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3 Jun 2009 : Column 580W—continued
UK Border Agency: Consultants
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the UK Border Agency spent on external consultants in 2008. [263207]
Mr. Woolas: UK Border Agency spent £27.2 million on external consultants during financial year 2007-08.
Visas: Overseas Students
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are applied by the UK Border Agency to the grant of student visas to foreign medical students who require more than four years to complete their training. [258633]
Mr. Woolas: Under the tier 4 immigration rules, a student such as a medical student, following a course of study at or above degree level for longer than 12 months, and who meets all of the requirements of the immigration rules, will be granted leave to cover the full duration of their course, plus an additional period of four months.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Employment: Young People
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of people under 18 years old in employment in (a) Tameside, (b) Stockport and (c) Greater Manchester. [277500]
Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
We are determined to ensure that as many young people as possible continue their learning beyond the age of 16 to get the qualifications and experience they need to make a successful transition into employment in an increasingly competitive labour market. Many will continue their learning in the workplace through an apprenticeship or work based learning programme.
All 16 and 17-year-olds will be offered a suitable place in education or training under the September Guarantee. The additional investment announced in Budget 2009, together with the plans that we recently announced to make available an additional 17,500 apprenticeship places for 16 to 18-year-olds, mean that we are now investing over £6.8 billion in 16-18 education and training, providing a record level of more than 1,550,000 learning places. Schools, colleges and Connexions services will give young people across Greater Manchester the advice and support they need to find a suitable opportunity in education, employment or training.
Higher Education
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he expects the Forward Framework on Higher Education to be published. [277848]
Mr. Lammy: We expect to publish our Framework for the future of Higher Education this summer.
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many of those who applied to study full-time at a higher education institution for a first degree came from a household with gross annual income of (a) £25,000 or under, (b) between £25,001 and £50,020 and (c) higher than £50,020 in 2009-10. [277849]
Mr. Lammy: Complete information on household incomes of applicants is not available centrally.
Higher Education: Part-time Education
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many part-time first degree entrants there have been at (a) the Open University and (b) other higher education institutions in each year since 2002-03. [277846]
Mr. Lammy: The latest available information is shown in the table. Figures for the Open University cannot split undergraduate level of study into first degree and other undergraduate until the 2003/04 academic year, therefore figures for the 2002/03 academic year have not been provided. The Open University coded their entrant numbers incorrectly in the 2004/05 academic year, therefore these have not been provided.
| Part-time first degree entrants( 1) by higher education institution—UK higher education institutions academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 | ||
| Academic year | Open University | All other UK HEIs |
| (1) Covers entrants of all domiciles. n/a = not available. The OU incorrectly coded entrants in the 2004/05 academic year. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) | ||
Treasury
Bank Services: Post Offices
Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the Financial Services Authority regulates Bank of Ireland products offered via Post Office Ltd.; and if he will make a statement. [273084]
Ian Pearson: The Bank of Ireland operates as a branch in the UK and is therefore regulated by the Irish Financial Regulator.
Banks: Iceland
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role (a) the Financial Services Authority and (b) his Department has had in the transfer of depositors' money from Icelandic banks; what procedures have been followed; and what safeguards there are for depositors' money. [274690]
Ian Pearson
[holding answer 13 May 2009]: Heritable and Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander (KSF) are UK-based banking subsidiaries of the two Icelandic banks Landsbanki and Kaupthing. On 7 and 8 October 2008 respectively, the FSA concluded that Heritable and KSF no longer met their threshold conditions, and were in default for the purposes of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The Treasury, using powers under the Banking (Special Provisions) Act 2008, transferred certain accounts of Heritable primarily used by retail depositors and KSF’s Edge retail deposit
business to ING Direct. The Government also committed to paying out in full FSCS eligible depositors whose accounts were not transferred. The remainders of Heritage’s and KSF’s businesses were subsequently placed into administration following due legal process.
On 8 October, the FSA announced that the UK-based branch of Landsbanki was in default for the purposes of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). To maintain financial stability and protect retail depositors, the Chancellor announced that all retail depositors with the Icesave brand of the branch would receive their money in full.
Business: Government Assistance
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what terms and conditions are imposed upon those accepting assistance under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme; and if he will arrange for these terms and conditions to be published on the Business Link website. [266163]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 24 March 2009]: I have been asked to reply.
Information on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee including the eligibility criteria and the premium rate, together with other help for businesses under the Real Help package are already published on the Businesslink.gov website. Specific terms and conditions are a matter for each participating lender in discussion with each borrower and as such are confidential to those parties.
Government Departments: Hotels
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will instruct the Office of Government Commerce to review its policy of using only certain travel companies to procure business-use hotel accommodation. [277915]
Angela Eagle: Buying Solutions manage two framework agreements awarded to a total of six travel management companies (TMC’s) following competitive tender action in accordance with EU procurement legislation.
Public sector customers are not obliged to use these TMC’s if they have alternative EU compliance arrangements.
Lighthouse Group: Network Data
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations from members of the public he has received on the role of HBOS in the proposed purchase by Lighthouse Group of Network Data Ltd. [274632]
Ian Pearson: The Chancellor receives a wide range of representations on issues relating to banks in receipt of public funds.
As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such representations.
Communities and Local Government
Audit Commission: Official Hospitality
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Audit Commission has spent on hotel accommodation for officials in (a) the last 12 months and (b) each of the last three years. [277891]
Mr. Khan: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 3 June 2009:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me for reply.
Spend on hotel accommodation in the last four years was as below:
| £ | |
The figures include costs for dinner, bed and breakfast.
In 2006 the Audit Commission introduced a new contractual arrangement for hotel accommodation with a booking agent. Prior to the new contract, hotel accommodation was booked directly with a wide range of hotels across the UK. Therefore the figure shown for 2005/06 only represents the expenditure with our contracted supplier.
The Audit Commission employs approximately 2,000 staff. Due to the nature of our work and the geographical spread of our client base, overnight accommodation is a business requirement.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the Audit Commission’s travel policy states that officials requiring hotel accommodation should use 3 or 4 star hotels. [277892]
Mr. Khan: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 3 June 2009:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me for reply.
Up to May 2009, the policy stated a minimum 3 star standard should be used, to ensure that room service was available, as this was felt to be important for the security of our staff working away from home. The Audit Commission changed its policy on hotel accommodation in May 2009. The new policy removed the minimum 3 star standard and replaced this with a maximum overnight rate depending upon the location of the hotel:
| £ | |
The maximum overnight rates include bed, breakfast and a £25 limit for an evening meal.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Building Regulations
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to launch the consultation on proposed changes to Part L of the Building Regulations; and if she will make a statement. [277864]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department expects to publish a consultation document on proposed changes to parts L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) and F (Means of Ventilation) of the Building Regulations shortly.
Council Tax
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated cost to her Department and local authorities of council tax rebilling was in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10. [277242]
John Healey: There is no cost to the Department as a result of council tax rebilling.
The Department does not provide estimates of rebilling costs to local authorities;
actual costs for previous years were as follows:
2007-08: £0
2008-09: £1.22 per household for Lincolnshire police authority.(1)
(1) Based on figures provided by the authority.
Council Tax: Debt Collection
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on the use of bailiffs to collect council tax; and what assessment she has made of the implications for local authorities' use of bailiffs of her Department's plans to allow councils to transfer council tax debts from magistrates to county courts. [277027]
John Healey: Communities and Local Government's predecessor Department the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister jointly published with the Government Operational Research Service a Council Tax Collection Good Practice Report in 2004. The report looks at ways of sharing good practice among practitioners, in order to promote continuous improvement in service delivery and collection. Annex D of the report covers the use of bailiffs.
The report is published on Communities and Local Government website at:
I am working with the Ministry of Justice to look at new ways to collect and enforce council tax, in particular by allowing councils to transfer council tax debts from magistrates to county courts.
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