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3 July 2009 : Column 437W—continued
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what committees the Secretary of State chairs; and if he will make a statement. [280166]
Mr. McFadden: The Secretary of State chairs MISC 33 (the Ministerial Committee on the Post Office network). A revised Cabinet Committee list will be published shortly.
Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which Minister in his Department will take over responsibility for the Digital Britain agenda from Lord Carter of Barnes; and if he will make a statement. [281313]
Mr. McFadden: This will be decided in due course.
Digital Broadcasting
Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to recommendation 57 on page 16 of the Digital Britain White Paper, what assistance his Department will provide to households who are unable to meet the 50 pence per month charge to be levied on fixed lines as payment for the Next Generation Fund and who are not on a social telephony scheme. [281465]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 19 June 2009]: We have recognised that those on the lowest incomes might have difficulty paying the fixed line levy and that is why we have confirmed that those on social telephony schemes will be exempt. The social telephony schemes are available to those on income support, income-based Job Seeker's Allowance, Employment Support Allowance (income-rated) or Guaranteed Pensions Credit and should be an accurate indication of ability to pay. We have no plans for additional exemptions from the levy.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the annual revenue to the public purse of the proposed levy of 50 pence per month on each fixed copper line proposed in the Digital Britain White Paper. [281763]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 23 June 2009]: In the Digital Britain report, the Government estimated that a supplement of 50p per month can be expected to raise £150 million-£175 million a year for the Next Generation Fund.
Digital Technology: Conferences
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to (a) his Department and (b) the public purse was of hosting the Digital Britain Summit on 17 April 2009. [274161]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 11 May 2009]: As we set out in the Interim Digital Britain report we have held a number of summits and public meetings. The total cost to the Government of holding events in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast was £59,798. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform contributed £34,507.
Employment Agencies: Conditions of Employment
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employment agencies have been found by a court to have been in breach of the law in respect of allegations first made through the Pay and Work Rights helpline in each of the last 12 months. [280670]
Mr. McFadden: The Pay and Work Rights helpline was launched on 18 May 2009. No prosecutions of employment agencies have been taken forward in respect of a complaint received by the new helpline yet.
Successful prosecutions of employment agencies were secured in January and June 2009 as a result of complaints made to the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) helpline before its transfer.
Export Credit Guarantees
Mr. Bailey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) if he will bring forward proposals for Government support for trade credit insurance for exports in line with those for domestic trade; [273228]
(2) what steps are being taken by the Export Credits Guarantee Department to provide Government support for short-term trade finance for exports. [273230]
Ian Lucas [holding answer 13 May 2009]: Since the start of 2009, the Government have introduced a number of initiatives which will provide real help to exporters, as well as other businesses, during the current economic downturn. These have included the Working Capital Scheme, and ECGD is currently consulting on proposals for a Letter of Credit Guarantee Scheme. The Government are considering other measures to provide real help to UK exporters, including a possible export trade credit insurance scheme along the lines of that announced for domestic business in the Budget which will address the cash flow, credit and investment needs of businesses.
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr. Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of those resident in (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency, (b) Cambridgeshire, (c) Peterborough, (d) the East of England region, (e) Huntingdonshire and (f) England entered university in each of the last 10 years. [283418]
Mr. Lammy: The Government do not collect data on the number of people resident in a particular area who are not in higher education. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate what proportion of people resident in North West Cambridgeshire constituency, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, the East of England, or Huntingdonshire entered university in each of the last 10 years.
The numbers of entrants to higher education from North West Cambridgeshire constituency, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, the East of England, Huntingdonshire and England, in each of the last 10 years, are shown as an alternative in the tables.
Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
| Entrants( 1) from the East of England government region( 2) , Huntingdonshire census district( 2) and England to UK higher education institutions academic years 1998-99 to 2007-08 | |||
| Academic year | East of England | Huntingdonshire | England |
| (1) Covers undergraduate and postgraduate entrants to full-time and part-time courses. (2) Government region and census district are defined by full and valid home postcodes recorded on the HESA student record. Note: Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). | |||
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) published ‘Young participation in higher education’ in January 2005, which is available from the HEFCE website at
The HEFCE report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 disaggregated by parliamentary constituency, local education authority and region for the years 1997 to 2000.
At national level, the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) covers English-domiciled 17 to 30-year-old first-time entrants to higher education courses, at UK higher education institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh further education colleges, who remain on their course for at least six months. The latest available figure is 43 per cent. in 2007-08.
Higher Education: Anti-Semitism
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to reduce levels of anti-Semitism in universities; what recent discussions Ministers and officials in his
Department have had on this issue; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [283709]
Mr. Lammy: This Department has set up a group on anti-Semitism and Higher Education to facilitate discussions between the Jewish community and higher education stakeholders, which I chair. We see this group as playing an important role in helping to tackle anti-Semitism in higher education. The first meeting took place in April and resulted in practical actions to be taken forward by higher education stakeholders and Jewish Community representatives working collaboratively.
London Development Agency: Manpower
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) directors, (b) senior managers, (c) specialist and delivery managers and (d) executive support and administration staff there were in each London Development Agency office in each of the last five years. [280613]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The London Development Agency is primarily accountable to the Mayor of London, and the Government do not collect detailed information on its organisational structure.
Ministerial Responsibility
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of Lord Davies of Abersoch’s working time as a Minister is spent on matters relating to his Department. [279803]
Mr. McFadden: Lord Davies of Abersoch is the Minister for Trade, Investment and Business. He reports jointly to the Business Secretary and Foreign Secretary in respect of UK Trade and Investment, but this is not a matter of dividing time between two Departments, as UK T&I is a joint operation.
Network Design and Procurement Group
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what arrangements he proposes to make for the recruitment of the chief executive officer of the Network Design and Procurement Group announced in the Digital Britain White Paper; and what the salary scale for the post will be. [281751]
Mr. McFadden: As set out in the Digital Britain report, the Government will by the end of October this year, seek to recruit a CEO for the Network Design and Procurement Group with network, procurement, delivery and management skills. The recruitment will follow standard procedures for public appointments.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria he will use to select members of the Network Design and Procurement Group announced in the Digital Britain White Paper; and when he expects the appointment process to be complete. [281762]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 23 June 2009]: Recruitment of the CEO for the Network Design and Procurement Group is the priority and an important role for the CEO will be to advise on and recruit people for the group with the skills required to deliver the Universal Service Commitment. I hope that the appointment process will be complete during the autumn.
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