| Westbound | ||
| From | To | Average daily flow |
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Aviation: Pilots
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of (a) airlines and (b) pilots since May 2010. [43936]
Mrs Villiers: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 28 February 2011, Official Report, column 176W, given to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Stephen Lloyd).
Aviation: Working Hours
Mr Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Civil Aviation Authority will maintain separate and enhanced flight time limitations for airline pilots following the implementation of the European Aviation Safety Agency’s Europe-wide regulations. [41405]
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will establish separate UK flight time limitations for airline pilots following the implementation of the European Aviation Safety Agency’s regulations on the same subject. [41512]
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Civil Aviation Authority will maintain separate and enhanced flight time limitations for airline pilots following the implementation of Europe-wide regulations by the European Aviation Safety Agency. [41628]
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Mrs Villiers: The European Aviation Safety Agency published draft legislation for consultation on 20 December 2010. The consultation closes on 20 March. The Civil Aviation Authority is currently reviewing the proposals. We will respond to the consultation once it has completed its review.
Once EASA’s final requirements are adopted as EU law there will be no scope for member states to establish separate national requirements.
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess whether changes to pilots’ flight time limitations proposed by the European Aviation Safety Agency provide levels of safety equivalent to existing levels. [41511]
Mrs Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham) of 7 February 2011, Official Report, column 51W.
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the maximum amount of time airline pilots should be expected to fly in one day. [41624]
Mrs Villiers: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer given to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Stephen Lloyd) on 28 February 2011, Official Report, column 177W.
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on safety of the European Aviation Safety Agency’s notice of proposed amendment for flight time limitations; whether he has conducted a risk assessment in respect of the agency’s current plans to reform flight time limitations; and what factors he will use in determining whether changes to pilots’ flight time limitations proposed by the agency provide an appropriate level of safety. [41627]
Mrs Villiers: I refer my hon. Friend to my answers given to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham) of 7 February 2011, Official Report, column 51W, and given to my hon. Friend the Member for North Wiltshire (Mr Gray) of 17 February 2011, Official Report, column 966W.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to review the Civil Aviation Authority’s separate and enhanced flight time limitations for airline pilots following the implementation of the European Aviation Safety Agency’s Europe-wide regulations in 2012. [42058]
Mrs Villiers: Under current EU legislation on flight time limitations member states are permitted to maintain national requirements. However, once EASA’s final requirements are adopted as EU law, there will be no scope for member states to establish separate national requirements.
Renewable Energy: EU Law
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to consult on the implementation of the transport elements of the Renewable Energy Directive; [44405]
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(2) on what date the UK will transpose into UK law the sustainability criteria for biofuels as set out in the Renewable Energy Directive. [44406]
Norman Baker: I launched consultations on proposals to implement the transport elements of the renewable energy directive, and the greenhouse gas savings requirements of the associated related fuel quality directive, on 10 March. The consultation documents can be found on the DFT website and the consultation period will run until 2 June 2011.
We expect that, subject to parliamentary approval, legislation completing the transposition of the transport elements of the RED and FQD will come into force from 15 December 2011.
DLR: Olympic Games 2012
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Transport for London on the contingency measures should the Docklands Light Railway cease operating during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. [43193]
Mrs Villiers: None. The Olympic Delivery Authority has the statutory responsibility for transport planning for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is working closely with Transport for London and other delivery partners on the implementation of a comprehensive Olympic Transport Plan to ensure safe and reliable transport during the Games.
Driving Standards Agency: Cardiff
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has had discussions with the Driving Standards Agency on the identification of alternative accommodation for its Cardiff office within the City of Cardiff; and if he will make a statement. [43123]
Mike Penning: Ministers in the Department have regular and productive discussions with the chief executive of the Driving Standards Agency (DSA).
DSA’s Review of Area Office Functions report recommended the closure of the Cardiff office because DSA estimated that the demand for administrative support work in the agency is decreasing.
The main administrative functions of the DSA are currently undertaken across three sites—Nottingham, Newcastle and Cardiff. The need for administration support will diminish over the next two years in light of an increase in electronic transactions and other business improvements, therefore the agency can operate its administrative functions from two sites rather than three.
DSA, as a trading fund, is funded by fees paid by customers which need to be set at a level to recover its costs. The agency’s duty is to spend that money responsibly, while maintaining a good level of service. That means being as efficient as possible in every area of the agency’s work and considering closely any areas of spending which may not be necessary.
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Driving Standards Agency: Finance
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding he has allocated to the Driving Standards Agency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [43121]
Mike Penning: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is a trading fund and recovers most of its costs through user charges for its services.
DSA sometimes receives loans from Department for Transport Central, to support capital investment, as well grants from DFT Central to undertake specific activities, mainly the prevention of fraud. These are shown in the following table.
|
|
Loans (£) | Grants (£) |
| (1) To 31 December 2010. | ||
Driving Tests
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many individuals took the practical driving test in the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many in each such year failed the number plate test and were required to be examined by the competent medical authority. [46198]
Mike Penning: The number of individuals who have taken the practical driving test since April 2004 (the earliest date for which data available), and the number of those who failed to read the number plate and failed the eyesight test, are shown in the table.
|
|
Total individuals | Individuals that failed the eyesight test |
If an eyesight test is failed, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) notifies the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency by faxing a D255 form on the day.
DSA does not know the number of candidates who were then required to be examined by a competent medical authority after the number plate test failure.
