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10 Dec 2009 : Column 604W—continued
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, what efficiency savings projects (a) his Department and (b) its agencies put in place, under the Operational Efficiency Programme; on what date each such project was initiated; how much each such project was expected to contribute to departmental savings; how much had been saved through each such project on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
The answer is nil return from The Insolvency Service.
Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 27 November 2009:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 18 November 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Intellectual Property Office is a Trading Fund and as such any savings it makes do not contribute to the Department's budgets. Accordingly, no formal projects under the Operational Efficiency Programme have been launched. The Office is, however, continually looking to improve its efficiency and has just launched two Value for Money Reviews which will identify further savings.
Letter from Sarah Glasspool, dated 30 November 2009:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 18 November 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The National Measurement Office has not been asked to put in place any project under the Operational Efficiency Programme due to the small size of the Agency.
The Agency has however made a number of efficiency savings for the Department in recent years, not least as a result of the transfer of the National Measurement Unit to the Agency on the 1 April 2009. The transfer increased the staff of the Agency, but resulted in the reduction in back office posts overall. It also enabled other Agency back office resources and accommodation to be used for a larger range of services.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 9 December 2009:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 18 November 2009, UIN 300934, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
As a trading fund Companies House activities are funded from the fees parliament sets for its services and is not directly part of the CSR funding process. Companies House is committed to improving efficiency and has had a public target for efficiency improvement for many years. Our current target is to achieve a 15% reduction in operating costs per company from 2008/9 to 2010/11. In 2008/9 we achieved an 8.4% reduction through a range of activities including increasing the channel shift from paper transactions to electronic, increasing process efficiency, better procurement and cost control.
Departmental Legal Costs
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure his Department and its agencies have incurred on external legal advice and representation in each year since his Department was established; and for what purposes such services have been commissioned. [300581]
Mr. McFadden: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was created by Machinery of Government changes in June. From 1 June to 23 November, BIS spent £2.6 million on external legal advice and representation. The information about the purposes for which the legal services have been commissioned is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Chief executives of BIS agencies and NDPBs will respond directly to the hon. Member.
I have approached the chief executives of the Department's agencies and they will response to you directly.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 9 December 2009:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 18 November 2009, UIN 300581, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Since the Department of Business Innovation and Skills was established in June 2009, Companies House has paid £3,302 on external legal advice and representation on employment issues.
Letter from Peter Mason, dated 3 December 2009:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 18 November 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Since the formation of the Department in June 2009, the National Measurement Office has incurred £7,000 on external legal advice up to and including 1 December 2009: £6,000 on providing legal advice on land registration and construction disputes and £1,000 on providing legal advice on policy issues relating to hallmarking legislation on behalf of the Department's ministers.
Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 24 November 2009:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 18 November 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Intellectual Property Office, an Executive Agency, of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, spent £23,000 on external legal advice. This covered employment advice and developing proforma IP agreements.
We have also incurred £38,000 in costs for external legal advice, engaged and paid via Treasury Solicitors, on IP cases going through the legal system.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 9 December 2009:
The Minister of State, for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question what expenditure his Department and its agencies have incurred on external legal advice and representation in each year since his Department was established; and for what purposes such professional services have been commissioned.
The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has incurred the following expenses between June 2009 and October 2009:
£49,000 on external legal advice concerning contractual matters and
£3,054,000 on external legal services for investigation and enforcement purposes.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which five training courses funded by his Department had the highest per diem rates in the last five years. [304560]
Mr. McFadden: Training budgets are not held centrally but delegated to line managers and business units. Decisions are made locally on how the money is spent and this information is not held centrally.
We are able to provide information for the centrally funded training and the per diem rates are as follows:
New Leaders Programme: £17,000 for an eight day programme for 14 delegates
Leadership Management: £1,595 for a 3.5 day programme
First Time Management: £880 for a three day programme
Induction: £415 for two to three hours
Staff Appraisal: £485 for a two day programme.
