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30 Jun 2009 : Column 142W—continued
Forests
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the policy of the Forestry Commission England is on the re-creation of (a) lowland heathland and (b) other open habitats on its estate; and if he will make a statement. [282478]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Forestry Commission is leading a process to develop the policy on restoring and expanding open habitats such as lowland heathland from woods and forests in England. The Forestry Commission completed a public consultation on the open habitats policy in June 2009 which received over 170 responses. A report on the consultation will be published in the summer and I expect to receive recommendations on policy options in the autumn.
The approach followed on the public forest estate will then reflect our decisions on the policy options as well as and conclusions from the study of the long-term role of the Public Forest Estate announced in November 2008.
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the area of plantation forest in the public forest estate which could be restored to (a) lowland heathland and (b) blanket bog. [282480]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Forestry Commission published the results of a survey of open habitats and open habitat potential on the public forest estate in May 2009. The survey shows that the area of plantation forest that could be restored to lowland heathland as 29,433 hectares and the area of plantation forest that could be restored to blanket bog as 1,794 hectares.
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has of the area of (a) lowland heathland and (b) blanket bog which (i) Forestry Commission England and (ii) other public bodies have restored since 2005. [282481]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The area of lowland heathland and blanket bog restored by the Forestry Commission on the public forest estate since 2005 is 672 hectares and 315 hectares respectively. We do not hold the information centrally on other public bodies. However, Natural England has entered into Environmental Stewardship agreements with landowners to restore 12,763 hectares of lowland heathland and 24,795 hectares of blanket bog.
Wales
Departmental Pay
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has submitted a bid for efficiency savings to be used for pay improvements in 2009 pay offers. [283032]
Mr. Hain: Pay offers are not negotiated at Wales Office level as staff in the Wales Office are employed by the Ministry of Justice or the Welsh Assembly Government.
Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether any full-time equivalent members of staff in his Department are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. [283159]
Mr. Hain: As part of their duties a number of my officials (together with colleagues from the Welsh Assembly Government) have and continue to work towards maximising Wales’ contribution to a successful London 2012.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Debts
Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Government plan to introduce a (a) debt arrangement scheme and (b) low income low assets bankruptcy scheme. [281586]
Ian Lucas:
Addressing financial problems at an early stage is essential to identifying a sustainable solution to an individual’s problems. Part 5 of the Tribunals, Courts
and Enforcement Act (TCEA) 2007 contained a series of measures to support those debtors for whom the current statutory provisions of bankruptcy and individual voluntary arrangements may not be the best option.
One of these was a low income, low asset bankruptcy scheme, which was introduce into the Insolvency Act 1986 on 6 April 2009 and is known as a Debt Relief Order (DRO).
The TCEA 2007 also contains powers for the Lord Chancellor to introduce statutory debt management schemes that could have similar features to the debt assistance scheme.
The implementation of part 5 of the TCEA 2007 is currently being reviewed and an announcement is expected to be made shortly.
Internet: Iran
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will restrict or prohibit the supply to Iran by UK companies of technologies capable of use to monitor, inspect or filter internet content. [282195]
Ian Lucas [holding answer 25 June 2009]: There are currently no plans to restrict further or prohibit the supply to Iran by UK companies of technologies capable of use to monitor, inspect or filter internet content. The export of these technologies would already be controlled if they employed cryptography or were specially designed for military use. In such cases, all export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and a licence would not be issued if to do so was inconsistent with the criteria. In particular a licence would not be issued if there was clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression.
Jordan: Overseas Trade
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage trade between Jordan and the UK. [282293]
Ian Lucas: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) provide a range of support services to UK companies wishing to trade with Jordan. These are detailed on the UKTI web pages.
Specific events that have been supported by UKTI in the last year to encourage trade between Jordan and the UK include:
two education events in October 2008 and February to promote the opportunities in Jordan to UK companies;
a trade mission with UK health care companies to Jordan in February;
a joint event with the Arab British Chamber of Commerce to promote the opportunities in Jordan to UK companies;
several regional Gulf events such as Arab Health and the Big 5 (construction) exhibitions where UK companies could access information about doing business in Jordan.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much trade there was between Jordan and the UK in the last five years. [282294]
Ian Lucas: The value of goods exported to Jordan in 2004 amounted to £161 million, in 2005 £186 million, in 2006 £160 million, in 2007 £164 million and in 2008 £210 million.
The value of goods imported from Jordan in 2004 amounted to £20 million, in 2005 £22 million, in 2006 £20 million, in 2007 £37 million and in 2008 £21 million.
Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2009, Official Report, column 1446W, on motor industry: government assistance, whether his Department has received applications for the provision of guarantees for European Investment Bank loans to UK automotive companies under the Automotive Assistance Programme. [274280]
Ian Lucas: The Government remain committed to providing guarantees, where appropriate, to help unlock up to £1.3 billion in European investment bank loans to UK automotive companies. While no guarantees have at this stage been provided, BIS is actively supporting the EIB applications of a number of UK automotive companies and stands ready to offer a guarantee where necessary and in accordance with the published criteria for the Automotive Assistance Programme.
