| RICU spend by budget category | |||||
| Financial year | Total spend (£m) | Administration costs (£m) | Proportion of total spend (%) | Programme costs (£m) | Proportion of total spend (%) |
| (1 )Projected. | |||||
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Human Trafficking: EU Law
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which of the measures in the original text of the EU Directive on Human Trafficking she considered to be contrary to the UK’s interest; and if she will make a statement; [49741]
(2) pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 22 March 2011, Official Report, column 52WS, on the EU Directive (Human Trafficking), what the main risk associated with the text was which has now been overcome. [49793]
Damian Green: The Government decided not to opt in to the European Directive on Human Trafficking at the outset, but to review its position in line with the revised text. The main risk was that the text could change during the negotiations in ways that could have been unhelpful to the UK’s interests. The Government have now reviewed the finalised text and I have written to the Parliamentary Scrutiny Committees notifying them of our intention to apply to opt in.
A final decision remains subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Human Trafficking: Northern Ireland
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of human trafficking have been reported in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; and how many convictions for human trafficking offences in Northern Ireland there have been in that period. [47839]
Damian Green: The criminal offence of human trafficking is contained with the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004.
The Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force annual report shows that 11 potential victims of human trafficking were recovered in 2008-09 and 25 in 2009-10. These reports can be found at
www.octf.gov.uk
Figures for 2010-11 will be contained in the annual report due to be published in June 2011.
The UK Human Trafficking Centre’s interrogation of the police national computer shows there have been three convictions for human trafficking in Northern Ireland, two of which were in 2008 and one in 2010.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter form the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field) of 17 February 2011 on her constituent Rasam Aliaziz. [50054]
Damian Green: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 29 March 2011
Passport Office: Liverpool
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) who gave the instruction to terminate the employment of those employees of Liverpool Passport Office whose employment was terminated on 21 March 2011; [50064]
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(2) what discussions she has had with representatives of the Public and Commercial Services Union on the termination of employment of employees at Liverpool Passport Office on 21 March 2011; [50065]
(3) when she was informed of the decision to terminate the employment of those employees of Liverpool Passport Office whose employment ended on 21 March 2011; [50066]
(4) what steps she has taken in the light of the termination of employment of employees at Liverpool Passport Office to determine whether contract errors have been made by the Identity and Passport Service in relation to other offices; [50067]
(5) what steps the Passport Agency took in respect of the 14 employees at its Liverpool Office incorrectly recruited under the IPS Friends and Family scheme between the time at which the mistake was discovered and 21 March 2011; [50098]
(6) when the error in relation to the recruitment of those employees of Liverpool Passport Office whose employment was terminated on 21 March 2011 was discovered. [50112]
Damian Green: The decision to terminate the employment of those Liverpool office staff who had been incorrectly appointed on permanent civil service contracts, was taken by the chief executive following advice from IPS HR and from the Civil Service Commission.
No discussions have taken place between myself and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). National PCS union representatives were told about the issue on 2 March 2011. IPS HR and local branch representatives from the PCS union met on 16 March 2011 and they were made aware of the position at this meeting.
This is an operational decision for Home Office managers. IPS informed Ministers about the decision to terminate the employment contracts of affected employees in Liverpool Passport Office on 18 March.
The permanent contracts in question were only issued in the Liverpool regional office.
IPS explored a number of options with the Civil Service Commission once the mistake was discovered including replacing the permanent contracts of employment with fixed-term appointment contracts and retrospectively applying exceptions under the Civil Service Order in Council. In the case of 10 employees IPS has been able to award fixed-term contracts for the two-year period from their original start date. The remaining four employees had already been employed by IPS for more than two years. IPS has also met with the staff involved and sincerely apologised for this mistake.
An internal audit of IPS external recruitment at the end of March 2010 discovered the error in relation to the Liverpool Passport Office recruitment scheme conducted during the autumn of 2008. We then set about exploring options to avoid termination.