Estate Agents: Registration
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of the number of estate agent practices which will be required to register with the Office of Fair Trading under the provisions of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007; [302792]
(2) how many of the estate agents which have registered with the Office of Fair Trading under the provisions of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 have registered (a) one premises, (b) between two and five premises, (c) between six and 10 premises and (d) 11 or more premises; [302793]
(3) how many estate agents have registered with the Office of Fair Trading under the provisions of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007; and what steps are available to the Office for use against estate agents who fail to register. [302794]
Kevin Brennan [holding answer 30 November 2009]: The Office of Fair Trading has estimated that 9,600 estate agency firms (with 14,400 branches) will be active in the estate agency market at the close of the six month registration period (January 2010) and be required to register with the OFT.
Estate agents who have registered with the OFT for money laundering purposes fall into the following categories:
(a) one premise: 1,180
(b) between two and five premises: 334
(c) between six and 10 premises: 30
(d) 11 or more premises: 26
1,570 estate agents have registered with the OFT. Those who are not registered by 31 January 2010 will be breaking the law. Failure to register can result in a fine and/or imprisonment.
Further Education: Admissions
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many places at further education colleges were unfilled due to last minute cancellations in the last year for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department or its predecessor was. [304546]
Kevin Brennan: Information is collected on the number of enrolments at each FE college which influences the amount of funding paid out by the Learning and Skills Council. FE colleges are not required to provide information on the number of unfilled places.
Grocery Trade: Complaints
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department will decide on the Competition Commission's recommendation on the establishment of a Groceries Supply Code of Practice Ombudsman. [305713]
Kevin Brennan: The Government intend to respond to this recommendation shortly.
Internet: Security
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to hold (a) residential customers and (b) businesses legally responsible for the security of their wireless internet router under the provisions outlined in the Digital Economy Bill. [306056]
Mr. Timms: No one will be held legally responsible for the security of their wireless router under the provisions in the Digital Economy Bill.
Learning and Skills Council for England: Pay
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent on (a) performance-related pay and (b) bonuses for Learning and Skills Council staff in each year since 1998-99. [302466]
Kevin Brennan: The Learning and Skills Council makes decisions about the payment of performance pay and bonuses. Geoff Russell, the council's acting chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Havant with further information.
Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 8 December 2009:
In response to your parliamentary question regarding, how much has been spent on (a) performance-related pay and (b) bonuses for Learning and Skills Council staff in each year since 1998-99.
Please see below:
a) Performance Related Pay:
The LSC does not link base salary to performance, other than to withhold elements of the pay review from individuals who fail to meet the required standards. Salary increases are dependant on individual position within the relevant pay band and subject to Treasury guidance on pay remit.
b) Bonuses:
The LSC has made bonus payments since 2003. The figures below consist of the staff bonus scheme and the executive scheme for the most senior roles.
Any bonus payments for the staff scheme are made subject to organisational performance that is measured at the Corporate level. Any bonus payments for the executive scheme are directly linked to a range of measures that span Corporate, Group/Regional and Individual performance. For example, in the year ended 31 March 2009, the main bonus driver was that corporate and regional goals to deliver PSA targets were met or exceeded, despite the uncertainties created from the machinery of government changes. More on these achievements can be found in our annual report. This can be obtained at
All bonuses are subject to affordability.
| Bonus payment year | Number of employees who received a bonus | Total payments (£) |
London Metropolitan University
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) allocated to London Metropolitan University in each of the last five years; what amount was returned to HEFCE in each of those years due to course non-completion; and if he will make a statement. [304551]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 8 December 2009]: I will place a copy of this information in the Libraries of the House.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on (a) full-time, (b) part-time, (c) drop-out and (d) course completion rates at London Metropolitan University in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [304552]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 8 December 2009]: I will place a copy of this information in the Libraries of the House.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking following the consultants' report on the finances of London Metropolitan University in respect of future funding; and if he will make a statement. [304555]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 8 December 2009]: I welcome the work Sir David Melville and the Deloittes team have undertaken to review the situation at London Metropolitan University, and the lessons we need to learn about how that situation arose. I shall be studying the reports carefully. I look to the University and HEFCE similarly to consider Sir David's findings and the implications for the actions they now need to take. It is imperative that the University and HEFCE act with all due urgency to resolve the problems that have been identified, putting the interests of the students and the proper stewardship of public funds at the forefront of their concerns.
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