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14 Jun 2010 : Column 311W—continued
Overseas Aid
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects the target of 0.7% of gross national income to be allocated to development aid to be met. [2146]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: This Government are committed to achieving, from 2013, the UN target of spending 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA), and will enshrine this commitment in law.
We are on track to meet this commitment.
Overseas Aid: Public Consultation
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development by what mechanism the public will be able to influence the way in which elements of his Department's budget are spent; to what proportion of his Department's budget this will apply; and what consultation he plans to undertake on this proposal. [1738]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The commitment to "create new mechanisms to give British people a direct say in how an element of the aid budget is spent" was laid out in "The Coalition: our Programme for Government". Further details are being developed and will be shared with Parliament in due course.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices: West Midlands
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what plans he has to increase the number of manufacturing apprenticeships in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry; [2187]
(2) what plans he has to increase the number of engineering apprenticeships in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry. [2186]
Mr Hayes: To build an advanced manufacturing economy we need advanced skills in technology and engineering. That's why the Government are committed to increasing the number of apprenticeships, in particular, Advanced Apprenticeships, that confer technician status. We are also committed to ensuring, through Sector Skills Councils, that all apprenticeship frameworks meet the needs of the real economy. The Government's decision to redeploy £150 million of Train to Gain funds for 2010-11, creating an additional 50,000 adult places, demonstrates our commitment to high quality skills.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to work with small and medium-sized enterprises to ensure that apprenticeship places in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry are filled. [2188]
Mr Hayes: The Department is working with the National Apprenticeship Service and the Skills Funding Agency to implement the redeployment of £150 million of Train to Gain funds which will support adult apprenticeship places including those in small and medium-sized enterprise. Further details will be provided shortly.
Apprenticeships are founded on partnerships so it is important that employers, including those in manufacturing and engineering, take up these new opportunities and offer apprenticeship places to secure a new generation of highly skilled employees.
Banks: Loans
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of levels of bank lending to small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) the North East and (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency; and what steps he plans to take to increase those levels. [1959]
Mr Prisk: The Government have made it clear that ensuring the flow of credit to SMEs is essential for supporting growth and is a core priority.
Bank lending data are not collated at regional or constituency level by the Department. However, the Department does receive national level lending data from four banks comprising around 85% of the lending market. This shows that over £9 billion of loans have been drawdown by small and medium sized enterprises since the beginning of 2010. Further to this, businesses in the north-east have been offered nearly £30 million under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, with over £500,000 to businesses in the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of levels of bank lending to small and medium-sized enterprises in Denton and Reddish constituency; and if he will take steps to increase those levels. [2315]
Mr Prisk: The Government has made it clear that ensuring the flow of credit to SMEs is essential for supporting growth and is a core priority.
Bank lending data are not collated at regional or constituency level by the Department. However, the Department does receive national level lending data from four banks comprising around 85% of the lending market. This shows that over £9 billion of loans have been drawdown by small and medium sized enterprises since the beginning of 2010. Further to this, businesses in Denton and Reddish have been offered nearly £2 million under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee.
Business: Bexley
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to assist small and medium-sized businesses in developing their competitiveness in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley. [1306]
Mr Prisk: The policies and actions of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and its predecessors have focused, working through regional development agencies, on building a competitive economy and on delivering prosperity and sustainable economic growth.
The London Development Agency funds Business Link in London (BLiL) to act as a central gateway for the delivery of its business advice and support products. BLiL provides free impartial advice to London's SMEs, including advice on how to increase competitiveness.
The following figures represent the number of unique clients, irrespective of how many times they access BLiL services. Data are only collected at borough, not constituency level.
Between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010 BLiL provided information and advice to 2,940 businesses in the borough of Bexley, and more intensive assistance to 84 businesses.
Each of the 84 businesses that have benefited from intensive assistance has received a minimum of two hours of support from a business adviser during which,
typically, a bespoke action plan designed to improve business productivity and address areas of concern or opportunity for the business is developed. Following this, businesses also receive a minimum of two follow up activities within 12 months.
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with which business organisations in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley his Department has held discussions in the last 12 months. [1686]
Mr Prisk: The Department does not generally liaise directly with business organisations, but works through the regional development agencies. In London, the London Development Agency contracts with Business Link in London (BLiL) to provide business support services. The implementation of BIS policy in the London borough of Bexley has been taken forward primarily by the London Development Agency, working in partnership with the local authority and other bodies.
Data protection rules mean that specific businesses receiving support cannot be identified, but examples of BLiL engagement in Bexley in 2009-10 include:
BLiL partnership managers meeting LB Bexley to provide briefings about BLiL support activities, referrals and the needs of businesses in the borough. Formal briefings and updates on activity have also occurred on a quarterly basis.
Familiarisation activities to ensure BLiL works together with key local partners (e.g. LB Bexley, Thames Innovation Centre and Gateway to London) to provide informed referrals and co-ordinate business support. These activities continue to include a further round of strategic meetings to discuss referrals and business support, liaison between business advisers in BLIL and LB Bexley.
A 'Guided Business Tour of Bexley' involving BLiL business advisers, TIC and LB Bexley officers, where a tour of the local industrial and business areas was undertaken.
BLiL ensuring that LB Bexley has access to its Stakeholder Forum and providing LB Bexley partners with local economic data and research on business demand trends.
BLiL working with South East London Chamber of Commerce to deliver workshops marketed to their Bexley business members.
Delivering a 'Mastering Networking and Nurturing Relationships' workshop to South London Business members and contacts in Bexley in February 2010.
Supporting the launch events of 'Innovate London Showcase' in January 2010 and the Bexley 'Enterprise Fund' in July 2009.
Attending a South East London Chamber of Commerce event with my hon. Friend for Bexleyheath and Crayford in December 2009 to discuss support for Bexley businesses during the recession.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the (a) implementation of penalty clauses and payments in its contracts and (b) potential legal action arising from the deferral and cancellation of contracts and projects under his Department's plans to achieve cost savings; and whether those estimates are included in the total cost savings to be achieved by his Department. [566]
Mr Davey:
Estimates will be made at a future date to align with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC)'s work to review major projects and support the renegotiation of contracts on behalf of central Government to seek
efficiencies in the region of £1.7 billion. The analysis of contingent liabilities, in order to achieve maximum savings, is a core part of the review methodology. The OGC will be taking into account the potential costs of deferment or cancellation.
Education: Middlesbrough
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people from Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency began a (a) higher education course, (b) further education course and (c) modern apprenticeship in each year since 1996. [1960]
Mr Willetts: Table 1 covers entrants to Higher Education courses from Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency. Figures are taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011.
Table 2 shows the number of Apprenticeship Programme Starts in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, 2003/04 to 2008/09. 2003/04 is the earliest year for which comparable data is available and 2008/09 is the latest year for which full year data is available.
Table 3 shows the number of Further Education courses started in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, 2002/03 to 2008/09. 2002/03 is the earliest year for which comparable data is available and 2008/09 is the latest year for which full year data is available.
| Table 1: Entrants( 1) from Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency( 2) , English Higher Education Institutions( 3) -academic years 1996/97 to 2008/09 | |
| Entrants | |
| (1) Covers entrants to all levels and modes of study. (2) Figures do not include entrants where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid postcode information. (3) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. Note: Figures are based on a snapshot as at 1 December to maintain consistency across the time series. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) | |
| Table 3: Starts in Further Education colleges in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency, 2002/03 to 2008/09 | |
| Starts | |
| Notes: 1. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Parliamentary constituency is based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures include all starts on Further Education courses at Further Education colleges or institutions. 4. It is not possible to uniquely identify learners. Learners starting more than one course in the academic year will be counted more than once. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Employment Agencies: EU Law
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to seek any amendment to the EU Agency Workers Directive. [1659]
Mr Davey: The agency workers directive was proposed by the European Commission in 2002, it was finally adopted by the European Council of Ministers in June 2008 and by the European Parliament in October 2008.
The final version of the directive was published in December 2008 and has to be implemented by all member states into national law by December 2011. Therefore we do not intend to seek any amendment as the directive has already been finalised.
The directive does foresee a review by the European Commission in December 2013 in consultation with member states and social partners at European level to review the application of the directive. This may result in proposals for amendments. This is normal practice for similar directives.
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