Prostitution
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what strategy her Department has to tackle prostitution; and if she will make a statement. [49788]
Lynne Featherstone:
The Government are currently looking at the approaches taken towards prostitution in different local areas in England and Wales in order to
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identify effective practice in terms of policing, harm minimisation multi-agency working and schemes to help people leave prostitution. Effective practice guidance for local areas will be published later in the spring.
Third Sector
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2011, Official Report, column 949W, on voluntary work and charitable donations, how much her Department spent on implementation of its policy on volunteering in each of the last five years; and how much it expects to allocate for the purpose in each of the next five years. [48613]
Damian Green: The Home Office encourages staff to take up to five days special leave to develop their skills and experience, while giving something back to the community. The small team responsible for this programme also undertake other tasks and it is not possible to disaggregate the costs of their time. Voluntary organisations and representative bodies (eg Volunteering Centre Westminster, Magistrates Association and Victims Support) are invited to give presentations to staff to encourage them to participate. Links to a wide range of volunteering opportunities are also advertised on the departmental intranet. Information about the take up of these opportunities is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Department has spent between £3,500 and £5,000 per year in each of the last five years with a voluntary sector brokerage service to place Home Office volunteers into appropriate volunteering opportunities.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to reinstate the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. [49951]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 30 March 2011]: The Government have no plans to reinstate the aggregates levy sustainability fund (ALSF). The decision to discontinue the fund was taken as part of the spending review settlement in October 2010 in a very tight spending context where we looked very carefully across all the Department's priorities to identify where we could make best use of available funds. Unfortunately, it was decided that the fund was no longer in a position to continue funding the ALSF programme.
The aggregates levy is a tax on the commercial exploitation of aggregate, administered by HM Revenue and Customs, and is separate from the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. As announced at the recent Budget, the rate increase on the aggregates levy has been postponed until 2012-13.
Badgers: Tourism
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an assessment of the potential effects of a badger cull on tourism revenues in each region. [50327]
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Mr Paice: Some concerns have been raised that badger culling might have an impact on tourism in the areas affected by TB. However, we have not seen any clear or credible evidence to support the view that there would be any significant impact.
No decision on badger control has yet been taken. We received a large number of responses to the public consultation, which we are considering carefully. We will announce our decision as part of a comprehensive and balanced TB Eradication Programme for England as soon as possible.
Candidate Special Areas of Conservation
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions the Management Board of her Department have had on the designation of Candidate Special Areas of Conservation. [49568]
Richard Benyon: The designation of Candidate Special Areas of Conservation has been discussed from time to time as part of the Board's ongoing review of DEFRA's programmes.
Environment
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to establish a mechanism to measure the Government’s commitment to be the greenest administration ever. [48324]
Mr Paice: A number of measures are already in place to help deliver this commitment.
These include reducing carbon emissions from Government offices by 10% in one year, establishing a Green Investment Bank with £3 billion to drive investment in a green economy, introducing a floor price for carbon, and improving energy efficiency through our ‘Green Deal’ while also helping people and businesses save money. New Greening Government Commitments for Operations and Procurement were announced in February this year as part of a package of measures to mainstream sustainable development across Government, a key mechanism for supporting the delivery of our ambition to be the greenest Government ever. This package also includes enhancing sustainability in policy making, for example through the scrutiny of business plans by the Minister with responsibility for Government policy for their sustainable development credentials.
The Government have made clear their intention to be more transparent and allow people and Parliament to hold Ministers and public services to account; so overall success on this cross-Government commitment will, rightly, be for others to judge.
Environment Protection: Departmental Co-ordination
Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) which Ministers have attended each of her monthly breakfasts for the designated green Ministers in each Department; [48249]
(2) which Ministers have attended each Green Breakfast meeting hosted by her Department; [49271]
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(3) which Ministers attended each of the last three Green Breakfast meetings. [50115]
Mr Paice: The information is as follows:
The first meeting on 1 February 2011 was attended by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the hon. Member for Newbury (Richard Benyon), the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Mr Paice), Lord Henley, the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, the right hon. Member for West Dorset (Mr Letwin), the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell), the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker), the Minister for Universities and Science, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lewes, (Norman Baker), the Minister of State, Department for International Development and the right hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr Duncan).
