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9 Dec 2009 : Column 508W—continued
English Language
Mark Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individuals (a) registered for and (b) successfully completed an English for speakers of other languages approved course in England in each of the last three years. [301733]
Kevin Brennan: Learner participation and achievements on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses are published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 22 October and shows information for 2005/06 to 2008/09 (provisional):
Table 1 shows participation and achievement on approved ESOL courses, and all ESOL courses in 2006/07 to 2008/09 (provisional).
| Table 1: Participation and achievement of ESOL courses, 2006/07 to 2008/09(provisional) | |||
| 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09(provisional)( 1) | |
| .(1 )Figures for 2008/09 are not directly comparable to earlier years as the introduction of demand led funding has changed how data is collected and how funded learners are defined from 2008/09 onwards. More information on demand led funding is available at: http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/funding-policy/demand-led-funding.htm. Notes: Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. 'Approved' courses are those which can be funded by the Learning and Skills Council under section 96 or section 97 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000. 3. Full-year numbers are a count of the number of learners that participated/achieved at any point during the year. Learners undertaking/achieving more than one course will appear only once in the 'total learners' category for each data collection. However, learners that are included in different data collections, whether that relates to different years or different funding streams, will be counted more than once. 4. Learners undertaking or achieving both approved courses and courses which have not been approved are counted once only in the totals. Coverage: England Source: Individualised Learner Record | |||
From 2006/07, the LSC ceased funding very short courses (less than nine hours). Learners were encouraged to enrol on longer, accredited Skills for Life courses. Accredited provision provides a higher quality of learner experience and leads to the gaining of a recognisable, transferable qualification upon completion. The impact of moving from shorter to longer courses is a reduction in overall learner numbers.
Environment Protection: Finance
Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding is available to low carbon innovative companies through the UK Innovation Investment Fund. [304474]
Mr. McFadden: The UK Innovation Investment Fund will operate on a fund of funds structure which means it will not invest directly in companies, but rather invest in a small number of specialist technology funds that have the expertise and track record to invest directly in companies. These underlying funds will focus on investing in growing small businesses, start-ups and spin-outs, in strategically important UK sectors including clean technology, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and ICT. Investments in individual technology funds will be a commercial decision for the fund of funds manager based on the quality of the investment opportunity and the fund's investment strategy. There is no restriction on the spread of spending across technology sectors, with the exception of £25 million minimum investment in each of low carbon and life sciences. We anticipate that the actual level of investment in low carbon will exceed £25 million.
Estate Agents: Registration
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how much the Office of Fair Trading has received from estate agents in registration fees under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 in each of the last six months; and how much the Office expects to receive in each of the next three years; [303049]
(2) whether the Office of Fair Trading undertook an impact assessment in respect of its proposals to require estate agents to register under the terms of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007; and if he will make a statement; [303050]
(3) what research (a) his Department and (b) the Office of Fair Trading have undertaken on the effect on the estate agency sector of the implementation of the registration requirements under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007; [303113]
(4) what estimate the Office of Fair Trading has made of the annual administrative costs of operating the system of estate agent registration in compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007. [303048]
Kevin Brennan: The Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) registration scheme for money laundering was launched on 31 July. No fees were sought or received prior to 31 July. Forecasts for fee levels in 2010/11 onwards are subject to future public consultation (to start in January 2010). The OFT will be seeking input on its future supervisory approach and fee structures to support supervisory activity. Future costs and fee levels have not yet been estimated. The OFT receives no central funding for its anti-money laundering supervisory role. The regime has to be self funding and the OFT can recover its reasonable costs through fees. The consultation will enable the firms supervised by the OFT to influence future costs.
Regarding the hon. Member's questions in relation to impact assessments and research on the effect of registration on the estate agency sector, I refer to my answer of 21 July, Official Report, column 1676W.
The OFT does not have a figure solely for the administrative costs of operating the system of estate agent registration. This is because there is no differentiation made in the OFT's budget for anti-money laundering between estate agents or Consumer Credit Financial
Institutions. The OFT estimates that the cost of setting up and operating the OFT's money laundering registration in 2009/10 is as follows:
Staff costs: £397,000
Non-staff costs: £407,000
Total: £804,000
This figure does not include (i) any costs for corporate support such as IT, finance or accommodation, which is totalled elsewhere in the budget, (ii) recovery of the set-up costs from 2008/09 associated with registration, or (iii) the estimated cost for 2009/10 associated with the operation of the registration system since registration launch on 31 July, which is £150,000. Forecasts for administration costs in 2010/11 onwards are subject to future public consultation and will be dependent on the proportion of firms who register with OFT during the initial six month registration period. These costs have not, as yet, been estimated.