Regulatory Policy Committee
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what date he has set for the appointment of members to his Department’s proposed regulatory policy committee; and if he will make a statement. [282511]
Ian Lucas: Members will be appointed to the new Regulatory Policy Committee in the coming months.
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the (a) establishment and (b) operation of his Department’s proposed regulatory policy committee. [282513]
Ian Lucas: Estimates on the establishment and the operation of the new Regulatory Policy Committee will be made in due course.
Science: Education
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department and its predecessors have (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned in the last three years on the effect of Government-funded science awareness initiatives on the number of young people studying courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and if he will make a statement. [282053]
Mr. Lammy:
There is good evidence that participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) enrichment activities improves young people's progression in science education. A recent OECD study
“Science Competencies for tomorrow's world” (PISA 2006) shows that students in schools that hold more extracurricular science activities tend to perform better than their counterparts in schools that run fewer activities. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its predecessor departments have funded a number of initiatives with the specific aim of providing enrichment and enhancement activities for young people, thereby increasing numbers taking these subjects at GCSE level and beyond.
We have undertaken several studies on the impact of those Government-funded initiatives whose aim is to increase the numbers of young people studying STEM subjects. It is not usually possible to prove a quantitative causal link between any one initiative and impact on numbers, because many factors affect the decision-making process when choosing specific courses.
An evaluation of SETNET (now STEMNET), published in 2007, carried out by the Tavistock Institute. STEMNET has recently commissioned a follow-up evaluation, which will be published next year.
In July 2008, DIUS commissioned a study on the impact of science centres on both numbers studying STEM and wider public engagement with science. Science centres in England are principally funded by users and regional or charitable bodies, rather than by central Government. The research compares the contribution of science centres to STEM objective with that of a number of Government-funded initiatives, including STEMNET's STEM ambassadors programme, outreach work of the Royal Academy of Engineering (including the London Engineering Programme), Research Councils UK, and the British Science Association (including the CREST Star Investigator programme). This research will be published shortly.
In January 2009 DIUS published a report on “the Demand for STEM skills” which reviewed the evidence from employers on STEM recruitment alongside analysis of the supply of young people with STEM qualifications and their labour market outcomes. The report included recent trends of STEM qualifications at A Level, First Degree and Postgraduate levels. In addition, DIUS commissioned the Warwick Institute of Employment Research to provide some benchmark projections and associated implications of the demand and supply of STEM graduates. These studies identify the important contribution made by STEM enrichment activities in stimulating interest among young people and their increased attractiveness to employers which results.
On 26 May 2009, DIUS launched a Science and Society strategy, which tackles the five key themes identified in last year's public consultation. In so doing we will develop a more coherent approach to evaluating the impacts of science and society initiatives, including those related to STEM enrichment and enhancement, and the take-up of STEM courses by young people.
Setanta
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on (a) the placing into administration of Setanta and (b) the future financial position of (i) Setanta and (ii) its employees; and if he will make a statement. [282801]
Ian Lucas [holding answer 29 June 2009]: The company approached the Department on 28 May to seek our influence with certain commercial stakeholders to help facilitate rescue discussions. Although we were unable to intervene in commercial discussions, officials kept in contact with the company throughout the period in which it was attempting to agree a rescue deal.
The administrators are shutting down the company's UK operation and have made 102 London-based staff redundant, along with a further 73 staff in Glasgow. They are keeping on another 21 staff in the short-term to help close the business down; 15 in London and six in Glasgow. Setanta's sales team is outsourced and I understand that the loss of Setanta's contract will result in around 95 redundancies at the out-sourcing company.
Students: Loans
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the student loan book has been sold under the provisions of the Sale of Student Loans Act 2008. [282854]
Mr. Lammy: The Government still intend to make sales from the student loan book, but it is clear that this should be done only at a time when we can get a good return for the taxpayer. For the time being, the market conditions do not allow this. However, we will actively look to identify opportunities for a sale that represents value for money as market conditions improve.
UK Trade and Investment: Offices
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) have been based in each UKTI office in (a) Brazil, (b) Russia, (c) India and (d) China in each year since 2003. [277788]
Ian Lucas: The following table reflects the allocation of UKTI full-time equivalent staff in Brazil, Russia, India and China each year since 2008.
| 2003-4 | 2004-5 | 2005-6 | 2006-7 | 2007-8 | 2008-9 | |
| (1) In addition to the total given for China, since June 2007 17.5 full-time equivalent staff of the China Britain Business Council based in China have delivered, on behalf of UKTI, the majority of trade services in respect of China. | ||||||
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