Contributions
4,729 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankThe Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme have been developed to provide financial support for UK businesses…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankI thank my noble friend for raising those points. The 80% guarantee on lending under the CBIL scheme is already extremely generous and we have not seen a lot of evidence to…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankI fully support the noble Lord in his desire for transparency. It is important that companies disclose this information so that we can see how successful the schemes have been.30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankI thank the noble Baroness for that suggestion, but the British Business Bank’s finance hub already provides full details on CBILS and our other loan guarantee schemes, including…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankI thank the noble Lord for his question; he makes a good point. We have received lots of helpful feedback from stakeholders on how the schemes have been working. He will be aware…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankThe new bounce-back loan scheme that the noble Lord referred to will ensure that the smallest businesses can access loans from £2,000 to up to £50,000 in a matter of just days,…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankWe are constantly reviewing the loan guarantee schemes to make sure that as many businesses as possible can benefit from them. That is why we made the changes that I referred to…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankOf course, at the moment we are focused on delivering the support that businesses need now, but we will continue to monitor and review all the schemes, now and in the future, to…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankThe noble Baroness makes a good point, but we have provided a generous guarantee scheme and we fully expect that all businesses will benefit from such schemes and that banks pass…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankMy noble friend makes a very good point—fintech has a significant role to play. Funding Circle, as he will be aware, was recently added as a CBILS accredited lender. Along with…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: British Business BankThe business interruption payment means that the borrower benefits from no fees or interest in the first 12 months. Interest rates are then charged at the discretion of each…30 Apr 2020HANSARDScientific Advisory Group for EmergenciesGood afternoon, my Lords. SAGE is not a membership body. Only the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser and the Chief Medical Officer can talk on behalf of SAGE. The Government’s…28 Apr 2020HANSARDScientific Advisory Group for EmergenciesI totally agree. It is entirely right that No. 10 advisers—and, indeed, advisers and officials from other government departments—attend, to understand better the scientific debate…28 Apr 2020HANSARDScientific Advisory Group for EmergenciesAs I said earlier, SAGE does not have a specific membership. The people attending SAGE vary depending on the subjects under discussion; something like 100 participants in total…28 Apr 2020HANSARDScientific Advisory Group for EmergenciesSorry, can the noble Baroness please repeat her question? I do not know whether there is a problem with my connection but I could not quite hear her.28 Apr 2020HANSARDScientific Advisory Group for EmergenciesI agree with the noble Lord that transparency, including on the evidence informing the views of SAGE, is important in helping to maintain the public’s trust and helping to grow…28 Apr 2020HANSARDScientific Advisory Group for EmergenciesMy Lords, I certainly agree with the noble Baroness about transparency. I can give her a commitment that the minutes of the SAGE meetings will be published at the end of the…28 Apr 2020HANSARDScientific Advisory Group for EmergenciesThe Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser is confident that the role of SAGE is clear, that the business is conducted in an appropriately transparent and open manner, that the…28 Apr 2020HANSARDScientific Advisory Group for EmergenciesThe committee includes many of the experts in all those fields. They are brought in, as recommended by the Chief Scientific Adviser, when their expertise in particular fields is…28 Apr 2020HANSARDScientific Advisory Group for EmergenciesThe noble Baroness should really direct that question to the Chief Scientific Adviser. This is a changeable pandemic. The science is changing and is being updated. Scientists will…28 Apr 2020