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10 Jun 2008 : Column 210W—continued
Measurement: Wines
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will bring forward legislation to require all wine-selling on-trade establishments to provide the option of 125ml measure glasses to customers in addition to 175ml glasses; and if he will make a statement. [206572]
Ian Pearson: We have no plans to bring forward such legislation.
The aim of regulation in this area is to ensure consumers have adequate information on quantity and protection against short measure, without imposing any unnecessary burdens on business.
Under weights and measures legislation wine sold by the glass is required to be sold in specified quantities of 125 ml, 175 ml or a multiple of either to allow consumers to easily distinguish between the sizes, allowing them to make cost and value comparisons more easily.
Neurology: Research
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether his Department is funding research into brain machine interfacing; and if he will make a statement. [209216]
Ian Pearson: In the area of brain-computer interfaces, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has awarded four grants totalling £816,347, three of which are ongoing and one completed.
Students: Grants
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how much was spent on fee grants for part-time undergraduate students in England in the latest period for which figures are available; [206276]
(2) what expenditure on course grants for part-time undergraduate students in England was in the most recent period for which figures are available. [206278]
Bill Rammell: In financial year 2006-07, in England, part-time undergraduate students received £26 million in fee grants and £15 million in course grants.
Students: Plagiarism
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the findings of the Academic Misconduct Benchmarking Research Project. [209484]
Bill Rammell: Student plagiarism, which is the subject of the Academic Misconduct Benchmarking Research project (AMBeR) is a serious matter, but one for which higher education institutions, as autonomous organisations, are responsible for addressing. Institutions are supported by the Higher Education Academy and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) who recently jointly produced a report of the second phase of the AMBeR project. Although the Government have made no formal assessment I understand the report’s findings are that there are clusters of consistency in the sector’s approach to applying penalties for plagiarism but that improved recording procedures could engender a more complete and transparent picture of activity across the sector. Positively, the incidence level of formally recorded cases reported in the survey demonstrates a lower level of plagiarism than that reported by most surveys. It also suggests that the vast majority of offences are first offences which indicates that current punitive measures are successfully reducing repeat offenders.
Sustainable Development: Education
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the (a) skills required to enable the UK to benefit from innovations in sustainable development technologies and (b) the qualifications which demonstrate such skills; [208638]
(2) what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the extent to which course in subjects related to sustainable development in further and higher education institutions equip students with the skills required to facilitate the take-up of sustainable development technologies in the economy. [209334]
Bill Rammell: Because the environmental future is not easily predicted, we need to create potential that might enable future industries and industry shapes that cannot be predicted today. On 1 May 2008, the Government published “Building a low carbon economy: unlocking innovation and skills”. This sets out how Government will make the UK one of the best locations in the world to develop and introduce low carbon and resource efficient products, processes, services and business models.
DIUS Ministers have met ministerial colleagues on a number of occasions during which the skills required for the UK to benefit from innovations in sustainable development technologies have been discussed.
DIUS officials are working proactively with employers, sector skills councils, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, and expert bodies representing the environmental industries, as well as other Government Departments (DEFRA and BERR) to develop our evidence and understanding of the skills implications of the transition to a low carbon, resource efficient and sustainable economy and to ensure that these, at the heart of our skills system, capture a strategic skills proposition for a sustainable future.
An assessment of the qualifications required to support such skills will be part of this work and of the ongoing vocational qualifications reform programme. The programme will mean that employers, through their sector skills councils, will have a key role in determining which qualifications are needed to meet the skills needs of their industry.
Train to Gain Programme
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many people (a) are studying for and (b) have completed a course of study under train to gain in (i) each region of England and (ii) local authority, broken down by level of qualification studied for; [209450]
(2) how many people (a) started and (b) completed the train to gain programme in (i) each region and (ii) each local authority area since its inception; and what targets for numbers of people participating in the programme there are for each (A) region and (B) local authority. [209451]
Mr. Lammy: Since it was rolled out nationally from April 2006, Train to Gain has grown quickly. It has now engaged over 80,000 employers, supported 419,320 employees to begin learning programmes, and delivered 167,500 full level 2 and 21,800 Skills for Life achievements. Recent evaluations of the service show that both employer and employee satisfaction with their experience of Train to Gain is high.
A breakdown of learner starts and achievements by region (and the LSC's National Employer Service, which works with employers with over 5,000 employees) is set out in Tables 1 and 2. Information on Train to Gain performance by local authority area is not held centrally.
In the demand-led skills system that the Government have created, the geographical distribution of Train to Gain learners is driven by employer demand. I receive regular reports on Train to Gain performance at regional level, and have recently completed a series of performance review meetings with each of the LSC regions. All LSC regions are developing plans to deliver their contribution to the overall planned growth in the service over the period to 2010-11.
| Table 1: Train to Gain Learner Starts (April 2006 to March 2008) | |||
| LSC Region | Full Level 2 | Skills for Life | Level 3 |
| Table 2: Train to Gain Learner Achievements (April 200 6 to March 2008) | |||
| LSC Region | Full Level 2 | Skills for Life | Level 3 |
International Development
African Children's Educational Trust
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided to the African Children’s Educational Trust for each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement. [209733]
Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided the following funding to the African Children’s Educational Trust since 2000:
| Total (£) | |
In addition to the aforementioned figures, DFID provided £96,000 in 2006 for the African Children’s Educational Trust’s research study on “Alternative Basic Education in countries emerging from conflict”. The trust has also received some DFID funding for the administration of the DFID Scholarships and Training Scheme for Southern Sudan (in partnership with the British Council) between 2005-08.
Burma: Internally Displaced Persons
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of internally displaced persons in eastern Burma in need of humanitarian assistance in areas where the Burmese government prohibits access by foreign aid agencies. [209366]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: It is estimated that about 100,000 internally displaced people are living in areas of eastern Burma which are not accessible to agencies working inside Burma. Others are living in areas where access by international staff is very difficult, but they can be reached by Burmese staff and local partners of foreign aid agencies.
Burma: Overseas Aid
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what cross-border projects for aid to Burma his Department is funding. [209360]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) recently agreed an allocation of £1 million for the Thailand Burma Border Consortium for 2008-09. This money may be used for cross-border assistance to internally displaced people in Burma as well as to support Burmese refugees in Thailand.
DFID also recently agreed funding of £102,780 for the Shan Women's Action Network for its work to improve health, education, livelihoods and women's rights among displaced Shan people in camps in Burma and Thailand.
DFID is also providing £1.35 million over four years for cross-border health care work on the Burma/China border undertaken by Health Unlimited.
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been allocated to cross-border aid to the poor and internally displaced in Karen state, Burma. [209459]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development’s (DFID) funding for the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) may be used for cross-border assistance to internally displaced people in Karen and other states in eastern Burma, as well as for support to Burmese refugees in Thailand. DFID recently agreed an allocation to TBBC of £1 million for 2008-09. In 2007, TBBC spent about 11 per cent. of its budget on cross-border assistance.
Poor and internally displaced people in Karen State are also assisted through programmes inside Burma which are supported by DFID. These include the Three Diseases Fund, the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Initiative, International Development Enterprises, Save the Children, and local Burmese organisations.
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