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9 Mar 2009 : Column 60W—continued
Business: Government Assistance
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of payments to small and medium-sized businesses by his Department occurred within 10 days (a) from the establishment of the Department to 21 October 2008 and (b) from 21 October 2008 to date. [260625]
Mr. McFadden: Since 21 October 2008, BERR paid 96.1 per cent. of all invoices within 10 working days.
Prior to this BERR recorded payment within 30 calendar days. BERR does not currently record and publish information about the size of suppliers as this does not fully reflect the number and size of businesses engaged in supplying goods and services. We do not discriminate by size of business because many SMEs can be found within larger supply chains.
Departmental Internet
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many visits his main departmental website received in each of the last 12 months. [261139]
Mr. McFadden: Visitor statistics for the main BERR website
in the last 12 months are as follows:
| Visitors | |
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many videos are uploaded to his Department’s YouTube channel; how many views each video has received; and how many further videos his Department plans to upload to YouTube. [261149]
Mr. McFadden: There are currently two videos uploaded to the Department’s YouTube Channel. As of 4 March 2009 these have attracted 2,981 and 1,909 views respectively (4,890 views in total). In addition the channel itself has been viewed 4,575 times. The Department will create further videos where they can support the efficient communication of its policies.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many hours a week were spent by Departmental officials in maintaining his Department’s YouTube channel in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many officials are involved in such work. [261150]
Mr. McFadden: One official, whose duties include maintaining the Department’s YouTube channel, spends approximately five hours per week on this task.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department has spent on maintaining its YouTube channel since its inception. [261151]
Mr. McFadden: BERR has spent £7,345.00 on its YouTube channel since its inception.
Departmental Sick Leave
Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many staff in his Department and its predecessors were on sick leave for (a) over 30 days, (b) over 50 days and (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years. [256317]
Mr. McFadden: The number of staff on sick leave for over 30, 50 and 100 days in each of the last five years is as follows:
| Length of absence | |||
| Over 30 days | 30-50 days | 50-100 days | |
Fisheries: Government Assistance
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what programmes his Department funds to provide assistance to the UK fishing industry. [261137]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I have been asked to reply.
Over the past year, approximately £5 million has been invested to support projects such as the Environmentally Responsible Fishing project, the Fisheries Science Partnership, the Fisheries Challenge Fund, as well as funding for e-logbooks and light dues. In addition, a £5 million vessel decommissioning scheme is underway for the English inshore fleet, in order to address the current imbalance between capacity and quota.
Some £220 million of funding (£123 million of EU funds) is available for a wide range of UK projects under the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), which runs from 2007 to 2013. The basic aim of the EFF is to support the sustainable development of the fisheries sector. Since the UK Operational programme was approved in September 2008, UK administrations have approved approximately £13.5 million of projects under the EFF scheme(1).
(1 )All figures relating to the European Fisheries Fund have been converted to pounds sterling at a rate of 1€=0.891211GBP (6 March 2009). Figures have also been rounded.
Insolvency
Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will bring forward proposals to (a) set a maximum limit on and (b) reduce the fees of administrators and receivers relating to winding up of business failures. [260907]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 5 March 2009]: The fees charged by an insolvency practitioner reflect the necessary level of specialist knowledge that the insolvency practitioner has to have to be able to take effective action in a wide range of unusual and complex situations. This expertise takes time and training to acquire.
The Insolvency Rules 1986 determine how the remuneration of an office holder (liquidator/administrator/trustee etc.) is to be fixed and provide that such remuneration shall be fixed by reference to the time properly given to the administration, or as a percentage of the assets which are realised and distributed. In most insolvency cases it is for the liquidation or creditors’ committee to determine the basis for fixing the remuneration or, in the absence of such a committee, the creditors decide the matter. The Rules also make provision for the court to review the amount of remuneration charged.
Statement of Insolvency Practice 9 provides regulatory guidance which insolvency practitioners must follow when seeking approval for their fees. Matters to be considered by the approving body (usually the creditors) include the effectiveness with which the insolvency practitioner has carried out his duties and the value and nature of the assets with which he has had to deal. In October 2004 the court issued a practice statement which provides guidance on matters that will be taken into account when the court is dealing with an application for review of remuneration.
