gross export data may underestimate the role of services, omitting the linkages between services and manufacturing. Services account for around 60% of the value added in the UK’s total exports, which demonstrates their importance both as direct exports and as embedded services within manufacturing exports. It is interesting to note that Rolls-Royce now earns more from managing clients’ procurement strategies and maintaining the aerospace engines itself than it does from making them.
Does the Minister agree that service export figures are understated given that they are often hidden in the figures for goods exports?
The noble Lord will be aware that we are very much aware of that. Like all major developed economies, the UK does not operate an exchange-rate-targeted monetary policy regime, and has not done so since 1992. The relationship also between exchange rate movements and trade flows is somewhat ambiguous, and evidence suggests that export growth is driven more by changes in foreign demand than by price competitiveness.
The noble Lord will be aware that we are very much aware of that. Like all major developed economies, the UK does not operate an exchange-rate-targeted monetary policy regime, and has not done so since 1992. The relationship also between exchange rate movements and trade flows is somewhat ambiguous, and evidence suggests that export growth is driven more by changes in foreign demand than by price competitiveness.
Despite the good export figures, is the noble Lord aware that many serious exporters believe that the strengthening pound is the serious problem? Do the Government have any intention whatever of doing anything about that?
My noble friend is right that, through the efforts of UKTI, our focus goes very much beyond the eurozone and the European economy. Despite the tough conditions, UK exports to emerging economies have increased in recent years. It is very pleasing to note that, since 2010, UK exports to the Far East—to China—have increased by 52%, to India by 24% and to Brazil by 37%. However, there is still much more work to do.
My noble friend is right that, through the efforts of UKTI, our focus goes very much beyond the eurozone and the European economy. Despite the tough conditions, UK exports to emerging economies have increased in recent years. It is very pleasing to note that, since 2010, UK exports to the Far East—to China—have increased by 52%, to India by 24% and to Brazil by 37%. However, there is still much more work to do.
Does my noble friend appreciate that not only does the 40% figure probably largely underestimate the service content in all our manufactures, as well as the major element of equipment and knowledge expertise in all our exports, but that the vast majority of growth in that area is occurring in the huge new markets of Asia and Africa and in the English-speaking Commonwealth network? Will he ensure that his colleagues in all the departments concerned with promotion of services overseas, including the UKTI itself, work harder than ever to focus on that priority and to ensure that we succeed in those markets, where our future will be largely determined?
I acknowledge what the noble Lord says. As he will be aware, the UK’s position is that Scotland is stronger in the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it. As part of the UK, Scotland has a stronger place in the world and is a major player on the international stage. As the noble Lord alluded to, the rest of the UK is the primary destination for Scottish exports, accounting for around 70% of Scottish exports, worth around £48 billion in goods and services. Scotland as an export destination accounts for approximately 10% of exports from the rest of the UK.
I acknowledge what the noble Lord says. As he will be aware, the UK’s position is that Scotland is stronger in the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it. As part of the UK, Scotland has a stronger place in the world and is a major player on the international stage. As the noble Lord alluded to, the rest of the UK is the primary destination for Scottish exports, accounting for around 70% of Scottish exports, worth around £48 billion in goods and services. Scotland as an export destination accounts for approximately 10% of exports from the rest of the UK.
My Lords, with 70% of all Scottish exports going to the rest of the United Kingdom and 600,000 jobs in Scotland depending on the link with the rest of the UK, not least 200,000 financial services sector jobs, what are the Government doing to inform people of this successful entity and to ensure the continuation of what has been the most successful currency union in the world for 300 years?
Yes, indeed. Design is very much embedded in many of the manufacturing companies, and much work is being done on that. My noble friend mentioned the creative sector, and she will be aware that the sector employed nearly 1.7 million people in 2012, which represented 5.6% of the UK total. So it is a most important sector, and we continue to promote it. Part of that involves the Government setting up the Creative Industries Council.
Yes, indeed. Design is very much embedded in many of the manufacturing companies, and much work is being done on that. My noble friend mentioned the creative sector, and she will be aware that the sector employed nearly 1.7 million people in 2012, which represented 5.6% of the UK total. So it is a most important sector, and we continue to promote it. Part of that involves the Government setting up the Creative Industries Council.
My Lords, the creative industry is thriving as never before. Could my noble friend say a bit about how the advertising and design consultancies in this country are exporting their services all around the world?
My focus and the Government’s focus is on promoting the UK. The professional and business services sector is the UK’s largest economic sector, contributing 12% to UK employment and 11% of gross value added. To take up the noble Lord’s point about jobs, the PBS sector employs 3.8 million people, accounting for £147 billion to the UK economy. I do not at this stage want to get into the visa aspect, but I wanted to point out the importance of the sector.
