Non-profit Making Associations
Margaret Moran:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which regional development agencies (RDAs) fund social enterprise networks in each county; how much each
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regional development agency has allocated to such networks in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [315098]
Ms Rosie Winterton: All nine Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have funded a regional social enterprise network covering all counties. It will be for individual Regional Development Agencies to consider what funding will be allocated to social enterprise in the future. The following table illustrates the amount of funding each RDA has allocated to social enterprise networks in their region in the last five financial years. RDAs also fund projects which may indirectly support social enterprise networks: we are unable to quantify this support and therefore it is not included in the data.
| Funding (£000) | |||||
| RDA | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
| (1) NWDA funding for social enterprise programmes is not solely for general network support but includes specifically contracted services and outputs, such as developing procurement opportunities, start ups and growth, developing management skills, training support and promoting awareness of the benefits of social enterprise. It is not possible to isolate the costs of each component. Some programmes include other income such as the European Regional Development Fund. | |||||
Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills by what mechanisms his Department monitors the (a) performance and (b) value for money of regional development agencies in assisting social enterprises. [315099]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The RDAs produce corporate plans setting out corporate objectives and expenditure plans across all major activities including social enterprise. Progress against these plans is subsequently reviewed and reported in the RDA's annual report and accounts. RDAs are also required to undertake impact evaluations of their major projects. That work was recently collected together in a report "Impact of RDA Spending" carried out on the Department's behalf by PriceWaterhouseCoopers which provided an overall assessment of RDAs' effectiveness. The report concluded that RDA expenditure produced economic benefits in all regions.
The Office of the Third Sector's Social Enterprise Action Plan announced £5.9 million for the regional development agencies to March 2011 to improve social enterprise support via Business Link. A formal evaluation of the programme by the Office of the Third Sector has begun, with BIS involvement, and will provide a mechanism to share results across the country, with central Government and with the sector. A report on the early stages of the programme has recently been published on the OTS website:
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http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/third_sector/assets/se_action_plan_2006.pdf
Regional Development Agencies: Offices
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department has given to regional development agencies on opening offices overseas. [314961]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In the case of the eight English RDAs outside London, where they maintain representation overseas to achieve regional priorities, those have been set by consulting with stakeholders and partners on the Regional Economic Strategy and Corporate Plans. Each agency is required to seek and obtain prior ministerial approval through UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) for any proposal to extend or create new overseas offices involved in inward investment or trade promotion activities.
On inward investment RDAs have agreed to observe guidance on joint activity planning, evaluation and information sharing with UKTI's overseas teams and use of a common UK brand. This guidance also encourages them to explore opportunities for co-location and joint management by UKTI's overseas teams.
On trade promotion, as agreed by RDA chairs and Ministers in 2003, UKTI continues to operate as the international trade arm of the RDAs.
Regional European Offices
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 1156W, on regional European offices: expenditure, what the postal address is of each regional European office in (a) Brussels and (b) Strasbourg; how many staff work at each; and how much each received from the public purse in the latest period for which figures are available. [314977]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are offices for each region in Brussels which are funded by a wide range of regional stakeholders such as local authorities, and other public and private sector organisations. Records on funding are not centrally held. There are no regional offices in Strasbourg.
The following table shows postal addresses of each regional European office in Brussels and staff employed:
| Title | Postal address | Number of staff (FTEs) |
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Roads: Snow and Ice
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much rock salt for use on roads was exported from the UK between 1 November 2009 and 18 January 2010. [316893]
Ian Lucas: Trade data are available on a monthly basis. The latest HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics cover November 2009. The figures for salt are shown in the following table.
Shop Direct: Burnley
Kitty Ussher: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to protect Shop Direct workers facing possible redundancy in Burnley. [316604]
Ian Lucas:
Job Centre Plus, Burnley council and the NWDA are working with Shop Direct to identify employment and re-training opportunities for staff affected by the confirmed closure of the Burnley call centre. Each displaced member of staff will be offered outplacement services by a combination of Shop Direct and Job Centre Plus, to assist in seeking new employment,
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pursuing potential retraining opportunities and assessing other alternatives such as early retirement. In addition, it is understood that staff will be eligible to apply for newly created posts at nearby call centres in Preston and Bolton.
Kitty Ussher: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if officials of his Department will meet representatives of Shop Direct to discuss measures to protect jobs at the Burnley site. [316605]
Ian Lucas: The North West Development Agency (NWDA) represented BIS at a meeting with Shop Direct on 3 February, which confirmed the Burnley call centre will close. The NWDA will represent BIS at any further meetings with the company, following confidential discussions between Shop Direct and GMB and USDAW on the statutory consultation process.
Vocational Training: Hemsworth
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of women in Hemsworth constituency who have visited an information and communications technology training centre in order to gain return to work skills in each year since 1997. [316602]
Kevin Brennan: Information is not available on the number of learners who have visited an ICT training centre.
The following table shows participation by females in LSC-funded learning, within the information and communications technology (ICT) sector subject area. Information is given from 2005/06 onwards, the earliest year for which we have comparable information.
| Females on courses in the information and communications technology sector subject area, Hemsworth parliamentary constituency | |||
|
| Further education enrolments | Apprenticeship starts | Train to Gain starts |
| (1) FE and Train to Gain figures for 2008/09 are not directly comparable to earlier years as the introduction of demand led funding has changed how data are 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: 1. FE enrolment figures for 2008/09 are provisional. Other figures are final. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 3. ‘—‘ indicates a figure of less than five. 4. Figures for Hemsworth parliamentary constituency are based upon home postcode of the learner. 5. Figures for Further Education include further education, adult and community learning, University for Industry. 6. Figures for further education are based on aims/enrolments—an aim will be counted in every year for which a learner is participating on that course. A learner may participate on more than one aim. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |||