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16 Nov 2010 : Column 730W—continued
| DTE Tain | ||||||||
| Number | ||||||||
| Station | Aircraft | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010( 1) |
| (1) To 31 October. | ||||||||
| DTE Cape Wrath( 1) | ||||||
| Number | ||||||
| Station | Aircraft | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010( 2) |
| (1) Information relating to DTE Cape Wrath can be provided only from 2006. (2) To 31 October. | ||||||
RAF Wainfleet closed on 3 December 2009.
Information regarding the hours that the Defence Training Estate (DTE) Donna Nook, DTE Holbeach, MOD West Freugh, DTE Tain and DTE Cape Wrath have been used for training operations for each aircraft type is not held in the format requested.
Information relating to the passes that have taken place at MOD West Freugh for aircraft since 2004 and the airbase from which the flights originated is also not held in the format requested.
Armed Forces: Conditions of Employment
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of years' service is for (a) a Royal Marine commando and (b) an army infantry soldier. [22793]
Mr Robathan: The average length of service of all ranks in the Royal Marines, other than commissioned, and across all trades is 11 years and two months.
The average length of service of all ranks, other than commissioned, in the Army infantry is seven years and nine months.
Armed Forces: Training
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the average cost to the public purse of training an officer cadet in (a) the Royal Marines, (b) the Army, (c) the RAF and (d) the Royal Navy for a commission as a junior officer. [22419]
Nick Harvey: The following estimates, based on approximate figures, have been made of the cost of training an officer cadet through to their commission as a junior Officer.
A junior Royal Marine Officer's training costs some £93,000. Other than local familiarisation training a graduate from Commando Training Centre Royal Marines is fully deployable.
Junior Officers in other services would be required to take on further training (Phase Two) to specialise in their chosen field, before being fully deployable. However, Phase One costs are as follows:
For a junior Royal Navy Officer Phase One training costs some £42,000.
For a junior Army Officer Phase One training costs some £54,000.
For a junior RAF Officer Phase One training costs some £49,000.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost to the public purse was of training to deployable status (a) a Royal Marine and (b) an infantryman in the latest period for which figures are available. [24271]
Nick Harvey [holding answer 15 November 2010]: The training cost for a Royal Marine from recruitment to graduation from the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) is in the region of £54,000. Other than local familiarisation training, a graduate from CTCRM is fully deployable.
The training cost for an Infantry soldier from recruitment to graduation from the Infantry Training Centre is in the region of £31,000. However, a soldier is not deployable at that stage and will undertake further training to become operationally effective within their unit. These further costs are not collected centrally and will include an element of local training where the cost: is not easily identifiable, for example one to one instruction by a Non-Commissioned Officer improving tactical knowledge of a unit's operational function.
Chinook Helicopters
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons he reduced the number of Chinook helicopters on order from 22 to 12. [19555]
Peter Luff: There could be no reduction in the number of Chinook helicopters on order as none have yet been ordered.
Defence Estates: Decontamination
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the extent of contamination in parts of the defence estate under consideration for disposal; and what estimate his Department has made of the likely clean-up costs. [24311]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not yet made an assessment of the level of contamination in parts of the defence estate under consideration for disposal. When a site is declared surplus to requirements it is normal for MOD to undertake a Land Quality Assessment (LQA), the objective being to provide sufficient information on land quality to inform decision makers and prospective purchasers and will quantify the contaminated land risks on a logical and rational basis.
The likely clean-up costs and value of land will ultimately be determined by the market, based on the available information, prevailing planning situation and its proposed use.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the level of contamination of each airfield under consideration for closure; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost of clean-up in each case. [24312]
Mr Robathan:
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not yet made an assessment of the level of contamination in each airfield under consideration for disposal. When an airfield is declared surplus to requirements it is
normal for the MOD to undertake a Land Quality Assessment (LQA), the objective being to provide sufficient information on land quality to inform decision makers and prospective purchasers and will quantify the contaminated land risks on a logical and rational basis.
The likely clean-up costs and value of land will ultimately be determined by the market, based on the available information, prevailing planning situation and its proposed use.
Defence: Expenditure
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the information provided by his Department to NATO on defence expenditure for the purpose of calculating UK defence expenditure as a proportion of gross domestic product will include spending on the (a) Stabilisation Fund, (b) Conflict Prevention Fund, (c) Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund and (d) Single Intelligence Account. [23838]
Mr Gerald Howarth [holding answer 12 November 2010]: None of the funds in question were included in the estimate that future UK Defence spending will continue to meet the NATO target.
