Colleen Fletcher

The national gender pay gap has fallen significantly under this government - and by approximately a quarter in the last decade. In the West Midlands specifically, the gap has gone from 19.7% in 1997, to 10.8% in 2022.

In 2017, we introduced regulations requiring large employers to publish the differences in average salaries and bonuses for men and women every year. The regulations have helped to motivate employers, and focus attention on improving equality in the workplace.

However, in order to continue making progress we need to understand the real barriers people face in the workplace, and ensure everyone is empowered to fulfil their potential. This includes ensuring that we spread opportunity throughout the country. That is why initiatives like our Women-led high-growth enterprise taskforce have a specific focus on looking outside of London.

Should you wish to look further at gender pay gap data for your area, the Office for National Statistics does provide a breakdown of their annual gender pay gap data by constituency, geographic area, and region: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/annualsurveyofhoursandearningsashegenderpaygaptables

The Government is committed to increasing compliance with National Minimum Wage legislation and the effective enforcement of it. HMRC responds to every complaint it receives and conducts risk-based enforcement in sectors or areas where there is perceived to be a higher risk of workers not being paid the National Minimum Wage.

The Government has increased the NMW penalty so that employers that break the law face a penalty equivalent to the arrears they owe, up to a maximum penalty of £20,000 per worker.

Employers are also named publically under the Government’s NMW naming scheme for non-payment. So far, 210 employers have been named for non-payment of the National Minimum Wage and have been charged financial penalties totalling over £248,000. In total, HMRC has recovered over £57m in arrears for workers since 1999/2000.

Prosecution is reserved for the most serious cases. HMRC will refer cases to the Crown Prosecution Service who will decide whether to prosecute. Prosecution does not necessarily result in arrears being paid to workers.

The number of NMW prosecutions for non-compliance in each of the last five years is set out below:

2014: 0

2013: 1

2012: 0

2011: 0

2010: 1

Anyone who thinks they might be entitled to the minimum wage but have not been paid it should call the ACAS Helpline on 0300 123 1100.

The Government is fully committed to tackling fuel poverty in England, including meeting the 2030 target now enshrined in law.

Policies such as the Warm Home Discount and Energy Company Obligation deliver vital support to millions of low income and vulnerable homes each year. This includes direct reductions in electricity bills as well as support to improve homes through heating and insulation measures.

We publish information on the geographical distribution of measures under ECO here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-march-2015.

Furthermore, in terms of support in the West Midlands, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council has recently received funding through the Fuel Poverty Health Booster Fund for scaling up activity to help fuel poor households where people have health conditions linked to cold homes.

Tackling sexual violence and domestic abuse is a priority for this Government and the CPS is working hard to deliver justice and protect victims of these abhorrent crimes.

In July 2020, the CPS published its own rape strategy – ‘RASSO 2025’. This five-year strategy outlines a programme of work specifically to help reduce the disparity between reports and criminal justice outcomes. In addition, the CPS and police published a Joint National Action Plan for rape in January of this year to improve joint handling of rape investigations and prosecutions.

Also in January this year, the CPS published an ambitious 12-month domestic abuse programme to help narrow the disparity between reporting and criminal justice outcomes and to proactively address domestic abuse offending.

The CPS has continued to prioritise high harms crimes including cases of sexual violence and domestic abuse throughout the pandemic and as restrictions are eased via the introduction of an Interim Charging Protocol in April 2020.

In 2018 – 29 sentences for causing death by dangerous driving were referred to the Attorney General’s Office. Of those 4 were referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. 2 sentences were found to be unduly lenient and the sentences were increased. 2 were found NOT to be unduly lenient and the sentences remained the same.

In 2019 – 43 sentences for causing death by dangerous driving were referred to the Attorney General’s Office. Of those 2 were referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. Both sentences were found to be unduly lenient and the sentences were increased.

To date, in 2020 – 18 sentences for causing death by dangerous driving have been referred to the Attorney General’s Office. Of those 3 have been referred to the Court of Appeal, 1 was found to be unduly lenient and the sentence was increased, 1 was found NOT to be unduly lenient and the sentence remained the same, and 1 sentence is yet to be considered by the Court of Appeal.

The numbers of sentences for death by dangerous driving offences that have been successfully referred to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient in the last five years are as follows:

* This figure includes the case of Robert Brown which was referred to the Court of Appeal in July 2018 and in which it has reserved judgement.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 31 January is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

The National Cyber Security Strategy (2016 to 2021) sets out the government’s plan to make Britain secure and resilient in cyberspace. We also published a progress report: “National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021 - Progress Report”, this includes details of the steps being taken to help protect business from cyber threats.

