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17 Jun 2010 : Column 534W—continued
My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox)
My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Skills and Lifelong Learning (Mr Hayes) has been issued with a mobile phone.
The Department does not issue iPhones or personal digital assistants.
Higher Education
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which universities each Minister in his Department has visited since their appointment. [1896]
Mr Willetts: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has visited the university of Glasgow.
I have visited the university of Birmingham and Oxford Brookes university.
My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise has visited Coventry university.
Manufacturing Industries: Government Assistance
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to support the manufacturing sector. [2869]
Mr Prisk: The Government fully recognise the importance of manufacturing, and its role in achieving a balanced economy. Working with business we want to create a supportive environment for growth that will encourage innovation, exports and business investment. In particular we will consider the implementation of the Dyson Review and how this can help make the UK the leading high-tech exporter in Europe. We will decide on the best framework for manufacturing policy shortly, recognising that we are living in a world of financial constraint.
Northwest Regional Development Agency: Wigan
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 10 June 2010, Official Report, columns 234-36W, on the North West Regional Development Agency: Wigan, which of the projects have been allocated funding on (a) an ongoing and (b) a single grant basis. [2814]
Mr Prisk: All of the grants outlined in my earlier answer are single, time limited grant agreements, some of which may be spread over several financial years. The exception is funding to the Coalfields Regeneration Programme (Bickershaw Colliery Estate management costs) which forms part of the ongoing costs associated with the project.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to which projects in the Wigan local authority area the North West Regional Development Agency is considering allocating funding in financial year 2010-11. [2855]
Mr Prisk: For 2010-11 the following project has received concept agreement but has not yet been fully appraised or approved:
Parsonage Colliery Phase.
For 2010-11 the following pre-pipeline projects are under consideration by NWDA. No corporate decision has been made, and there is no confirmation whether these will proceed further:
Project Nice;
Wigan On Side Centre, Mesnes Park;
Turnpike Centre, Leigh; and
365-E Land Martland Park, Wigan.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which projects in the Wigan local authority area have been allocated funding by the North West Regional Development Agency in financial year 2010-11. [2856]
Mr Prisk: The information is as follows:
| Project name | LA district | Forecast spend 2010-11 (£) |
Post Offices
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many post office branches have become Post Office Essentials branches in the last 12 months. [2828]
Mr Davey: Post Office Ltd's Essential model is a pilot format that incorporates a range of Post Office services into an existing retailer's offer. Post Office Ltd is currently operating 48 Post Office Essential pilots.
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria are used in determining whether to change post office branches into Post Office Essentials branches. [2829]
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 House Libraries.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will extend the Network Subsidy Scheme beyond 2011. [3284]
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: Bank Services
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on establishing a Postbank. [3285]
Mr Davey: We have been clear in "The Coalition: our programme for government" that we will ensure that Post Offices are allowed to offer a wide range of services in order to sustain the network, and will look at the case for developing new sources of revenue, such as the creation of a Post Office Bank.
Regional Development Agencies
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what savings his Department requires (a) Yorkshire Forward and (b) each other regional development agency to make in the next three financial years; [2822]
(2) what guidance he has given to regional development agencies on the areas in which they should consider making budgetary savings; [2823]
(3) what (a) process and (b) timetable has been established for regional development agencies to submit proposals for implementing budgetary savings; [2824]
(4) whether Ministers are required to approve individual proposals for budgetary savings proposed by regional development agencies; [2825]
(5) what priority each regional development agency has given to expenditure on (a) research and development, (b) manufacturing and (c) support for redundancies in their proposals for implementing budgetary savings; [2809]
(6) what plans each regional development agency has to publish its plans for implementing budgetary savings. [2810]
Mr Prisk: No final decisions have been made on the allocation of the £270 million budget savings between the regional development agencies. We will be writing to RDAs about the allocation shortly. We will then work with the RDA network to minimise the impact on priority programmes. Stakeholders and delivery partners involved in affected programmes and projects will be kept fully informed as specific decisions are made.
UK Trade and Investment: Finance
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding allocation his Department made to UK Trade and Investment for (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and what allocation it plans to make for 2011-12. [2990]
Mr Prisk:
UKTI is a non-ministerial Government Department, funded from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and with its own Vote. FCO resources primarily funds people based overseas,
BIS resource funds UK based people and UKTI's own resource pays for grants and third party delivery of services to business.
BIS funding for 2009-10 was: £44.2 million. The original budget allocation for 2010-11 is £42.9 million. However, the final budget for 2010-11 may be revised downwards as a result of the Government's recently announced Departmental savings. Budget allocations for 2011-12 will be set as part of the Spending Review process, which is anticipated to conclude in autumn 2010.
Energy and Climate Change
Departmental Internet
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the URL is of each website managed by (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible. [2366]
Gregory Barker: Websites managed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change are as follows:
| Website address | |
Websites managed by the DECC NDPBs and agencies are as follows:
| Website address | |
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