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12 Jan 2009 : Column 453W—continued
Departmental Training
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which external companies and organisations have been used by his Department to provide training for fast stream civil service staff in his Department in the last three years; and how many staff participated in such training. [246590]
Mr. McFadden: The Department uses our preferred training providers Personnel Training Services Consortium (PTSC) and National School of Government (NSG) for fast stream training. For language training, the Department uses the preferred supplier Communicaid.
52 fast streamers participated in training with PTSC and NSG between 2006 and 2008.
Based on business demand, 12 fast streamers undertook language training between 2006 and 2008.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department spent on digital media training courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008; how many such training sessions have been held in 2008; and how many staff members in his Department attended at least one such training course. [246593]
Mr. McFadden: The Department has no record of using the services of the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer of 10 November 2008, Official Report, columns 906-07W, on departmental temporary employment, how many staff were recruited through each company in each year; and for how long on average staff recruited through these companies worked for the Department in each year. [242104]
Mr. McFadden: With reference to the answer of 10 November 2008, Official Report, columns 906-07W, on departmental temporary employment, information on the number of staff recruited through each company in each year and how long on average staff recruited through these companies worked for the Department in each year could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what budget the Employment Agency Standards
Inspectorate has to publicise its activities; and what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the agency's promotional activities. [244032]
Mr. McFadden: During the 2008-09 financial year, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform is running a £1.25 million campaign to raise awareness of employment rights among vulnerable agency workers, including raising the profile of the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate.
The EAS promotional activities include publication and launch of the ‘Know Your Rights’ leaflet last month, and we will monitor the effectiveness of our awareness raising campaign towards the end of the financial year.
Finsbury Ltd. and Roland Rudd
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on what dates since 1 January 2007 (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had discussions with (i) Finsbury Ltd. and (ii) Roland Rudd. [243128]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 15 December 2008]: The information requested is as follows.
Since 1 January 2007, Ministers have not had discussions with Finsbury Ltd. No meetings with officials have been reported either.
Since 1 January 2007, discussions have been held which Roland Rudd attended on the following dates:
A Secretary of State has had discussions with Roland Rudd on:
11 September 2007—Secretary of State had an introductory meeting with BNE Members;
19 December 2007—Secretary of State attended a BNE breakfast event on Europe and to discuss 14 January 2008 Global Europe Conference;
7 January 2008—Telephone conversation to catch-up on preparations for the Global Europe Conference on 14 January 2008;
14 January 2008—The BERR/FCO ‘Business Priorities for a Global Europe’ Conference was organised in co-operation with BNE, with Roland Rudd chairing the event and BERR Secretary of State John Hutton was one of the speakers;
17 June 2008—Secretary of State attended a dinner with BNE members:
17 October 2008—Secretary of State met with Roland Rudd;
10 December 2008—Lord Mandelson had a breakfast meeting with Roland Rudd and several BNE company members to discuss EU economic reform issues;
17 December 2008—Lord Mandelson had a second breakfast meeting with Roland Rudd and several other BNE company members to discuss EU economic reform issues.
Ministers have had discussions with Roland Rudd on:
2 October 2008—BERR Minister of State Shriti Vadera attended a breakfast meeting with BNE (Roland Rudd attended);
7 March 2008—Dinner attended by BERR Minister of State Shriti Vadera, Roland Rudd, and other guests;
7 May 2008—BERR Minister of State Shriti Vadera spoke at BNE Enlargement Seminar;
8 December 2008—The Global Europe Business Summit was attended by BERR Minister of State Shriti Vadera and Roland Rudd was one of the business participants (representing BNE).
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent representations he has received from Finsbury Ltd. in connection with the proposal for a third runway at Heathrow. [243129]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 15 December 2008]: My noble Friend, the Secretary of State, has received no representations from Finsbury Ltd. in connection with proposals on a third runway at Heathrow.
Keep your Future Afloat Campaign
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) of 27 October 2008, Official Report, column 722W, on the Keep your Future Afloat campaign, for what reason the North West Regional Development Agency provided funding to the campaign; and what expenditure the campaign undertook as a result of the funding provided. [242039]
Mr. McFadden: NWDA funding has been used over a number of years to enable KOFAC Co-ordinating Committee to continue delivering a targeted lobbying campaign to sustain a significant number of jobs in the naval shipbuilding industrial base of north-west England. Targets of the more recent campaign have been future aircraft carriers, Astute and replacement Vanguard class submarines, MARS supply ships, civil nuclear and other diversification opportunities.
Funding goes towards project management, essential research, preparation of customised lobby material and arrangement of attendance at national conferences and other events.
