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3 Nov 2009 : Column 977W—continued
Rover Group: Serious Fraud Office
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when the team investigating the collapse of MG Rover first notified the Government that there were sufficient grounds for referral to the Serious Fraud Office. [295118]
Ian Lucas: The inspectors kept the Department informed of the areas of concern and the potential misconduct that they uncovered during the course of the inspection. They did not consider that there were specific issues that needed to be referred to the Serious Fraud Office during the inspection.
However, when the final report was delivered it was clear that, when read in its entirety, it raised serious questions as to criminality. In particular, the inspectors found that members of the Phoenix Consortium obtained unreasonably large financial rewards and that they undertook a number of transactions to allocate assets to companies in the group other than MG Rover Group and in which MGRG had no interest. The Secretary of State considered that it was important to establish whether a criminal investigation into possible criminal conduct was appropriate before publication of the report. Given the Serious Fraud Office's responsibility for dealing with allegations of this type it was appropriate to refer the matter to them for their consideration.
Royal Mail: Communications Workers Union
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Communication Workers Union has received from Royal Mail in each of the last 10 financial years. [297670]
Mr. McFadden: Any arrangements between the CWU and Royal Mail (for example, on facility time for CWU representatives) are a matter for Royal Mail management. I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.
A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate has been made of the revenue Royal Mail lost as a result of industrial action (a) in 2007 and (b) between January and October 2009. [297498]
Mr. McFadden: Estimates of revenue loss due to industrial action are a matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.
A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 1527W, on Royal Mail: industrial disputes, how many working days the Royal Mail lost as a result of industrial action on (a) 22 to 23 October 2009 and (b) 29 to 31 October 2009. [297499]
Mr. McFadden: Estimating the number of days lost due to the recent industrial action is an operational matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.
A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Students: Disabled
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students in each region have received disabled students' allowance in each year since its introduction. [296239]
Mr. Lammy: As part of widening participation, the Government give generous financial support to disabled students in higher education. Disabled students' allowances (DSAs) are available to help with the extra costs students may incur on their course as a direct result of a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty. DSAs are paid in addition to the standard student support package; they are not means tested and do not have to be repaid.
In 2009/10 eligible undergraduate students may receive the following:
| Allowance | Maximum payable to eligible full-time undergraduates (£) | Maximum payable to eligible part-time undergraduates (£) |
|
Specialist equipment allowance (for the duration of the course) | ||
For postgraduate students (full or part-time) there is one allowance to meet all costs, up to £10,260 in 2009/10.
Information on DSA by region is set out in the following table
| Recipients of disabled student allowances by academic year and region( 1) | ||||
| Thousand | ||||
| Region of recipients latest home postcode( 2) | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08( 3) |
| (1) DSA claims can be made retrospectively against earlier academic years. Table shows data at 31 March 2009. (2) The table covers students who were domiciled in England at the time of their first application for student support. The region shown relates to the postcode of the latest home address held by SLC, which may be the recipients address after leaving university. Some recipients from England have subsequently moved to Scotland or Wales. (3) Provisional. (4) Unknown covers those with missing or invalid postcode information, and English domiciled recipients who subsequently moved abroad. Consistent data are not available before academic year 2004/05. Source: Student Loans Company (SLC) | ||||
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent on disabled students' allowance in each year since its introduction. [296240]
Mr. Lammy: As part of widening participation, the Government give generous financial support to disabled students in higher education. Disabled students' allowances (DSAs) are available to help with the extra costs students may incur on their course as a direct result of a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty. DSAs are paid in addition to the standard student support package; they are not means tested and do not have to be repaid.
Students: Finance
Mr. Spring: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of students from Suffolk were receiving non-repayable maintenance grants from Suffolk local education authority in each of the last five years; and what average grant was received. [296063]
Mr. Lammy: The information is as follows:
| Students awarded grants in Suffolk( 1) | |||
| Academic year | Number of students awarded grants | Average Amount awarded (£) | Students awarded grants as a percentage of all those awarded some form of support |
| (1) Figures cover the higher education grant, the maintenance grant and grants and allowances for children and dependents. (2) Provisional 2008/09 data at mid-November 2008. Figures may change as later applications are processed. Source: Student Loans Company | |||
Grant figures in the tables cover the higher education grant, introduced in 2004, the maintenance grant, phased in from 2006, and grants and allowances for children and dependents. Different amounts are available for each type of grant. Figures contain students in each year of their courses. The amount a student receives depends on household income, year of entry to higher education and personal circumstances.
Students: Loans
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many and what proportion of applications for support from the Student Loans Company for 2009-10 have been processed; [296236]
(2) how many applications for maintenance support had been made to the Student Loans Company before the start of the 2009-10 academic year; and how many such applicants have been granted (a) no more than and (b) more than the minimum level; [296237]
(3) how many applications (a) to the Student Loans Company for financial support and (b) to higher education institutions to follow courses there were for the academic year (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. [296238]
Mr. Lammy: The Student Loans Company has released figures to show the levels of processing and payment of Student Support in England for the 2009/10 academic year.
The releases will include the following information:
Total applications received
Applications approved
Applications currently being processed
Ineligible/withdrawn applications
Applications started online but not completed
Further information required from student/sponsors
Students receiving first maintenance payment.
The first release of this information was on Tuesday 27 October 2009, and this covered the processing and payment up to and including 18 October 2009. This will be followed by a further two updates at weekly intervals. The information is being made available on the Student Loans Company website.
According to information from UCAS, in 2008/09, the number of English-domiciled accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses in England was 330,400. The equivalent final figure for 2009/10 is not yet available, but by 14 October 2009 the total had reached 344,508.
UK Trade and Investment
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many complaints received by UK Trade and Investment were responded to (a) within one to 10 days, (b) within 11 to 15 days, (c) within 16 to 20 days and (d) more than 21 days after receipt in each of the last four years. [294869]
Ian Lucas: UKTI does not hold this information and to gather these details would be at disproportionate cost.
There are over 160 UKTI locations around the world and a complaint can be initiated at any of these points of access. Almost without exception, complaints are dealt with at a local level by our frontline staff without the need to escalate the matter with a referral to the corporate centre.
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK Trade and Investment employees have taken time off work as a result of diagnosed stress in each of the last five years. [294870]
Ian Lucas: The number of staff in UKTI (London and Glasgow) who took certified sick leave due to "anxiety/stress/depression/other psychiatric illness" in each of the last five years are as follows:
| Number of staff | |
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