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16 Jun 2010 : Column 458W—continued
Post Offices
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will review the post office closures implemented in the last three years for the purpose of re-introducing services in those premises. [2502]
Mr Davey: It is not my intention to review the post office closures implemented under the Network Change Programme. But the Government are committed to allowing post offices to offer a wide range of services in order to sustain the post office network without any further closure programme.
Post Offices: Bank Services
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the Government's plans are for the social payment network for post offices; and if he will make a statement. [2531]
Mr Davey: The Government fully recognise the important social and economic role of post offices in the communities they serve. The Government are committed to making a social network payment to support the network in 2011-12, subject to state aid clearance from the European Commission. The Government are working with Post Office Ltd on funding requirements for the network beyond 2012.
Post Offices: Thanet
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many post office branches there were in South Thanet constituency (a) in 1997 and (b) on the latest date for which information is available. [2668]
Mr Davey: I have asked David Smith, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Renewable Energy: Export Credit Guarantees
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to increase take-up of the Export Credits Guarantee Department's £50 million annual underwriting fund for the renewable energy industry. [2327]
Mr Davey: In collaboration with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, UK Trade International, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and relevant trade associations, including the Renewable Energy Association, ECGD continues to promote its services to renewable energy exporters, so that as required these can be used to assist them when they compete to win export orders. ECGD has risk capacity that in aggregate substantially exceeds £50 million to support exports of renewable energy technology. This capacity is allocated to individual overseas markets based upon their creditworthiness, taking into account existing risk exposure and likely future demand, and is made available on a first come, first served basis for eligible exports.
Train to Gain Programme: North East
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) employers and (b) employees received support from the Train to Gain programme in (i) Hartlepool constituency, (ii) Tees Valley sub-region and (iii) North-East region in each year since the programme was introduced; and how many in each category will receive such support in (A) 2010-11 and (B) 2011-12. [2594]
Mr Hayes:
In England, between August 2008 and March 2009, 39,700 employers were engaged through the Train to Gain Skills Brokerage Service. This was replaced in April 2009 by the Business Link Integrated Brokerage Service, which recorded 16,100 employer engagements between April and July 2009(1). Table 1 shows Train to Gain starts by (i) Hartlepool parliamentary constituency (ii) Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington and Redcar and Cleveland, local
authorities which comprise the Tees Valley sub region and (iii) the North-East Government office region for the 2005/06 to 2008/09 academic year, the latest year for which full year data is available. Final full year Train to Gain data for 2009/10, released as part of a Statistical First Release, is normally expected to be available in December 2010. Investment in further education and skills for the financial year 11-12 onwards will be subject to the spending review.
(1) The number of employer engagements represents the number of employers who have engaged with the Brokerage Service. It does not represent the number of employers with employees learning on the Train to Gain programme.
| Table 1: Train to Gain starts by Geography, 2005/06 to 2008/09 | ||||
| 2005/06( 1) | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09( 2) | |
| (1) April to August. (2) Figures for 2008/09 are not comparable with earlier years as in 2008/09 NVQs delivered in the workplace previously funded by FE are now funded by Train to Gain. There were 181,000 starts and 132,000 achievements in NVQs delivered in the workplace in 2007/08. Notes: 1. Parliamentary constituency, local authority and regional figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. The full-year numbers are a count of the number of starts at any point during the year. Learners starting more than one course will appear more than once. 3. Government office region, local authority and parliamentary constituency is based upon the home postcode of the learner. 4. Tees Valley sub region is comprised of Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington local authorities. Figures for Tees Valley sub region are based on the sum of unrounded data for these local authorities. Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||||
Train to Gain Programme: West Midlands
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) employers and (b) employees received support under the Train to Gain programme in the west midlands in 2009-10; and how many will receive such support in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12. [2348]
Mr Hayes: In England, between August 2008 and March 2009, 39,700 employers were engaged through the Train to Gain Skills Brokerage Service. This was replaced in April 2009 by the Business Link Integrated Brokerage Service, which recorded 16,100 employer engagements between April and July 2009.(1)
There were 106,600 Train to Gain starts in the west midlands Government office region in the 2008/09 academic year, the latest year for which full year data are available. Final full year Train to Gain data for 2009/10, released as part of a Statistical First Release, is normally expected to be available in December 2010.
Investment in further education and skills for the financial year 2011-12 onwards will be subject to the spending review.
(1) The number of employer engagements represents the number of employers who have engaged with the Brokerage Service. It does not represent the number of employers with employees learning on the Train to Gain programme.
