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12 Nov 2009 : Column 649W—continued
Manufacturing Industries: Minerals
John Thurso: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the (a) contribution to the economy of the UK lime manufacturing industry and (b) the economic viability of that industry; and if he will make a statement. [298372]
Mr. Timms: My Department has not prepared an assessment of the lime manufacturing industry, and does not therefore have a view on the economic viability of that industry. The Department does not have the resource to take a view on every industry, but does take a reactive approach when circumstances warrant such action.
Manufacturing Insight: Finance
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding Manufacturing Insight has obtained from the private sector. [299370]
Ian Lucas: EEF, the Manufacturers Association has allocated £35,000 per annum for two years towards start-up costs, as part of a package of core funding, which is to come from the wider business community.
Manufacturing Technology Centre: Ansty
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what
the role of the Manufacturing Technology Centre at Ansty is; what estimate he has made of the number of jobs to be created at the Centre; what funding his Department has allocated to the Centre; what projects the Centre is undertaking; and if he will make a statement. [299763]
Ian Lucas: The Manufacturing Technology Centre at Ansty Park near Coventry will be a world-class manufacturing research, development and demonstration organisation which will support industrial companies, and their supply chains, in bringing about major improvements in their manufacturing competitiveness. The centre represents a £130 million investment over 10 years, and should employ between 100 and 150 highly skilled staff. The Government have allocated over £40 million to the centre through grant funding from Advantage West Midlands and the East Midlands Development Agency. Initially, 20 projects have been identified to use the new centre.
The centre represents one of the largest investments in a manufacturing research facility for many years and will help UK businesses and universities to test out new and innovative products and processes on an industrial scale-cementing our position as a world-class manufacturing nation.
Mass Media: Insolvency
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) regional and (b) local newspapers have become insolvent in each year since 1997. [294298]
Ian Lucas: The industry classifications the Insolvency Service uses do not readily identify newspapers. Table 1 shows insolvencies for manufacturing pulp, paper and paper products, publishing and printing, within which newspaper production is counted.
| Table 1. | ||||||
| Compulsory Liquidation | Creditors Voluntary Liquidation | Receiverships | Administrations | Creditors Voluntary Arrangement | Self-Employed Bankruptcy Orders | |
| n/a = Not Available (1) Creditors Voluntary Liquidations figures by industry only available from Q2 2002 (2) Data only available for Q1-Q3 2006 due to a change in industry classification (3) Data only available for Q3-Q4 2007 due to a change in industry classification | ||||||
Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many cars have been purchased under the scrappage scheme in (a) Tamworth constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) the West Midlands. [295568]
Ian Lucas:
Using data based on the locations of dealerships and data for scrappage transactions which have been completed and vehicles delivered, there have
been 379 completed scrappage transactions in Tamworth constituency, 1,973 in Staffordshire and 15,190 in the West Midlands.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the car scrappage scheme on the number of vehicles sold in the UK by each manufacturer; how much funding his Department has allocated to the scheme to date; and if he will make a statement. [299775]
Ian Lucas: BIS has made no such assessment. According to latest industry figures published on 5 November 2009, the vehicle scrappage scheme has contributed to the fourth month of growth for new car registrations, with the October figures showing this year's biggest monthly increase. The recent £100 million addition to the original £300 million Government funding will extend the positive impacts on the automotive sector and wider manufacturing into next year.
Palm Oil
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department was represented at the most recent Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil meeting; and if he will make a statement. [298524]
Mr. McFadden: The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil annual meeting (2 to 4 November 2009) was attended by a Government official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office posted to the South East Asia region. FCO officials work closely with counterparts in the UK to represent wider government interests and to keep policy makers informed of relevant developments abroad.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he last discussed the use of sustainable palm oil with (a) ministerial colleagues, (b) representatives of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, (c) representatives of the palm oil industry, (d) representatives of environmental non-governmental organisations and (e) officials of other Government Departments; and if he will make a statement. [298525]
Mr. McFadden: In the last month, Ministers from DEFRA and DECC have met with UK based businesses who are members of the RSPO and with international NGOs on forestry and palm oil. Engagement with these groups and other governments will continue as the UK Government works to support sustainable production and consumption of palm oil.
Real Help Website
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to promote the . [295117]
Ian Lucas: The Department has promoted the Real Help website
through the homepage of the BIS website
the relevant pages of the BIS corporate website:
and through the Business Link website
Business Link is also actively promoted by Ministers, including the Minister for Regional Economic Development and Co-ordination, at regional events.
Royal Mail
John Thurso: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on financial and legal advice in respect of the proposed sale of shareholdings in Royal Mail in the last two years. [299483]
Mr. McFadden: The Department spent £4.6 million on financial and legal advice to take forward the implementation of the Hooper Review's recommendations (which included work on securing a minority strategic partner for the Royal Mail).
Train to Gain Programme
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent to which training under the Train to Gain programme has been duplicated by employers. [290271]
Kevin Brennan: The June 2009 Train to Gain Wave 4 employer survey estimates duplication and substitution to be 12 to 14 per cent. of training provided through Train to Gain a few months after the employer had been in contact with the service but only 5 per cent. a year later. This means that over 90 per cent. of employers who commit to Train to Gain training see an increase in the quantity or quality of training activity as a result.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Learning and Skills Council on shifting funding for Train to Gain spending from an academic year to a financial year. [299733]
Mr. Lammy: Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills hold regular meetings with officials from the Learning and Skills Council and a wide range of issues are discussed. The Skills Investment Strategy, due to be issued shortly, will set out as in previous years the planned investment in adult further education and skills for 2010-11 financial year and learner volumes on an academic year, including for the Train to Gain programme.
Train to Gain Programme: Leeds
John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding support for the (a) Train to Gain and (b) Skills for Life programme (i) was provided in 2008-09 and (ii) is to be provided in 2009-10 to each receiving college in the Leeds area. [294017]
Kevin Brennan: The national spend on Train to Gain for 2008-09 and Skills for Life for 2007-08, I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 15 October 2009, Official Report, column 1049W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Jim Cousins).
We do not hold information on LSC spend by region centrally. I have asked the chief executive of the LSC to write to you giving details of the funding provided to each college in Leeds with a copy being placed in the House.
UK Trade and Investment
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what quantified targets UK Trade and Investment used in relation to its objective of attracting (a) high value, (b) good quality and (c) priority projects in each of the last four years. [295051]
Ian Lucas: Foreign Direct Investment targets according to (a) high value, (b) good quality and (c) priority project classifications have only been used for the last two years. Previously, UKTI has benchmarked against knowledge driven targets.
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