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11 Mar 2009 : Column 588W—continued
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says UK has lowest barriers to entrepreneurship of all OECD countries.
The World Bank ranks the UK second in Europe, and puts the UK in top 10 globally (out of 181 countries) in terms of ease of doing business.
Solutions for Business, the Government’s streamlined portfolio of publicly-funded business support products and services, delivered via Business Link:
provides comprehensive assistance to help companies start, grow and succeed.
Business: Wales
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many companies in Wales have (a) applied for and (b) received loans from the European Investment Bank Group in each of the last six months. [261998]
Ian Pearson: The European Investment Bank (EIB) publishes data and status information on individual loans on its public website (www.eib.org). The status of a loan can fall into one of three stages:
(1) under appraisal;
(2) approved by the Board of Directors of the EIB; and
(3) signed by borrower and the EIB.
Departmental Art Works
Mr. Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which works of art from the Government Art Collection each Minister in his Department has selected for display in a private office. [259444]
Mr. McFadden: The following items on loan from the Government Art Collection are displayed in BERR Ministers’ offices:
Secretary of State, the right hon. Lord Mand el son:
Painting: Queen Elizabeth 1 (1563-1603) Reigned—Anon British artist
Painting: The Road—David Tindle
Print: Untitled Red—Lewin Bassingthwaite
Print: The Angels of Boulogne—Chris Orr
Painting: Circus Folk—David Bomberg
Minister for Employment and Postal Affairs, Pat McFadden
Painting: Snow in the Midlands—Evelyn Gibbs
Painting: Still Life with Fish—Mary Fedden
Painting: London Wall and St Giles Cripplegate—William J McLeod.
Departmental Data Protection
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether any data losses from his Department have occurred in the last six months; and if he will make a statement. [261146]
Mr. McFadden: In line with the Government's review of data handling procedures in Government and publication of its interim and final reports, the Department will cover information assurance issues, including any data loss incidents, in its Annual Report to Parliament.
Departmental ICT
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which ICT projects are being funded by his Department; and how much the (a) original estimate and (b) current expected outturn cost of each is. [261135]
Mr. McFadden: The current ICT projects being funded by Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform are as follows, with their original estimate and their current expected outturn costs:
HR Online—which is a new HR system for professional users and providing individual self-help services; estimated life-time cost £14 million up until 2012; current expected outturn cost £8 million development and £1.1 million per annum support and associated running costs.
SPIRE 3—enhancements to an existing system supporting export control; estimated life-time cost £1 million up until 2012; current expected outturn cost £897,000 development and £155,000 per annum support and associated running costs.
RITE—a system allowing remote and secure access to BERR's IT systems; estimated lifetime cost of £2.3 million up until 2012; current expected outturn cost £800,000 development and £641 per annum support and associated running costs.
Point of Single Contact—an EU directive project, funded by the EU; estimated development and implementation cost £1.6 million but with ongoing support costs still being negotiated with the supplier.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department has spent on (a) alcohol and (b) food since its inception. [261171]
Mr. McFadden: This Department does not separately itemise spending on alcohol and food.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much capital spending is planned to be brought forward by his Department to (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [260608]
Mr. McFadden: This Department has no capital expenditure brought forward to 2008-09 or 2009-10 but the Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are bringing forward £97.6 million planned capital expenditure from 2010-11 to 2009-10 as part of the fiscal stimulus programme.
Fire Services: Working Hours
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions the Government have
had within the Council of Ministers on the effect on retained firefighters of ending the UK's opt-out from the EU Working Time Directive. [261762]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 9 March 2009]: The UK Government recognises that losing the individual's right to opt-out of the 48-hour working week as set by the Working Time Directive, would have a detrimental effect on the hours which firefighters working the retained duty system could be available for duty, especially the substantial numbers who work full time for their primary employer. Many other workers also use this important flexibility and so and we remain firmly of the view that this right should remain. We, along with a majority of other member states are fighting for the retention of the opt-out as this dossier progresses through the European negotiation process.
I am very aware of the widespread concern on this issue amongst retained firefighters, and both from my Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government have worked very closely with the Retained Firefighters' Union and will continue to keep them informed throughout the negotiations.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for North East Hampshire of 10 June 2008 on a constituent, Mr Richard Stevens. [255999]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 10 February 2009]: I responded to the hon. Member on 3 March.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Secretary of State plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 24 November 2008 on his constituent, Mr Alan Briggs of Walford Place. [256515]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 12 February 2009]: I responded to the hon. Member on 27 February.
Redundancy
Mrs. May: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the (a) number of people made redundant, (b) number of statutory redundancy payments made and (c) average value of statutory redundancy payments in each (i) month of the last five years for which figures are available and (ii) year since 1997. [252919]
Mr. McFadden: The information is provided in the following tables.
(a) The Office for National Statistics’ survey the number of people made redundant in the last three months in their quarterly Labour Force Survey. The following two tables show this information on a quarterly basis over the last five years and over the calendar year since 1997.
| Quarterly UK redundancy numbers (ILO definition) | ||
| Quarter | Number (Thousand) | |
| Source: ONS Labour Market Statistics (BEAO) | ||
| Annual UK redundancy numbers (ILO definition) | |
| Number (Thousand) | |
| Source: ONS Labour Market Statistics (BEAO) | |
(b) and (c) no information is held on statutory redundancy payments made or the average value of payments.
Regional Development Agencies: Consultants
Robert Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2009 to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, Official Report, column 1464W, on regional development agencies: consultants, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report and analysis produced by Linstock Communications for the National Secretariat of Regional Development Agencies. [259461]
Mr. McFadden: A copy of the report can not be placed in the Library of the House as the RDA National Secretariat is bound by the intellectual property and confidentiality clauses contained in the procurement contract with the consultant.
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