Devonport Dockyard
Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for Devonport as the home of the amphibious fleet. [23193]
Mr Robathan: On current plans, Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport will remain the main operating base of the amphibious fleet.
Human Rights
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he made of the cost to his Department and its non-departmental public bodies of compliance with (a) domestic, (b) European and (c) other international human rights requirements in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [18724]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not collate information on the costs of compliance with human rights requirements and such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The MOD takes account of the domestic and international human rights framework in developing its policies and practices.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Joint Strike Fighters have been purchased for initial operational test and evaluation; what type they were; and what the cost of each was; [22939]
(2) if he will estimate the cost to date of the initial operational test and evaluation phase for the Joint Strike Fighter 35B; [22940]
(3) how many flight hours there have been during the initial operational test and evaluation phase for the Joint Strike Fighter 35B. [22941]
Mr Robathan: The UK requires three instrumented Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft to conduct joint initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) with the US armed forces. The low rate initial production contract signed in 2009 contained the first two UK short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) JSFs and set a target unit price at approximately £100 million. The unit price for the third aircraft is still subject to commercial sensitivity, but we expect a reduction in unit price in line with industry cost improvement and production learner requirements. Importantly, participation in joint IOT&E with the US services will meet the majority of our test and evaluation requirements as the mission systems are common between variants. The flying phase of IOT&E is not expected to commence before 2012.
Military Aircraft
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what platforms will continue to mount a maritime search radar after the withdrawal of the Nimrod; whether such a radar is to be mounted on any other aircraft which will be tasked to carry out long-range search-and-rescue; and if he will make a statement. [22605]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 11 November 2010]: A range of other military aircraft provide search and rescue radar capability to the armed forces. While E-3D Sentry is optimised for the air to air role, its radar has a maritime search mode. Hercules C-130 aircraft are fitted with radar systems that provide basic maritime search capabilities. RAF Sea King HAR 3/3 A, Royal Navy Merlin Mk 1 and the RN Lynx helicopters all possess short-range surface search radar for use in maritime search and rescue work.
Military Bases
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will urge the US Administration to remove stores of cluster bombs on US bases in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [23664]
Nick Harvey: The US Administration has removed its stores of cluster munitions from its bases in the UK. There are no US or any other foreign cluster munition stockpiles in the UK.
NATO: European Naval Force
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure data sharing between the NATO Maritime Force and the European Naval Force. [23450]
Mr Gerald Howarth: The UK Government continue actively to encourage member states of NATO and the EU to ensure that the data generated by present and future maritime sensors and systems are shared by all relevant maritime forces.
Navy: Accidents
Mr Davidson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what records his Department keeps of collisions between Royal Navy vessels and naval vessels
of other countries; on how many occasions in the last 10 years Royal Navy ships or submarines have been in collision with vessels of the French navy; and if he will make a statement. [23998]
Nick Harvey: The Department keeps records of any incident between Royal Navy vessels and other vessels, including with warships of other countries. This includes all signals, formal reports, investigations, charts, data recordings and tape recordings.
In the last 10 years, there has been one occasion when a Royal Navy vessel has been in a collision with a French Navy vessel. This occurred in February 2009 between the Royal Navy submarine HMS Vanguard and the French Submarine Le Triomphant.
Nimrod Aircraft
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review the role of the Royal Air Force in Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance in support of operations in Afghanistan following his decision not to bring the Nimrod MRA4 into service. [23465]
Mr Robathan: Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability has a vital role to play in military operations in Afghanistan; as with all requirements, we keep our ISTAR capabilities, including those provided by the Royal Air Force, under constant review to ensure that they continue to meet our mission objectives.
Rosyth Dockyard: Radiation Exposure
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2010, Official Report, column 957W, on Rosyth Dockyard: Radiation Exposure, by what mechanism Babcock Marine (Rosyth) Ltd reports to his Department on compliance with radiation protection regulations; how many visits have been made by inspectors from the relevant regulators since the contract was signed; what the monetary value is of the contract between Babcock Marine (Rosyth) Ltd and his Department; and if he will place in the Library copies of all radiation protection monitoring reports made since the contract commenced. [23870]
Mr Robathan: The Nuclear Safety Infrastructure and Post Nuclear Operation and Maintenance contract between Babcock Marine (Rosyth) Ltd and the Ministry of Defence covers a three year period from April 2010 to March 2013. The value of this contract is approximately £11 million.
