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6 Dec 2005 : Column 1152W—continued
Wave Energy
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent in each year from 1980 to date on the research and development of wavepower; and what further sums are planned to be spent. [30923]
Malcolm Wicks: Spend on wave research under the Technology programme (and predecessors ) is:
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Future funding under the Technology programme will be dependent on the quality and quantity of proposals submitted to the programme. Projects already approved already give rise to the following spend projections.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2005–06(11) | 644,000 |
| 2006–07 | 995,000 |
| 2007–08 | 764,000 |
| 2008–09 | 318,000 |
(11) Total spend
Research Council expenditure (rounded to the nearest '000) is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | 157,000 |
| 1999–2000 | 175,000 |
| 2000–01 | 301,000 |
| 2001–02 | 606,000 |
| 2002–03 | 617,000 |
| 2003–04 | 830,000 |
| 2004–05 | 1,050,000 |
Note:
Figures dating back to 1980 could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
Under the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's Supergen programme, £2.6 million was awarded to the Marine Energy Research Consortium. The award, which commenced in October 2003 for four years, will fund research into marine renewable energy conversion and delivery. The Research Councils also support energy research, including aspects of marine and tidal power, through the work of the UK Energy Research Centre, which has funds of £13 million for 2004–09. No firm plans exist at present for additional managed activity in this area, so in the near future Research Council investments will depend on the quality of bids through responsive mode; although EPSRC will consider the potential renewal of the Supergen Marine Consortium at the relevant time.
In addition the Government have put in place the £50 million Marine Renewables Deployment Fund that will support the continued development of the marine renewables sector. At the core of those proposals is a £42 million wave and tidal stream energy demonstration scheme.
Work and Families Bill
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations his Department received from small business organisations concerning the effects of the Work and Families Bill. [33545]
Mr. Sutcliffe
[holding answer 5 December 2005]: We received over 200 formal responses to the Work and families: choice and flexibility" consultation, which preceded the Work and Families Bill. Around a third of these were from individual employers and 18 of these were from small employers. In addition 26 employer groups, many of which represent small employers, responded. These include the Federation of Small Business, the Forum of Private Business and the Small Business Council.
6 Dec 2005 : Column 1154W
A summary of the responses is available in Annex A of the Government Response to the consultation, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House. The individual responses are available on the Work and Families page of the DTI website.
Over 20 meetings were held during the consultation period with small business and their representatives, including a focus group.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Academy Schools
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the pay level is of the head of each established academy school; and what the average pay for heads in the public sector is. [35327]
Jacqui Smith: No reliable figures are held with respect to the pay level of head teachers in academy schools.
In March 2004, the latest information available, it is provisionally estimated that the average salary of full-time head teachers in maintained secondary schools was £60,330. The average salary for all head teachers in the maintained sector was £46,890.
Adult Education
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make it her policy to increase adult education funding in Essex to its highest historical real terms level. [31225]
Bill Rammell: On the 21 October, I wrote to all MPs setting out the Government's strategic direction for the learning and skills sector for the coming period. The purpose of the announcement was to ensure the 2006/07 funding allocations process began with a clear and concise message on the principles that will underpin funding over the next two years. While total funding going into the learning and skills sector will increase over the next two years there is a need to rebalance spending toward priority areas which include helping disadvantaged adults gain basic and Level 2 skills for employability and progression to Level 3.
We are also maintaining the value of Government funding for personal and community development learning through a specific safeguard of £210 million in 2006/07.
Funding allocations for adult education providers in Essex will reflect these priorities that build upon our funding investment across the whole lifelong learning and skills sector, which has seen Government funding for; FE, work based training for young people, adult skills and lifelong learning increase by more than £4 billion since 1997-equivalent to over 60 percent. in real terms.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average percentage of their fees was paid by adult education students in each of the last five years; and what the estimate is of fees they will pay in (a) 2005–06 and (b) 2006–07. [31231]
6 Dec 2005 : Column 1155W
Bill Rammell: On the 21 October 2005, we made an announcement, setting out the Government's strategic direction for the learning and skills sector for the coming period. Our main purpose for doing so was to ensure the 2006/07 funding allocations process began with a clear and concise message on the principles that will underpin funding over the next two years. This follows record investment in Further Education; since 1997 total Government funding has risen by around 48 per cent. in real terms.
The Skills Strategy White Paper set out a vision for transforming the way in which the Learning and Skills Sector can support higher national investment in skills, which included a rebalancing of responsibilities so that the state, employers and individuals all contribute to the costs of their learning in line with the benefits they each receive. These funding principles do not affect the existing arrangements whereby my Department funds free tuition for all young people; those taking literacy and numeracy or aiming for their first full level 2; and learners receiving income based benefits, the pension (guarantee) credit and those on higher levels of the working tax credit.
In the last five years adult learners in Further Education (FE) were assumed to contribute 25 per cent. of the basic course cost of their learning unless fees were remitted because of the reasons stated above. This proportion increased to 27.5 per cent. in 2005/06 and will rise again to 32.5 per cent. in 2006/07 and 37.5 per cent. in 2007/08. In average terms this means a rise from an hourly rate of £1.42 to £1.94 by 2007/08.
The responsibility for setting and collecting fees rests with the college. However, we know that historically many FE providers choose to waive the fees for some of these 'fee-paying' learners:
In order to increase the levels of fees collected, from 2005/06 the LSC agreed a fee income measure with each FE funded provider. To assist providers in developing a strategic approach to fees policy, the LSC published a good practice guide to fee income earlier this year.
Clearly with the increase in fee assumption, it will be important that FE providers recover as much money as possible from learners as employers.
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