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1 May 2007 : Column 1562W—continued


VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register may not have closed. Only 1.8 million out of the 4.3 million businesses in the UK were registered for VAT at the start of 2005.


1 May 2007 : Column 1563W

China: Wood

Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has made to the Government of China on ensuring the sustainability of timber imported to China from (a) South East Asia and (b) Africa; and if he will make a statement. [134597]

Mr. Thomas: I have been asked to reply.

DFID is working on the issue of sustainable timber imports to China from South East Asia and from Africa through a number of channels.

Policy analysis is funded through support to a programme, "China and the Asia-Pacific: forest markets for sustainable livelihoods and forests" managed by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Forest Trends. Forest Trends, and the data it produces on Chinese timber production and on the timber imports and exports, is well respected by the Chinese Government. They are about to expand this work to cover a selected number of African countries.

DFID contributes to an ongoing project jointly run by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Canadian International Institute of Sustainable Development, whose aim is to integrate sustainable development concerns into Chinese trade/economic policies in three commodities, of which one is the international timber trade.

Finally, forestry is a priority issue within the UK-China Sustainable Development Dialogue, a formal mechanism for ministerial dialogue and projects on key sustainable development issues. DFID is a member of the newly-established UK-China Forestry Working Group, and is lead and co-funder of a project managed by Chatham House to hold a series of participatory stakeholder meetings on international forestry, bringing together Chinese Government, industry representatives and non-governmental organisations.

Corporate Social Responsibility Academy

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2007, Official Report, columns 767-68W, on the Corporate Social Responsibility Academy, what the funding provided to the academy in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06 and (c) 2006-07 was spent on, broken down by main budget heading; [135055]

(2) how much government funding was given to the Academy Programme partners as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility Academy in each year since it began. [135058]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 30 April 2007]: The budget for the academy over its two years was allocated as follows:


1 May 2007 : Column 1564W
CSR Academy budget
£
Year 1 Year 2

Programme partners

150,000

127,000

Project management

87,200

91,000

Website/communications

41,400

41,000

Miscellaneous expenses

12,200

20,000

Total

290,800

279,000


Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department decided to transfer the running of the Corporate Social Responsibility Academy to Business in the Community. [135059]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 30 April 2007]: The Department was in discussion with Business in the Community about the future of the academy from June 2006 and the agreement to the transfer was concluded in January 2007.

Farmers: Bankruptcy

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of farmers who became bankrupt in England in each of the last five years. [135241]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The closest available estimate for bankruptcies among farmers is the number of bankruptcy orders made under the category “agriculture” according to the Insolvency Trade Classification. Also provided for further information is the number of company liquidations in the agricultural sector. The following table provides the England and Wales figures in 2001-05, figures for 2006 are not available by industry sector:

Bankruptcies and company liquidations in England and Wales for agriculture, 2001-05
Bankruptcy orders Company liquidations

2001

183

90

2002

132

76

2003

151

52

2004

204

35

2005

195

35


Financial Services: Marketing

Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many organisations marketing individual voluntary arrangements were successfully prosecuted for using advertising that was in breach of the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [134173]

Mr. McCartney: Any enforcement action regarding advertising of IVAs would be from OFT or ASA. Information regarding prosecutions and breaches of the CMARs can be found on the Consumer Regulations website, provided by the Office of Fair Trading, at www.crw.gov.uk. This records six cases since 2003 involving breaches of the CMARs, all of which were dealt with through undertakings by the companies and relevant individuals rather than by prosecutions.


1 May 2007 : Column 1565W

OM Energy

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department expects to cease providing support to OM Energy Ltd. [134230]

Mr. McCartney: The key objective of UK Trade and Investment’s Global Entrepreneur Programme is to create self sustaining, high growth UK technology businesses by attracting both worldwide intellectual property and entrepreneurial talent here. The latest phase of the OM Energy project will include the recruitment of a highly experienced global management team to take forward the next stage of the company’s strategy. This will limit the need for significant ongoing support from the Global Entrepreneur Programme.

