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27 Apr 2009 : Column 1061W—continued
The number and value of loans for the above was extracted from the respective Industrial Development Act reports. The Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG) Annual Report 2007-08 has updated figures for the totals of number and value of loans for 2006-07 and 2007-08. However, these data are not produced by county.
Since the Graham Review, lenders record a guaranteed loan on a web portal after the money has been drawn down by the business, however, occasionally later updating occurs which for 2006-07 and 2007-08 is better reflected in the SFLG Annual Report 2007-08 as it incorporates more recent extracts from the web portal and thus more fully updated totals for these years.
Direct year-on-year comparisons would not be appropriate because of changes to the operation and delivery of SFLG during this period, including as a result of the implementation of the Graham Review changes in 2005, which created distinct versions of the scheme.
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the (a) energy consumed by, (b) energy cost of and (c) carbon dioxide emissions from each category of IT device in each division of his Department and its predecessor in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [269554]
Mr. McFadden: The information requested is as follows:
Energy Cost of the PCs Within BERR:
The PCs used in BERR for the last five years have had Blue Angel Certification for low energy consumption and comply with the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive. (Built using recycled plastic, reduced-lead circuit boards and the manuals are printed on paper that hasn't been bleached with chloride). We are unable to provide further information as this would incur disproportionate cost.
Energy Consumption of PCs and Printers within BERR: Carbon Footprint
The production of these costs entailed the use of a number of assumptions on usage and staff working practices. To provide more accurate data would require metering at the individual desk level which is not practical.
| Electricity c ost (£) | Carbon f ootprint (metric tons) | |
| (1) Projected cost | ||
Foreign Workers
Mr. Soames: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he expects a resident labour market test to apply to the movement of workers under mode 4 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. [267774]
Mr. Thomas [holding answer 30 March 2009]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration on 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 953W.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to reply to the letter of 12 February 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr J Parris. [266368]
Mr. McFadden: I will reply to my right hon. Friend as soon as possible.
Minimum Wage
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Government plan next to uprate the national minimum wage. [270222]
Mr. McFadden: The independent Low Pay Commission will make its recommendations on the national minimum wage to Government by 1 May. The Government will respond to these recommendations shortly after, and will inform the House by Parliamentary Statement of any changes to the national minimum wage rates. Any changes to the rates will be brought into effect from 1 October 2009.
Olympic Games 2012: Fairtrade Initiative
Mike Wood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans his Department has to ensure that fair trade principles and products are promoted at the London 2012 Olympic Games. [270204]
Mr. Thomas: The organisers of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games are committed to promoting safe and sustainable food during the games and to seeking opportunities to promote the use of local, seasonal, fairtrade and organic produce. This Department supports these aims and will continue to encourage London 2012 in achieving them.
Post Offices: Closures
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2009, Official Report, column 1279W, on post offices: closures, when he expects the managing director of Post Office Ltd. to write to the hon. Member for Huntingdon. [270958]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 24 April 2009]: I have asked Post Office Ltd. to reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Small Businesses: Females
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much funding has been distributed to businesses from his Department's Aspire Fund since 19 November 2008; how many companies have received such funding; and how many awards from the fund have been (a) below £100,000, (b) between £100,000 and £299,000, (c) between £300,000 and £499,000, (d) between £500,000 and £749,000, (e) between £750,000 and £999,000, (f) between £1 million and £1.49 million, (g) between £1.5 million and £2 million and (h) over £2 million. [259782]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 27 February 2009]: As at 25 March 2009, the Aspire Fund has received 52 enquiries from potential applicants and a number of these have been advised of the need to find a lead investor for Aspire to invest alongside and others have been referred to Business Link and their supporting providers for additional investment readiness support.
21 of the businesses enquiring about Aspire have provided business plans and have private investment identified. Of these, 10 have been rejected as not meeting Aspire Fund criteria and two have withdrawn having raised funding elsewhere. Nine proposals are under active consideration. The fund would expect to issue a funding offer shortly.
Telecommunications: Competition
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects a report on the impact of the convergence of the UK communications market, as referred to in the Byron Review Action Plan, to be published. [270709]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 23 April 2009]: In October 2008 the Convergence Think Tank was superseded by the Digital Britain project. This project, which draws on the work done by the Convergence Think Tank and other reviews, will develop an action plan to secure the UK's place at the forefront of innovation, investment and quality in the digital and communications industries. The interim Digital Britain report was published on 29 January 2009 and the final report is due in the summer this year.