Great Western Railway: Electrification
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the environment of electrification of the Great Western Main Line between Cardiff and Swansea. [45243]
Mrs Villiers:
The appraisal for electrification of the Great Western Mail Line included an estimation of the impact of changes to carbon emissions, local air quality
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and noise from running electric powered trains. These potential environmental impacts have been estimated in accordance with the Department for Transport’s appraisal guidance, which can be found at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/webtag/
Large Goods Vehicles: Tolls
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work his Department has undertaken on (a) consultation and (b) communication with road users on the introduction of a road user charging scheme for heavy goods vehicles. [46009]
Mike Penning [holding answer 14 March 2011]: We have started to discuss our developing ideas informally with interested parties. On 1 February I hosted a ‘Listening to Industry’ event with representatives from the freight industry. Officials have also held exploratory discussions with the relevant trade associations. We aim to launch a formal consultation later in the year.
Lewes-Uckfield Railway Line
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to reinstate the Lewes to Uckfield railway line; and if he will make a statement. [43089]
Mrs Villiers: The Government have no plans to reinstate the Lewes to Uckfield railway line at this stage. However, if the local transport authority wishes to prioritise this scheme, the Department will certainly evaluate this line reopening against other projects seeking funding.
Parking: Pedestrian Areas
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether he plans to review the legal provisions in respect of pavement parking; [32418]
(2) what recent representations he has received on pavement parking. [32419]
Norman Baker: Local authorities have wide-ranging powers under sections 1 and 2 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act (RTRA) 1984 to make Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to put in place parking controls, including a prohibition on pavement parking either on a designated length of highway or over a wider area. Authorities must indicate the restrictions with the appropriate signs and the Department has designed new signs for area-wide bans.
Last month, I wrote to every English traffic authority to remind them of the powers and tools they already have to tackle local pavement parking problems, and to issue them with the special authorisation necessary for the signs referred to above, in order to encourage them to take action where appropriate. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Representations on this matter were made recently as a result of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 by:
(a) Newcastle under Lyme borough council;
(b) Newcastle upon Tyne council; and
(c) Birmingham city council.
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The Department has also received recent representations on this issue from Living Streets and receives a small but regular amount of correspondence about pavement parking from members of the public.
Public Transport: Disability
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to ensure consistent levels of access for disabled people to all forms of public transport. [43174]
Norman Baker: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, columns 626-27W.
Railways: Construction
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of hectares of (a) Grade 1, (b) Grade 2, (c) Grade 3a, (d) Grade 3b, (e) Grade 4 and (f) Grade 5 agricultural land expected to be subject to compulsory purchase orders to allow the construction of High Speed 2. [41964]
Mr Philip Hammond: The HS2 London to the west midlands ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’, which was published on 28 February as part of the consultation on high speed rail, estimates that no Grade 1 agricultural land would be affected in order to construct a new high speed tine between London and the west midlands, and that the proposed route would pass across Grade 2 land for some 20 km. At this stage the Government have not appraised the impact on lower grade agricultural land.
The impact on Best and Most Versatile Land (land at Grades 1, 2 and 3a) would be considered in more detail in the next stage of the project as part of an environmental impact assessment.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the evidential basis is for his calculation that the number of homes on the route of High Speed Two that will be seriously affected by noise has fallen from 350 to 10. [44580]
Mr Philip Hammond: The calculation procedure is set out in the ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ Technical Appendix 5, which can be found on the high speed rail consultation website at:
http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/library/documents/appraisal-sustainability
Railways: Emissions
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an estimate of (a) the potential carbon dioxide emissions of rail services operating on High Speed Two and (b) the carbon dioxide emissions of rail services operating on the West Midlands Main Line in the latest period for which figures are available. [43443]
Mr Philip Hammond:
Both the high speed rail consultation document and the accompanying ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ estimate the potential operational
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carbon dioxide emissions of rail services operating on High Speed Two. Copies of both have been placed in the Library of the House.
My Department has not estimated the carbon dioxide emissions of rail services operating on the West Coast Main Line.
Railways: Finance
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he gave to announcing his decision on funding for local rail schemes as part of the comprehensive spending review settlement for his Department. [45236]
Mrs Villiers: Funding for Local Transport Major Schemes, including local rail schemes, was included within the spending review announcement. Over £1.5 billion will be invested in such schemes by the end of the spending review period.
In February we announced which schemes would be included in a revised Development Pool, with final funding decisions on these 45 schemes being taken later this year. This pool includes a number of heavy and light rail schemes as well as other public transport initiatives. As part of this announcement we also agreed to fund access improvements at Leeds station.
We have recently announced support for the extension of the Midland Metro system to Birmingham New Street station.
We have also introduced the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and Regional Growth Fund, which provide opportunities for funding new local rail schemes.
Roads: Accidents
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many road traffic (a) accidents and (b) fatalities there were in (i) Bury St Edmunds constituency and (ii) Suffolk in each year since 1997; [45837]
(2) how many road traffic (a) accidents and (b) fatalities there have been on the A14 in Suffolk involving drivers aged under 21 years in each year since 1997. [45840]
Mike Penning: The information requested is given in the following tables:
| Reported personal injury road accidents and fatalities in Bury St Edmunds parliamentary constituency and Suffolk: 1997 to 2009 | ||||
| (i) Bury St Edmunds (1) | (ii) Suffolk | |||
|
|
(a) Accidents | (b) Fatalities | (a) Accidents | (b) Fatalities |
| (1) Based on the 2010 parliamentary constituency boundaries | ||||
15 Mar 2011 : Column 284W
| Reported personal injury road accidents and fatalities, involving at least one driver or rider aged under 21 years, on the A14 in Suffolk: 1997 to 2009 | ||||
| (a) Accidents involving | Fatalities in accidents involving | |||
|
|
Drivers (1) aged under 21 | Drivers/riders of other vehicles (2) aged under 21 | Drivers (1) aged under 21 | Drivers/riders of other vehicles (2) aged under 21 |
| (1) Cars, goods vehicles, bus and coach drivers. (2) Includes pedal cycles, motorcycles, other and unknown vehicles. | ||||
Figures given in this answer should replace and supersede those given in answer to related parliamentary questions in earlier years. This is a result of recent changes to parliamentary constituency boundaries, and inconsistencies in previously-supplied statistics on accidents involving younger drivers.