The contract requires that the company report all radiological occurrences or unplanned nuclear events at Rosyth to the Department. This is achieved through routine contract management and reporting processes. Additionally there is a bi-annual, Regulatory Interface Forum attended by the MOD and Babcock Marine (Rosyth) Ltd, where any such occurrences would be discussed.
Rosyth Dockyard, which is owned and operated by Babcock Marine, is regulated by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. Site Inspectors visit the Rosyth site
on a regular basis; details on the exact number of visits are not held by the MOD and are a matter for Babcock Marine or the regulatory bodies.
Quarterly monitoring reports are produced by the NII and are published by the Health and Safety Executive.
Royal Navy: Manpower
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effects on (a) his Department's operations at Kentigern House in Glasgow and (b) HMNB Clyde of the proposed reduction by 25,000 in the number of his Department's staff by 2015. [19715]
Mr Robathan: The Strategic Defence and Security Review stated that the Ministry of Defence civil service would decrease by 25,000 as the requirement for civilian support decreases in line with the development of new force structures, restructuring of defence capabilities, rationalisation of the defence estate and realisation of other non-front line savings. While no decisions have been taken on where those changes will be made, detailed proposals to deliver the changes will be brought forward in consultation with the Department's trade unions as quickly as possible as further work is taken forward.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Adult Education
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have taken up a free training place for a first full level 2 qualification for those aged over 25 years in each of the last five years. [24282]
Mr Hayes: The following table shows the number of further education courses in each academic year where learners aged 25 or over are recorded as receiving fee remission due to the learner having a full level 2 entitlement.
| Courses for learners aged 25 or over that received fee remission due to a full level 2 entitlement | ||
| Further education/learner responsive | Train to Gain | |
| (1) This field was added to the employer responsive data collection from 2008/09, and hence data are not available for Train to Gain for earlier years. Notes: 1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures for 2008/09 are not directly comparable with earlier years due to a change in funding methodology. 3. Further education learners were returned on the FE ILR until 2007/08, and on the LR ILR from 2008/09. 4. Age is based on age at the start of the academic year. Figures include a small number of learners with unknown age. Source: FE/LR ad ER Individualised Learner Record. | ||
Adult Education: Fees and Charges
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future level of fees for those aged over 25 years in respect of a first full level 2 course; and if he will make a statement. [24281]
Mr Hayes: The spending review announcement on 20 October 2010 set out the need for a rebalancing of investment from public spending towards greater contributions from individuals and employers who benefit most and can afford to pay. The skills strategy and associated investment strategy for post-19 further education (FE) and skills, to be published later this autumn, will confirm our funding strategy for the spending review period, including the future investment in older learners.
In the 2010/11 academic year the public funding paid to FE colleges and training organisations for learners who are not eligible for full funding assumes a 50% contribution from the learner with the remainder funded by Government.
FE colleges and training organisations are autonomous and are responsible for setting their own fees policy.
AgustaWestland: Finance
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the financial assistance to AgustaWestland announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review has been approved by the Shareholder Executive. [23551]
Mr Davey [holding answer 12 November 2010]: The Shareholder Executive is one of the bodies responsible for providing advice to Ministers on the proposed terms of government financial assistance. The Shareholder Executive is not responsible for approving decisions to provide financial assistance; these decisions are taken by Ministers in the context of the spending review. The Government are currently in discussions with AgustaWestland regarding the proposed terms of Government financial assistance to the company, and the Shareholder Executive is involved in these discussions. Details of the proposed terms under discussion cannot be disclosed as they are subject to negotiations and are commercially sensitive.
Animation: Higher Education
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether animation degrees will be classified as degrees in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics subject for the purpose of the Government's proposed higher education funding changes. [24150]
Mr Hayes: We will set out our proposals for the future definition and funding treatment of priority subjects in the forthcoming higher education White Paper.
Apprentices
Justin Tomlinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what long-term role he plans for (a) apprenticeship training associations and
(b) group training associations in respect of the new apprenticeship places announced in the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [24552]
Mr Hayes: The increased funding announced in the comprehensive spending review is participation funding for adult apprenticeship training. This will mean that we will have in place sufficient funding for 75,000 more adult apprenticeship places than the previous Government were providing.
