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22 Mar 2010 : Column 145W—continued
Mr. Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what type of provision will be provided by the Adult Learner Responsive sub-total for the Foundation Learning (excluding Skills for Life) category in the Strategy Document, Skills Investment Strategy 2010-11, November 2009; and if he will make a statement. [323274]
Kevin Brennan: The Foundation Learning Curriculum helps people currently learning at Entry Level and Level 1 to progress to Level 2.
The curriculum offers a skills combination designed to enhance employability, increase confidence in learning and, in the case of learners with learning difficulties or disabilities, lead to independent living. It comprises three elements: vocational training, functional skills in English, maths and ICT and personal and social development skills. Adult learners will not have to take all three elements, but will be able to tailor their learning, building up a personalised skills set to suit their individual needs and aspirations.
Apprentices
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people completed an apprenticeship in each industry or service sector in each quarter of the last five years. [321688]
Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship achievements by Sector Subject Area from 2004/05 to 2008/09. A copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Information on the number of apprenticeship achievements by Sector Subject Area is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December:
Apprentices: Milton Keynes
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people completed apprenticeships in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997. [321878]
Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows apprenticeship achievements for Milton Keynes local authority from 2003/04 onwards, the earliest year for which comparable data are available.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship framework achievements for Milton Keynes local authority, 2003/04 to 2008/09 | |
| Academic year | Number of framework achievements |
| Notes: 1. Figures for Milton Keynes local authority are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures include apprenticeships, advanced apprenticeships and higher level apprenticeships. 4. In order to be counted as a successful achievement, all elements of the framework must have been achieved. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Information on the number of apprenticeship achievements is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December:
Apprentices: York
Hugh Bayley:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people
have completed apprenticeships in York in each year since 1996-97. [321693]
Kevin Brennan: The following table shows apprenticeship achievements for York local authority and City of York parliamentary constituency from 2003/04 onwards, the earliest year for which comparable data are available.
| Apprenticeship framework achievements for York local authority and City of York parliamentary constituency, 2003/04 to 2008/09 | ||||||
| 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | |
| Notes: 1. Figures for York local authority are rounded to the nearest hundred. Figures for City of York parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures include Apprenticeship, Advanced Apprenticeships and Higher Level Apprenticeships. 4. In order to be counted as a successful achievement, all elements of the framework must have been achieved. Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||||||
Information on the number of apprenticeship achievements is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December:
Broadband
Mr. Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to require Ofcom to promote training in the telecommunications industry to support the rollout of and access to a universal broadband service. [323539]
Mr. Timms: This Department has no such plans at this stage.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to extend the general access fund for the roll-out of broadband services to mobile as well as fixed line operators; and when he expects the new arrangements to be operable. [323540]
Mr. Timms: The Government are currently consulting on the proposals for the Next Generation Fund, which includes an explanation of the various technologies that may be used to deliver superfast broadband to 90 per cent. of UK households. Further decisions will be announced in due course.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to make access to 2Mbps minimum speeds for universal broadband access mandatory. [323573]
Mr. Timms: Both the Digital Britain Report and the 2009 Budget stated that
"The Government will pursue Universal Service in broadband, at a speed of 2 Megabits per second, by no later than 2012. This target will allow virtually everyone to experience the benefits of broadband, including the increasing delivery of public services online. We are currently working with the newly formed body Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) to take this work forward."
Broadband: Harrogate
Mr. Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which telecommunications exchanges in Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency will be enabled with superfast broadband fibre; and when he expects this work to be completed. [323538]
Mr. Timms: Decisions over where to provide superfast broadband are in the first instance commercial decisions for network operators. The Government announced the creation of Broadband Delivery UK on 5 March. This body will be responsible for supporting private sector investment to deliver superfast broadband to 90 per cent. of households by 2017.
Business: Preston
Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department and its predecessors have taken to support small businesses in Preston since 1997. [311131]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Northwest Development Agency (NWDA), established in 1999, has provided extensive support to small businesses across the region including Preston. The NWDA's main support for small businesses is through regionally available 'Solutions for Business' products in which the agency invested £92.75 million in 2008/09. The 'Solutions for Business' portfolio includes: business finance, improving innovation and efficiency, business start-up, advice on international trade, work force training, and sector development through regional cluster organisations. The primary access point is Business Link North West (BLNW) which provides companies with information, diagnostics and brokerage to specific types of support. Since 2007 BLNW has assisted 5,808 companies in Preston. In addition, NWDA has supported two Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) schemes in the Preston area, one supporting small businesses in Deepdale and the other a £20 million scheme at Avenham. The agency also supported managed workspace at the "Harris Business Centre" operated by the University of Central Lancashire.
