Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fallon and Julie Hilling

Thursday 24th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Julie Hilling (Bolton West) (Lab)]

The Secretary of State has spoken proudly about the new businesses that have started up, but can he tell us how many businesses closed last year, and how many jobs were lost as a result of those closures?

[The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Michael Fallon)]

I shall be happy to write to the hon. Lady with the number of deregistrations, but overall there are more businesses being created than are being closed. We have, I think, 400,000 more new businesses than we started with two and half years ago.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fallon and Julie Hilling

Thursday 17th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fallon]

We recognise the importance of biomass projects such as those in my hon. Friend’s constituency. We included draft strike prices for biomass in the prices we published at the end of June and we expect to confirm them by the end of the year. We hope that between 1 GW and 4 GW of biomass will come onstream.

[Julie Hilling (Bolton West) (Lab)]

T8. The Minister previously promised me that he would discuss cold alarms with the energy suppliers and let me know their response, but he has not. With people choosing between heating and eating, and with prices ridiculously high, will he please now tell me what progress he has made on cold alarms, which will alert vulnerable people and their carers when temperatures become dangerously low and prevent more unnecessary deaths this winter?