The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) allocates participation funding to colleges and providers to reflect the pattern of employer demand and funding is moved in year to reflect local need. We have no plans to target this funding at specific types of provider.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the apprenticeship training associations pilot schemes funded by the Skills Funding Agency. [24553]
Mr Hayes: The Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) model is being piloted and progress will be monitored by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS). Early evidence from the pilots is positive and they are proving effective in encouraging additional smaller employers to take on apprentices for the first time.
The ATAs contracts started in autumn 2009 and after an initial development phase they began recruiting in early 2010. The National Apprenticeship Service will review the 12 pilots in 2011.
An ATA code of practice is currently being developed by the NAS and tested with the ATA pilot organisations. This will test the theory of the model against the actual delivery and also give us an indication of how they are working in practice.
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people participated in an apprentice scheme funded by his Department between 2005 and 2010. [24682]
Mr Hayes: The following shows the number of apprenticeship starts in England from 2004/05 to 2008/09, the latest year for which final data are available.
| Apprenticeship programme starts, 2004/05 to 2008/09 | |
| Academic year | Number of starts |
| Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 16 November: http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Business
Chi Onwurah:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of companies (a) in each industry sector, (b) of each workforce size and (c) of each
public listing status which comprise the 6 per cent. of high growth business referred to in his Department's document, Backing small business. [24481]
Mr Prisk: BIS has not made an estimate of the number of companies in each sector, of each size band, and of each public listing status which comprise the 6% high growth businesses.
However, further detail about this group of businesses identified as high growth is included in the research report published by NESTA titled "Measuring Business Growth", available at
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) restructurings and (b) insolvencies of small and medium-sized enterprises likely to occur in the next 12 months. [24524]
Mr Davey: Official Statistics covering corporate restructurings are not compiled and no assessment has been made of numbers expected in the next 12 months.
The data sources used to compile the Insolvency Service's corporate insolvency statistics do not contain the necessary information from which small and medium-sized firms may be separately identified. The Insolvency Service has not made any assessment of the numbers of insolvencies among small and medium-sized enterprises in the next 12 months.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's document Backing small business, what level of per annum proportional growth his Department classifies as transformational. [24543]
Mr Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will set out its plans for business improvement in more detail shortly.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding he plans to allocate for the proposed network of growth hubs, referred to in his Department's document Backing small business, in the comprehensive spending review period; and whether funding for those hubs will be drawn from the same budget as that allocated for the proposed network of technology and innovation centres. [24544]
Mr Prisk: At least £200 million will be made available for technology and innovation centres over the course of the spending review period. Funding allocations for growth hubs are still to be determined as part of the process of prioritising activity in line with the spending review settlement. The Government will confirm funding once this process is complete.
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the inclusion of a country-by-country financial reporting standard in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines for multinational companies. [24609]
Mr Davey: The Government are seeking to address and take forward issues relating to taxation and disclosure during the current negotiations to update the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
The OECD's Task Force on Tax and Development, is currently conducting a detailed examination of the issue of country-by-country reporting. This task force is expected to report within a year.
Consumer Focus
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the workload of Citizens Advice of his decision to abolish Consumer Focus and transfer its functions to that body. [24444]
Mr Davey: On 14 October, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced changes to the UK Consumer and Competition bodies:
In that statement he outlined proposals including the transfer of the functions of Consumer Focus to the national bodies for the Citizens Advice service in England and Wales and in Scotland.
BIS are now discussing implementation with the consumer bodies including Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland and with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Governments. As also announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, BIS will consult publicly on the main elements of the proposals in the new year.
Cumbria University: Finance
Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will allocate funding to the university of Cumbria to enable that university to extend its programme of courses offered off its established campus facilities in West Cumbria. [24152]
Mr Hayes: Decisions on the allocation of funding to individual institutions are made by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) within the limits set by the overall level of funding made available by the Department.
EU Grants and Loans
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the disbursement of European Regional Development Fund money through regional development agencies. [24355]
Mr Prisk: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with the European Commission on the disbursement of European Regional Development Fund money through regional development agencies.
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the European Regional Development Fund he plans to allocate to the English regions in the period from 2010 to 2015. [24356]
Mr Prisk: European Regional Development Fund allocations to each of the English regions for the period 2007-13 have already been made and are shown in the following table. These allocations may be spent up until end 2015.
| 2007-13 ERDF allocations | ||
| M illion | ||
| € | £( 1) | |
| (1) Approximate values. | ||
Executives
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of small and medium-sized enterprises run by (a) women and (b) men in England and Wales. [24569]
Mr Prisk: BIS estimate that there were 4,381,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in England and Wales at the start of 2009. Of these, BIS currently estimate that 14.3% (630,000) were majority-led by women, 61.6% (2,697,000) were majority-led by men and 24% (1,051,000) were equally led by men and women.
Green Investment Bank
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the funding the Green Investment Bank will attract in the next five years. [23444]
Mr Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the Chancellor's spending review statement of 20 October 2010, Official Report, column 949.
As the Chancellor has announced, we will be funding the Green Investment Bank (GIB) from £1 billion of departmental budgets, as well as from significant proceeds from the sale of Government's assets.
While it would not be appropriate to speculate on the timing of asset sales, the use of these proceeds should provide opportunities for additional funding to be available over the next five years.
Furthermore, we are committed to working with the private sector to establish a GIB that is effective in mobilising additional private sector investment into green infrastructure projects.
Higher Education
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what degrees offered at universities are classified as science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects. [24149]
Mr Hayes: There is no formal, single classification covering the broad grouping of subjects that typically includes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). However, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has traditionally taken the view that STEM subjects are covered by groups A-K of the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS). The high-level subject groups in the JACS are:
| Subject | |
|
Eastern, Asiatic, African, American and Australasian Languages, Literature and related subjects | |
Higher Education Innovation Fund
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what projects the Higher Education Innovation Fund is assisting in 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [23613]
Mr Hayes: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) allocates Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) on a formulaic basis to all higher education institutions in England. These institutions decide which activities to undertake in accordance with their individual strategies. The current strategies are available on the Institute for Knowledge Transfer's website at:
Higher Education: Bexley
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley applied for a university place in the last 12 months; and how many of those were successful. [23686]
Mr Hayes: The information is in the following table.
Applicants who were not accepted for entry will include: individuals who did not receive any offer; individuals who received an offer (conditional or unconditional) but decided not to go to university; individuals who received a conditional offer and fail to meet the specific conditions (e.g. they do not achieve certain grades); and individuals who decided to withdraw from the UCAS system.
| Applicants and accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses in UK HEIs from Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and the London borough of Bexley, 2010 | ||
| Applicants | Accepted applicants | |
| Source: UCAS provisional end of year data (represents applicants and accepted applicants at 13 October 2010; end of year data will be available from 20 January 2011 | ||
Higher Education: Finance
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from universities on the proposed reduction in the level of public funding of universities. [23601]
Mr Hayes: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and ministerial colleagues have received representations from all of the higher education representative bodies and many individual institutions on the future of higher education funding. My colleagues and I hold regular meetings with such organisations.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what modelling his Department has undertaken for the purposes of its impact assessment of the proposed reduction in teaching grants. [23602]
Mr Hayes: The Government will publish a full impact assessment when we put formal proposals to Parliament for amending the legislation that underpins higher education funding and student support. The Government will undertake a further impact assessment of any wider changes proposed as a result of a Higher Education White Paper, and this will be published alongside the White Paper in the winter.
Higher Education: Private Sector
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential role for private sector providers of higher education following the implementation of proposed reforms to the higher education system. [24523]
Mr Hayes:
The Government want to make it easier for new providers who can offer excellent teaching and a high-quality experience for students to enter the higher education sector. However, this is one of a number of institutional issues in the wake of Lord Browne's independent review of higher education and student finance which requires thorough debate and consultation.
We intend therefore to publish a Higher Education White Paper with proposals to which experts from the sector can react, leading to a Higher Education Bill.
Innovation
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make assistance available for businesses in the same sector as each of his proposed innovation centres which are not located in the same region as the centre. [23225]
Mr Hayes: The proposed technology and innovation centres will be national in scope and accessed by businesses in the same sector regardless of location.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date he expects each of his proposed innovation centres to be (a) built and (b) in operation. [23227]
Mr Hayes: The network of Technology and Innovation Centres will further develop existing regional development agency (RDA) funded centres which are excellent and establish a limited number of new centres.
New centres will be established on a 'needs for basis' in the context of the Technology Strategy Board's overall programme of work, and we cannot therefore specify dates on which they will be built and in operation at this stage. However, the Technology Strategy Board will identify its strategic priorities for the upcoming comprehensive spending review (CSR) period and the areas for which it will assess the need for new centres through more detailed work in partnership with industry, academe and stakeholders, including wider government, in April 2011.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has assessed the likely requirement for non-EU nationals to work in his proposed innovation centres. [23239]
Mr Hayes: The Government have always been clear that we will continue to allow the brightest and the best to come to the UK, including top scientists and researchers. Centres may benefit from recruiting non-EU nationals to meet the highly specialised skills requirements they will have. This will be a matter for individual centres, although they will have to work within the framework of rules regulating non-EU migration.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what plans he has for his proposed innovation centres to engage with (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) further education colleges; [23240]
(2) whether there will be a duty on his proposed innovation centres to undertake community outreach work. [23241]
Mr Hayes: We expect the Technology and Innovation Centres to engage formally with further education colleges, and utilise schemes such as Knowledge Transfer partnerships, where appropriate, to ensure the relevant flow of people and skills that will help business exploit new and emerging technologies.
We will also encourage the Technology and Innovation Centres to undertake appropriate outreach activities with local communities and schools.
Minimum Wage
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for future changes to the level of the minimum wage. [24213]
Mr Davey: The coalition agreement states that Government supports the national minimum wage (NMW) because of the protection it gives low income workers and the incentives to work it provides.
The independent Low Pay Commission advises Government on NMW issues and makes recommendations on the rates each year. The LPC will report to Government again in February 2011. The Government will make decisions on the level of the NMW based on the LPC's recommendations.
Myasthenia Gravis: Research
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department allocated for research relating to myasthenia gravis in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each of the previous three years. [23580]
Mr Hayes: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research.
In the last three years, MRC expenditure on research relating to myasthenia gravis was as follows:
| £ | |
Figures for 2010/11 are not yet available.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department plans to provide for research relating to myasthenia gravis in each of the next three financial years. [23581]
Mr Hayes: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. In keeping with the Haldane principle, prioritisation of an individual research council's spending within its allocation is not a decision for Ministers. The MRC will make decisions on its priorities once its allocation is clear.
The MRC funds investigator-led research in response-mode and encourages research proposals from the academic community and always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.
New Businesses
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of new businesses started by (a) men and (b) women in England in the last 12 months. [24570]
Mr Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills do not produce estimates of the number of new businesses started by men and women.
Official data on business start-ups and closures are published by the Office for National Statistics in the 'Business Demography' publication. However, since gender is not collected on the administrative systems used to produce this data, it is not possible to provide this information by gender.
News International
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2010, Official Report, column 367W, on News International, whether (a) he and (b) the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries discussed with (i) James Murdoch and (ii) Rebekah Brooks (A) the Metropolitan Police's investigation on telephone hacking and blagging and (B) News Corporation's bid for BSkyB; and if he will make a statement. [21844] [Official Report, 27 January 2011, Vol. 522, c. 3MC.]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 4 November 2010]: The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills had a short introductory telephone conversation with James Murdoch on 15 July during which the News Corporation bid for BSkyB was raised. They did not discuss the Metropolitan police's investigation on telephone hacking.
In my role as a joint BIS/DCMS Minister, I met Rebekah Brooks on 12 July. During this meeting neither News Corporation's bid for BSkyB, nor the Metropolitan police's investigation on telephone hacking were discussed.
Office for Fair Access
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many people were employed in the Office for Fair Access in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010; [23595]
(2) what funding he plans to allocate to the Office for Fair Access to take account of his Department's proposed changes to higher education funding in each year between 2010 and 2015; [23600]
(3) how many staff he expects the Office for Fair Access to employ in each year between 2011 and 2015. [23603]
Mr Hayes: The Office for Fair Access employed four people including the Director in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Staffing for future years will be a matter for the Director to determine based on the resource allocated to him. OFFA's budget for 2010-11 was £464,000. Allocations for future years will be announced in due course.
The future status and role of OFFA is currently under review and we will bring forward proposals in the forthcoming Higher Education White Paper.
One NorthEast: Assets
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the properties owned by One NorthEast after its closure. [23355]
Mr Prisk: As set out in the White Paper on local growth, RDA assets and liabilities will be disposed of in line with a clear set of principles which include a key aim of achieving the best possible outcome for the region consistent with achieving value to the public purse.
Royal Mail
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises with contracts to supply goods and services to Royal Mail; what the average monetary value of such contracts is in a 12 month period; and how much notice such suppliers will receive of implementation of the outcomes of the review of supplier payment terms. [23916]
Mr Davey: Royal Mail's supplier contracts are an operational matter for the company.
I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Science: Finance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the change in the science budget was in (a) cash and (b) real terms between 2002 and 2008. [24532]
Mr Hayes: The Science and Research Budget increased from £2.1 billion in 2002-03 to £3.7 billion in 2008-09.