Roads: Publications
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he expects his Department’s report on potential measures to reduce the congestion caused by road incidents to be published; and what the reason is for the time taken to publish the report. [46007]
Mike Penning [holding answer 14 March 2011]: We completed a review of motorway closure incidents at the end of January 2011, in line with the Department’s business plan commitment.
We will publish the report shortly and set out our plans.
We are committed and remain on track to implement the recommendations from the review by December 2012, in line with the Department’s business plan.
Roads: Snow and Ice
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been paid to each highway authority for its emergency contribution to the costs arising from adverse weather conditions in the current financial year. [43796]
Norman Baker [holding answer 3 March 2011]: In recognition of the abnormal damage caused by the exceptional winter weather at the end of 2010, the Secretary of State for Transport announced on 23 February 2011 that the Department for Transport will be allocating at least £100 million of extra resource funding to local highway authorities in England for repairing potholes.
The Secretary of State has written to leaders of all local highway authorities setting out the conditions for this exceptional additional funding. For authorities that respond by 16 March 2011 confirming their acceptance
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of these conditions, we will inform them of their allocations shortly after this date. As the damage caused by severe weather was widespread across the country, and in order to minimise administrative burdens for all concerned, we intend to distribute the funds formulaically based on the Department's existing highways maintenance capital funding formula which takes into account road length and condition.
The extra funding has been made possible because the Department for Transport is expected to deliver a saving on its budget for 2010-11, following tough decisions already taken, including additional efficiencies made this financial year. It remains the responsibility of local highway authorities to prioritise their resources and build in appropriate resilience as part of their overall maintenance programmes.
Rolling Stock
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he expects the first new trains to be built under the Intercity Express Programme to be introduced on the rail network. [45264]
Mrs Villiers: Subject to the Government continuing to be satisfied that the proposal offers value for money, the first units to be built under the Intercity Express Programme will be tested on the network from 2015 and introduced into revenue-earning service on the Great Western Main Line from 2016.
Speed Limits: Schools
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many schools in (a) Erith and Thamesmead constituency and (b) in total are situated in 20 mph zones; and what steps he is taking to encourage more 20 mph limit zones around schools. [43290]
Mike Penning:
This information is not held by the Department for Transport as local speed limits are the responsibility of individual local authorities. The number of schools situated in 20 mph limit zones will therefore be a matter for the London borough of Bexley. The Department's guidance to local traffic authorities on setting local speed limits was published in August 2006 (DfT Circular 01/2006). A copy has been placed in the
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Library of the House and is also available on the Department's website. It recommends that local authorities consider introducing 20 mph zones wherever vehicle speeds of 20 mph are desired, including roads around schools.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which unmanned aerial vehicles are approved to fly in all classes of UK airspace. [41895]
Mrs Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave previously on 11 February 2011, Official Report, columns 446W and 456W, regarding unmanned aircraft in UK airspace.
International Development
Afghanistan: Overseas Aid
David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) the UK and (b) multilateral organisations have spent on each category of development activity in Afghanistan since 2001. [46224]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Details of the Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) aid expenditure are published annually in “Statistics on International Development” (SID), which is available in the Library of the House and on the Department’s website at
www.dfid.gov.uk
Details of DFID’s bilateral programme in Afghanistan from 2001-02 to 2009-10 are reproduced in table 1. The UK’s imputed share of expenditure by multilateral institutions in Afghanistan from 2001-02 until 2008-09, the last year for which figures are available, is reproduced in table 2. It is not possible to calculate the amount of UK aid spent in Afghanistan through our central funding to non-government organisations without incurring disproportionate cost.
Funding allocated to each category of development activity by the many multilateral organisations operating in Afghanistan can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information declared by multilateral organisations on official development assistance (ODA) spending is available on the OECD DAC website at
www.oecd.org/dac
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| Table 2: The UK’s imputed share of funding by multilateral institutions in Afghanistan from 2000-01 until 2008-09 | ||||||||
| £000 | ||||||||
|
|
2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
Democratic Republic of Congo: Overseas Aid
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian assistance his Department has provided to the Democratic Republic of Congo in each of the last three years. [45777]
Mr Duncan: Details of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) expenditure in developing countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are published in ‘Statistics on International Development’, which is available in the Library of the House and online at:
www.dfid.gov.uk
DFID's bilateral humanitarian expenditure in DRC from 2007-08 to 2009-10 is as follows:
|
|
Amount (£) |
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Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on (a) salaries and (b) pension entitlements for special advisers in the financial year 2010-11 to date. [46574]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has spent the following on salaries—including salaries in-lieu of notice—and pension entitlements for special advisers in financial year 2010-11 to date, in respect of the previous and current Governments.
|
|
£ |
Developing Countries: Business
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what initiatives his Department is undertaking with businesses to encourage corporate social responsibility in developing countries. [46787]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to my answer of 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1285W, on Business: Ethics.