Leader of the House
Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance
Chris Bryant: To ask the Leader of the House what discussions he has had with the House authorities on necessary long-term work to the Palace of Westminster; and if he will publish advice he has received on this matter. [2298]
Sir George Young: Long-term work to the Palace of Westminster is a matter for the House of Commons Commission. I have regular discussions with the House authorities on a range of issues, both in my capacity as Leader of the House and as a member of the House of Commons Commission.
Petitions
Chris Bryant: To ask the Leader of the House if he will make provision for online submission of petitions to the House. [2281]
Sir George Young: The Government propose a radical reform of the way the House handles petitions, with those that receive at least 100,000 signatures being eligible for debate in the House. Online petitioning could play an important part in these new procedures.
The Procedure Committee produced proposals in its First Report of 2007-08 (HC 136), which the previous Government resisted on the basis of the projected cost of more than £4 million over the course of a Parliament (HC 952, Session 2008-09). Any further proposals would need to demonstrate that they offered good value for money.
Written Questions
Chris Bryant: To ask the Leader of the House if he will discuss with the authorities of both Houses provision for combining the publication of ministerial answers to written questions asked in the House of Lords and the House of Commons. [2280]
Sir George Young: The publication of written ministerial answers is a matter for each House. I have no plans to propose any changes to the current arrangements.
Energy and Climate Change
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which Ministers in his Department have been issued with (a) a BlackBerry, (b) an iPhone, (c) another make of mobile telephone and (d) a personal digital assistant supplied by the Department. [1432]
Gregory Barker: All four Ministers at this Department have been issued with one BlackBerry each.
Departmental Official Cars
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the use by Ministers in his Department of cars allocated from (a) his Department's pool and (b) the Government car pool which are manufactured in the UK; whether Ministers in his Department are entitled to request the use of a car manufactured in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [2410]
Gregory Barker: I refer you to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 14 June 2010, Official Report, column 290-91W.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many individual car journeys have been made on ministerial duties by Ministers in his Department in the last four weeks. [2690]
Gregory Barker: The information requested is not held.
Nuclear Power Stations: Insurance
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his estimate is of the cost to the public purse of insurance indemnities to the nuclear industry in the latest period for which figures are available. [2022]
Radioactive Waste: Waste Management
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on the (i) earliest and (ii) latest dates for the proposed national deep-level geological repository for radioactive waste to open to receive waste deposits; and what discussions his Department has had on the operation opening dates of that proposed repository. [2390]
Charles Hendry: Ministers held discussions with representatives from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on a recent visit to Sellafield. This visit provided an opportunity to discuss the NDA's responsibilities for decommissioning and clean-up of the UK's public civil nuclear sites including the geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste. Officials regularly meet the NDA to discuss the same responsibilities.
In 2008, communities were invited to 'Express an Interest' in entering discussions with Government about a siting process for a geological disposal facility and to date three 'Expressions of Interest' have been received from authorities in west Cumbria. The programme towards implementation is flexible and incorporates both robust technical site investigations and ongoing interactions between the project and local communities. The Government have therefore not set a fixed delivery timetable, however the NDA has a current planning assumption that the disposal facility could be available to receive the first waste in 2040.
This Government recognise the need for strong leadership and effective programme management for geological disposal and will publish a more detailed timeline against which progress can be measured. This will be based on NDA planning assumptions which are benchmarked against international experience.
Interim stores provide safe and secure facilities throughout the geological disposal facility development programme. In the event that geological disposal facilities are not available until after 2040, they can have their lives extended as required.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with (i) industry and (ii) local authorities on the location for an underground repository for radioactive waste; and if he will make a statement. [2393]
Charles Hendry: In 2008, communities were invited to 'Express an Interest' in entering discussions with Government about a siting process for a geological disposal facility for higher activity radioactive waste.
To date, three 'Expressions of Interest' have been received (Copeland borough council, Cumbria county council and Allerdale borough council) for the areas of Copeland and Allerdale. The authorities and local stakeholders are working together in partnership to consider issues relevant to this stage of the process and DECC officials have regular discussions with them as part of these arrangements. Further information about the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) Partnership can be found at
The option to 'Express an Interest' remains open and as such DECC officials have promoted the invite, as well as the opportunities that will arise from hosting such a facility, at a number of national events and meetings with local authorities and industry. Ministers will also seek to confirm the invitation process wherever possible during their routine visits and meetings.
Renewable Energy
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for renewable heat incentive schemes; and if he will make a statement. [971]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 7 June 2010]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon) on 15 June 2010, Official Report, columns 367-68W.
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