My focus and the Government’s focus is on promoting the UK. The professional and business services sector is the UK’s largest economic sector, contributing 12% to UK employment and 11% of gross value added. To take up the noble Lord’s point about jobs, the PBS sector employs 3.8 million people, accounting for £147 billion to the UK economy. I do not at this stage want to get into the visa aspect, but I wanted to point out the importance of the sector.
My Lords, has the Minister had time to reflect on the impact of the Government’s immigration policies on services? This was brought to mind by a letter that I received today from one of his colleagues, the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, who tells me that,
“we do recognise that these necessary visa reforms have had an impact on perceptions overseas and that we need to get better at communicating that all genuine students are welcome here and that there are opportunities for them to both study here and work after graduation”.
We certainly need to get better, because the number of overseas students taking up places in England’s universities decreased by 4,500 in one year, the first fall in 29 years.
My noble friend makes an important point about the value of the EU. The Government have been at the forefront of championing services liberalisation, both within the EU and internationally, particularly with the US. Negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership —or TTIP, for short—were launched under the UK presidency at the G8 Lough Erne summit in June 2013. The European Union’s negotiating mandate, as endorsed by the UK, includes objectives to liberalise transatlantic financial services. TTIP could be worth up to £10 billion to the UK economy.
My noble friend makes an important point about the value of the EU. The Government have been at the forefront of championing services liberalisation, both within the EU and internationally, particularly with the US. Negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership —or TTIP, for short—were launched under the UK presidency at the G8 Lough Erne summit in June 2013. The European Union’s negotiating mandate, as endorsed by the UK, includes objectives to liberalise transatlantic financial services. TTIP could be worth up to £10 billion to the UK economy.
My Lords, a recent report by PWC shows a 3% growth each year over the past four years in non-financial services, and the huge potential for greater growth in jobs and exports through greater liberalisation of services trade. Could my noble friend tell us what steps the Government are taking to open up the market for services trade in the EU? Are we using the clout of the EU to open up the USA?
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the export potential of the United Kingdom service sector; and what steps they are taking to strengthen it.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the export potential of the United Kingdom service sector; and what steps they are taking to strengthen it.
My Lords, the UK is the second-largest exporter of services globally, with services exports valued at £193 billion in 2012, accounting for 40% of overall UK exports. The Government have identified opportunities for further growth and are taking steps to strengthen exports of the service sector through trade negotiations, UKTI business support for service exporters, and through the current industrial strategy, which incorporates 11 sector strategies, including for the highly regarded professional and business services sector.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was paid to each of the financial advisers on the flotation of Royal Mail; whether that amount included a performance bonus; and if so, what was the size of that bonus and the basis on which performance was assessed, and which minister was...
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was paid to each of the financial advisers on the flotation of Royal Mail; whether that amount included a performance bonus; and if so, what was the size of that bonus and the basis on which performance was assessed, and which minister was...
The fees paid to all advisers working on the flotation of Royal Mail were set out on page 26 of the National Audit Office’s report on the privatisation of Royal Mail published on 1 April. The fees paid to financial advisers were as follows:
| Firm | Fee
(£m) |
| UBS | 0.3 |
| Lazard | 1.5 |
| Deloitte | 0.7 |
| Underwriting
banks (Goldman Sachs, UBS, Barclays, Bank of America Merrill Lynch,
Investec Nomura and Royal Bank of
Canada) | 12.7 |
None of these advisers have been paid a bonus.
The underwriting banks shared £12.7 million for selling shares to institutional investors, i.e. 0.9% of proceeds from their sales. The underwriters were also eligible for a discretionary element of 0.3%. No decision has been made about the payment of this discretionary element. The underwriters’ maximum fee of 1.2% of the institutional proceeds compares with 2.5% for the previous Government’s flotation of QinetiQ.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to address the situation in those parts of the United Kingdom where a high percentage of the workforce is paid less than the living wage.[HL6678]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to address the situation in those parts of the United Kingdom where a high percentage of the workforce is paid less than the living wage.[HL6678]
The Government supports a living wage and encourages businesses to pay it when it is affordable but not at the expense of jobs. We recognise that these have been challenging times and we applaud companies that have chosen to pay higher wages.
The Government’s primary tool for supporting the low paid workers is the National Minimum Wage (NMW) which is set by the independent Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises the wages of the low paid without damaging their employment prospects by setting it too high.
There are four NMW rates depending on an individual’s age and whether they are an apprentice. It does not vary by gender or region. The Government has just approved a rise in the NMW to £6.50 per hour from October 2014. This is the biggest cash increase since 2008, with more than one million workers set to see their pay rise by as much as £300 per year.
