Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 Annual Repor t and Accounts 2015-16 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 For the year ended 31 March 2016 Accounts presented to the House of Commons pursuant to Section 6(4) of the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 Annual Report presented to the House of Commons by Command of Her Majesty Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed on 13 July 2016 HC 362 This is part of a series of departmental publications which, along with the Main Estimates 2015-16 and the document Public Expenditure: Statistical Analyses 2015, present the Government’s outturn for 2014-15 and planned expenditure for 2015-16. © Crown copyright 2016 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected]. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 1 Victoria Street London SW1H 0ET Tel: 020 7215 5000 Email: [email protected] Print ISBN 9781474135030 Web ISBN 9781474135047 ID 24051602 07/16 Printed on paper containing 75% recycled fibre content minimum Printed in the UK by the Williams Lea Group on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office Contents Performance 6 Overview by the Secretary of State 6 About BIS Permanent Secretary’s review 7 Key achievements in 2015-16 8 About BIS 9 How we have performed 16 Business & Science 17 Economics & Markets 28 Shareholder Executive 35 Skills, Deregulation, Local Growth & Legal 40 How we have performed People, Strategy & Higher Education 48 Finance, Commercial & Digital Transformation 59 Director General’s financial review 67 Accountability 77 Corporate Governance report 77 Report from the lead Non-executive Board Member 77 Ministers and Departmental Board 78 Accountability Statement of Accounting Officer’s responsibility 80 Governance statement 81 Remuneration and staff report 97 Parliamentary accountability and audit report 112 Certificate and report of 124 the Comptroller and Auditor General Financial statements 126 Primary statements 126 Financial Statements Notes to the accounts 135 Annexes 207 Annex A – Expenditure tables 207 Annex B – Other annual report data 213 Annexes Overview by the Secretary of State 2015-16 has been another challenging yet 2016-17 promises to be another successful successful year for British business, and the year for the Department. We have already same is true of the Department for Business, published the Higher Education and Research Innovation and Skills. white paper, setting out our vision for the future of Britain’s universities. A Better Markets Bill will Over the past 12 months we’ve continued to follow later this year, along with an Innovation work hard to make the UK the best place in the Plan, part of our commitment to making Britain world to start and grow a business. the number one destination for innovative new This has included passing two major pieces businesses and entrepreneurs. of legislation. The Enterprise Act provides We’ll also be continuing to deliver on our businesses, and small businesses in particular, Single Departmental Plan, making BIS more with much-needed support. And the Trade efficient, more effective and more flexible. This Union Act strikes the right balance between will inevitably involve making some difficult rights and responsibilities, so that employers decisions, but they will ultimately benefit the and employees alike aren’t unfairly disrupted by businesses we are here to serve. industrial action. Over the past 12 months BIS has done a huge BIS was also responsible for the introduction of amount to make the UK the best place in the the new National Living Wage, giving workers a world to start and grow a business. I’m looking well-deserved pay rise. forward to working with my fellow Ministers, As this report shows we’re also making good our dedicated officials, and all our Partner progress on our ambition to deliver three million Organisations to make the year ahead even apprenticeship starts by 2020. And we’ve more successful. seen more students than ever before accepted into their first-choice university courses – with record numbers applying from disadvantaged Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP backgrounds. Secretary of State for The worldwide crisis in the steel industry Business, Innovation and Skills has posed a number of challenges for the Department, but Ministers and officials have been working hard to secure a sustainable future for British steel and support the steelworkers and communities affected by threatened and actual closures. 6 Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 Permanent Secretary’s Review This Annual Report and Accounts sets out the of staff and their families. I am personally Department’s key achievements and progress committed to ensuring that those affected against our strategic and corporate objectives receive comprehensive support. over the 2015-16 financial year. The Department led work over the last year on The Department for Business, Innovation and a number of the Government’s flagship policies: Skills was well prepared for the May 2015 election and organised a smooth transition to • The new National Living Wage was supporting our new Ministers. I am proud of successfully introduced on 1 April 2016. how quickly the Department responded to the • The Enterprise Act received Royal Assent. The priorities of our new Ministerial team and built Act will cut red tape, encourage investment an effective partnership. in skills, and make it easier for small firms to In 2015-16 we agreed BIS spending plans for resolve payment disputes through the Small the next five years as part of the Government’s Business Commissioner. spending review. BIS made a full contribution • The white paper “Success as a Knowledge to the Government’s deficit reduction targets, Economy” was published following public through maximising efficiencies and reforms. consultation. The reforms put students The Government also agreed funding to deliver at the heart of higher education, deliver our key growth and productivity outcomes, greater competition and choice, promote including real terms protection for science social mobility and boost productivity in the funding; maintaining Innovate UK funding in economy. cash terms; cash terms protection for adult skills participation budgets; and funding to • Good progress was made towards the deliver 3 million high quality apprenticeships. Government’s ambition for 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020. The Department is committed to focusing as much of its funding as possible on front-line • The Trade Union Bill received royal assent. services and to becoming simpler, smaller and better for users by 2020. BIS 2020 is a • Sale of the Government’s remaining shares in transformation programme that will deliver Royal Mail was successfully completed. reductions in operating expenditure of around The development of our staff continues to £350 million by 2020. This will be delivered be a key priority. This report includes our by reducing operating costs and associated 2015 People Survey results which showed headcount by 30 – 40 per cent; more than improvement on how staff feel they are halving our 45 Partner Organisations; and managed, and that a higher proportion of rationalising customer support, grant giving our staff feel inspired and empowered by the and digital service delivery. It also involves Department’s leadership. Inclusion and fair reducing our locations from around 80 sites to treatment results also improved this year and 7 business centres plus a regional presence a higher number of our staff said they had the across the country. tools and skills to do their jobs effectively. We recently decided that one of these I am proud of all the dedicated staff in BIS and business centres should be a combined BIS our Partner Organisations who have worked headquarters and policy function in London. hard and effectively to deliver outcomes with This will bring together BIS’ policy capability, real impact across the UK. which is currently dispersed across 14 offices, and locate it near Ministers and Parliament, enabling staff to respond rapidly and flexibly to new priorities. This was a very difficult decision Sir Martin Donnelly because of the impact on individual members Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 7 Key achievements in 2015-16 £7.20 500,000 The first National Living Wage New apprenticeship starts since May rate giving anyone working 35 2015. BIS aims to create 3 million new hours a week on the National apprenticeship starts by 2020. Minimum Wage a £680 per annum pay rise. £4.7 billion The annual science resource budget protected in real terms 18.5% to the end of the decade. The entry rate into higher education £6.9 billion for the most Record capital investment disadvantaged in the UK’s research 18 year olds infrastructure up to 2021. – a record high. Ensuring that the UK continues to support world-leading science. 12% 5.4 million The total stake now owned by Royal Mail employees after the Government completed its disposal of shares. businesses Are set to benefit from the Enterprise Act by cutting red tape, tackling late payments and boosting the quality and quantity of apprenticeships. 8 Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 About BIS Who we are Our vision and objectives The Department for Business, Innovation and Our overarching aim is to make Britain the best Skills is the central Government Department place in the world to start and grow a business.