(a) This is a change of £1.6 billion in cash terms.
(b) This is a change of £1.2 billion in real terms.
Space Technology
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to increase the number of business start-ups in the space sector. [23772]
Mr Hayes: This Department through the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Technology Strategy Board and the UK Space Agency will be opening a business incubation centre at Harwell on the 2 December 2010 jointly with the European Space Agency. This aims to create 10 new businesses a year across the UK.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he expects his Department to provide to businesses in the space sector in each year of the Spending Review period. [23773]
Mr Hayes: The budget for the space sector in each year of the spending review is still under finalisation within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The final decision will be taken in the light of the overall departmental budget allocations and should be agreed before the end of the year.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will identify those regions most likely to host the predicted growth in the space industry. [23774]
Mr Hayes: The recent survey of the size and health of the UK Space Industry suggests that the majority of companies are based in the South East of England, and so in the immediate future growth is therefore most likely to occur in this area. Companies are also beginning to grow in other parts of the country and I would anticipate that in the longer term growth will take place in other regions, even if from a small baseline.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the establishment of a national Earth observation service to acquire images on behalf of Government Departments. [23775]
Mr Hayes: In 2010 an Industry led Innovation Growth Strategy report recommended that the UK establish a national Earth observation data service. In response this Department, through the UK Space Agency, is supporting a review of the Government's need for data, including imagery data, from space. This will estimate the size and nature of the public sector demand for Earth observation services now and into the future. The review will determine whether cost efficiencies and wealth creation can be derived from a strategic government procurement exercise creating a national Earth observation service. On the basis of this work, the final Government position will be taken during 2011 or 2012.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department provides to private companies working in the space sector for testing technology in orbit. [23776]
Mr Hayes: The exact level of funding is determined by the quality of relevant proposals in the all areas of space technology. At present we have one project for a small satellite and a nano satellite to test technology in orbit, and the estimated cost to HMG is approximately £4 million. In addition individual payloads will be provided through a competition.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what alterations his Department has made to the public subsidies available to private businesses involved in the space sector since 11 May 2010. [23777]
Mr Hayes: The Department offers no direct public subsidies to companies in the space industry. In term of space expenditure this Department has initiated no alterations to the plans in place on 11 May 2010.
Chi Onwurah:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has
made of research and development spending in the space sector in each year of the Spending Review period. [23832]
Mr Hayes: The budget for the space sector in each year of the spending review is still under finalisation within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The final decision will be taken in the light of the overall departmental budget allocations and should be agreed before the end of the year.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department plans to provide to support the satellite manufacturing industry in 2010-11. [23833]
Mr Hayes: This Department estimates that approximately £230m will be paid in contributions to the European Space Agency in 2010/11. This accounts for the majority of the UK's space spend and we do not keep specific breakdowns on how much goes directly to satellite manufacturing. Within the industry, satellite manufacturing accounts for about 50-60% of total turnover.
Students: Fees and Charges
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the merits of providing a facility for forgivable loans for medical students after the rise in the cap on tuition fees. [24533]
Mr Hayes: Currently full-time undergraduate medical students in England can apply for the same student support from Student Finance England as other full-time undergraduates for the first four years of their course. From year five onwards the Department of Health pay the tuition fee in full and provide a means-tested bursary in addition to a reduced level maintenance loan and supplementary grants from Student Finance England. Shared arrangements are also in place for students studying Medicine as a second undergraduate degree and for those on graduate entry courses.
The Government have announced its broad plans for funding higher education in an oral statement on Wednesday 3 November. We will discuss the impact on medical students with the Department of Health, who share responsibility for providing student support for medical students.
Students: Finance
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effect of his proposed changes to student funding arrangements on the ability of graduates to take on further loans incur on leaving university. [23406]
Mr Hayes: Income contingent student loan borrowers are not required to pay back their loan until the April after they finish their course. Repayments are based on 9% of income above the threshold and linked directly to a borrower's income and not the size of their loan.
The Council for Mortgage Lenders advise that a student loan is very unlikely to materially impact on an individual's ability to get a mortgage. However, any
reduction in net income may result in a commensurate reduction in the amount a mortgage lender is willing to lend. Our proposal to increase the repayment threshold from £15,000 to £21,000 will increase the amount of net income available to borrowers because monthly repayments will fall as a result.
A student's ability to obtain a loan, such as a small business loan will depend on the bank or institution approached, and their terms and conditions.