Further Education: Crimes of Violence
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the number of violent attacks on further education college staff in the last 12 months. [303171]
Kevin Brennan: The Government are not the employer of FE staff and as such keeps no central records to answer this sort of question.
FE colleges were established as self-governing, independent organisations following the enactment of the Further and Higher Education Act in 1992.
Further Education: Finance
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the financial losses experienced by further education colleges in the last 12 months which have not received capital funding from the Building Colleges for the Future programme. [303166]
Kevin Brennan: We are not able to provide this information as colleges are not due to submit audited accounts for 2008-09 until the end of the calendar year, which will then be reviewed by the Learning and Skills Council.
The LSC has an existing process in place for dealing with colleges that experience financial difficulties and is committed to ensuring that no college gets into financial difficulty as a result of the Building Colleges for the Future Programme.
Higher Education: Qualifications
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of foundation degrees are offered by further education colleges. [303719]
Kevin Brennan: 58 per cent. (19,390 students) of UK-domicile foundation degree entrants to higher education institutions and further education colleges in England were taught wholly at further education colleges in 2006/07.
These are the latest figures available from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
Investors in People
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to the public purse has been of the Investors in People scheme to date; and if he will make a statement. [304571]
Mr. McFadden: Between 1995 and present, the total amount of funding given by Government to Investors in People UK for the development and delivery of the Investors in People standard is £65,585,404. Information on funding prior to 1995 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effects on the economy of the Investors in People scheme; and if he will make a statement. [304572]
Mr. McFadden: The Department has made no direct assessment of the impact of the Investors in People Framework on the economy. However, IiP UK has itself regularly commissioned research into the benefits of IiP.
Details of recent research is available on the IiP UK website and a copy will be placed in the Libraries.
Investors in People: Government Departments
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Government (a) departments, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies have been certified by Investors in People to date. [304570]
Mr. McFadden: The number of public sector organisations which are or have been recognised as an Investor in People organisation is approximately 21,000. Of this approximately 11,000 are currently recognised.
The way in which data are collected and stored by IiP UK does not allow for a breakdown of this figure into the categories requested. The figure above covers all public sector organisations including (but not limited to) Government Departments, NDPBs, agencies, schools, colleges, universities, hospitals and museums.
Learning and Skills Council for England
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on the transfer of the functions of the Learning and Skills Council to (a) the Skills Funding Agency, (b) the National Apprenticeship Service, (c) the Young People's Learning Agency and (d) local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [300237]
Kevin Brennan:
We are making good progress in transferring the functions of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to the Skills Funding Agency, the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) and local authorities. Officials in this Department and the Department for Children, Schools and Families are working with our new partners to ensure a seamless handover in April and, as part of this, a period of shadow running has already begun. We are on track for local authorities to
assume their new responsibilities, and for the new organisations to be fully operational, from April 2010. The National Apprenticeship Service, which has end-to-end responsibility for apprenticeships, has already been established (in April 2009) and will be housed within the Skills Funding Agency from April 2010.
Lord Sugar
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings Lord Sugar has had with (a) Baroness Vadera and (b) Lord Davies of Abersoch since being appointed Enterprise Champion. [305091]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 8 December 2009]: Between 5 June, when the PM announced the appointment of Lord Sugar as Enterprise Champion, and 3 December, he has met Baroness Vadera four times and Lord Davies four times.
In addition he has seen them on other occasions, including in the House of Lords.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many times Lord Sugar has visited his Department's premises since being appointed Enterprise Champion; [305093]
(2) how many meetings Lord Sugar has had with officials in his Department since being appointed Enterprise Champion. [305092]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer s 8 December 2009]: Lord Sugar is an adviser to Government and small business and does not have a Department.
He has met BIS officials on over 40 occasions between the announcement of his appointment and 3 December. He has visited the Department over 20 times in the same period.
However the main focus of his work as Enterprise Champion has been meeting small businesses and seeing business support delivery around the country.
Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many registered companies there were in the automotive industry in each year since 2005. [305303]
Ian Lucas: There are currently 73,286 limited companies in the automotive industry registered with Companies House. The figures are based on the standard industrial classification code shown on the annual return, which means that no figures are included for companies incorporated in 2009 as they have not yet filed their first annual return. The annual figures are not available as the register is constantly updated with no historical databases retained. Detailed information comparing dates of incorporation and dissolution could be secured only at disproportionate cost.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many registered companies in the automotive industry have received Government assistance in each year since 2005. [305304]
Ian Lucas: Data about the wide range of Government support that is available and has been taken up by the automotive sector could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, the number of registered automotive companies in England that have received Grant For Business Investment (GBI) or Selective Finance For Investment In England (SFIE) assistance in each year since 2005 is as follows:
| Number | Value of offers Accepted (£000) | |
| (1) To end Sept 2009 | ||
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