| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
2 Mar 2009 : Column 1332W—continued
Apprentices: Cumbria
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many of those completing apprenticeship schemes in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency obtained full-time permanent employment in each of the last five years. [255031]
Mr. Simon: An apprenticeship is a work-based programme and apprentices must have a job or a work placement as a condition of completing their apprenticeship framework. Many will already be in permanent employment prior to the end of their apprenticeship. Table 1 following shows apprenticeship completions in Cumbria local authority and Copeland constituency. Figures are presented from 2003/04 to 2007/08, the latest year for which fully audited data is available.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship completions in Cumbria local authority and Copeland constituency—2007/08 | ||
| Cumbria local authority | Copeland constituency | |
Information on the immediate destinations of apprenticeships upon completion of their apprenticeship is not readily available.
This type of information will in future be collected using the Framework for Excellence learner destination survey with the first results for all FE Colleges and Work based learning providers available in spring 2009. There are no current plans to produce this analysis at local authority or constituency level.
The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007/08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeship—up from 37 per cent. in 2004/05.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will make it his policy for his Department to sign the Information Commissioner’s Personal Information Promise. [258953]
Mr. Simon: The Government welcomed the Promise as a commendable initiative to raise awareness of the importance of effective data protection safeguards, particularly for those organisations with no similar commitments already in place.
The Government take data protection very seriously. Following the Cabinet Office Review of Data Handling Procedures in Government, Departments have implemented a raft of measures to improve data security.
The Ministry of Justice is considering actively with the ICO how the Promise might add additional value to those measures we have already signed up to. These include the Information Charters, the recommendations of the Data Handling Review and the Thomas/Walport Review and, of course, our legal obligations under the Data Protection Act and other legislation and regulations.
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which ICT projects initiated by his Department since its inception have been abandoned before completion; what costs were incurred on each project; who the contractors were; what the date of (a) commencement and (b) abandonment was in each case; and if he will make a statement. [256657]
Mr. Simon: DIUS is a new Department established in June 2007, substantially from parts of the former DTI and DfES. As far as we are aware, since June 2007 the Department has not abandoned any information technology projects.
No information technology projects were abandoned in the last five years for those functions brought over into DIUS from the former DTI.
It is not possible, without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold, to determine if any information technology projects were abandoned in the last five years for those functions brought over into DIUS from the former DfES.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will publish a copy of his Department’s website accessibility plan. [257219]
Mr. Simon: DIUS is committed to making its website as accessible to as many people as possible and strives to meet W3C WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to Double A standard. We currently publish a Website Accessibility statement on our interim corporate website at:
The full DIUS site will be launched in March and this will also aim to meet W3C WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to Double A standard. In addition we are in the process of developing a full website accessibility plan which we will publish on our new website as soon possible after launch of the new site and no later than the end of May 2009.
Departmental Pay
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of staff in his Department and its agencies have received bonus payments since it was established; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment has been; and if he will make a statement. [258005]
Mr. Simon: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The Department’s annual non-pensionable bonuses are awarded on 1 April 2008 for the 12 month performance reporting period ending on 31 March 2008.
Since the Department’s establishment, bonuses awarded to its employees and its agencies are set out as follows.
| Staff | ||||
| Number | Percentage | Total cost (£) | Highest single payment (£) | |
| Notes: 1. Award date for SCS staff is 1 April 2008. 2. Award date for non-SCS staff is 1 August 2007 and 1 August 2008. | ||||
Education: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much funding his Department provided to each (a) further education and (b) higher education college in each of the principal seaside towns of England in 2007-08. [257412]
Mr. Simon: Table 1 shows total funding for adult (aged 19 or over) learners through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for FE colleges located in principal seaside towns in England.
Table 2 provides information on total funding through the Higher Education Funding Council for England for Higher Education Institutions located in principal seaside towns.
The information given here refers only to provision delivered in FE colleges and in higher education institutions. However, other providers may also deliver FE or HE provision, and may also receive funding from the LSC or HEFCE, so the figures given below do not necessarily represent the full funding available.
We have used the list of 37 “principal seaside towns” used in “England’s Seaside Towns—A ‘benchmarking’ study” published in November 2008 by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
| Table 2: HEFCE funding for higher educations institutions based in principal seaside towns 2007-08 | |
| Higher education institution | Funding (£) |
| Note: These amounts cover HEFCE’s combined teaching and research grants to these institutions. It is not possible to disaggregate spend to a particular locality where a university/college offers HE courses across multiple sites. | |
Education: Finance
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many submissions for capital projects were considered at the 17 December 2008 meeting of the Learning and Skills Council’s National Council; and how many were applications in (a) principle and (b) detail; [258462]
(2) which (a) further education and (b) sixth form colleges made submissions for capital projects which were considered at the 17 December 2008 meeting of the Learning and Skills Council’s National Council; and which of those submissions were applications in (i) principle and (ii) detail. [258463]
Mr. Simon: Capital funding for further education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom, the LSC Chief Executive will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Libraries.
Education: Prisons
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much funding his Department allocated for (a) library services and (b) other education services in prisons in each of the last five years. [257632]
Mr. Simon: The total budget for offender skills and employment, including allocations for prison libraries and heads of Learning and Skills and funds passed to the Youth Justice Board for education in young offender institutions, is provided in the following table. The table also shows the total spend on prison libraries (including young offender institutions) as a subset of the total budget for each year.
| £ million | ||
| Total b udget | Library b udge t | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |