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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.

Apprentices: Merseyside

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people commenced level 2 apprenticeships in (a) Crosby, (b) Sefton and (c) Merseyside in each of the last five years. [277734]

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the number of Level 2 apprenticeship starts in Crosby parliamentary constituency, and the five local authorities (including Sefton), which make up the metropolitan county of Merseyside.

Table 1: Level 2 Apprenticeship starts

 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

Crosby

190

210

160

200

180

Knowsley

700

800

600

600

700

Liverpool

1,600

1,800

1,500

1,800

2,000

Sefton

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,100

1,000

St. Helens

600

700

500

500

600

Wirral

1,300

1,500

1,200

1,100

1,300

Merseyside

5,200

5,700

4,700

5,100

5,700

Notes: 1. Parliamentary constituency volumes are rounded to the nearest ten and local authority figures to the nearest hundred. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. 2. Local authority and parliamentary constituency are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Programme-led apprenticeships recorded in WBL ILR returns are included in the above figures. Source: WBL ILR.

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.

Basic Skills: Coventry

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what basic numeracy and literacy courses there are for adults in Coventry. [272079]

Kevin Brennan [holding answer 30 April 2009]: Numeracy and literacy courses are available across the country. Information on the number of different courses funded in a given year is not collected. FE colleges and providers are given indicative budgets based on the expected delivery of an overall volume of learning. The actual numbers and types of courses delivered by a college or provider will depend on demand.

Literacy and numeracy courses are available in Coventry at different times and venues across the city. This includes embedded provision, whereby learners can develop their literacy and numeracy as part of vocational courses. Learners achieve nationally recognised Skills for Life qualifications in literacy and numeracy and all levels of need are accommodated. Progression to the next level of qualification and to employment where appropriate is supported at all stages.

Bespoke courses for particular groups of learners are delivered by the organisations detailed as follows, including those specifically for; adults seeking employability skills, adults with learning difficulties, offenders on community provision, and family learning opportunities.


22 Jun 2009 : Column 687W

The Statistical First Release (SFR) “Post-16 Education: Learner Participation, Outcomes and Level of Highest Qualification Held” (March 2009) provides information on the number of LSC-funded learners participating on Skills for Life Courses; the SFR can be found at the following link:

Table 1 following shows the number of learners participating on Skills for Life literacy and numeracy courses by age group in Coventry local authority in 2007/08.

Table 1: Skills for life literacy and numeracy participation by age in Coventry local authority, 2007/08

 16 to 18 19+ Total

Literacy

2,700

3,800

6,500

Numeracy

2,800

3,300

6,100

Notes:
1. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100.
2. These figures include FE (including learndirect), WBL (including apprenticeships, Train to Gain and Entry to Employment) and Safeguarded Adult Learning.
3. This table uses learner volumes as a measure for comparative purposes. Learners participating in more than one type of course will be counted for each course type they are participating in e.g. a learner participating in literacy and numeracy courses in an FE college will be counted in both of these figures. However, learners that are included in different data collections e.g. FE and TtG, whether that relates to different years or different funding streams, will be counted once for each data collection.
4. Age is calculated based on age as at 31 August of the academic year.
5. Local authority has been based upon learner’s home postcode.

Building Colleges for the Future Programme

Mr. Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many colleges at the feasibility stage of preparing for Building Colleges for the Future had not submitted (a) an application in principle and (b) an application in detail; and if he will make a statement. [276888]

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.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the costs of each Building Colleges for the Future project has been met by a grant from the Learning and Skills Council since the programme's inception. [268648]


22 Jun 2009 : Column 688W

Kevin Brennan: 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 my hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in both the Libraries of the House.

Business Growth

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to stimulate business growth in super output areas with high levels of deprivation. [280736]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department works closely with Her Majesty’s Treasury, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department of Work and Pensions, regional development agencies (RDAs) and with local authorities and others to stimulate business growth in local areas with relatively high levels of deprivation.

HMT, BIS and CLG jointly sponsor, and CLG manages, the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI). LEGI has been allocated £296 million over the 2008/09 to 2010/11 spending period, for targeted enterprise growth in deprived parts of 26 local authority areas. Local LEGI programmes can target very small local areas experiencing high deprivation.

Jointly with DWP, CLG sponsors the Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF), which provides £1.5 billion investment over the 2008/09 to 2010/11 period to tackle worklessness in deprived areas. One of the uses of WNF is encouragement of enterprise growth to benefit people in deprived areas.

CLG works closely with RDAs and with Business Link to help ensure that the needs of deprived areas are addressed in their work. Business Link offers a suite of business support products under the ‘Solutions for Business’ portfolio.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have been (i) disciplined and (ii) dismissed for (A) breaches of data protection requirements and (B) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in the last 12 months. [278732]

Kevin Brennan: None.

Departmental Reorganisation

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the (a) allocation of responsibilities to (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in his Department and (b) the administrative changes in his Department consequent on the recent machinery of Government changes to have been completed. [280311]


22 Jun 2009 : Column 689W

Mr. McFadden: The allocation of responsibilities to Ministers and officials is complete. Administrative changes will be completed as soon as practicable.

Further Education

Sir George Young: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's contribution to the Westminster Hall debate on building colleges for the future, Official Report, column 121WH, of 25 March 2009, to which hon. Members the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has written with an invitation to discuss the matters in detail. [267893]

Kevin Brennan: On the 16 January, my hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Further Education wrote to 105 Members—listed as follows. The letter was targeted at those Members who had colleges in their constituencies that we were aware were affected by the position of the Further Education capital programme. The letter included an offer to meet with any Members who had concerns regarding further education colleges in their own constituencies.

Prior to 4 March and the Learning and Skills Council national Council meeting, my hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Further Education had been in correspondence with 58 Members regarding the position of the Further Education capital programme. On 6 March, following the national Council meeting, my hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Further Education wrote to each of the Members, updating them on the latest capital funding position, and again offering to meet with Members who had concerns regarding their own colleges.

A list of those 58 Members will be placed in the House Libraries.

MPs

16 January distribution list


22 Jun 2009 : Column 690W
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