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20 July 2009 : Column 1119W—continued

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what the average undiscounted retail price has been to date of cars sold under the car scrappage scheme; [278769]

(2) how many sales of cars of each make have attracted support from the car scrappage scheme to date. [278770]

Ian Lucas [holding answer 9 June 2009]: 38 manufacturers including makers of the UK best selling cars have signed up to the scheme. Motorists are being offered £2,000 towards a new car or van (up to 3.5 tonnes) if they trade in vehicles they have owned for 12 month plus and which are older than 10 years for scrappage. The £2,000 grant is made up of £1,000 from government with matched funding from industry.

Figures are not available on how many sales of each brand have been supported by the scheme. However, The Prime Minister and my noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills announced on 29 May 2009 that 60,000 scrappage orders had been placed since the scheme was announced. Government do not routinely collect figures on the average retail price of vehicles sold with or without support from the scheme.

National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts

Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions the Secretary of State and his predecessor had with representatives from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts in the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [285857]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 13 July 2009]: My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills met the chair of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) on 2 June 2008.

In addition, the Minister for Science and Innovation has met regularly with NESTA representatives in the last two years.


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Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills who is responsible for making appointments to the Board of Trustees of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. [285858]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 13 July 2009]: The appointment of the chair of the Board of Trustees and the Arts Trustee are made jointly by the Secretaries of State for the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. All other appointments are made by my noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills.

Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people are employed by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA); what the annual salary cost is of (a) all NESTA employees and (b) its senior management team. [285859]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 13 July 2009]: At 31 March 2009, NESTA employed 92 people, covering the equivalent of 88 full-time posts.

In the year to 31 March 2009, salaries for all NESTA staff totalled £4,150,960, and salaries for the senior management team totalled £584,639.

National Vocational Qualifications: Construction

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on Government-funded National Vocational Qualification courses in the construction industry in each of the last five years. [281187]

Kevin Brennan: Funding for further education and skills is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).

The LSC agrees indicative budgets with colleges and providers prior to the start of the academic year based on the expected delivery of an overall volume of learning. The actual funding paid will depend on the choice of learning area made by employers and learners. As funding is not allocated at an individual course level, details of the amount made available to support specific qualifications in this sector are not held centrally in the Department.

Training in the construction industry is also part- funded through a levy raised on employers by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to finance their activities and share the cost of training more evenly between companies. In 2008 the amount of levy income was £181 million.

We have agreed a Train to Gain Sector Compact with the construction sector which will make available £133 million over three years to meet the identified priority skills needs of the industry focused on economic renewal and future growth.

Non-domestic Rates

Mr. Binley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the percentage of businesses which claim small business rate relief. [286595]


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Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 8 July 2009, Official Report, columns 909-10W.

Non-domestic Rates: Rural Areas

Mr. Binley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) which local authorities in rural areas are providing more than 50 per cent. rural rate relief to small businesses; [286569]

(2) which local authorities in rural areas are providing 100 per cent. rural rate relief to small businesses. [286570]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Following is a list of authorities in England that are regarded as being rural under the DEFRA "Classification of local authorities in England for 2007-08" that reported awarding rural rate relief in 2007-08.

Mandatory rural rate relief is awarded at 50 per cent. of a property's non-domestic rates bill. In addition, local authorities can awarded discretionary rural rate relief that tops up the relief granted to up to 100 per cent. of the property's rates bill. It is not possible to award more than 100 per cent. relief.

List of authorities in England that are regarded as being rural under the DEFRA "Classification of local authorities in England for 2007-08" that reported awarding rural rate relief in 2007-08


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