The Cabinet Office is leading work across Government to develop the UK’s strategic direction and funding for cyber security beyond 2021 and will set out the approach next year, building on the Government’s Integrated Review. This will respond to the evolving cyber threat and ensure the UK remains a leader on cyber security into the next decade.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

According to the ONS Business Registers and Employment Survey (BRES) the estimated numbers employed in automotive manufacturing in the West Midlands, Coventry and Coventry North-East were as follows (latest published year 2022):

Numbers of enterprise (business) ‘deaths’ (closures) are not available at the parliamentary constituency level. Neither are they available, yet, for unitary authorities in 2023.

Numbers of enterprise ‘deaths’ are not available broken down by business size and are only available for PAYE and/or VAT registered businesses.

Data in the 2 tables below show total numbers of registered enterprise ‘deaths’ in England in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and in Coventry in 2021 and 2022.

Table 1: Counts of all enterprise ‘deaths’ in 2021 and 2022 in England and Coventry

Source: ONS business demography

Table 2: Provisional counts of all enterprise ‘deaths’ in 2023, in England

Source: ONS business demography, quarterly experimental statistics

The latest ONS data[1] (as of 19 October 2023) shows the overall number of public houses and bars in Coventry North East, Coventry, the West Midlands and in England for each of the last 5 years (Table 1).

Table 1: Number of Public House and Bar Local Units, 2019 – 2023

Business closures (VAT de-registrations) are not available at this level of industrial and geographical detail. However, the Insolvency Service[2] do publish monthly data on the total number of insolvencies in the food and beverage services sector in England and Wales from 2019 to 2022 (Table 2).

Table 2: Food and beverage service activities insolvencies, England and Wales, 2019 – 2022[3]

[1] ONS Business counts via NOMIS. Data relates to SIC 56.302 – Public houses and bars.

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-insolvency-statistics-september-2023

[3] This data represents the sum of monthly insolvencies per year for SIC 56 - Food and beverage service activities.

The regional spread of debt among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has remained broadly the same over the past three years. The following figures are taken from UK Finance data and are taken as a share of the value of loan facilities of SMEs in Great Britain.

Between Q2 2020 and Q4 2021, regional shares of SME lending:

· Increased in London (21% to 22%)

· Decreased in the South East (14% to 13%), and North West (11% to 10%)

· Stayed the same in the South West (11%), East Midlands (6%), West Midlands (9%), East of England (7%), Yorkshire and the Humber (7%), North East (3%), Wales (4%), and Scotland (8%)

Between Q1 2022 to Q2 2023, regional shares of SME lending:

· Increased in London (21% to 22%)

· Decreased in the North West (11% to 10%)

· Stayed the same in the South East (14%), South West (11%), East Midlands (6%), West Midlands (9%), East of England (7%), Yorkshire and the Humber (7%), North East (3%), Wales (4%) and Scotland (8%)

Government is helping more businesses get the finance they need through the next generation of Nations and Regions Investment Funds, which will provide £1.6 billion of debt and equity finance to small businesses outside London and the South East.

The first of these funds launched in the South West of England in July 2023.

Data on household electricity and gas energy bills are published as part of the Quarterly Energy Prices statistical series (here). The department collects this information at the regional level and does not hold it for smaller geographies.

Average annual domestic electricity bills for England and UK regions are presented in table QEP 2.2.3 and average annual domestic gas bills for GB regions are presented in table QEP 2.3.3 (here).

Energy prices have fallen significantly since the winter of 2022-23. The Quarter 2 2024 price cap of £1,690 has fallen by nearly 60% since the Quarter 1 2023 price cap peak. Despite this fall in prices, we have been supporting millions of vulnerable and low income households through the £900 cost-of-living payments, alongside established financial support including the £150 Warm Home Discount.

There are also multiple targeted energy efficiency schemes in place delivering measures to low income and fuel poor households.

We are currently reviewing the 2021 fuel poverty strategy for England ‘Sustainable Warmth’.

Sub-regional fuel poverty estimates for 2022 will be published on 25^th April 2024.

The latest official Fuel Poverty Statistics for England were published in February 2023 on gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics#2022-Statistics

In addition to reporting against the official fuel poverty metric for England, these statistics included an affordability measure of the number of households required to spend more than 10 per cent of their income on domestic energy. These can be found in Annex D: Affordability measures for England, of the annual report.

Affordability measure estimates are not held at sub-national level. Figures are available at sub-national level for fuel poverty under the Low-income Low energy efficiency (LILEE) metric, on gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty-data-2023-2021-data

The Government has not made a recent assessment of trends in fuel poverty in these areas. The latest official sub-regional statistics for 2021 (published 27^th April 2023) show the number of households in fuel poverty in Coventry North East Constituency was 11,400 (23.3%) and Coventry local authority was 28,525 (20.8). The latest official statistics for 2022 (published 28^th February 2023) show for the West Midlands administrative area 489,000 (19.2%) and England 3,257,000 households (13.4%).

Energy efficiency is the best way to tackle fuel poverty and the Government are delivering measures to fuel poor households and provided significant financial support last winter and further support is available for 2023-24.

