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22 July 2010 : Column 594W—continued
Insolvency
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms are in place to protect small and medium-sized enterprises against the effects of insolvencies upstream in a supply chain. [7195]
Mr Davey: Our insolvency regime provides a number of mechanisms to ensure that companies who may be facing financial distress but could remain viable have the opportunity to reach a compromise with their creditors. There is also a range of business support available, especially for SMEs. The Business Link service provides customers with access to help and support, offering free, impartial advice and information. Business Link is delivered via three channels-a network of business advisors, a national helpline (0845 6009006) and an online portal:
Local Enterprise Partnerships: Worcestershire
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations his Department has received on the establishment of (a) a Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and (b) other such partnerships to cover (i) Worcester and (ii) other areas of Worcestershire. [10500]
Mr Prisk: Local authorities and business from Worcestershire have been involved in discussions on the Government's proposals for local enterprise partnerships.
The Government wrote to local authorities and business groups on 29 June inviting outline proposals for local enterprise partnerships by the 6 September.
Manufacturing Industries: Middlesbrough
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide funding to attract private manufacturing capital in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. [9452]
Mr Prisk:
The Government have no specific plans to provide funding to attract private manufacturing capital
in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, but manufacturers there can continue to access venture capital funding through a national programme of Enterprise Capital Funds which businesses can approach for growth funding via an equity share. The north-east has also now launched a £120 million venture capital and loan fund which has a number of funds which support a range of sectors including manufacturing. This is being sponsored by One North East, and will be administered by North East Finance.
National Composites Strategy
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his plans are for the future of the National Composites Strategy. [9803]
Mr Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave previously to the hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) on 20 July 2010 , Official Report, column 299W.
National Vocational Qualifications
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) England had an NVQ3 level or above on 1 April in each year since 2008; and if he will make a statement. [10135]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 20 July 2010]: The following table shows the number and percentage of working age adults (men aged 19 to 64 and women aged 19 to 59) in Peterborough unitary authority and England that hold qualifications equivalent to NVQ level 3 or above. These estimates are from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and cover the period from January to December in each of 2008 and 2009, the latest year for which data are available.
| Number and percentage of people aged 19 to 59/64 holding qualifications at NVQ level 3 or above, 2008 and 2009 | ||||||
| Working age adults at level 3 or above | Percentage of all working age adults | Confidence intervals | ||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2008 | 2009 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Base: Aged 19 to 59/64. Source: Annual Population Survey. | ||||||
While local authority level estimates can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey, the sample is not large enough to provide estimates for smaller geographies such as parliamentary constituencies. Furthermore, estimates for local authorities are subject to large sampling variability and should therefore be treated with caution and viewed in conjunction with their Confidence intervals(1) (CIs), which indicate how accurate an estimate is. For example, a CI of +/-3.0 percentage points (pp) means that the true value is between 3pp above the estimate and 3pp below the estimate.
Please note that these estimates will not be comparable with the national estimates from the Labour Force Survey, which BIS uses to report headline measures of qualifications held within the population at national level. As well as being based on different time periods, the estimates from the two data sets are complied using different methodologies. The method used to calculate the headline Labour Force Survey measure allows for known issues arising in capturing data on attainment through social surveys, but this method cannot be applied to the Annual Population Survey data. As a result, the estimates provided in the footnote potentially underestimate attainment within the population.
(1) Those given are 95% confidence intervals.
National Vocational Qualifications: Bexley
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley were awarded an NVQ Level 3 or above by 1 April in each year since 2008; and if he will make a statement. [10439]
Mr Willetts:
The following table shows the number and percentage of working age adults (men aged 19 to
64 and women aged 19 to 59) in the London borough of Bexley that hold qualifications equivalent to NVQ level 3 or above. These estimates are from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and cover the period from January to December in each of 2008 and 2009, the latest year for which data are available.
| Number and percentage of people aged 19-59/64 holding qualifications at NVQ Level 3 or above, 2008 and 2009 | ||||||
| Working age adults at Level 3 or above | Percentage of all working age adults | Confidence Intervals (percentage) | ||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2008 | 2009 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Base: Aged19-59/64 Source: Annual Population Survey | ||||||
While local authority level estimates can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey, the sample is not large enough to provide estimates for smaller geographies such as parliamentary constituencies. Furthermore, estimates for local authorities are subject to large sampling variability and should therefore be treated with caution and viewed in conjunction with their Confidence Intervals(1) (CIs), which indicate how accurate an estimate is. For example, a CI of +/-4.7 percentage points (pp) means that the true value is between 4.7pp above the estimate and 4.7pp below the estimate.