USA
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost was of (a) flights, (b) accommodation and (c) other expenses for the Secretary of State's visit to New York in February 2009. [270871]
Mr. McFadden: Since 1999, the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the last financial year, 2008-09, will be published later in the year and will include details in respect of all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
USA: Exports
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer of 8 July 2002, Official Report, columns 652-4W, on export licences, whether licences are still being granted for the export to the US of components for F-16 aircraft and Apache helicopters for possible onward export to Israel; and if he will make a statement. [269741]
Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 2 April 2009, Official Report, column 1434W.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many officials in his Department are suspended; how many are suspended on full pay; for how long each has been suspended; and what the reasons are for each such suspension. [270521]
Mr. Simon: In the Department, as at 31 March 2009, no employees were suspended from duty.
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the (a) energy consumed by, (b) energy cost of and (c) carbon dioxide emissions from each category of IT device in each division of his Department since its establishment; and if he will make a statement. [269551]
Mr. Simon: Because the buildings that the Department shares with other Departments do not have sub-metering on individual floors, we do not have accurate measures of the Department's energy consumption.
There have been no energy estimates split down by the category of IT device or by divisions of the Department.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department has taken to address the effect on levels of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department of its ICT purchases since the publication of the Greening Government ICT Strategy; and if he will make a statement. [269563]
Mr. Simon: Since the publication of the Greening Government ICT Strategy, the Department has continued to follow an IT strategy of sharing as much of the IT infrastructure as possible with other Departments. ICT purchases have been for replacement items or items to extend the life of the current service.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the average server capacity utilisation by each division of his Department was in each year since its creation; and if he will make a statement. [269588]
Mr. Simon: The Department procures IT services from an IT supplier on a whole department basis. There is no subdivision of the servers or services between the various divisions of the Department. Servers are monitored for operational management purposes. Average server utilisation is not routinely recorded.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of IT products in each category procured for each division of his Department were compliant with the Government's Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standard in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [269634]
Mr. Simon: The Department procures IT products and services from a catalogue of standard items under an IT services contract that was set up in 2007, before the publication of the Quick Win standards. Since we have not changed our laptops, desktops, monitors, or printers since the start of the IT services contract, there has been no opportunity to use the Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standards.
Under the terms of the contract, the supplier will use all reasonable endeavours to improve the environmental impact of the services provided.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what (a) capital and (b) resource funds his Department has brought forward from its (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 budgets for use in (A) 2008-09 and (B) 2009-10; and what schemes this funding is being used to support. [265107]
Mr. Simon: All departmental funding brought forward from 2010-11 is capital expenditure. The total amount brought forward was £442 million: £167 million to 2008-09 and £275 million to 2009-10.
This investment will accelerate support for around 25 capital projects to improve further education infrastructure and around 50 projects to improve facilities at higher education institutions and will bring forward development of scientific research facilities and improvements to university research infrastructure.
Education: Safety
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department takes to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements in respect of learners; and what such steps he plans to take in relation to the National Apprenticeship Service. [269778]
Mr. Simon: Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, responsibility for the health and safety of learners rests with the employer, including providers, on whose premises the learning is taking place. To support this, the Learning and Skills Council is required under the Learning and Skills Act 2000 to ensure that the provision which it secures is of a quality adequate to meet the reasonable needs of learners. To fulfil this duty, the LSC seeks, among other things, to ensure that the training environment of employers is both healthy and safe, including where necessary through assessments of the suitability of training facilities, and by making it a condition of funding for providers to satisfy themselves as to the health and safety suitability of employers’ premises.
The Department and the Department for Children, Schools and Families take the health and safety of all learners, including apprentices, very seriously. The Learning and Skills Council, and the Skills Funding Agency which will replace it, will continue to work with providers and employers to ensure that the health and safety of learners, including apprentices over the age of 19, is of paramount importance.
Individual local authorities are already responsible for safeguarding learners in their areas, and under the new arrangements, this will include apprentices up to the age of 19. The National Apprenticeship Service is currently part of the Learning and Skills Council, and under the new arrangements, it will be housed within the Skills Funding Agency which will have adequate resource and appropriate expertise to deliver this important function. It is therefore not necessary to put separate arrangements in place for the NAS.
English Language: GCSE
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many adult learners have been entered for GCSE English (a) language and (b) literature examinations in each year since 1990. [269003]
Mr. Simon: Table 1 shows the number of achievements by adult learners in LSC-funded further education provision of GCSE English language and GCSE English literature in each academic year since 2003/04, the earliest year for which we have comparable information.
| Table 1: Achievements by adults (aged 19+) in LSC-funded further education provision of GCSE English language and GCSE English literature, 2003/04 to 2007/08 | |||
| Academic year | GCSE English language | GCSE English literature | Of which: achieving both |
| Notes: 1. Age is based on age as at 31 August (academic age). 2. This information does not include learners studying GCSE English language or GCSE English literature in schools or higher education institutions. 3. Learners achieving both GCSE English language and GCSE English literature are included in both of the columns for these GCSEs and also the column for learners achieving both. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: FE ILR. | |||
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