You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Daily Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

3 Dec 2009 : Column 982W—continued

Freight

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK-based haulage companies have (a) become insolvent, (b) ceased trading for other reasons and (c) been started up in each of the last 10 years. [302630]

Ian Lucas: The available statistics for (a) insolvencies in the "Land Transport" industry are shown under Table 1. The main constituents of the haulage industry fall under this category; which also includes all other types of industrial activity relating to land transport-it is not possible from information collated centrally to separate out haulage in isolation. These statistics only cover England and Wales, as similar figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are not available centrally at this level of detail.

Responsibility for statistics relating to business start-ups and closures ("births" and "deaths") has moved from the Department for Business to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Tables 2 and 3 record statistics received from the ONS in response to (b) and (c) above. These represent those figures which are both readily available and most similar in coverage to the figures for insolvencies, but they should not be treated as being entirely consistent and, in particular, the ONS' figures will include some businesses that are not registered companies.


3 Dec 2009 : Column 983W

3 Dec 2009 : Column 984W
Table 1: Company insolvencies in the land transport industry; England and Wales
Insolvency t ype

 Liquidation( 1) Administration Receivership Company voluntary arrangement

2008

377

87

1

14

2007(2) (July to December only)

134

29

0

6

2006 (to September only)

247

n/a

n/a

n/a

2005

329

n/a

n/a

n/a

2004

303

n/a

n/a

n/a

2003

331

n/a

n/a

n/a

2002

292

n/a

n/a

n/a

2001(3)

134

n/a

n/a

n/a

2000(3)

150

n/a

n/a

n/a

1999(3)

152

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a = No official statistics centrally available .
(1). Liquidation includes compulsory liquidation and creditors' voluntary liquidation
(2). From July 2007 Road Transport is defined within the SIC2003 classification; up to September 2006 it is defined within the Insolvency Trade Classification.
(3). Only compulsory liquidation figures are available for 1999 to 2001
No statistics by sector are available from Q4 2006 to Q2 2007 inclusive because of the
change in industry classification.

Table 2: Business "deaths" in the land transport industry, England and Wales

 Total

2002

4,555

2003

5,025

2004

5,040

2005

4,980

2006

4,500

2007

4,575

2008

4,505

Notes:
1. The population base includes all those businesses which are registered for VAT and/or PAYE, rather than registered companies.
2. It should be noted that the e figures are inclusive of insolvencies; it is not possible to separate these out.
Source:
Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Table 3: Business "births" in the land transport industry, England and Wales

 Total

2002

4,645

2003

5,085

2004

5,535

2005

5,080

2006

4,530

2007

4,870

2008

4,375

Note:
The population base includes all those businesses which are registered for VAT and/or PAYE, rather than registered companies.
Source:
Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Higher Education and Student Finance Independent Review

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings his Department has had with the chair of the Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance. [303165]

Mr. Lammy: The review is independent of Government and will provide regular updates to the Secretary of State as well as the right hon. David Willetts.

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate degree starts were (i) men and (ii) women in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [302585]

Kevin Brennan: The information is in the following table.

Proportion of students entering higher education courses in UK HEIs who were male and female by level of study 2007/08, all domiciles, all modes of study
Percentage

 Male Female

Postgraduate

45

55

Undergraduate

41

59

Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Higher Education: Agriculture

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to ensure that agricultural science graduate and post-graduate courses are recognised as science disciplines for the purposes of the higher education science funding structure. [302786]

Mr. Lammy: Decisions about the assignment of individual subjects to particular price groups are made by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). They are taken after consultation with the sectors concerned and informed by evidence about the relative costs of teaching and research in different subjects. I understand that, for teaching funding, agriculture and forestry are assigned to the same price group which covers all laboratory based science, engineering and technology. With regard to research funding, agriculture, veterinary and food science are allocated to the highest weighted cost band along with all other clinical and laboratory sciences.

Higher Education: Finance

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much matched funding each higher education institution has received since 2008. [303344]

Mr. Lammy: Higher education institutions had until 20 November to submit claims for matched funding under the voluntary giving scheme for 2008-09 (the first year of operation). These claims are currently being processed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). This first tranche of payments in the three year initiative are due to be completed by March 2010.


3 Dec 2009 : Column 985W

Higher Education: Per Capita Costs

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the average cost per undergraduate student of (a) management and administrative staff and (b) other administrative expenditure by a university. [303306]

Mr. Lammy: This information is not collected in the form requested.

Higher Education: Qualifications

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which further education colleges received targeted allocations for foundation degrees from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 2008-09. [303720]

Mr. Lammy: The following FE colleges received this allocation in 2008-09.


3 Dec 2009 : Column 986W
Next Section Index Home Page