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These initiatives were driven by Baroness Mone, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Baroness Mone has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Baroness Mone has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
We aim to make the UK the best place to start, grow and run a business. The Government provides a wide range of support and information for small businesses. The main source of information is the GOV.UK website, with support also available via the Business Support Helpline on FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098 and via the network of 38 local Growth Hubs in England.
We also provide grant funding to Be the Business, a business-led independent charity. Be the Business is delivering executive leadership and management training, expert mentoring, place-based collaborative peer networks and free online advice and benchmarking tools, including around digitalisation, to help SMEs identify practical steps to transform their business.
For those starting a new business or for businesses which have been trading for up to 24 months, the Start Up Loans Company provides loans of between £500 to £25,000 at a competitive rate of 6%. In addition to finance, every loan recipient is offered a dedicated mentoring service and access to a free expert business mentor for 12 months to help them with every aspect of setting up a business.
There are 2,000 places available on the Small Business Leadership Programme which is being delivered by experts from university business schools and will teach participants how to maximise their business’s potential by improving productivity, organisation, and efficiency. There are also 6,000 places on the Peer Networks programme which is focused on helping business owners improve their problem-solving skills through a series of guided exercises.
Further measures include the Young Innovators Programme, launched by Innovate UK and the Prince’s Trust to support young entrepreneurs with tailored mentoring and access to £5,000 funding. Innovate UK have also established the Women in Innovation awards, where 10 female inventors will be awarded with a cash boost of £50,000 each, as well as receive vital business support to help them develop and grow their business, including coaching and mentoring.
In response to the Alison Rose Review, the government has set out an ambition to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by 50% by 2030, equivalent to nearly 600,000 additional female entrepreneurs.
In order to help realise this ambition, over the past year the Government has worked closely with industry to implement the eight recommendations of the Rose Review. The Rose Review Board, which is co-chaired by BEIS and HM Treasury Ministers, has been established to oversee progress, which includes:
Our business environment is amongst the best in the world and Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are the backbone of our economy, playing a key role in helping the UK remain the best place to start and grow a small business.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly, recognising the importance of these enterprises, has declared 27 June the Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day which we support through the ongoing work of our modern Industrial Strategy. Through our modern Industrial Strategy, we are doing even more to ensure the UK remains the best place in the world to start and grow a business – whether that is through creating the right environment for business; investing in research; creating a workforce skilled for the future or taking hold of the opportunities EU exit presents for trade.
Through programmes operated by the Government-owned British Business Bank they are currently supporting over £5.5bn of finance to over 78,000 SMEs; and since its launch in 2012, the Start-Up Loans programme, part of the British Business Bank, has delivered more than 59,000 loans, totalling over £450m.
In 2019, the Government asked Henry Dimbleby to carry out an independent review of the entire food sector. Part One of that review was published in July 2020 with a chapter on health highlighting the link between obesity and Covid-19 mortality. Part Two of the independent review will be published in 2021 and will continue to address the challenges associated with supporting people to eat a healthy diet. The Government has committed to responding to the review and its recommendations in the form of a Food Strategy White Paper within six months of the release of the second and final report.
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed annually on 3 December around the world. It aims to increase awareness of disability issues and to promote the rights and well-being of disabled people.
The Government supports these aims and will mark the day through various activities. We will provide more details in due course.
The Government and arm’s length bodies, including the Health and Safety Executive and Acas, work with a range of stakeholders to equip employers with the knowledge and confidence to support health in the workplace. This includes help to adapt workplaces and working practices and provide inclusive working environments.
In 2019, Public Health England and Business in the Community published online toolkits to help employers support staff mental and physical health. We continue to work with Business Leaders via the ‘Thriving at Work Leadership Council' to promote mental health resources available online. In ‘Health is Everyone’s Business’ we consulted on proposals to support employers to prevent health-related job loss, including by expanding access to occupational health services. We anticipate that a response will be available by the end of the year.
