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20 July 2009 : Column 1106W—continued
The following table shows RDA funding to regional Centres for Constructing Excellence.
| RDA funding to regional Centres for Constructing Excellence | ||||||||
| £000 | ||||||||
| RDA | 2001/02 | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 |
| (1) To identify the funding that has been provided would incur disproportionate cost. (2) ONE's funding for 2007/08 was re-profiled to include 2008/09. Currently the regional centre has an application in for further funding. | ||||||||
Debts
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies with registered addresses in (a) England and Wales and (b) Gloucestershire are registered to execute debt relief orders; what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the debt relief scheme; and if he will make a statement. [286013]
Ian Lucas [holding answer 13 July 2009]: The Secretary of State has designated six organisations as competent authorities. Those organisations in turn can approve individual advisers to act as intermediaries, that is to confirm that the entry criteria appear to be met and to assist with applications for debt relief orders. On receipt of the completed application and payment of the fee, the official receiver can make the order.
None of the registered addresses of those six organisations is in Gloucestershire. Anyone in Gloucestershire wishing to apply for a debt relief order will be able to seek advice from one of the three designated organisations that offer telephone advice, or will be able to contact the other organisations to inquire about Gloucestershire-based advisers. The organisations are listed in a leaflet available online at:
or in hard copy from the Insolvency Service.
It is too early to be able to properly assess the effectiveness of the scheme. Formal evaluation will take place in approximately three years but as this is a new process, the Insolvency Service, which delivers DROs in partnership with the advice sector, is actively monitoring the effectiveness of the new procedures to ensure they are working as envisaged.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many members of staff will be employed in his Department's Manufacturing Insight office; and when the office will start operations. [285350]
Ian Lucas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 9 July 2009, Official Report, column 988W.
Dietary Supplements: Channel Islands
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effect on UK (a) businesses and (b) consumers of the import from the Channel Islands of health food products which contain illegal ingredients or are marketed using illegal claims; and if he will make a statement. [288016]
Kevin Brennan: This Department has made no such assessment. The Food Standards Agency is the Government organisation responsible for the legislation that governs health food products.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when officials of his Department last met representatives of the health food industry to discuss the effect of the trade in health food products from the Channel Islands on (a) UK businesses and (b) UK consumers. [288017]
Kevin Brennan: My officials have not met with representatives of the health food industry to discuss the effect of the trade in health food products from the Channel Islands although they have been in written communication. However, officials from the Food Standards Agency (who have responsibility for the legislation in this area) are in regular discussion with them.
East of England Development Agency: Land
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) land and (b) buildings owned by the East of England Development Agency are unused. [279339]
Ms Rosie Winterton: All land and property held by EEDA has been acquired with the intention of eventual disposal for appropriate use in support of regional and local economic strategies.
The process prior to disposal depends on the condition and status of the sites on acquisition and the extent of planning and or access/services provision required to make the sites fit for purpose.
Sites cannot be developed until these issues have been suitably addressed. However, once addressed, these will be disposed of for productive use at the earliest opportunity.
However, some sites are currently vacant due to them being at different stages in the remediation and development process.
On this basis, EEDA has provided the following table of those sites in its ownership which are neither the subject of a binding legal agreement with a developer or potential purchaser at the date of the question, nor forms part of an approved plan with any other party.
Education (Student Support) Regulations 2009
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects of application of the provisions of the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2009 on each type of funding support his Department provides for students in 2009-10. [286993]
Mr. Lammy: None. The Education (Student Support) Regulations 2009 set out funding support for students studying in the academic year starting 1 September 2010: they do not affect the student support available in the 2009-10 academic year.
The Government remain committed to investing in higher education and are increasing funding for student support in 2009-10 financial year by 4 per cent. compared with 2008-09. In cash terms, we are planning to spend over £5 billion on student support in 2009-10, and even more in 2010-11.
Education: Finance
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on accelerated support for (a) capital projects to improve further education infrastructure and ( b) accelerated support for projects to improve facilities at higher education institutions of bringing forward capital expenditure from 2010-11 to 2009-10 and 2008-09; and how much of the funding has been spent in each month since it was announced. [286656]
Kevin Brennan: As announced in the pre-Budget report 2008, the former Department for Innovation Universities and Skills accelerated £442 million from 2010-11 budgets into 2008-09 and 2009-10. That capital was accelerated as set out in the following table:
The £50 million of capital that was accelerated to higher education institutions (HEIs) from 2010-11 into 2008-09 was spent in full in that financial year, having been allocated to institutions in January 2009 under the standard Capital Investment Formula. This amount, therefore, formed part of larger payments to HEIs and is not readily distinguishable from them in each month of spend. The £200 million brought forward to 2009-10 has been committed to specific projects, delivering throughout the year. That money will support 144 different projects, in 107 HEIs, and including additional capital leveraged by the initial investment, will deliver more than £370 million of capital activity. Payments will be made to higher education institutions on a quarterly basis, and the first instalment of £25 million was paid by HEFCE in May 2009. Examples of the projects accepted include: £6.4 million for a new arts building at Sussex; £3 million for a new building for the Centre for Immunology and Infection at York; £2.7 million for new mechanical engineering facilities at Imperial; and £2.6 million for chemical engineering and life sciences facilities at Sheffield. Over two-thirds of these projects are already under way.
The further education capital programme has seen nearly 330 colleges and 700 projects benefit since 2001. Only 42 colleges have yet to benefit from investment. In 2008-09, more than 100 further education building projects were completed, as a result of nearly £550 million of investment, including the £110 million accelerated from future budgets. This money was spent to bring forward building work, benefiting learners and regenerating communities. Recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports have acknowledged the success of the further education capital programme, and its value for money.
Education: Prisons
Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in prison received (a) a student maintenance loan and (b) a student grant in each of the last five years. [282730]
Kevin Brennan: In his written statement on 7 February 2008, Official Report, columns 85-86WS, on the Education (Student Support) Regulations the Secretary of State announced that he was amending the student support regulations to disallow prisoners who were also full-time students from receiving financial support for maintenance, thereby removing the long-standing provision which had allowed prisoners to claim such support.
In a further written statement on 25 March 2008, Official Report, column 6WS, he announced that an investigation showed that 154 individual prisoners had received some form of maintenance payment whilst a full time student since 1998. In total, prisoners received £570,000 in maintenance loans and £160,000 in maintenance grants over that period. The investigation also showed
that assessments for student support were carried out in accordance with the rules that applied at the time. There was also evidence of some maintenance payments made to prisoners between 1990 and 1998.
According to records held by the Student Loans Company no prisoners have applied for or received a maintenance loan toward their living costs in the academic year 2008/09.
The following table gives a breakdown of the number of prisoners receiving maintenance loans and grants by academic year.
| Prisoners receiving maintenance loans and grants( 1) | |
| Academic year | Number |
| (1) The figures reflect the number of prisoners in each year who received a payment. In some cases, prisoners will have received payments in more than one year. | |
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