PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Green Investment Bank (29 June 2015)

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the decision to sell the Government's majority stake in the Green Investment Bank on investor confidence and that bank's ability to attract new and cost-effective sources of private capital.

Asked by:
Matthew Pennycook (Labour)

Bringing private ownership into UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) will give the company access to a much greater volume of capital from a much wider range of sources than if it were to remain in 100% Government ownership, including the ability to borrow. Attracting private sector investors to take a stake in GIB will also further prove the company’s business plan and demonstrate to the wider market that investing in this area can be a profitable business and is not just the preserve of Government. This will encourage a wider range of investors to follow GIB into green sectors, helping to increase liquidity in those markets, which is precisely the impact we were seeking to have when we established GIB.

Answered by:
Anna Soubry (The Independent Group for Change)
7 July 2015