World Health Day is a key event to recognise, promote, and raise awareness of global health matters around the world. It falls on 7 April each year and marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. Each year it has a theme to highlight a global health issue. The theme for the 2019 World Health Day is Universal Health Coverage.
The Department works closely with the WHO and will support World Health Day through promotion of the day and its key messages on social media platforms. We have done this for other global health days, including World Health Day 2018.
Prevention and treatment of malnutrition remains a priority for the UK as part of our commitment to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children. The FCDO remains committed to working closely with the Government of Japan to make sure the 2021 Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit generates meaningful action by governments, donors, businesses, the UN and civil society. We are looking carefully at options for a new UK commitment?post-2020?and will provide an update on our plans?in due course.
During the Coronavirus pandemic, the work of the Women’s Business Council, has been paused. This was to enable the Government to focus on managing the crisis. In light of these exceptional circumstances, there are no plans for an annual report from the Council in 2020.
As the Government now moves to introduce a raft of business recovery measures, I have been speaking to a wide range of individuals, including female entrepreneurs and the Chair of the Women’s Business Council. I have been keen to get their insight into, and their support on, how best to improve opportunities for women in the world of work, as well as how to stimulate increased female entrepreneurship right across the country.
Unlocking women’s potential is a key priority following the impact of the Covid-19 crisis and I remain committed to helping more women to start and expand their own businesses.
International Women’s Day is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women in the UK and across the globe.
As you are aware, the UK Parliament has held debates in both Houses to mark this important event. The House of Commons debate was led by the Minister for Women and Equalities, Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, who delivered the opening statement. Maria Caulfield MP closed the debate.
I opened the House of Lords debate as the Minister for Women, and it was closed by Baroness Sugg. Thank you for your personal contribution.
The Prime Minister hosted an International Women’s Day Reception in Downing Street on Thursday 5 March where he gave a speech and took part in a panel discussion with inspirational women from across a range of sectors. Representatives from business, science, and sport, among other areas, attended, alongside school pupils.
International Women’s Day is an important moment and receives significant press attention. As such, Government Equalities Office planned communications ahead of this year's event. This included the Government Equalities Office digital and campaign plans for a series of content featuring women activists and change makers, and Ministerial content including to showcase excerpts from Parliamentary speeches.
In response to the Alison Rose Review on Female Entrepreneurship, the government set its ambition to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by 600,000 by 2030. The government is working closely with industry to implement the recommendations of the Rose Review and will engage with further actions proposed by the Board.
HM Treasury launched the Investing in Women Code in 2019 to promote greater transparency in UK funding allocation, and the Code now has over 60 signatories from a wide range of financial institutions. Other actions include the industry-led Council for Investing in Female Entrepreneurs who coordinate industry action to increase investments in female-led firms and the work of industry partners launching new investment vehicles to encourage UK based institutional and private investors to further support and invest in female entrepreneurs.
The Government has already made substantial reforms to the taxation of housing. At Autumn Statement 2014 the Government reformed SDLT on residential properties, cutting the tax for 98 per cent of buyers who pay it, unless they are purchasing additional property. At Autumn Budget 2017 the Government went further and introduced an SDLT first-time buyer relief that means that 80 per cent of first-time buyers will not pay SDLT, and 95 per cent of first-time buyers who pay SDLT will benefit from the change.
At the last election the Government committed to introduce an SDLT surcharge on non-UK residents purchasing residential property in England and Northern Ireland. This aims to help control house price inflation and the money raised will be used to tackle rough sleeping.
The Government will announce further updates on all tax measures at the Budget, to be held on 11 March.
The Government has already made substantial reforms to the taxation of housing. At Autumn Statement 2014 the Government reformed SDLT on residential properties, cutting the tax for 98 per cent of buyers who pay it, unless they are purchasing additional property. At Autumn Budget 2017 the Government went further and introduced an SDLT first-time buyer relief that means that 80 per cent of first-time buyers will not pay SDLT, and 95 per cent of first-time buyers who pay SDLT will benefit from the change.