It is important to note that these estimates will not be comparable with the national estimates from the Labour Force Survey, which BIS uses to report headline measures of qualifications held within the population at national level. As well as being based on different time periods, the estimates from the two datasets are compiled using different methodologies. The method used to calculate the headline Labour Force Survey measure allows for known issues arising in capturing data on attainment through social surveys, but this method cannot be applied to the Annual Population Survey data. As a result, the estimates provided above potentially underestimate attainment within the population.
(1) Those given are 95% confidence intervals
Older Workers
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to support the PRIME initiative of events and training to return older people to work. [9590]
Mr Prisk: The coalition Government are committed to making this decade the most entrepreneurial and dynamic in our history. We will put in place a coherent and comprehensive strategy for enterprise and we welcome the contribution of all organisations that are assisting people to start a business, including PRIME.
One NorthEast: Grants
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what proportion of the grants made by or organised through One NorthEast went to organisations in (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector in each of the last five years; [10419]
(2) how much organisations in (a) the Tees Valley, (b) Tyneside and (c) Northumberland received in grants through One NorthEast in each of the last five years. [10420]
Mr Prisk: The Department allocates budgets to regional development agencies. The agencies determine which projects to support, subject to the terms of the Accountability and Financial Framework and their delegated financial authorities. RDAs' investments have been guided by the Regional Economic Strategy and their Corporate Plans. The Department does not hold details of individual projects supported by the RDAs within their delegated financial authorities.
Regional Development Agencies
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has guidelines to ensure a geographical spread of projects funded by regional development agencies across their region. [10313]
Mr Prisk: This Department allocates budgets to regional development agencies. The Agencies determine which projects to support, subject to the terms of the Accountability and Financial Framework and their delegated financial authorities. RDAs' investments in their regions have been guided by their corporate plans and the Regional Economic Strategy. The Regional Economic Strategy identifies the key sectors and geographical areas for investment, and is produced in consultation with stakeholders in the regions.
Regional Development Agencies: Assets
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to make a decision on the future ownership arrangements for assets purchased as part of regeneration programmes by regional development agencies. [9759]
Mr Prisk: Regional development agencies own a range of assets which were acquired for regeneration purposes. Some of these assets may be sold by agencies as part of their normal programme of disposal over the next year. We will be discussing with RDAs, their partners and other Departments the future ownership of other assets. No final decisions have been made.
Regional Planning and Development
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on (a) science and innovation and (b) industry of proposed reductions in regional spending. [10878]
Mr Prisk: Our proposals are for restructuring the delivery landscape for economic development. Replacing the regional development agencies (RDAs) with local enterprise partnerships will ensure that these partnerships better reflect the natural economic geography of the areas that they serve.
Reorganising the delivery of economic development will ensure a focused targeted delivery of policy/services in areas where it can have the most benefit, and we
would not expect that that this transition will have a negative impact on science and innovation or industry in the English regions.
Regional Planning and Development: Finance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to reallocate funding previously allocated to regional development agencies. [9934]
Mr Prisk: The forthcoming spending review will inform future funding allocations.
Strategic Investment Fund: Haringey
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each organisation in the London Borough of Haringey has received from the Strategic Investment Fund. [10987]
Mr Prisk: The Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) is funding around 45 different projects and programmes.
The SIF is a UK-wide fund, and a number of projects supported by the SIF are themselves UK-wide in geographical scope. They will benefit companies across the UK, including those in Haringey.
A number of other projects supported under the SIF can be identified to specific geographical locations, though the benefits of the projects will often be felt over a much wider area. There are no SIF projects located specifically in Haringey.
Wind Power: North East
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to proceed with the £500 million grant to the renewable wind energy industry in the North East announced in March 2010. [9936]
Mr Prisk: The Government have committed to proceeding with previously announced projects in the north east that support the renewable wind energy industry notably £18.5 million for offshore wind turbine test sites and £11.5 million for an extension to the wind turbine blade test facility, both at the National Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) at Blyth in Northumberland.
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