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5 May 2009 : Column 159W—continued
Basic Skills: Coventry
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what funding his Department is providing for adults' skills development in Coventry in 2009-10. [272031]
Mr. Simon: The Department does not hold this 2009-10 budget allocation at a regional or local level. The LSC makes decisions about allocations of funding to specific areas based on strategic discussions with FE Colleges and providers, partners and other organisations. This ensures that the needs of the local communities are met and that the activity delivered supports key priorities and targets. Geoffrey Russell, the Council's Acting Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Friend with further information. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Building Colleges for the Future Programme
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on what date he received a copy of the report commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council's Director of Property and Infrastructure on capital budgets in the further education sector which was published on 11 February 2008. [269963]
Mr. Simon: The report commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Director of Property and Infrastructure on capital budgets in the further education sector was an LSC internal report.
The report was not published and was not seen by the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many projects delayed by the Learning and Skills Council’s moratorium on capital spending for further education colleges he expects to be re-tendered as the original tender will have become invalid. [270787]
Mr. Simon: Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested pertains to records held by the council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many of capital projects in further education colleges were at the time of the announcement of the Learning and Skills Council's moratorium on capital spending for further education colleges were at post-tender stage with a selected contractor; and what assessment has been made of the merits of allowing projects which had reached this stage of development to proceed notwithstanding the moratorium. [270788]
Mr. Simon: Budget 2009 announced that an additional £300 million of capital funding will be made available in the current spending review period. This will allow us to take forward a limited number of the most urgent and greatest need projects during this spending review, although the precise number will depend on the projects chosen. In order to determine which projects will be funded, the LSC are consulting with the sector on prioritisation criteria and they have established a reference panel of college principals convened by the Association of College to inform the approach for prioritising schemes.
As the information requested for the first part of your question, regarding college projects at the post-tender stage, pertains to records held by the Council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the costs incurred by those colleges bidding for contracts which have been affected by delays caused by the Learning and Skills Council’s moratorium on capital spending for further education colleges. [270789]
Mr. Simon: We recognise that some colleges have incurred significant costs particularly, but not exclusively, where the project is at an advanced stage of development.
The Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) new acting Chief Executive, Geoff Russell, has appointed an external team to review the current financial data held by the
LSC, as well as a team of property specialists to assist the LSC to ensure information held about individual projects is accurate, comprehensive and a sound basis for taking future decisions. The LSC will work with each college, with the help of independent property consultants, to assess how the longer term value of expenditures that can be incurred, as well as to understand the nature and extent of any liabilities.
Through its normal financial intervention process, the LSC will ensure that no college is unable to meets its financial obligations as a result of decisions on capital projects. Once this work by the property specialists has been completed, and there is a full analysis of the costs incurred, then the contribution that can be made to such costs from the LSC will be confirmed. The LSC plan to be able to confirm this to colleges at the beginning of June.
Departmental Billing
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of its suppliers his Department has paid within 10 days of receipt of invoice in each of the last five months. [272253]
Mr. Simon [holding answer 30 April 2009]: The percentage of invoices from suppliers settled by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills within 10 days of receipt, in the last five months, is shown in the following table:
| Percentage | |
Departmental NDPBs
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he expects the outcomes of his Department's review of its relationship with its non-departmental public bodies to be published; and if he will make a statement. [269960]
Mr. Simon: Following the Foster report on the LSC capital programme, the Secretary of State has asked the Permanent Secretary to carry out a review of the Department's relationships with its non departmental public bodies. The aim of the review is to ensure that there is clarity about accountability and responsibility in these relationships. I expect the Permanent Secretary to complete his work by the end of May. The Secretary of State will then consider appropriate next steps.
Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills who the members of the Learning and Skills Council’s Prioritisation Working Group are; and if he will make a statement. [269956]
Mr. Simon: The Learning and Skills Council’s Prioritisation Working Group was a group that the LSC established in spring 2008, with the specific task of considering how capital projects might be prioritised at regional and national level. As this is a group established by the LSC, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting chief executive of the LSC, to write to the hon. Member with the information he has requested.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which of his Department's officials (a) are members of and (b) observers on (i) the Prioritisation Working Group, (ii) the Capital Policy Group and (iii) the Finance and Resource Board; and if he will make a statement. [269964]
Mr. Simon: The Prioritisation Working Group was a Learning and Skills Council (LSC) group, established in spring 2008 with the specific task of considering how capital projects might be prioritised at regional and national level. The Department was not represented on this group when it was first formed. However, the group was re-established in autumn 2008 and officials from the Department were invited as observers to this group. This invitation has been taken up by a number of officials.