Supermarkets: Ombudsman
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to implement the proposal in the coalition agreement to establish a grocery market ombudsman. [24673]
Mr Davey: The coalition agreement commits the Government to introduce the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). A consultation on the GCA took place between 5 February and 30 April 2010. The Government response of 3 August set out how we would take this body forward
We now have approval to publish a draft Bill in the first Session of this Parliament. This will be undertaken as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Solicitor-General
Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office
Mr Umunna: To ask the Solicitor-General what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of the HM Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office in carrying out its functions. [24266]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 15 November 2010]: The Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (RCPO) merged with the Crown Prosecution Service on 1 January 2010. Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate's (HMCPSI) report of July 2009 reported favourably on RCPO performance. The report concluded that RCPO has succeeded in restoring public and judicial confidence in customs prosecutions.
Education
Children In Care
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average time spent in care by looked-after children was in the latest period for which figures are available. [22736]
Tim Loughton
[holding answer 10 November 2010]: The average of any set of data is usually taken to be the mean. However in this case the mean length of time spent in care is heavily influenced by children who have spent a long period of their lives in care, around 4,600 looked after children have spent more than 10 years in
care. Therefore we have also provided information on the median (defined as the middle value of data sorted from lowest to highest) length of time spent in care.
Both the mean and median time spent in care for children who were looked after at 31 March 2010 are shown in the following table. These figures relate to the child's latest period of care and relate to the latest period for which information is available.
| Children looked after at 31 March by the average length of time in care, year ending 31 March 2010. Coverage: England | ||
| Number | ||
| Years | Months | |
| Source: SSDA 903 | ||
Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions each Minister in his Department has met his Department's chief scientific officer since 6 May 2010. [15442]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education's chief scientific adviser has met the Secretary of State on two occasions since 6 May 2010. During the same period the Minister of State, Department for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr Gibb) has met her on one occasion; both the Minister of State, Department for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Brent Central (Sarah Teather) and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State have met her twice; and I have met her on one occasion.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Dr Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data. [20692]
Mr Gibb: Most funding from the Department is given to either local authorities or schools. Most education funding is allocated using the number of pupils in school in the January prior to the start of the financial year. The formulae used to distribute resources for children, families and young people's services takes account of latest available population estimates produced by the Office for National Statistics.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people in each local authority ward in Leicester South constituency receive education maintenance allowance. [22317]
Mr Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Leicester South with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Rotherham
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students resident in Rotherham will no longer receive education maintenance allowance once it ends. [21609]
Mr Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Education: Assessments
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated research on the effects of rewarding pupils for effort rather than talent. [23009]
Tim Loughton: The Department has analysed research evidence on the effects of the use of rewards and incentives on pupils' performance. The Department has not commissioned any external research on the topic.
Free School Meals
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in each London borough were eligible for free school meals on the latest date for which figures are available. [22384]
Mr Gibb: The latest information on free school meal eligibility can be found in tables 11a, 11b and 11c of the Statistical First Release 'Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics: January 2010' which can be found at:
Free Schools
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to publish the names of the promoters of each bid to establish a free school. [21472]
Mr Gibb: The names of the first 16 Free School proposals that have been approved to progress to the business case and plan stage can be found on the Department's website at:
As other proposals are approved to progress to the business case and plan stage their details will be published on the Department's website.
Free Schools: Freedom of Information
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to publish the names of donors to free schools; and whether such schools will be classified as public authorities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [21471]
Mr Gibb: Under the Academies Act 2010, the Academy Trusts of Free Schools and Academies will be deemed as exempt charities from January 2011. Where Academy Trusts receive individual donations, there is no requirement in charity law or in the Charity Commission's Statement of Recommended Practice for them to disclose the names of individual donors or the amount of individual donations.
The Academies Act 2010 included a provision that extends the Freedom of Information Act to all Academy Trusts, including those of Free Schools. The FOI Act will apply to al Academy Trusts from January 2011, including the Academy Trusts of Free Schools.
Local Safeguarding Children Boards
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the independence from local agencies of the chair of a local safeguarding children board. [21678]
Tim Loughton: The Government believe that the chair should be someone independent of the local agencies so that the local safeguarding children board can exercise its local challenge function effectively. It is expected that all local safeguarding children boards will work towards this over time.
As part of her review of child protection, Professor Eileen Munro will consider the role of local safeguarding children boards and how they can become more effective in their leadership role in multi-agency learning about child protection. Professor Munro's final report is due in April 2011 and the Government look forward to receiving her recommendations.
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