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9 Sep 2009 : Column 2092W—continued
UK Human Tissue Bank
Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide support for the creation of a replacement for De Montfort University's UK Human Tissue Bank after its closure in September 2009. [288297]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 20 July 2009]: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research.
The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health, including the establishment of tissue banks, and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. However, it should be noted that the MRC provides funding for research applications submitted by the scientific community in 'response mode', and does not normally commission research to address specific questions.
The MRC currently supports a number of tissue banks where there is a demonstrable need to provide an infrastructure to supply high quality and ethically-sourced material to support scientific investigation.
UK Innovation Fund
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the £100 million funding his Department plans for the UK Innovation Fund is part of the £750 million Strategic Investment Fund allocated in Budget 2009. [284878]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 9 July 2009]: The Department is investing £75 million from the Strategic Investment Fund into the UK Innovation Investment Fund. The remaining £25 million will be found from other budgets within the Department.
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies he expects to receive funding from the UK Innovation Fund in its first year of operation; and how much in private sector contributions he expects the fund to receive in that year. [284879]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 9 July 2009]:The UK Innovation Investment Fund will operate on a Fund of Funds basis which means that it will not invest directly into companies, but will invest in a number of specialist technology funds. At this stage, it is not possible to make any predictions about the number of companies UKIIF will invest in during its first year of operation.
The Government expects that its investment of £150 million will be at least matched by private sector investors during the first year.
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set a reserve price for the sale of a majority stake in the UK Atomic Energy Authority Ltd. [285841]
Mr. McFadden: This information is commercially sensitive during a live sale process.
Video Games: Finance
Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how much financial support was given by regional development agencies to the video games industry in 2007-08; [270805]
(2) how much funding was provided by regional development agencies to the video games industry in 2007-08. [276658]
Mr. McFadden: The following table shows RDA funding to the video games industry in 2007-08.
| RDA | RDA funding to the video games sector in 2007-08 (£000) |
| (1) AWM does not directly support the 'video games' industry but has provided £800,000 in support to the development of the 'Serious Games' sector in the region. 'Serious Games' is the use of games technology for serious commercial purposes, allowing users to learn a new skill, rehearse a potentially dangerous/costly procedure, or explore a new process or design. (2) SEEDA and SWERDA have no programmes that specifically fund the video games sector. To identify the funding that has been provided from broader programmes would incur disproportionate cost. | |
Wage Compensation Scheme
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions the Secretary of State has had with trade unions on introducing a wage compensation scheme for those on short-time working. [290631]
Mr. McFadden: Earlier this year, my noble Friend the Secretary of State responded to the joint letter from the Trade Union Congress and the Federation of Small Businesses which called for the introduction of short-time working subsidies. In his response to Brendan Barber (TUC, General Secretary) my noble Friend the Secretary of State set out the Government's position on why wage subsidies are not a feasible, cost effective or sustainable option for the UK.
Work Experience
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what provision is made to enable students to undertake work experience in his Department; by what means members of the public may obtain information about work experience in his Department; and if he will make a statement. [288732]
Mr. McFadden:
Prior to the creation of BIS on 5 June 2009, the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills had commenced a pilot work experience programme. Included in the pilot were students from a
school local to one of the former DIUS London buildings. This programme continued following the merger of DIUS with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). The new Department (BIS) had eight work experience students over a period of two weeks in July 2009, of whom six took part in the pilot programme of activities.
The availability of work experience opportunities was not advertised. The evaluation of the pilot will determine the approach to work experience taken by the Department in 2010.
Former BERR has participated for a number of years in the Summer Development Programme and the Summer Placement Scheme. Both come under the auspices of the Cabinet Office's Diversity Programme Internships. The two internships are for students from ethnic minority backgrounds and the registered disabled. Both schemes provide a paid six to nine week full-time placement to gain a more thorough understanding of the work of the civil service. The work experience opportunities for each of the schemes are not advertised and are evaluated by the Cabinet Office.
Working Hours: Ministers
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether Ministers who sit in the House are required to reckon the hours worked in pursuit of their Ministerial duties together with hours worked as an hon. Member for the purposes of keeping records to comply with the requirements of the EU Working Time Directive. [287589]
Mr. McFadden: The regulations implementing the Working Time Directive in the UK apply to "workers". A "worker" is someone who works under a contract of employment or a contract to perform personally any work or services for another party whose status is not that of a client or customer. Holders of political and elected office are not regarded as "workers" and are therefore not covered by the regulations.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009, Official Report, columns
353-54W on business: Government assistance, what estimate his Department made of the cost of providing an answer to the remainder of the Question; and if he will make a statement. [276867]
Mr. McFadden: In considering whether it might be possible to answer the other parts of the hon. Member's question, account was taken of the ministerial written statement on 8 December 2008, Official Report, column 24WS, made by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle), in which she informed the House that the disproportionate cost threshold increased to £750 with effect from 3 December 2008.
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer question 261386, tabled on 3 March 2009, on the Working Capital scheme. [281286]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 23 June 2009, Official Report, column reference 880W.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer question 270234, on support for small businesses, tabled on 21 April 2009. [286012]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 21 July 2009, Official Report, columns 1744-45W.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer question 260532, tabled on 24 February 2009, on learning disabilities; and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply. [285953]
Mr. McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 1751W. The delay in publishing this response was as a result of an administrative error.
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