The Capital Policy Group was an LSC working group on developing FE capital policy. The Team Leader of the Further Education Infrastructure Team, from the Department, was an observer on this group.
The Department has observer status on the Learning and Skills Council's Finance and Resources Board. Usually represented by the Deputy Director in the Further Education Finance and Performance Division.
North Devon College
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent assessment he has made of progress in the construction projects at North Devon College. [271122]
Mr. Simon: Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.
Overseas Students: Assessments
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students were awarded qualifications by further education colleges not on the UK Border Agency’s accreditation list in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008. [269743]
Mr. Simon:
The UK Border Agency’s accreditation list lists all organisations that have been approved by the UK Border Agency to employ migrants or sponsor students. On 31 March 2009, the register of sponsors replaced the Register of Education and Training Providers
maintained by the Department for Education and Skills and then the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families do collect and publish information on the achievement of accredited qualifications, including those delivered by both approved and non-approved FE colleges. However, coverage and identification of the delivery of these qualifications is not robust enough to derive reliable statistics.
Research
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the new research priorities referred to in Table 6.1 of the Budget 2009 Red Book are; and what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to consult the research community on the identification of these priorities. [272093]
Mr. Lammy: The priorities referred to in Table 6.1 of the Budget 2009 Red Book relate to the spending of £118 million of efficiency savings that the Research Councils achieved in 2008-09. In accordance with the Haldane Principle, detailed priorities are for the Research Councils, rather than DIUS, to decide. The research priorities for each Research Council can be found in their individual delivery plans.
Research Councils
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he expects the research councils to publish their plans for refocusing research priorities; and whether he plans to reduce commitments to existing research programmes to fund new priorities. [272092]
Mr. Lammy: The Research Councils are currently in the process of assessing how their spending on research might be focused to give the best value from our investment. The details of this process, including the timetable of any publications, are for the Research Councils to decide.
Research Councils: Finance
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what instructions his Department has issued to the research councils on identifying the value-for-money savings identified in the 2009 Budget; [272096]
(2) how the value-for-money savings identified in the 2009 Budget will be shared between the research councils; and from which areas of their budgets he expects the research councils to make savings. [272094]
Mr. Lammy:
The Department has given no instructions to the Research Councils. The Research Councils have told us that they have revised their plans for value-for-money
efficiencies for CSR07 which has resulted in the collective target for 2010/11 increasing from £243 million to £349 million.
The details of how these targets will be achieved are a matter for the Research Councils and the outcomes will be reported in the normal manner in the departmental annual report.
Training: Veterinary Medicine
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much funding was made available to local learning and skills councils for the provision of veterinary nurse training in each of the last five years. [272895]
Mr. Simon: Funding for specific learning aims is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the Council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.
Vocational Training
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills for what reasons the Statistical First Release on further education, DS/SFR1, published in December 2008, does not include figures for the number of learners on Learning and Skills Council funded work-based learning and Train to Gain provision at the end of each quarter by programme. [263890]
Mr. Simon: The number of learners was previously provided alongside starts and completions. This can present a misleading picture because the figures cannot be immediately related to each other in the same year. This is particularly true where the number of starts changes significantly because there is a time lag before completions increase, as seen in Train to Gain over the last few years. Therefore the Statistical First Release (SFR), DS/SFR1, published in December 2008, focuses on the most instructive and transparent measures of starts and completion rates. Starts provide insight on growth in the programme and completion rates demonstrate the quality of delivery in the system.
The December SFR was the first step in addressing the findings of the review of “Post-16 Learner Statistical First Releases”. It is planned that the SFR will develop over the coming year by integrating a range of sources into one main quarterly release and adopting more robust and sustainable approaches to the presentation of data.
This was the first SFR to be produced by the ‘Data Service’, a new arms length organisation of the LSC, being setup to focus on improving and evolving data services for the FE sector. With its statistical resource now fully operational, the onward development of the SFRs is expected to gather pace along with improved availability of other data. As part of this process statisticians will be reviewing the content and are considering providing a quarterly series of starts for these programmes in future SFRs.
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