Automotive Industry
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has received from (a) the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and (b) Ford on (i) financial support from the taxpayers and (ii) Ford’s plans to move production of the Transit Van from Southampton to Turkey; and if he will make a statement. [243076]
Ian Pearson
[holding answer 15 December 2008]: We have wide-ranging contact at all levels with the automotive industry and its representatives (including the SMMT). My noble Friend, the Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and I met with automotive manufacturers, suppliers and retailers on 27 November and we continue to have close dialogue. Ford confirmed in November that it will manufacture its new Eco Boost engine family, which is 20 per cent. more fuel efficient and emits 15 per cent. less carbon dioxide, for global use at its Bridgend factory. Ford’s investment was secured with £13.4 million in support from taxpayers via the Welsh Assembly Government. This will increase jobs at the Bridgend factory, the third
largest employer in Wales, to more than 2,000. It is intended the current Transit model will be produced at Southampton until 2011. We strongly welcome Ford’s commitment to seeing production of the chassis cab variant of the next model Transit at their Southampton site in the future.
Derek Twigg: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking to support the car manufacturing industry in Cheshire and Merseyside. [243148]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 17 December 2008]: We are closely engaged with the automotive and other sectors in the UK, including those companies in the Cheshire and Merseyside area, acting both at a European level (for example through the European Investment Bank’s €8 billion automotive support fund), and at a national and regional level. This includes the package of support for SMEs announced in the PBR and the Northwest Regional Development Agency’s transitional loan fund for SMEs announced on 8 December. We have also written to all major vehicle manufacturers in the UK asking them to forward on to their suppliers a note about support available.
Overseas Market Introduction Service
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether there have been any changes in Overseas Market Introduction Service fees in the last 12 months. [241923]
Mr. Thomas: Prices for the five service levels of UK trade and Investment's Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) were increased in April 2008. OMIS prices are advertised gross, inclusive of VAT. The prices were lowered on 1 December 2008 to take account of the Government's decision to reduce VAT to 15 per cent. from that date.
Overseas Trade
Mr. Hague: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in which countries there are no official services delivered on behalf of UK Trade and Investment through the British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate General in that country. [240831]
Mr. Thomas:
UK Trade and Investment has no dedicated resource in the following countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Ascension, Bahamas, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, British Indian Ocean Territories, Burkina Fasso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros Congo, Congo (Democratic Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, East Timor, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Macedonia, Madagascar, Maldives, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, North Korea, Papua New
Guinea, Paraguay, Pitcairn, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, St. Helena, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Surinam, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tristan da Cunha, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
While UK Trade and Investment does not have specific resource in the markets listed, political support from the ambassador or high commissioner, in respect of a particular contract or to support a UK business with interests in that market, remains available. UK Trade and Investment also provide basic information on these markets via the UK Trade and Investment website.
UK Trade and Investment is represented in the following 99 markets, which account for over 98 per cent. of global GDP: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium/Luxembourg, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland/Liechtenstein, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps UK Trade and Investment takes to ensure that overseas regional trade missions are properly co-ordinated and that the funding is equitable for similar companies. [241529]
Mr. Thomas: UK Trade and Investment makes funding available to its regional teams for Market Visit Support (MVS) by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
MVS enables companies to be supported individually or in groups in the form of a trade mission. Companies from one region can participate in visits organised by another region. All regions work to the same set of guidance. Where MVS funding is to support a visit to market, it is based on a specific subsidy for each overseas market.
Overseas Trade: Advisory Services
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the guidance relating to offering companies free advice without an Overseas Market Introduction Service fee was last changed; and what the content was of that change. [241532]
Mr. Thomas:
Guidance on offering free advice to companies dates from April 2004, when the Overseas Market Introduction Service was introduced across UK Trade and Investment's global network. This guidance
has been re-emphasised on a number of occasions since 2004. UKTI's trade officers may spend around an hour of their time exploring a company's needs and explaining what can be done for them. They may also provide a limited amount of ‘off-the-shelf’ information. However, the guidance is that companies should be charged for substantive help from UKTI trade officers in overseas embassies, high commissions and consulates.
Parental Leave
Susan Kramer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many and what proportion of new fathers have taken paternal leave in each year since 2001, broken down by local authority; and if he will make a statement. [244790]
Mr. McFadden: Information on the number and proportion of new fathers taking paternity leave in each year from 2001, broken down by local authority is not available. However, since 2002, three surveys on Maternity and Paternity Rights have been produced by my Department and the Department for Work and Pensions. These publications include a survey on the proportion of new fathers taking paternity leave, and can be found at:
1. Maternity rights and mothers’ employment decisions
2. Maternity and Paternity Rights and Benefits: Survey of Parents 2005
3. Maternity and Paternity Rights in Britain 2002: survey of parents
The Maternity and Paternity Rights and Benefits: Survey of Parents 2005 shows that 93 per cent. of fathers take time off around the time of their child’s birth. Of the fathers who took time off, 79 per cent. took at least some paid statutory paternity leave. The Maternity Rights and Mother’s Employment Decisions paper, which carried out a survey in 2007 shows that 91 per cent. of fathers’ took some time off when the baby was born. However, this figure does not differentiate between paternity leave and other types of leave (e.g. annual leave).
Post Office: Pay
Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what bonus payments were made to directors of the Post Office in each of the last five years. [245237]
Mr. McFadden: The level of directors’ bonus payments is a matter for Royal Mail’s remuneration committee. I have asked the company secretary of Royal Mail to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the salary and pension package of each director of the Post Office was in each of the last three years. [245241]
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