At the last election the Government committed to introduce an SDLT surcharge on non-UK residents purchasing residential property in England and Northern Ireland. This aims to help control house price inflation and the money raised will be used to tackle rough sleeping.
The Government will announce further updates on all tax measures at the Budget, to be held on 11 March.
Following publication on 11 May of “Our Plan to Rebuild”, which outlined the steps we would be taking to ease the lockdown restrictions, the Government launched a Places of Worship Taskforce to look at how places of worship can reopen and operate safely.
The Secretary of State and I have held a series of meetings with the Taskforce as well as holding faith-specific roundtables to hear the views of our faith leaders on how our places of worship can reopen. This is to ensure that those who visit and those who work there are protected as far as possible. The Government is working with the Taskforce as we develop guidance for our faith communities on the safe reopening of our places of worship. This will include guidance on individual prayer, and services and ceremonies such as weddings. This will be published in due course.
Following publication on 11 May of “Our Plan to Rebuild”, which outlined the steps we would be taking to ease the lockdown restrictions, the Government launched a Places of Worship Taskforce to look at how places of worship can reopen and operate safely.
The Secretary of State and I have held a series of meetings with the Taskforce as well as holding faith-specific roundtables to hear the views of our faith leaders on how our places of worship can reopen. This is to ensure that those who visit and those who work there are protected as far as possible. The Government is working with the Taskforce as we develop guidance for our faith communities on the safe reopening of our places of worship. This will include guidance on individual prayer, and services and ceremonies such as weddings. This will be published in due course.
Following publication on 11 May of “Our Plan to Rebuild”, which outlined the steps we would be taking to ease the lockdown restrictions, the Government launched a Places of Worship Taskforce to look at how places of worship can reopen and operate safely.
The Secretary of State and I have held a series of meetings with the Taskforce as well as holding faith-specific roundtables to hear the views of our faith leaders on how our places of worship can reopen. This is to ensure that those who visit and those who work there are protected as far as possible. The Government is working with the Taskforce as we develop guidance for our faith communities on the safe reopening of our places of worship. This will include guidance on individual prayer, and services and ceremonies such as weddings. This will be published in due course.
As a matter of course the department works closely with industry and all levels of government to monitor and assess the future of the UK housing market.
We?are ?committed to delivering safe, secure and affordable housing to people across the country, and this has not changed. A key pillar of realising this commitment is our ambition to deliver more homes for the communities up and down the country that need them. We have made necessary legislation that means the UK’s regulatory requirements on construction products are the same as the EU’s requirements.
This Government is committed to delivering safe, secure and affordable housing to people across the country and is working closely with the industry to support the market.
I am focused on delivering the comprehensive suite of housing measures set out in the manifesto to deliver at least another million homes in the next five years and make further progress towards the target of 300,000 new houses a year by the mid-2020s.
This includes ambitious measures such as renewing the Affordable Homes Programme, making the planning system simpler, and a new single housing infrastructure fund.
As we have previously confirmed, the Government is looking carefully at the provision of legal aid in cases where the individual has absconded.
The priority is to ensure the case can be concluded fairly and that victims, witnesses, and the public can see justice being done.
The Court of Appeal can, in certain circumstances, grant permission to appeal to an individual who was convicted in their absence in the Crown Court. The Court also has the power to grant legal aid when required in the interests of justice.
The Government is looking carefully at the provision of legal aid in cases where the individual has absconded.
This information is not held centrally. Identifying the number of cases where the defendant is recorded as a fugitive would be disproportionately costly.
The Court of Appeal can, in certain circumstances, grant permission to appeal to an individual who was convicted in their absence in the Crown Court. The Court also has the power to grant legal aid when required in the interests of justice.
The Government is looking carefully at the provision of legal aid in cases where the individual has absconded.