Developing Countries: International Assistance
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage other Governments to provide emergency service personnel to developing countries following a natural disaster. [45779]
Mr Duncan: Following natural disasters, many Governments offer emergency service personnel as readily as the UK. We therefore do not find that we need to encourage other Governments to respond, but we do try and encourage better co-ordination of those emergency service teams that offer assistance. The UK aims to co-ordinate with other European Union member states through the European Commission's Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC), which acts as a focal point for the exchange of requests and offers of emergency service personnel. We also support the rapid deployment of humanitarian experts through providing funding and personnel to the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination network (UNDAC). Experts from the UK Fire and Rescue Service also work with the United Nations International Search and Rescue Group (INSARAG), the UN co-ordination body on search and rescue.
Developing Countries: Sustainable Development
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what policy outcomes to promote sustainable development overseas his Department (a) has developed and (b) plans to develop following the Green Breakfast meeting with ministerial colleagues hosted by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs on 8 March 2011; and if he will make a statement. [46056]
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Mr Duncan: The Green Breakfast meeting is an informal working group, hosted by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, that considers issues related to the coalition Government's commitment to be the “greenest government ever” and operates as a discussion forum on sustainable growth. The Green Breakfast meetings are a forum for dialogue. Cabinet Committees remain in place for policy decisions to be made.
Gaza: Economic Situation
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to promote economic development in Gaza and the West Bank. [45778]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working closely with the Palestinian Authority (PA), other donors, and businesses to promote economic growth in the West Bank and Gaza. Through our Facility for New Market Development (FNMD) project we are providing financial support and technical advice to Palestinian businesses, helping them compete in new markets, develop new products and re-launch operations. FNMD support has helped Palestinian businesses to achieve $43.9 million in incremental export and local sales, and to create 1,131 jobs.
In addition, we are also providing funding to stimulate employment in the construction sector by increasing the availability of long-term mortgages. Through investing £14 million between 2010 and 2013, we expect to attract over $500 million of private finance for mortgage lending, leading to the creation of 7,000 construction jobs over five years. We are also supporting the work of the Office of the Quartet Representative to reduce Israeli restrictions on movement and access that increase the costs and risks of doing business and, particularly in Gaza, impede flows of imports and exports.
Iraq: Employment
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of employment opportunities in Iraq. [45781]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing direct support for vocational training and higher education, as well as support for improvements to the business environment in order to help stimulate investment and job creation.
DFID established the Youth Employment Pilot Project (YEPP) in Basra, which provides unemployed young people with up to two months’ vocational training in a local college followed by up to 10 months’ employment in a local business. So far, 477 young people have completed their training and are now in work placements. DFID is also funding the British Council’s Development Partnerships in Higher Education (DELPHE) Iraq programme which is helping to strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions throughout the country.
DFID is supporting the World Bank’s Private Sector Development programme to identify and tackle the constraints to private investment. Through support to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) DFID is
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also helping to increase the competiveness of small and medium-sized Iraqi enterprises through improved access to finance and business skills.
In Basra, a microfinance project which DFID funded from 2009-11 continues to make loans. It has so far provided loans to more than 1,000 people, which have been used to grow existing businesses and start up new ones.
Libya: Higher Education
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has (a) had any discussions with and (b) provided any assistance to British universities in securing (i) contracts and (ii) financial support from Libya in the last 10 years. [46075]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Since the appointment of the coalition Government, the Department for International Development (DFID) has had no discussions with, or provided any assistance to, British universities interested in trading with Libya.
Poverty
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to increase public awareness of the incidence and consequences of global poverty. [45780]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: On 1 March I announced the key outcomes of the Bilateral and Multilateral Aid Reviews and set out the results that UK aid will deliver for the world’s poorest people over the next four years. The announcement has been accompanied by a comprehensive communications effort to raise public awareness of the scale of the challenge and the difference that well spent aid makes to people’s lives. This achieved widespread coverage across national and regional media and online with the main aid review documents being downloaded over 24,000 times. Communicating via our social media channels, Facebook and Twitter, we reached over four million people. We also engaged with a broad range of stakeholders who have in turn undertaken supportive public engagement activity. We will continue with this communications effort.
On 19 January DFID launched a review of the use aid funds in the UK to promote awareness of global poverty. I expect the review to be completed by the end of March. Ministers will then look closely at its outcomes and assess the relevance of these activities to the UK’s development objectives, in order to determine the future of DFID’s development awareness work in the UK.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions
Dan Byles:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the lifetime carbon dioxide emissions in respect of (a) construction, (b) transportation, (c) installation, (d) maintenance, (e) decommissioning of the turbine and (f) associated engineering work in respect of
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each (i) Siemens 3.6-107 wind turbine in the Greater Gabbard wind farm and (ii) each Vestas V902-3 MW wind turbine in the Thanet wind farm. [45410]
Charles Hendry: The Department has not made a comparison between the lifetime CO2 emissions of Siemens wind turbines in the Greater Gabbard wind farm and Vestas wind turbines in the Thanet wind farm.
Life cycle analysis conducted by Vestas suggests that the turbines of the type used in the Thanet wind farm will achieve energy payback within seven months, implying that over their lifetime they will produce 35 times more energy than used in manufacture and installation. This is consistent with the range of estimates in the literature on the performance of wind turbines in general. A 2006 note from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology estimated that offshore wind energy has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any low carbon technology at 5.25g CO2 equivalent/kWh.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the revised treatment of combined heat and power plant, what assessment he has made of the effects of the carbon price floor mechanism on the international competitiveness of the UK’s chemical and petroleum industries. [46529]
Gregory Barker: Government are aware of industry concerns about competitiveness impacts from climate change and energy policies including the carbon price floor. This is why the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and DECC are working together on the Energy Intensive Industry Strategy which aims to maximise greenhouse gas reductions in energy intensive sectors while ensuring their future competitiveness. The strategy will include analysis of the estimated energy price and bill impacts for illustrative energy intensive users.