Independent evidence from Smart Energy GB shows that 37% of people in Great Britain without smart meters would seek or accept, if offered, a smart meter installation within the next six months, and many of those that say they wouldn't, go onto have them installed. So, there remains good consumer demand for energy suppliers to convert into installations.

To facilitate this, the Government has identified and shared good practice with energy suppliers on effective consumer engagement and operational delivery. Ofgem has also provided guidance on its expectation that suppliers have appropriate re-contact strategies for consumers that have not yet taken up their smart meter offer.

Ofcom collects coverage data as part of its reporting requirements, most recently published in its Connected Nations summer update, with data for the period to April 2023. Ofcom provides coverage data for premises, and we are unable to break this down between households and other premises.

Ofcom estimates that around 30,000 premises in the UK (0.1%) and 13,000 premises in England (less than 0.1%) lack access to either a fixed broadband network with ‘decent broadband’ (at least 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload speed) or good indoor 4G coverage.

In the constituency of Coventry North East, 381 premises lack access to either a fixed broadband network with ‘decent broadband’ (at least 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload speed). For the Coventry City Council area that figure is 1,137. Ofcom does not publish aggregated data for the region of the West Midlands, however more data can be found in Ofcom’s Connected Nations reports.

In respect of mobile coverage, Ofcom reports that 132,383 premises across England do not have indoor 4G mobile coverage from any MNO. This falls to 11,222 premises for 4G outdoor coverage. With 2G and 3G coverage added in, 9,622 premises do not have indoor data coverage from any MNO, falling to 1,127 premises without outdoor data coverage. Unfortunately, Ofcom data does not enable us to make an assessment of the number of premises in the West Midlands, the Coventry North East constituency, or the Coventry local authority area that do not have coverage from any mobile network operator.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for coordinating HM Government’s digital inclusion policy, and aims to ensure that as many people as possible across the whole of the UK, no matter their age or background, can overcome the barriers of digital inclusion and make the most of digital opportunities. This includes people in Coventry North East and Coventry.

For example, the Government is working to remove barriers and ensure that online services are as inclusive as possible by making public sector websites accessible to as many people as possible. The accessibility regulations ensure that websites and mobile apps are designed to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Furthermore, assisted digital support services aim to increase digital inclusion for those online users who lack digital confidence, digital skills or access to the internet.

Additionally, to support low-income households DSIT has negotiated a range of high-quality, low-cost broadband and mobile social tariffs for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means tested benefits. Mobile and broadband social tariffs are available in 99% of the UK, from a range of providers including, BT, Virgin Media, Sky and Vodafone from as little as £10 per month.

An evaluation of the effectiveness of the voucher scheme, including analysis of scheme outcomes and evidence collected from scheme applicants and other stakeholders, is being undertaken by an independent research organisation. The interim findings, which relate to the delivery of the scheme and the early benefits to households, were published on 26^th January 2023 ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-homes-grant-voucher-scheme-evaluation). The final phase of the evaluation will assess the effect of the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme on jobs at national level with findings available in late 2023.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme is set out clearly in legislation so will be applied in a uniform way by all licensed suppliers. The regulations include a robust compliance and enforcement regime to ensure requirements are being met. Suppliers are also required to inform customers about the details of support, including the amount of the discount and discounted supply price in a timely and reasonable manner.

The Government recognises the impact rising prices are having on businesses, including those in Coventry North East and Coventry constituency, and is engaging with businesses across the UK to understand these challenges and explore ways to mitigate them.

The Government has reversed the National Insurance rise, saving SMEs approximately £4,200 on average, implemented the cut to fuel duty for 12 months and raised the Employment Allowance to £5,000. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will protect SMEs from high energy costs over the winter.

In addition, at the Autumn Statement, my Rt Hon Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £13.6 billion of support for businesses over the next five years, reducing the burden of business rates for SMEs.

Businesses in Coventry will have benefitted from the Government’s reversal of the National Insurance rise, saving SMEs approximately £4,200 on average, the cut to fuel duty for 12 months and raising the Employment Allowance to £5,000.

The Energy Bill Relief and Energy Bill Discount Schemes will protect SMEs from high energy costs over the winter. The Autumn Statement announced £13.6 billion of support for businesses over the next five years, reducing the burden of business rates for SMEs.

The Government is providing financial support – 198 SMEs in Coventry North East have received Start Up loans to the value of £1,920,907 and 504 SMEs in Coventry to the value of £5,124,978.

The Government is encouraging the creation of businesses through the Start Up Loan scheme which has provided mentoring and financial support to 198 SMEs to the value of £1,920,907 and 504 SMEs to the value of 5,124,978 in Coventry North East and Coventry respectively.

We are also committed to supporting SMEs through exemption from new regulations where possible. This exemption was recently extended to businesses with up to 500 employees, potentially reducing red tape and bureaucracy for up to 40,000 more businesses.

We are also providing support through our network of 38 Growth Hubs and Business Support Helpline which provide access to information and advice on starting a business.