Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what payments were made to the Newspaper Licensing Agency in respect of the provision of services to the Leader of the House's Office in each of the last 10 years. [315588]
Angela E. Smith: Since 2006-07 the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has not made any payments to the Newspaper Licensing Agency.
Following a machinery of government change, information relating to expenditure incurred by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons prior to 2006-07 is available at only disproportionate cost.
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people (a) started and (b) completed a course at an adult education college in each of the last five years. [314294]
Kevin Brennan: Adult education colleges are not specifically identified in data collected centrally. Programmes are delivered through a variety of different provider types.
The following table shows the number of adults participating and achieving in LSC-funded further education (FE colleges including Learn Direct, adult and community learning, work-based learning, Train to Gain) in each of the last five years, 2004/05 to 2008/09 (provisional).
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Blaydon constituency, the effects on Blaydon of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000. [315306]
Mr. McFadden: Since 2000, the policies and actions of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and its predecessors have focused on building a competitive economy and on delivering prosperity and sustainable economic growth. Examples of how BIS policies and actions have impacted on Blaydon include:
The levels of skills levels in the Blaydon constituency have increased significantly since 2000, with the proportion of people qualified to at least NVQ level 4 has risen from 15.4 per cent. to 24.7per cent. —an increase of over 60 per cent. Over the same period performance has increased from 77.4 per cent. to 82.1 per cent. at NVQ level 1, from 56 per cent. to 69.6 per cent. at NVQ level 2 and from 33.9 per cent. to 44.4 per cent. at NVQ level 3. Furthermore, the proportion of people in the constituency with no recognised skills has fallen from 17.1 per cent. to 11.7 per cent. over the same period.
Source:
2009 Annual Population Survey
Blaydon constituency residents are now also earning considerably more. The average gross full-time weekly earnings in the constituency has risen from £356.10 in 2002 to £457.20 in 2009, an increase of some 28 per cent.
Source:
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Residence-based data
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials from (a) his Department and (b) the Intellectual Property Office are planning to attend the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations in Mexico in January 2010. [313943]
Mr. Lammy: One official from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) attended the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations in Mexico. The IPO is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and IPO officials represent the UK Government in intellectual property negotiations, including ACTA.
No other officials from the Department attended the negotiations.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010, Official Report, column 402W, on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, on what date (a) he and (b) other Ministers last discussed the proceedings of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations; when he next expects to meet Ministers who have a departmental interest in the negotiations to discuss the agreement's progress to date. [314019]
Mr. Lammy:
I regularly meet ministerial colleagues to discuss various aspects of my Intellectual Property portfolio. I have not recently met other Ministers to discuss the proceedings of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade
Agreement negotiations, but relevant Ministers have been kept fully informed and briefed on its progress where necessary.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010, Official Report, column 402W, on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, on what date officials in his Department last met their counterparts in other Government Departments to discuss the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement; and if he will make a statement. [314028]
Mr. Lammy: Officials in the Department last met their counterparts in other Government Departments to discuss the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement on 26 August 2009. Since this meeting officials in other Departments have been regularly briefed and consulted on the progress of the negotiations. The next meeting is planned for February.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010, Official Report, column 402W, on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, what information has been provided to businesses on the negotiations; and if he will make a statement. [314037]
Mr. Lammy: The officials have discussed with the European Commission and other member states ways to inform businesses and other interested parties about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations. As a result of these discussions, the European Commission held a public consultation meeting on 23 June 2008, with a second meeting on 21 April 2009 and another planned soon. In addition, regular updates, including a summary of key elements under discussion, can be found on the website of the Intellectual Property Office.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010, Official Report, column 402W, on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, if he will make it his policy to seek the agreement of his negotiating partners the publication of the latest draft held by his Department of the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement. [314067]
Mr. Lammy: It is current UK policy on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to seek the agreement of our negotiating partners to publish the draft text. However, it is the practice in trade negotiations that working documents are not disclosed without the consent of all the negotiating parties. Not all parties currently agree to the release of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) draft text. My officials continue to press for greater transparency with our negotiating partners.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the length of time taken by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors. [315068]
Mr. McFadden: The Prime Minister announced in October 2008 that all central Government Departments will aim to pay invoices within 10 days. The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills commenced reporting of 10-day payment performance in November 2008.
In November 2008, 93.1 per cent. of invoices were paid within 10 days. The latest available data are for December 2009, when 95.8 per cent. of invoices were paid within 10 days. This means that payment performance has increased by 2.7 percentage points over this period.
We do not distinguish payments by supplier size as we have determined to pay all suppliers within 10 days.
I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials represented his Department at events abroad in each of the last five years. [314295]
Mr. McFadden: The Department does not centrally record numbers or details of officials representing the Department at overseas events. The Department holds information on officials travelling overseas for business but does not specifically relate these costs to events abroad, to obtain this information would entail disproportionate costs.
The Department publishes details of senior staff on overseas business visits on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/about/board/expenses