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8 Oct 2007 : Column 105W—continued
Leader of the House
Modernisation
25. Mr. Mackay: To ask the Leader of the House when she expects to announce further proposals to modernise the House. [156079]
Helen Goodman: The Government are currently considering their detailed response to the First Report of the Modernisation Committee of session 2006-07, on “revitalising the chamber: the role of the back bench Member”, published in June. I hope to publish the response and to being specific proposals to the House shortly.
Regional Select Committees
26. Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Leader of the House what plans she has for the membership of the proposed regional select committees to reflect the composition of the House in respect of each such region. [156080]
Helen Goodman: The Government are considering how best to take forward the ideas in the Governance of Britain Green Paper for committees to reflect the English regions. Any proposals will be announced in due course.
Statutory Instruments
Norman Baker: To ask the Leader of the House if she will ask the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons to consider proposals to allow statutory instruments to be amended in committee. [156075]
Helen Goodman: The Government have no plans to do so.
House of Commons Commission
House of Commons Commission: Information Officers
Mr. Spring: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many press officers are employed by the House. [154146]
Nick Harvey: The House of Commons Media and Communications Service consists of nine staff: the Communications Adviser, five Select Committee Media Officers, two Media and Communications Officers and a Media and Communications Assistant.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Adult Careers Service
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the (a) annual budget and (b) staff complement of the new adult careers service will be; and when will it be established. [154313]
Mr. Lammy: Our aim is for the new, universal adult careers service to be fully operational in 2010-11 and to trial aspects of the new service, including new skills health checks, during 2008-09. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and other partners on the development and planning of the new service and decisions on resources for the new service will be taken in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Apprentices
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprenticeship places there are; how many are filled; what the equivalent figures were in 2002; and what he expects them to be in 2012. [154091]
Mr. Lammy: The following table shows the total number of apprenticeship starts in 2001-02 and 2005-06, and the latest information for 2006-07.
| Apprenticeship starts | Advanced apprenticeship starts | |
| (1) These figures are based on latest management information. Comparable official statistics for 2006-07 will be published in the Statistical First Release “Further Education, Work-Based Learning, Train to Gain and Adult and Community Learning—Learner Numbers in England 2006/07(”). Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100. Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Work Based Learning (WBL) Individualised Learner Record (ILR). | ||
The LSC’s ILR is a census of activity capturing provision that learners enrol on and not the number of places that are available to learners. The LSG will fund what young people want to study and will work to ensure sufficient capacity is in place to meet the demand.
We want to continue the expansion of apprenticeships so that by 2013 every suitably qualified young person will be able to take up a place on the programme.
We are working with the LSC to promote apprenticeships to employers of all sizes and so increase their take-up. Many employers are already on board with 130,000 offering apprenticeships in England with over 180 apprenticeships available across more than 80 industry sectors.
We have increased the completion rate to 59 per cent. and rising—up from only 24 per cent. five years ago. We plan to increase this further in the next three years to match that of other top competitors. The Government are working with the LSC and key
partners to deliver provider incentives, foster provider collaboration, improve staff training, and develop with Sector Skills Councils guidance for individual sectors.
Diplomas will also provide clear progression routes into apprenticeships and, indeed, contain apprenticeship components within their content where specified by the Diploma Development Partnerships.
We are also building stronger links with higher education to ensure that apprentices who have the ambition and capacity to do so can enter higher education.
British National Space Centre: Information Officers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary for State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many press officers are employed by the British National Space Centre. [154173]
Ian Pearson: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills employs one full-time press officer and one part-time press officer who work in the British National Space Centre.
Career Development Loans
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many career development loans have been issued in the last 12 months through each of the banks involved in the scheme. [156390]
Bill Rammell: Career development loans are issued by three banks: Barclays bank, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the Cooperative bank. Together the banks issued 13,502 loans with a total value of £71.5 million in the 12 months to 31 March 2007. I am unable to provide information for each bank as this would breach commercial confidentiality.
Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils: Information Officers
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many press officers are employed by the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils. [154632]
Ian Pearson: On 1 April 2007, the staff, assets and liabilities of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils, (CCLRC) transferred to the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Since that date, CCLRC has had no employees.
Departments: Information Officers
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many press officers are employed by (a) Skills for Care, (b) learndirect, (c) the Basic Skills Agency and (d) the Quality Improvement Agency for Lifelong Learning. [154676]
Mr. Lammy: Details of the employment of press officers by the organisations concerned are given as follows:
Has one press officer. Skills for Care is part of the alliance of organisations that forms the Skills for Care and Development Sector Skills Council.
Is a University for Industry (UfI Ltd) initiative. UfI employs no dedicated press officers, It has a six strong communications function responsible for handling of press enquiries with 1.5 full-time equivalent posts covering this work.
(c) The Basic Skills Agency (BSA)
Merged with the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education on 30 June (NIACE), BSA has no press officers, NIACE employs one dedicated press officer,
(d) The Quality Improvement Agency
Employs no dedicated press officers. It has a four strong communications team responsible for handling all QIA corporate communications activities including press office functions with 0.25 full-time equivalent posts covering this work.
Departments: Official Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much was spent on overnight accommodation by civil servants within his Department’s areas of responsibilities in the last 12 months. [149048]
Mr. Lammy: The amount spent on overnight accommodation for civil servants in the former Department for Education and Skills for the period July 2006 to June 2007 was £1,046,062.
Departments: Private Finance Initiative
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the value is of the unitary payments of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by his Department over the lifetime of the contract, expressed in constant 2007-08 prices, and discounted to present value. [155026]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 10 September 2007]: DIUS does not currently oversee any private finance initiative schemes.
Departments: Visits Abroad
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many overseas visits were made by (a) officials and (b) Ministers within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997. [151661]
Mr. Lammy: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the “Civil Service Management Code” and the “Ministerial Code”.
Economic and Social Research Council: Information Officers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many press officers are employed by the Economic and Social Research Council. [154170]
Ian Pearson: The Economic and Social Research Council employs three press officers.
European Indicators Project
Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure full participation in the European Indicators Project by official bodies and UK assessment organisations. [154219]
Bill Rammell: The European Indicators Project is going through a competitive tender process, and any official body or UK assessment organisation could have submitted a bid on their own or as part of a consortium. We would expect that whoever wins the tender would work with appropriate organisations with relevant expertise as they develop the project.
Higher Education
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many higher education institutions there are in England, broken down by region. [155654]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the table. This is the position in August 2007.
| Higher education institutions in England, by Government office region | |
| Government office region of institution location | Number |
Higher Education Funding Council for England: Information Officers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many press officers are employed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. [154319]
Bill Rammell: The Higher Education Council Funding for England has one press officer role, which is equivalent to one FTE.
Higher Education: Bexley
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many applications for university were made by students in the London borough of Bexley in 2006-07. [153901]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information on entrants to university from Bexley is given in the table. This information is for the 2005/06 academic year. Information for the 2006/07 academic year will be available in January 2008.
The Department does not hold information on applications to university by local authority area.
| Entrants to UK higher education institutions from Bexley local authority academic year 2005/06 | |
| Academic year | Number of entrants |
| Note: Figures are on a HESA Standard Registration Population basis and are rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). | |
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