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21 Jan 2010 : Column 491W—continued
Sudan: Peace Negotiations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of progress on the objectives of the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement; and what plans he has for the Government's role as guarantor of that agreement. [311619]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UK is a guarantor of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and is committed to its full implementation. There has been some important recent progress with the passing of referenda legislation in December 2009. However much remains to be done, and we continue to press the parties to resolve key outstanding issues such as creating Referendum Commissions, and resolving outstanding disputes on wealth-sharing and the census. We also call on all parties to put in place the necessary conditions for credible elections, a key CPA benchmark.
My noble Friend Baroness Kinnock was in Sudan 11 to 13 January 2010 to reiterate messages on election preparation and post-2011 planning. We are also supporting work by Chatham House to encourage dialogue between the parties on important post-referendum issues. The
UK announced a further £54 million to support Sudan, bringing to £200 million our annual commitment to humanitarian aid, development and peacekeeping in Sudan.
Turkey: Foreign Relations
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Turkey. [311413]
Chris Bryant: The UK has four key objectives as regards to Turkey. Firstly, to support Turkey's EU accession process, which strongly benefits both the EU and Turkey. Secondly, we support internal reform in Turkey to enhance the democratic process to protect human rights especially those of minorities. Thirdly, to engage with Turkey on regional issues, which include Cyprus, Afghanistan, the middle east peace process, Iran, and Iraq. Fourthly, we aim to co-operate on key international issues, such as climate change and energy security.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Building Regulations: Advertising
John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much expenditure under each budgetary heading his Department has incurred on advertising competent person schemes in each year since 2002. [311419]
Mr. Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
The Department has incurred expenditure of £48,000 since 2002 on publishing, including reprints, a leaflet, "Building work, replacements and repairs to your home", which was published specifically to publicise competent person schemes. Information about the schemes is also available on the Department's website and in other guidance publications about the Building Regulations.
Business
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that companies entering liquidation are not able to reform under a different name in order to avoid liabilities. [312551]
Ian Lucas: There is nothing in law to prevent a director of a company that has failed from forming a new company to carry on a business similar to, or even identical to, that of the failed company-providing he or she has not been disqualified from acting in the management of a limited company or subject to some other form of legal restriction such as personal bankruptcy. Directors involved in a liquidated company cannot usually be involved in the management of a new company which is known by the same, or a substantially similar, name. This has been the legal position for many years and there are no plans to change it.
Failure does not necessarily imply misconduct on the part of directors. Action can be taken against directors of failed companies to disqualify them from acting in the management of a company if the Secretary of State considers them to be unfit. They can also be prosecuted or ordered by the court to make a personal contribution towards the assets of the failed company in appropriate circumstances.
There is a robust enforcement regime in place. In the year 2008-09 an average of around five directors were disqualified every working day. In addition, and again on average, one individual was sentenced every working day having been convicted of offences following prosecutions brought by my Department as a result of referrals from the Insolvency Service.
Departmental Contracts
John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contractual disputes with third party suppliers his Department lost as a result of unenforceable penalty clauses in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 and (d) 2009-10 to date; what (i) the cumulative monetary value of the contracts involved in each year and (ii) the amount awarded to the supplier in each case was; and how much the Department was entitled to but did not claim under such disputes in each year. [311415]
Mr. McFadden: The Department's contract terms do not as standard include a liquidated damages or "penalty" condition. A liquidated damages clause would only be used on a case by case basis where warranted by the particular characteristics of the procurement requirement.
Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure his Department incurred as a result of contractual disputes with third party suppliers in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 (d) 2008-09 and (e) 2009-10 to date; and how much was awarded to each supplier in each such case. [311416]
Mr. McFadden: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Manpower
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff his Department employs. [310870]
Mr. McFadden: There are (a) 3,241 full-time and (b) part-time staff employed by BIS as at 30 September.
Departmental Training
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what training sessions were attended by (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department at public expense in each of the last three years. [302945]
Mr. McFadden: Training is provided to Ministers and special advisers if required in order to carry out their respective duties effectively under the "Ministerial Code" and the "Code of Conduct for Special Advisers". Details of training provided to Government Ministers by the National School of Government are publicly available and can be found at:
http://www.nationalschool.gov.uk/policy/Ministerial Programme/Table.asp
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many sessions of media training were organised for Ministers in his Department in each of the last three years. [309915]
Mr. McFadden: Training is provided to Ministers if required on a range of issues including handling the media, in order to carry out their duties effectively under the "Ministerial Code".
