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13 Oct 2009 : Column 832W—continued
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to the public purse of sickness absences in his Department and its predecessors was in each of the last five years. [290560]
Mr. McFadden: The Department does not routinely calculate the cost to the public purse of sickness absences. The Cabinet Office has published previous annual sickness absence reports for the Civil Service (from 2003 to 2007). These can be viewed via sickness absence reports. The latest of these reports was published for the year up to April 2007.
However in common with other Whitehall departments we do regularly report our sickness absence. The latest performance report is available at this link.
Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of funds available under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme has (a) been lent to businesses, (b) is in the process of being lent to businesses and (c) remains available for future lending. [291684]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) is a £l billion loan guarantee scheme delivered through the banks that will enable an additional £1.3 billion of lending to businesses up to end March 2010.
As of 16 September, 5,241 loans have been offered to customers with a total value of £535 million. Of these, 4,132 have been drawn down with a total value of £405 million.
Learning Grid
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of Learning Grid programmes on the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects in schools; what funding his Department has provided for the Learning Grid in each year since it was founded; and what plans the Government has for the future of the Learning Grid. [292513]
Mr. McFadden: The evaluation report commissioned by the East Midlands Regional Development Agency, received by Government in August, does not directly address the immediate impact of the Learning Grid on the teaching programmes in schools.
The as yet unpublished report concludes that the full extent of programme impacts cannot be accurately gauged until 10-15 years into the future given that one of the key objectives of the programme is to increase the size of the skilled recruitment pool entering into high performance engineering employment.
Set up in 2005 the Learning Grid has received a total of £4 million from BIS and supporting RDAs up to July 2009. Currently there are no further plans to provide additional financial support to the Learning Grid.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Pope: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Minister for Economic Competitiveness, Small Business and Enterprise will reply to the hon. Member for Hyndburn's letter to her of 6 January 2009. [291633]
Ms Rosie Winterton: My noble Friend, the Minister for Economic Competitiveness, Small Business and Enterprise, responded on 28 July 2009.
Met Office: Reviews
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has met representatives of the Met Office to discuss the recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme review that the Met Office should introduce private capital in some areas; and if he will make a statement. [289320]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The OEP review process is conducted through extensive consultations and dialogue between the Met Office, Ministry of Defence and the Shareholder Executive on all issues connected with the review, including the potential introduction of private capital. The introduction of private capital was identified as only one of the available options which could help enhance the commercial opportunities available to the Met Office. Ministers are kept informed on the progress on all options.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the Shareholder Executive's review of the Met Office to be concluded; and if he will make a statement. [289394]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There will be a general update around PBR on the progress of the OEP and its individual assets, including the Met Office.
Ministers: Training
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which training courses were attended by Ministers in his Department or its predecessor in the last 12 months. [290450]
Mr. McFadden: A number of Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its predecessor departments have received training to assist them in the discharge of their various ministerial responsibilities.
New College Nottingham: Basford Hall
Mr. Allen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment the Learning and Skills Council has made of the application from New College Nottingham for approval in principle for a new campus at Basford Hall. [292192]
Kevin Brennan: New College Nottingham submitted their application for an in principal project proposal to the Learning and Skills Council for the development of their existing campus at Basford Hall in November last year.
The Basford Hall project application was reviewed with all other capital projects as part the prioritisation exercise carried out by the LSC based upon rigorous and fair prioritisation criteria agreed with the sector and that built upon Sir Andrew Foster's recommendations. Unfortunately, the Basford Hall project application was not successful in securing funding this spending period.
Police National Computer
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what access his Department has to information stored on the Police National Computer. [290003]
Mr. McFadden: The Department has two, separate, requirements for information held on the Police National Computer (PNC):
(i) Company Law and Insolvency investigations and enforcement:
The Department carries out PNC checks for possible suspects, defendants and witnesses in relation to cases it prosecutes. These cases tend to arise from individual and corporate insolvency proceedings and associated fraud together with a range of other matters arising from the Department's regulatory functions such as Employment Regulation offences.
(ii) Security checks for people who work within BIS:
PNC checks are only carried out on those requiring CTC, (counter terrorist check), SC (security clearance) or DV (developed vetting) clearance. The PNC checks cover spent and unspent criminal convictions.
Royal Bank of Scotland
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with (a) UK Financial Investments and (b) the management of the Royal Bank of Scotland on its marketing (i) strategy and (ii) agency arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [267780]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 30 March 2009]: UKFI manages the Government's investments in financial institutions on a commercial basis at arm's length from Government.
Royal Mail
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure his Department has incurred on external advisory fees in relation to the proposed part-privatisation of the Royal Mail to date. [291893]
Mr. McFadden: The estimated expenditure incurred to end September 2009 on legal, accountancy and financial advice to take forward the implementation of the Hooper Review's recommendations (which included work on securing a partner for Royal Mail) was £4.6 million.
Shareholder Executive
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what role the Shareholder Executive has in (a) delivering and (b) administering (i) the Working Capital scheme, (ii) the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme, (iii) the Capital for Enterprise Fund and (iv) the Automotive Assistance programme; and if he will make a statement. [289831]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Shareholder Executive has no role in delivering or administering schemes (i), (ii) and (iii). However, the Executive did advise on some organisational and resourcing aspects of delivering the Automotive Assistance programme and continues to give ad hoc advice on individual applications made under that scheme.
It also advised on the design and implementation of the Capital for Enterprise Fund.
Union Modernisation Fund: Publications
Mr. Hurd:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 1756W, on the Union Modernisation Fund, if he will place in
the Library a copy of the reports certifying claims and expenditure from the Union Modernisation Fund in respect of each additional company listed in the Answer. [292085]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 12 October 2009]: I am unable to place in the Library any copies of the certifying claims and expenditure from the Union Modernisation Fund in relation to the accountancy companies listed in my previous answer because the reports are prepared for the confidential use of the unions and BIS, and solely for the purpose of verifying the grant claimed.
This condition is set out in the standard terms of engagement agreed between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales used for all the Department's grant-aided projects.
Home Department
Antisocial Behaviour
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009, Official Report, column 1484-86W, on crime: statistics, how many antisocial behaviour incidents were recorded in 2008-09; [289587]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2009, Official Report, column 74W, on public order offences, what data on antisocial behaviour will be collected as defined by the simplified National Incident Category List from 2009; [289588]
(3) pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2009, Official Report, column 74W, on public order offences, if he will provide a breakdown of figures for incidents recorded in 2008-09. [289589]
Alan Johnson: The total number of incidents of antisocial behaviour recorded by the 43 police forces in England and Wales as defined within the National Incident Category List (NICL) for 2008-09 was 3,661,498. A detailed breakdown is given in the following tables.
The data are normally used for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. The data are therefore provisional and may be subject to change.
A decision as to the data on antisocial behaviour incidents as defined by the NICL that will be collected centrally for 2009-10 will be made later this year. As part of the Home Office's work to reduce the data burden on police forces, this data return has been reviewed and the monthly collection discontinued. A single annual return will be implemented, the extent and scope of which has yet to be finalised.
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