Education and Skills

Children’s Centres: East Sussex

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children’s centres he
1 May 2007 : Column 1566W
expects there to be in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex by 2010. [130935]

Beverley Hughes: There will be seven Sure Start Children’s Centres in Eastbourne and 28 Sure Start Children’s Centres in East Sussex by 2008. Local authorities will be planning the number of children’s centres up to 2010 once they receive their allocations and targets later this year. There are currently two Sure Start Children’s Centres in Eastbourne and 10 Sure Start Children’s Centres in East Sussex.

Education: Newspaper Press

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many supplements in newspapers were funded by (a) his Department and (b) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in the last 12 months; and how much was spent in each case. [132235]

Jim Knight: The number of supplements in newspapers funded by the Department and the QCA in the last 12 months is as follows:

(a) The Department for Education and Skills
Date Newspaper Subject Cost (£)

6 March 2007

Guardian supplement

14-19 Reforms

42,000

30 March(1)

TES supplement

14-19

51,406

October 2006

Guardian supplement x2 Society/Education

Every Child Matters

120,000

15 June 2006

Evening Standard—London Schools Supplement

London Challenge,

60,000

(1) Joint with the QCA

(b) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
Date Newspaper Subject Cost (£)

8 February 2007

SecEd supplement

Preparing for the future—secondary curriculum review explained

22,120.55

1 February

SecEd supplement

Preparing for the future—14-19 reforms explained

20,000

3 April 2007

Guardian Education supplement

Freedom to learn

66,975


Education: Standards

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2007, Official Report, column 1542W on education: standards, how many maintained mainstream schools there were where (a) more than 20 per cent., (b) more than one third and (c) more than 40 per cent. of 14-year old pupils attained a lower or the same level in Key Stage 3 (i) tests and (ii) teacher assessments in 2006 than they had attained at Key Stage 2. [132128]

Jim Knight: The information requested is summarised in the following table.

Number of schools
National Curriculum test More than 20 per cent. of pupils at the same or lower level in KS3 compared to KS2 More than 33 per cent. of pupils at the same or lower level in KS3 compared to KS2 More than 40 per cent. of pupils at the same or lower level in KS3 compared to KS2

English

729

145

49

Maths

48

0

0

Science

1,849

788

385


The DFES and NAA are currently validating teacher assessment data submitted by schools for KS3 in 2006. As a result of this ongoing work, teacher assessment data for 2006 have not yet been published.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2007, Official Report, column 1541W, on education: standards, how many and what proportion of pupils who attained level five or below in the key stage three (a) teacher assessments and (b) tests in (i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) science had attained level five or above at key stage two in each of the last five years. [132129]

Jim Knight: The information requested is summarised in the following table.


1 May 2007 : Column 1567W

1 May 2007 : Column 1568W
Number of pupils at Level 5 or below at KS3 who attained Level 5 or above at KS21,2
English Maths Science
National Curriculum test Teacher assessment National Curriculum test Teacher assessment National Curriculum test Teacher assessment
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %

2006

27,700

7.2

(3)

2,500

1.0

45,300

13.3

2005

31,000

8.5

24,900

6.8

3,400

1.3

6,400

2.3

52,100

14.5

40,000

11.3

2004

32,300

8.8

25,000

6.8

3,100

1.2

6,700

2.4

49,900

13.6

35,200

10.2

2003

30,600

8.8

23,400

6.1

3,500

1.3

6,700

2.2

38,300

11.8

34,600

9.6

2002

22,400

6.1

18,500

5.0

4,600

1.6

6,900

2.2

35,100

9.7

25,800

7.2

(1) 'Level 5 or below' is defined according to National Curriculum test/teacher assessment level. The levels are B (working below the level of the test), N (not awarded a test level) and 2-8 for National Curriculum tests, and W (working towards Level 1) and 1-8 for teacher assessments. Pupils absent or unable to access the tests at either KS2 or KS3 are not included.
(2) Percentages are expressed as a proportion of all pupils at Level 5 or below at KS3.
(3) The DFES and NAA are currently validating teacher assessment data submitted by schools for KS3 in 2006. As a result of this ongoing work, teacher assessment data for 2006 have not yet been published.

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