Chorley
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Chorley constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997. [314232]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Since 1997, the policies and actions of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (and its predecessors) have focused on building a competitive economy and on delivering prosperity and sustainable economic growth. The implementation of BIS policy in Chorley has been taken forward primarily by the North West Development Agency and the Government Office for the north-west, working in partnership with the local authority and other relevant bodies.
Caution must be exercised in seeking to attribute directly the effects of specific measures on local economic indicators. Nonetheless, examples of how BIS policies and actions have impacted on Chorley include:
Levels of skills have increased in the years for which data is available, between 2000 and 2008. Performance at level 2 has increased from 62.7 per cent. to 67.7 per cent., at level 3 from 41.6 per cent. to 48.3 per cent., and at level 4 from 22.3 per cent. to 27.3 per cent.(1);
The stock of VAT registered businesses has increased from 2,880 businesses in 1997 to 3,365 businesses in 2007(2);
The proportion of business registrations (including VAT and PAYE) per 10,000 resident population aged 16 and above (National Indicator 171) has increased from 49.7 in 2002 to 59.5 in 2008(3); and
The percentage of small businesses showing growth in number of employees (National Indicator 172) has increased from 10.6 per cent. in 2003 to 14.5 per cent. in 2008(4).
(1) Extracted from NOMIS "NVQ Qualifications time series for Chorley".
(2) Extracted from NOMIS, source: BERR-VAT registrations/deregistrations by industry.
(3) Data produced by BIS and available on the BIS website:
(4) As above.
Credit
John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received from (a) consumer bodies and (b) other organisations (i) in support of and (ii) against the introduction of a cap on charges in the home credit market; and if he will make a statement. [323173]
Kevin Brennan: With regard to contact with those supporting a cap on interest rates, I met with Damon Gibbons of Debt on your Doorstep and my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney) in October 2009. Damon Gibbons also wrote to me in November 2009 and in January, Joanna Kennedy of the Zacchaeus 2000 Trust emailed my constituency office. With regard to contact with those against introducing a cap on interest rates, John Moulding of Provident Financial wrote to me in November 2009.
Government carefully considered the case for a cap on interest rates following research carried out by Policis in 2004. The research showed that imposing a cap on interest rates could result in lenders withdrawing from the riskier end of the market, including the home credit market, denying vulnerable consumers access to legitimate sources of credit and potentially forcing them to resort
to illegal money lending. This was a view shared by leading consumer groups including Citizens Advice, the Association of British Credit Unions, the Institute of Public Policy Research, Which? and Advice UK. The Office of Fair Trading is reviewing the high cost credit market, including the case for a rate cap, and will report shortly. Government will respond to the review when published.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on office refurbishments since its inception. [320474]
Mr. McFadden: Since its inception in June 2009, this Department has spent £5.42 million (inclusive of VAT) on office refurbishments to date. We are currently in the middle of refurbishing our main ministerial building 1 Victoria street.
This investment will allow us to vacate Kingsgate House, London when the lease expires in March 2012 which currently costs around £10 million per annum to run. We have also been able to vacate a property in Glasgow and move to vacant Government space saving £0.5 million per annum on running costs.
Departmental Surveys
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for his Department and its agencies. [322562]
Mr. McFadden: The 2009 People Survey results for BIS and its agencies will be placed in the Libraries of the House. These results are also available on the BIS website at "Related documents" under the heading "Who we are":
East of England Development Agency: Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what payments the East of England Development Agency has made to Fishburn Hedges in each of the last three years; for what purposes; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract under which such payments have been made. [302302]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Fishburn Hedges have provided support to EEDA with a wide range of communications and public relations support including specific public affairs services. This support includes high-level advice, legislative and policy updates, a parliamentary monitoring service, information, briefings and writing support, support on political visits and events, and parliamentary procedures. EEDA does not have sufficient capacity in house to manage all these areas of expertise. Total payments made to Fishburn Hedges in each of the last years are as follows:
| £ | |
| Note: These figures are inclusive of VAT. | |
| 2007 | ||
| Date | Amount (£) | Purpose |
|
Month Monitoring Service and Public Affairs Contract Consultancy | ||
|
Month Monitoring Service and Public Affairs Contract Consultancy | ||
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