We are aware that the issue of the role of combined heat and power in energy intensive industries has been raised in the context of HM Treasury’s consultation on carbon price support.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of a new carbon price floor mechanism on reductions in carbon dioxide levels delivered from combined heat and power plants. [46530]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has consulted industry representatives to understand the impacts of a carbon price floor mechanism on combined heat and power plants. DECC is going through this analysis with HM Treasury who lead on the introduction of this mechanism.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the financial effects on combined heat and power plants of the introduction of a new carbon price floor mechanism. [46531]
Gregory Barker:
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has consulted industry representatives to understand the impacts of a carbon price floor
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mechanism on combined heat and power plants. DECC is going through this analysis with HM Treasury who lead on the introduction of this mechanism.
DECC is also working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the Energy Intensive Industry Strategy which aims to maximise greenhouse gas reductions in energy intensive sectors while ensuring their future competitiveness. The strategy will include analysis of the estimated energy price and bill impacts for illustrative energy intensive users. This strategy will be published in the spring.
Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will discuss with UK port companies his simplification review of the carbon reduction commitment energy efficiency scheme. [46715]
Gregory Barker: I wrote to the UK Major Ports Group on 20 January offering a meeting and they have recently taken up this offer. A meeting with the UK Major Ports Group will take place next month.
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) when he expects to conclude the simplification review of the carbon reduction commitment energy efficiency scheme; [46716]
(2) what priorities he has set for the issues to be considered in his review of the carbon reduction commitment energy efficiency scheme. [46717]
Gregory Barker: Feedback to date has led DECC to conclude that priority areas for simplification of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme include:
Private (business) sector organisational rules of the scheme
Review of the CRC supply rules
Review of the CRC qualification criteria
Reducing the overlap between schemes (especially between the CRC scheme, Climate Change Agreements and the EU Emissions Trading System)
Timing and frequency of allowances sales
However, other aspects of the scheme could also be revisited and stakeholders are welcome to make suggestions for changes to the scheme. In making any such suggestions, it would be particularly helpful if the following aspects of any such suggestions were discussed in submissions to DECC:
“How your proposals would tackle the four barriers to the uptake of energy efficiency in large organisations (namely, insufficient financial drivers, uncertain reputational benefits of demonstrating leadership, split incentives between landlords and tenants and organisational inertia).
How your proposals might affect the magnitude of the energy use coverage of the scheme
How the energy efficiencies/emissions savings associated with your proposals could be verified/audited in a proportionate but effective manner.”
The time scale for ending the simplification review will largely depend on the nature and extent of simplifications suggested. I expect to publish simplification proposals for formal consultation later this year.
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Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much additional revenue he expects to receive as a result of the changes he has made to the carbon reduction commitment scheme. [46718]
Gregory Barker: The Government decided not to proceed with the recycling of CRC revenues proposed by the previous Administration in order to support the public finances and contribute to the spending plans set out in the spending review. The decision has the additional benefit of creating a clearer price signal in the scheme which participants have asked for.
The clearer and stronger price signal provided by this change should reduce uncertainty and administrative costs while maintaining energy efficiency measures amongst participants and the commensurate savings in energy bills.
The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts for revenues from the reformed CRC are available at
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/econ-fiscal-outlook.html
|
|
Forecast |
A positive figure indicates a saving compared to previous plans, corresponding to the revenue expected to be generated from allowance sales each year.
HM Treasury’s updated costings for spending review 2010 annually managed expenditure measures yet to take effect, based on the OBR’s November “Economic and fiscal outlook” can be found at:
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/d/econ_fiscal_outlook_291110.pdf
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the effect on UK ports of his Department’s carbon reduction commitment energy efficiency scheme; and if he will make a statement. [46737]
Gregory Barker: Ministers and officials from DECC and the Department for Transport meet to discuss a wide range of energy, climate and transport issues. We do not divulge the content of these internal Government discussions.
Climate Change Conference: Global Health
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the risk of vector-borne diseases infecting the UK blood supply was discussed during his recent discussions at the UN climate change conference in Cancun; and if he will make a statement. [46923]
Gregory Barker:
During the Cancun conference, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change did not have a discussion on vector borne diseases infecting
15 Mar 2011 : Column 295W
the UK blood supply. However, there were various side events during the meeting that addressed issues of climate change impacts on global health.
Electricity: Prices
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will set out his assessment of the effect on industrial electricity prices of his proposals on electricity market reform in advance of the publication of the White Paper on electricity market arrangements. [45484]
Charles Hendry: On 16 December 2010, Government launched consultations on a package of options for reforming the electricity market. An assessment of the estimated impact on industrial electricity prices and bills is set out in the Impact Assessment, which will be placed in the Library, and is based on an illustrative medium-sized non-domestic electricity user.
The Government will update this Impact Assessment alongside the forthcoming White Paper. The updated assessment will likely include additional analysis looking at the impact of electricity market reform on illustrative energy intensive electricity users.
The Government also plan to publish findings from their Energy Intensive Industry Strategy in spring. The strategy will likely include analysis on the average impact of energy and climate change policies (including electricity market reform) on the energy prices and bills faced by large energy intensive manufacturing users.
Energy: Heating
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the merits of including hot water efficiency measures in the Green Deal. [46350]
Gregory Barker: Green Deal finance will support measures that can be expected to pay for themselves in energy savings over their lifetime and within the period of the finance arrangement.
Measures that deliver hot water efficiency may be eligible if they deliver sufficient energy savings to pay for themselves and meet wider criteria.
We are in the process of gathering evidence from industry and other stakeholders on the costs and benefits of a wide range of measures and on how best to formulate eligibility criteria.
Green Climate Fund
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons the first meeting of the Transitional Committee of the Green Climate Fund was postponed; and what communications (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to resolve outstanding organisational matters in respect of the Green Climate Fund. [46345]
Gregory Barker: The UNFCCC Secretariat informed Parties on 3 March 2011 that the first meeting of the Transitional Committee had been postponed until the latter half of April, without citing a specific reason.
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Officials are in regular contact with the UNFCCC Secretariat on the Green Climate Fund, among other climate change issues, and the UK stands ready to engage actively in the process when it gets under way.
Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any (a) Government departments and (b) non-departmental public bodies derive revenue from electricity feed-in tariffs. [46060]
Gregory Barker: The Feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme does not preclude anyone from taking part in the scheme. We are unable to report at this time the number of Government Departments and non-departmental public bodies receiving a revenue from FITs. Unaudited numbers received from Ofgem show no Government Department and 51 non-departmental public bodies receiving a revenue from FITs.
Solar Power
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential for the usage of solar photovoltaics on brownfields to increase (a) economies of scale on the manufacturing and installation industries and (b) achievement of carbon reduction targets. [45790]
Gregory Barker: This was not part of the modelling exercise undertaken by the previous Administration prior to the implementation of the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs). This will considered as part of the comprehensive review of the scheme.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last met representatives from the UK solar photovoltaic industry; and how many meetings he has had with representatives of solar photovoltaic companies since October 2010. [46440]
Gregory Barker: Ministers have regular meetings with the solar PV industry where a wide range of topics are discussed.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department’s estimate is of the number of jobs created in the solar photovoltaic industry since February 2010. [46441]
Gregory Barker: The production capacity of the UK solar photovoltaic market has expanded significantly as a result of the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff. Opportunities in the supply chain have also increased. The solar PV industry reports that jobs in the sector have increased from 3,000 in January 2010 to over 10,000 in January 2011 and are predicted to continue to rise significantly in the years ahead.
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for the future of solar Feed-in Tariffs; and if he will make a statement. [43792]
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Gregory Barker: The Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme is subject to reviews in which all aspects of the scheme including eligibility of technologies will be considered. The first review of the scheme has now commenced following announcement by the Secretary of State on 7 February 2011, Official Report, column 2-3WS, and will conclude by the end of this year. As part of the review there will be fast-track consideration of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects of more than 50 kilowatts capacity and a short study on farm scale anaerobic digestion (AD).
We intend to launch the fast-track consultation soon.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2011, Official Report, column 241W, on solar power, for what reasons the five megawatt definition of small-scale renewables in the Energy Act 2008 is not being applied to solar photovoltaics for the purposes of his Department's Feed-in Tariff review. [45440]
Gregory Barker: The Energy Act 2008 defines the maximum capacity (5MW) for the support of small scale low carbon electricity generation under the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme. FITs are currently available for solar photovoltaics (PV) from 0-5MW. The fast-track review is however only looking at tariffs for solar PV installations in the range 50kW-5MW.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies) of 28 February 2011, Official Report, column 241W, on solar power, whether his Department defines any non-solar photovoltaic renewable energy technology with capacity greater than 50 kilowatts as large-scale for the purposes of his Department's Feed-in Tariff review. [45441]
Gregory Barker: Under the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme, tariffs for all technologies vary by capacity. Tariff bands are defined by the total installed capacity in kilowatts or megawatts. Terms such as “large scale” are not used in the legal definitions of tariff bands.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Adult Education
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department's review of adult community learning will include (a) eligibility for higher-level learning and (b) access and progression to certificated forms of further and higher education. [45208]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 9 March 2011]: The Adult Safeguarded Learning budget of £210 million per annum for informal adult and community learning was protected in the comprehensive spending review. This learning, usually unaccredited, is undertaken for its own sake or as a step towards other learning.
We are working with stakeholders to develop policies that will deliver the vision described in “Skills for Sustainable
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Growth”. The reforms will not review eligibility for higher-level learning. They do signal our intention that informal learning must help build the big society, by delivering learning for personal and community development and motivating disadvantaged groups to progress, including to accredited further and higher education.
Apprentices
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of apprenticeship places in (a) Southend, (b) Essex and (c) Hertfordshire in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011 to date. [45576]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts in Southend on Sea, Essex and Hertfordshire local education authorities from 2007/08 to 2010/11.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts, 2007/08 to 2010/11 | ||||
|
|
2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | Provisional 2010/11 Quarter 1 (August to October 2010) |
| Notes: 1. Figures for local authorities are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Provisional estimates for 2010/11 are not directly comparable with figures for 2009/10. Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||||
Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 January 2011:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship places in Southend West constituency there were in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011 to date. [45577]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts in Southend West parliamentary constituency from 2007/08 to 2010/11 August to January (provisional).
| Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts, 2007/08 to 2010/11 | ||||
|
|
2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | Provisional 2010/11 Quarter 1 (August to October 2010) |
| Notes: 1. Figures for parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Provisional estimates for 2010/11 are not directly comparable with figures for 2009/10. Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||||
Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 January 2011:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
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Apprentices: Dartford
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of apprenticeships in Dartford constituency that (a) will be created in the next 12 months and (b) were created in the last 12 months. [46420]
Mr Hayes: There were 330 apprenticeship starts in Dartford in 2009/10. The apprenticeships programme is demand-led; the Government do not set targets for apprenticeships but provide funding and forecast the overall number of places that may be afforded. We rely on employers and providers to work together to offer sufficient opportunities to meet local demand.
This is underpinned by this Government's commitment that by 2014-15 we will have in place sufficient funding
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for 75,000 more adult apprenticeship places than the previous Government were providing.
Apprentices: Females
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of apprenticeships in (a) England, (b) Berkshire and (c) Reading West constituency were taken up by women in the last 12 months. [46637]
Mr Hayes: The following table shows the number and percentage of apprenticeship starts by gender for England and Reading West parliamentary constituency for 2009/10, the latest year for which full year data are available. We only hold information at region, local education authority and parliamentary constituency levels of geography.
| Female | Male | Total | ||||
|
|
Count | Percentage | Count | Percentage | Count | Percentage |
| Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 apart from total England figures which are rounded to the nearest 100. Percentages are calculated based on unrounded figures. 2. Geography information is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 January: http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||||||
Business: Loans
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential role of local small business loan funds to provide working capital to small businesses. [46685]
Mr Prisk: Community Development Finance Institutions offer loans to small businesses and operate at a local level. In June 2010 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published “The National Evaluation of Community Development Finance Initiatives (CDFIs): An Action Oriented Summary for the Sector”. This set out information on the rationale and effectiveness of local loan projects in supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Business: Reading Berkshire
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of small and medium-sized businesses in Reading West constituency which employed apprentices in the latest period for which figures are available. [46633]
Mr Hayes: Information is not available at parliamentary constituency level on the size of the employer for apprentices.
The National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) shows a national estimate of the proportion of apprentices employed by employer size. These data are based on repeated surveys of up to 79,000 employers across all business sectors in England. The following table shows information from the published 2009 National Employer Skills survey(1) on the proportion of apprentices employed by the size of employer.
(1) http://www.ukces.org.uk/upload/pdf/NESS%20main%20report_1.pdf
accessed on 11 March.
| Percentage of apprentices employed by employer size (NESS 2009) | |||||||
| Number of employees of employer | |||||||
|
|
2-4 | 5-24 | 25-99 | 100-199 | 200-499 | 500+ | Total |
Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy and high quality training opportunities like apprenticeships are key to supporting their growth and success. I know that small businesses place great value on an apprenticeship and are prepared to invest in them. Indeed, the National Employer Skills Survey suggests that small and medium sized businesses employ proportionately more apprentices than larger employers.
Citizens Advice Bureaux
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of citizens advice bureaux in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Scotland which will close as a result of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review. [46550]
Mr Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has a wider interest in the network of local Citizens Advice Bureaux, but funding is a matter for local authorities, not BIS. Funding of bureaux in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.
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I am aware that local authorities are facing some tough choices and this may impact on bureaux’s funding and we are working with colleagues across Government with an interest in the citizens advice service to assess the impact but funding decisions have yet to be taken by a number of authorities so the position is not yet clear. But the Government have made it very clear to local authorities that any cuts should not disproportionately impact on the voluntary sector.
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people who will use citizens advice bureaux in each of the next four years. [46551]
Mr Davey: This Department provides core funding to the national umbrella bodies for the citizens advice service in England and Wales and in Scotland. That funding enables those bodies to provide business services to front-line bureaux through the provision of central IT, information, training and quality assurance and standards.
Local citizens advice bureaux receive funding from a variety of sources and mainly from the local authority in which they are located. They are all independent charities and the level of funding they are able to attract will determine the level of service they can provide and the number of people able to use the service. But our proposals to transfer the consumer information, advice, education and advocacy functions currently carried out by Consumer Direct, Consumer Focus and the Office of Fair Trading, to the national umbrella bodies should help take pressure off bureaux so they can concentrate on delivering face-to-face advice to those who most need it. In 2009/10, the service in England and Wales helped over two million people resolve their issues through the provision of face-to-face, telephone and online advice.
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of individuals (a) working in a volunteer capacity and (b) in paid employment at citizens advice bureaux in the next four years. [46552]
Mr Davey: This Department provides core funding to the national umbrella bodies for the citizens advice service in England and Wales and in Scotland. That funding enables those bodies to provide business services to front-line bureaux through the provision of central IT, information, training and quality assurance and standards. Funding of local bureaux, including for staff and volunteers, is a matter for local authorities.
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much grant-in-aid will be allocated to Citizens Advice by his Department in each of the next four years. [46553]
Mr Davey: Funding for local Citizens Advice Bureaux is a matter for local authorities, not central Government.
However, at the national level, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is maintaining its current core funding to the national umbrella bodies for the service in England and Wales and in Scotland
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(£21.8 million combined) across the spending review period, and under the consumer landscape review we are proposing transferring the consumer information (including Consumer Direct), advice, education and advocacy functions currently carried out by Consumer Focus and the Office of Fair Trading, to the national bodies. Funding will go with these functions but the details have yet to be fully worked through. BIS hope to go out to consultation on these proposals at the end of March.
Company Finance: Bexley
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley were fined for late filing of accounts with Companies House in the last five years for which figures are available; and in how many such cases the business won an appeal against the fine. [45955]
Mr Davey: Companies House does not hold information on companies broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Departmental Responsibilities
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate has been made of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) effect on the number of civil service jobs in his Department of recent changes to the machinery of Government which transferred responsibilities for competition and policy issues relating to media, broadcasting, digital and telecoms sectors to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; and if he will make a statement. [46195]
Mr Davey: In a recent freedom of information request the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said that the IT changes will cost an estimated £280,000 and moving staff and materials £20,000. Whilst it is expected costs will be managed within existing funding levels, we are still in the process of moving staff and discussing budgets.