In addition to the NMW, this Government is helping to increase the take-home pay by cutting taxes, particularly for the low paid. We are raising the personal tax
allowance to £10,500 by April 2015. This means over 3.2 million people will no longer pay income tax and the typical basic rate taxpayers will pay £805 less income tax per year than in 2010-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to address the situation in those parts of the United Kingdom where a high percentage of women are paid less than the living wage.[HL6679]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to address the situation in those parts of the United Kingdom where a high percentage of women are paid less than the living wage.[HL6679]
The Government supports a living wage and encourages businesses to pay it when it is affordable but not at the expense of jobs. We recognise that these have been challenging times and we applaud companies that have chosen to pay higher wages.
The Government’s primary tool for supporting the low paid workers is the National Minimum Wage (NMW) which is set by the independent Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises the wages of the low paid without damaging their employment prospects by setting it too high.
There are four NMW rates depending on an individual’s age and whether they are an apprentice. It does not vary by gender or region. The Government has just approved a rise in the NMW to £6.50 per hour from October 2014. This is the biggest cash increase since 2008, with more than one million workers set to see their pay rise by as much as £300 per year.
In addition to the NMW, this Government is helping to increase the take-home pay by cutting taxes, particularly for the low paid. We are raising the personal tax
allowance to £10,500 by April 2015. This means over 3.2 million people will no longer pay income tax and the typical basic rate taxpayers will pay £805 less income tax per year than in 2010-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to encourage more employers to pay the living wage.[HL6680]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to encourage more employers to pay the living wage.[HL6680]
The Government supports a living wage and encourages businesses to pay it when it is affordable and not at the expense of jobs.
We recognise that these have been challenging times and we applaud companies that have chosen to pay higher wages.
This Government is helping to increase the take-home pay by cutting taxes, particularly of the low paid, taking 3.2 million out of income tax by 2015.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government at what date share transactions in Royal Mail following the partial privatisation became publicly available.[HL6621]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government at what date share transactions in Royal Mail following the partial privatisation became publicly available.[HL6621]
Conditional dealing in Royal Mail shares started on 11 October 2013. Unconditional dealing in Royal Mail shares started on 15 October 2013, when the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange.
As a plc, Royal Mail has a legal duty to maintain an accurate shareholder register and make this register available for inspection.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, from 6 April 2014, local trading standards officers will continue to be empowered to take direct enforcement action related to the underage sale of alcohol against any business that is part of a Primary Authority partnership, without first gaining consent from the relevant Primary...
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, from 6 April 2014, local trading standards officers will continue to be empowered to take direct enforcement action related to the underage sale of alcohol against any business that is part of a Primary Authority partnership, without first gaining consent from the relevant Primary...
The Government is committed to taking firm action against irresponsible businesses who sell alcohol to children. Trading Standards Officers play a vital role in enforcing legislation and protecting children and communities from alcohol related harm.
Where enforcement action is being considered by a local authority against a business that is in a Primary Authority partnership, there is a requirement for enforcing authorities to notify the primary authority of the proposed enforcement action. The Primary Authority will advise on whether relevant advice has been given to the business and whether the proposed action is consistent with that advice.
Primary Authority supports efficient and effective targeting of regulatory resources while helping responsible businesses to comply and grow.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the percentage cost over-run established by the management board for any budget in the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation to merit being tabled at the departmental management board; and how many times in the last 12 months that has occurred.[HL6278]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the percentage cost over-run established by the management board for any budget in the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation to merit being tabled at the departmental management board; and how many times in the last 12 months that has occurred.[HL6278]
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills considers on a regular basis its overall financial position and financial risk through the Department's Executive Board and Performance, Finance & Risk Committee. There are no specific percentage cost over-run measures that would trigger escalation to either of these bodies.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they played any role in encouraging Hitachi to relocate its rail operations to the United Kingdom; and if so, what role.[HL6246]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they played any role in encouraging Hitachi to relocate its rail operations to the United Kingdom; and if so, what role.[HL6246]
The decision to relocate in the UK was Hitachi's and demonstrates a huge vote of confidence in the UK, its workers and its rail industry from one of Japan’s biggest businesses. Her Majesty's Government has strengthened relations with Hitachi through regular, whole-of-government discussions, and by providing Hitachi with a Grant for Business Investment to help them establish their Newton Aycliffe train assembly factory. We continue to work with this key UK investor as it develops its European business.
It is further testament to the Government’s industrial strategy which is giving companies worldwide the confidence to invest in the UK, creating new jobs and increasing exports that will help sustain long-term economic growth.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 24 February (WA 226–7) concerning European Union powers over United Kingdom state aid to undertakings, whether additional costs arose from delays to projects of between six and 18 months; and, if so, what is...
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 24 February (WA 226–7) concerning European Union powers over United Kingdom state aid to undertakings, whether additional costs arose from delays to projects of between six and 18 months; and, if so, what is...
Aid givers should ensure that time for State Aid approval is built in to their project plans, and an upper limit of 18 months is set out in the Procedural Regulation. An assessment of the overall cost impacts of the State Aid approval process across all Government projects has not been undertaken.