Departmental Waste
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what volume of waste his Department and its predecessors generated in each of the last three years; what percentage of this was (a) paper, (b) plastic, (c) glass, (d) metal, (e) electrical goods and batteries and (f) food waste; and what percentage of that waste was (i) disposed of securely, (ii) disposed of in landfill and (iii) recycled. [311836]
Mr. McFadden: This Department is required to report performance data on volumes of waste generated and its recycling rates annually as part of the Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reporting process. All waste is disposed of securely in line with our waste duty of care and BIS does not send any materials in the categories listed to landfill. All waste is either recycled or sent to an energy from waste facility.
The latest assessment of government's performance against this target was published by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) on 18 December 2009, and is available on the OGC website:
Information on reporting years prior to 2008/09 was collated and published by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) can be found on the SDC website:
English Language
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many English language schools provide language training to a standard sufficient for students to meet language criteria in visa applications. [304562]
Kevin Brennan: In 2008/09 (provisional), there were 468 providers (including colleges, local authorities and other organisations) in England with Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded learners on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses at Entry Level (1,2 and 3), Level 1 or Level 2.
The speaking and listening component of ESOL qualifications at Entry Levels 1, 2 or 3 can be acceptable evidence for the purposes of indefinite leave to remain or citizenship.
The legal requirement for visa applications is to provide evidence of the achievement of a qualification through one of the approved ESOL awarding organisations who must ensure that all colleges and centres offering ESOL qualifications are delivering the full course. Ofqual is the interim independent regulator for qualifications in England and will become the permanent regulator from 1 April 2010). Their duty is to ensure that all qualifications, including those for ESOL, are of an appropriate standard; and to take action with awarding bodies if they are not.
The UK Border Agency works closely with Ofqual to ensure that the appropriate standards are maintained. The UK Border Agency maintains a list of organisations licensed to sponsor migrants under the points based system and copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Higher Education: Children in Care
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if his Department will take steps to encourage children in local authority care to apply for admission to university. [308154]
Mr. Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
The Government are committed to widening participation of young people in care in higher education. To this end we have placed a requirement on local authorities to pay a £2,000 bursary to all care leavers who pursue a recognised course of higher education. This entitlement has been publicised through the National Care Advisory Service, which provides advice and support for children and young people aged 13-25 in and from care, and the 2008/09 Aim Higher Tutor's Resource Materials for young people in years 12 and 13 produced by the then Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
All local authorities have a duty under the Children Act 1989 to promote the educational achievement of the children and young people they look after. As part of this duty, statutory guidance sets out the importance of creating a culture of high aspirations among children in care, which includes setting out in their personal education plans the support needed to achieve long-term goals such as the pursuit of higher education.
In addition, the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 extends the entitlement to a personal adviser for care leavers from 21 to 25 where they remain in or return to education.
Lord Mandelson
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has visited (a) Dorneywood, (b) Chevening and (c) Chequers since his appointment. [312187]
Mr. McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State has visited Chequers four times since his appointment. He has not visited Dorneywood or Chevening in that time.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on what occasions the Secretary of State has met Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in an official capacity since becoming Secretary of State. [312271]
Parents' Learning Allowance
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the (a) eligibility of Susan Coombe a constituent of the hon. Member for Torbay ref. 50247451102, for parent learning allowance to be confirmed and (b) first payment under that allowance to be made to that constituent. [310990]
Mr. Lammy: I will write to the hon. Member on this matter.
Treasury
Banks: Pay
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether UK banks in which the Government have a stake will pay bonuses this year. [311949]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government's shareholdings in financial institutions are managed at arm's length and on a commercial basis by UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI).
The bonus pools for Government investee banks have not yet been determined for 2009.
Departmental Internet
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which websites his Department's staff are prevented from accessing from departmental networked computers. [311842]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Filtering software is used within the Department to block access to certain inappropriate categories of website . In addition, and consistent with central government security guidance, measures are in place to block access to websites that contain potentially harmful software content, or malware. It is departmental policy not to publish precise details of the measures used, or what they block, as this could provide useful information for individuals who might seek to attack our IT systems.
Economic Situation
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the productivity of the UK in relation to other G7 countries since 1991. [311753]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury and BIS are jointly responsible for Public Service Agreement 1 (PSA 1) to raise the productivity of the UK economy. One of the objectives of PSA 1 is to narrow the output per worker productivity gap between the UK and comparator nations (the USA, Germany and France).
To assess progress against narrowing the productivity gap, HM Treasury use ONS data from their biannual International Comparisons of Productivity(1) statistical release. Results are presented for the UK relative to the US, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Italy and the G7 in aggregate. Since 1991, the start of the ONS data series, the UK has experienced faster average productivity growth than all other G7 countries(2).
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