Decisions on which staff should transfer are now complete, and all staff transferred on 18 January 2011. As part of its spending review settlement, BIS needs to find financial savings which equate to up to 400 staff exits in 2011/12. The 56 staff who transferred to the DCMS will not affect this number.
English Language: Education
John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which further education institutions in the London Borough of Waltham Forest provide courses in English for speakers of other languages; and how many learners are registered at each institution. [45673]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 14 March 2011]: There are two providers in London borough of Waltham Forest who provide courses in English for speakers of other languages. Waltham Forest Further Education College is the main provider and in 2009/10 they enrolled a total of 1,292 learners in ESOL provision. In addition, the London borough of Waltham Forest itself also delivers to this client group and in the same period of 2009/10, they enrolled a total of 955 learners.
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For the current year 2010/11 Waltham Forest College has enrolled 1,781 learners on ESOL and the London borough of Waltham Forest has enrolled 1,017.
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of the English language in the UK through the funding of further education courses. [46135]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 14 March 2011]: Responsibility for funding further education and skills is a devolved area of legislation. Further education and training organisations in England that deliver English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) are funded by the Skills Funding Agency, which is an agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. ESOL provision for individuals resident in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly respectively.
From August 2011, full Government funding will be provided for ESOL to unemployed people in receipt of jobseekers allowance or in the Employment and Support Allowance (Work-Related Activity) Group, where English language skills have been identified as a barrier to entering employment We will also continue to pay 50% of ESOL course fees for people who are settled here. We will no longer fund ESOL courses delivered in the workplace as public funding should not be used to substitute employer investment in training. Increased freedoms and flexibilities for providers will allow them to respond to the needs of their communities and determine where their funding is prioritised.
Export Credit Guarantees
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the monetary value to the financial services Sector of credit guarantees provided to that sector by the Government in the latest period for which figures are available. [43270]
Mr Davey
[holding answer 2 March 2011]: Under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG), as of 2 March
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2011, 32 businesses in the financial services sector have been offered loans with a value of £3.8 million, of which, 24 loans have been drawn down totalling £3 million.
However, EFG operates under the Industrial Development Act 1982 which precludes its use to assist or acquire banks and insurance companies. In addition companies attached to insurance companies or that undertake any activity that involves a decision on and/or granting of finance/credit to clients are ineligible for EFG for national policy reasons on the basis that they perform activities of a similar type to banks and insurance companies.
Companies that are not providers of finance, credit or insurance, or are attached to such providers are eligible for EFG. Further details of the EFG sector restrictions are detailed on the BIS website:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/policies/enterprise-and-business-support/access-to-finance/enterprise-finance-guarantee/efg-business-sectors
Since April 2009, when the Working Capital Guarantee scheme was launched by the previous Government, the Department has provided guarantees of £2.2 million to Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group on portfolios of commercial loans. These guarantees were priced to break even. Guarantee fees of £14.5 million have been received to date and no default payments have been made to the banks.
In respect of guarantees provided to banks via the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD), there has been no analysis of their economic value to the UK financial services sector.
Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in relation to which countries claims were made against the Export Credits Guarantee Department in respect of export transactions in the last three years; and in each case (a) which company was the (i) exporter and (ii) the obliger, (b) what the project was and (c) what the value of the claim was. [46182]
Mr Davey: Claims paid by the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) in respect of new defaults that occurred in financial years 2007-10 are listed as follows:
|
|
Country | Exporter | Obligor | Project | Value (£) |
| (1) Details of the exporter and obligor have not been provided for reasons of commercial confidentiality | |||||
No claims in respect of new defaults have been paid to date in the current financial year.
Details of potential (i.e. currently under examination) claims payments in respect of new defaults have not been provided for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
ECGD also made payments in the last three years on claims in respect of defaults that occurred before 2007-08, largely relating to defaulted airline cases. These payments are made as maturities fall due under the relevant export credit loans (and remain unpaid), so can continue for many years after the year in which the claim was originally made.
Further Education
Damian Hinds:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which further education colleges undertook capital works of a monetary value of more than £1 million in the last
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10 years; and which such projects attracted a zero rate of value added tax in respect of
(a)
less than 10%
(b)
between 11% and 50%
(c)
between 51% and 90% and
(d)
91% or above of the monetary value of the project. [45638]
Mr Hayes: Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA).
In his letter to my hon. Friend of 8 February 2011, the chief executive of the SFA stated that, of the 505 projects for which he had relevant VAT information, 35 further education colleges had undertaken works in excess of £1,000,000 and had attracted a zero rate of VAT (wholly or partially). A list of these colleges is provided as follows.
The additional detailed information that my hon. Friend requests is not held by the SFA, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The issue of whether VAT is payable on project costs, and at what rate, is a matter for the individual college concerned to establish with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
Boston College, Lincolnshire
Broxtowe College (now called Castle College)
Bury College
Canterbury College
City and Islington College
City College Birmingham
City of Sunderland College
City of Wolverhampton College
Derby College
Halesowen College
Henshaws Society for the Blind
Highbury College
Lambeth College
Lewisham College
Lincoln College
Matthew Boulton College (now called Birmingham Metropolitan College)
National Star College
New College Nottingham
Newcastle Under Lyme College
North Lindsey College
North Nottinghamshire College
Northampton College
Royal National College for the Blind, Hereford
Royal School for the Deaf
Salford City College
South Staffordshire College
Stoke on Trent College
Strode College
The Manchester College
Trafford College
Tresham Institute
Truro College
Walford and North Shropshire College
Warwickshire College
Wigan and Leigh College
Total: 35