As the amount of remuneration is subject to review by the court my noble Friend the Secretary of State has no powers to investigate the amount of remuneration charged. I would therefore confirm that I have no plans to bring forward plans to limit or reduce the fees charged by insolvency practitioners, which are properly a matter for the creditors or the court.
Insolvency: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses have entered into administration in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire in the last 12 months. [260784]
Mr. McFadden: There were 4,820 administrations (Enterprise Act 2002) in England and Wales in 2008. Statistics covering business administrations are not currently available on a regional basis within England and Wales.
Platte Media and MBS Systems: Complaints
Martin Horwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many complaints (a) his Department and (b) the Office of Fair Trading have received in respect of the activities of Platte Media and MBS Systems; what steps have been taken in response; and if he will make a statement. [258746]
Mr. Thomas [holding answer 25 February 2009]: Part 9 of the Enterprise Act 2002 places restrictions on information relating to businesses and individuals which the OFT (including Consumer Direct) can disclose. Therefore, the OFT does not usually confirm or deny whether it has received complaints about an individual or business unless it considers it is appropriate to do so in relation to a particular investigation.
The OFT has however previously investigated the business activities of Micro Bill Systems Ltd. (“MBS”). In March 2008 MBS and its directors provided undertakings to the OFT following complaints about the appearance of ‘pop-up’ notices demanding payment for membership of adult content websites on consumers’ computers. MBS also advised the OFT at the time that Platte International Ltd. (UK) (“Platte”) would be taking over MBS so the OFT obtained identical undertakings from Platte.
Platte has now informed the OFT that it would cease trading from 25 February 2009 and that Platte International Ltd. (British Virgin Islands) ceased marketing to the UK from 2 February 2009.
The OFT monitors undertakings given to it and will consider whether any additional information it obtains warrants further enforcement action. It also liaises with relevant Trading Standards authorities to ensure that it is dealing with businesses fairly and proportionately while securing effective compliance with the law.
Royal Mail
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many representations he has received on the partial privatisation of the Post Office in each of the last three months; and how many of these have been (a) in favour and (b) against the Government’s proposed policy. [261147]
Mr. McFadden: This information is not available in the form requested.
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his most recent estimate is of the cost of completing the modernisation of Royal Mail since the investment plan was agreed in 2007, and excluding the £600 million already spent. [261201]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 5 March 2009]: The Government have made available £1.2 billion of debt facilities to enable Royal Mail to implement their 2007 transformation plan. Royal Mail will utilise all of this funding to implement their plans and will need ongoing finance in the future.
Royal Mail: Pensions
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much additional revenue he expects Royal Mail would receive annually were the Government to assume full responsibility for its pensions deficit. [261153]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 5 March 2009]: Royal Mail currently receives an allowance for pension deficit recovery under the current price control agreed with Postcomm. How this is dealt with in the next price control, if the Government take responsibility for the company’s historic pension liabilities in the context of partnership, will be a matter for Ofcom in discussion with Royal Mail.
Temporary Employment
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department has spent on the Agency Workers’ Know Your Rights campaign. [261138]
Mr. McFadden: The projected spend for the ‘Know your rights—agency workers’ campaign is £1.25 million by the end of March 2009.
Trade Promotion
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many copies UK Trade and Investment produced of the ‘Marketing the UK Like Never Before’ document; and how much they cost to produce. [246205]
Mr. Thomas: ‘Marketing the UK Like Never Before’ was aimed at business professionals, trade associations and chambers of commerce. Reaction to the publication across the board has been extremely positive. Businesses have commended UKTI for adopting a marketing-led approach to promoting the UK.
1,010 copies of ‘Marketing the UK Like Never Before’ were produced at a cost of £11,243.00.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many young people from each parliamentary constituency began an undergraduate course at a UK higher education institution in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 2007-08. [258773]
Mr. Lammy: The latest information has been placed in the House Libraries.
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