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12 May 2009 : Column 670W—continued

Mr. Simon [holding answer 8 May 2009]: We do not currently hold data centrally about the total number of apprentices made redundant. Working with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) we have established a matching
12 May 2009 : Column 671W
service to help apprentices at risk of redundancy to find alternative employment and to complete their apprenticeship. More generally, providers and the LSC have procedures to advise and relocate apprentices, in cases where providers or employers fail, to help ensure that they are able to continue in work and complete their apprenticeship. The £140 million package announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister for an additional 35,000 apprenticeship places will help fund new provision in both the public sector and private sector, and will extend the opportunities available to people facing redundancy.

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 Buildings

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what facilities there are in his Department's buildings for staff to stay overnight. [274063]

Mr. Simon: The Department's building services are provided through the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), which manage the buildings that DIUS occupies.

The National Measurement Office (NMO) occupies space in Teddington that is owned by DIUS but managed by the NMO.

Beyond being open for normal use in some cases, there are no overnight facilities in any of these buildings.

Departmental Furniture

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much each of his Department's agencies spent on furniture in each of the last five years. [273793]

Mr. Simon: The National Measurement Office (NMO) and Intellectual Property Office (IPO) have spent on furniture over the last five years as follows.

March to April financial years National Measurement Office (NMO) (£) Intellectual Property Office (IPO) (£)

2004-05

0

51,143

2005-06

0

52,961

2006-07

1,044

239,748

2007-08

1,801

200,800

2008-09

17,084

220,235

Total

19,929

764,887


Departmental Manpower

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many of his Department's staff work overseas; and in which countries such staff are located. [274067]


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Mr. Simon: Two members of DIUS staff are on loan to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office working as part of the Science and Innovation Network and based in posts overseas.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many (a) BlackBerry devices and (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since its creation. [274468]

Mr. Simon: According to our records, there have been no recorded instances of mobile phones (which were provided by the Department) being lost.

Our records show a total of six BlackBerry devices have been lost and not recovered. Two were lost in 2007 and four in 2008. There have been no reports of any BlackBerry devices being lost in 2009. All these devices were lost by civil servants. There were no losses by either Ministers or special advisers.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on the purchase of (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and (b) printer ink cartridges in each year since its creation. [274576]

Mr. Simon: The Department has spent as follows:

(a) Office paper and envelopes are the main recycled office supplies in the Department. Approximately £7,200 per year is spent on these items in London. A significant amount of paper is also used at the DIUS office in Sheffield, but the cost is not separately identifiable because office paper was provided by the Department for Children, Schools and Families as building manager until recently.

(b) Printer ink cartridges:

Learning and Skills Council

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what offices are (a) owned and (b) leased by (i) the Learning and Skills Council, (ii) his Department and (iii) the Higher Education Funding Council for England. [274233]

Mr. Simon: The information requested is provided in the following lists.

The Learning and Skills Council


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All of the LSC's properties are leased.

DIUS

DIUS occupies office space at the following buildings:

These buildings are neither owned nor leased by DIUS. They are shared under agreements with BERR (for Kingsgate House), DCSF (for Moorfoot, Castle View House and Mowden Hall) and the Research Councils (for Polaris House).

Higher Education Funding Council for England

Both of the above properties are leased.

Train to Gain Programme

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people in each constituency participated in training under the Train to Gain programme since the programme's inception. [274938]

Mr. Simon: I have placed a copy of a table, showing Train to Gain starts in each parliamentary constituency since the inception of Train to Gain, in the House Libraries.

Treasury

Banks: Finance

Ms Keeble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (1) recent discussions he has had with representatives of UK Financial Investments Ltd. on the policy of (a) RBS and (b) HBOS on maintaining credit lines to existing commercial customers; [264831]

(2) what recent discussions he has had with representatives of UK Financial Investments Ltd. on the approach of (a) RBS and (b) HBOS in maintaining their existing loan portfolios. [264832]

Ian Pearson: The Government have regular discussions with UK Financial Investments Ltd. (UKFI). The framework agreement sets out the relationship between HM Treasury and UKFI, and is available at:

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009, Official Report, column 100W, on banks, if he will take steps to require information relating to pension arrangements of directors in banks supported through UK Financial Investments to be published more often than in annual reports and accounts. [265728]


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Ian Pearson [h olding answer 23 March 2009]: Government policy in relation to the disclosure of commercial information by state-controlled companies that are PLCs is that their approach to disclosure should follow the requirements for companies listed on the Stock Exchange, including the Combined Code on Corporate Governance and Directors' Remuneration Report Regulations. Government are following this same approach in relation to the disclosure of commercial information by banks commercially managed by UK Financial Investments (UKFI).

The Directors' Remuneration Report Regulations 2002 require all quoted companies to prepare an annual directors' remuneration report. The remuneration report must contain certain information in respect of each person who has served as a director of the company at any time during the relevant financial year. The details are available at:

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