The Committee's inquiry is focusing on Government support for the retail sector, including
- Implementation of the Department’s action points contained in the Retail Sector Strategy Document (October 2012);
- Progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Portas Review;
- The impact of on-line sales and direct sales on High Street retailers;
- The skills needed for a successful sector; and
- The regulations and costs affecting the sector.
The deadline for the submission of written evidence was Monday 15 April 2013. As a guideline submissions should be submitted in Word and be no longer than 3000 words.
Please note
As part of a scheme to encourage paperless working and maximise efficiency, the Committee is piloting a new web portal for online submissions of written evidence. Written submissions for this inquiry should therefore be sent as a Word document via the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee website—Please click the link here
Submissions should be in the format of a self-contained memorandum. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document should, if possible, include an executive summary.
Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee. Please bear in mind that Committees are not able to investigate individual cases.
The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives, either by printing the evidence, publishing it on the internet or by making it publicly available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
The personal information you supply will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 for the purposes of attributing the evidence you submit and contacting you as necessary in connection with its processing. We may also ask you to comment on the process of submitting evidence via the web portal so that we can look to make improvements. The Clerk of the House of Commons is the data controller for the purposes of the Act. If you have any queries or concerns about the collection and use of this information or do not wish for your details to be used for this purpose, please advise the Committee Team at biscom@parliament.uk providing your full name.