The second meeting on 8 March was attended by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the hon. Member for Newbury, Lord Henley, the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, the right hon. Member for West Dorset the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the hon. Member for Hazel Grove, the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lewes, the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr O’Brien) and the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the hon. Member for North West Norfolk (Mr Bellingham).
Fisheries
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures the Government is taking to maintain arrangements for supervision of recreational fisheries after the removal of that discrete function from the Environment Agency; and if she will make a statement. [49513]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 28 March 2011]: There has been no change to the duties on the Environment Agency to ‘maintain, improve and develop fisheries for salmon, trout eel, freshwater fish, lamprey and smelt’ (Environment Act 1995 as amended by Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009). Nor has there been any change to the guidance issued by Government to the Environment Agency in the interpretation of this duty in contributing to the achievement of sustainable development, i.e. ‘in particular: to ensure the conservation and maintain the diversity of freshwater fish, salmon, sea trout and eels (and lampreys and smelt) and to conserve their aquatic environment; to enhance the contribution migratory and freshwater fisheries make to the economy, particularly in remote rural areas and in areas with low levels of income; and to enhance the social value of fishing as a widely available and healthy form of recreation.’
The Environment Agency will continue to work towards ensuring more people from all backgrounds enjoy and appreciate the water environments close to them. It will achieve this through its role as a navigation authority and its work on angling.
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Flood Control
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration her Department has given to the recommendation of the Pitt Report that flood defences should be allocated an above-inflation funding settlement. [48323]
Richard Benyon: Expenditure on flood risk management cannot be immune from the over-riding need to reduce the deficit, and to deliver efficiencies across all areas of public spending. DEFRA has committed to spend at least £2.16 billion over four years on flood and coastal erosion risk management in England. This is approximately 8% less than the amount spent by DEFRA over the previous four years. The Department has protected key front line aspects of the budget such as flood forecasting and warnings, incident response and the risk-based maintenance of existing defences. We also expect to be able to provide improved levels of protection to 145,000 homes by March 2015, even within a reduced budget.
Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has reviewed the Environment Agency's flood risk assessment of homes in England; and if she will make a statement. [49819]
Richard Benyon: While DEFRA does not undertake technical or quality reviews of the Environment Agency's national flood risk assessments, departmental representatives do sit on the National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA) programme board with the Environment Agency. They contribute to the programme of works and development of this tool.
The NaFRA model is run on a quarterly basis for selected catchments, and each time it is run revisions are made to the flood risk. DEFRA is kept well informed of these and the Environment Agency and its consultants undertake extensive quality assurance, including requiring all NaFRA model outputs to be reviewed by local staff to ensure that they are a true representation of flood risk. Recently a more robust framework for validation and quantification of uncertainty has also been developed.
Food: Production
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has estimated the total domestic food production capacity of the UK measured in terms of the proportion of the population it would feed. [48364]
Mr Paice: No such calculation has been made. UK agriculture’s share of the UK food market will in part reflect its ability to compete in international commodity markets. We are working to support British farming and encourage sustainable food production by helping to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of the farming industry.
Horses: Passports
Mr Gray:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2011, Official Report, columns 1218-19W, on horse passports, what estimate she has made of (a) the number of horses which died in each of the last three years and (b) the proportion of such
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deaths which were not reported to the authority issuing horse passports. [49564]
Mr Paice: There is a legal requirement for a horse's passport to be returned to the passport issuing organisation that issued it upon the death of the animal.
National Equine Database records show the number of horses that have died in each of the last three years is as follows:
|
|
Horses |
DEFRA does not compile estimates of the number of passports that are not returned to the issuing body upon the death of the animal.
Poultry: Animal Welfare
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to assist the farming industry in preparing for the ban on battery cages for laying hens. [48349]
Mr Paice: As the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made clear at February’s Agriculture Council, when some EU member states sought more time to comply with the ban on conventional cages, any delay in implementing the ban would be unfair to all the egg producers in the UK who have made significant investments to convert out of battery cages ahead of the European deadline. It would be unjust for them to have to compete with producers from other European countries which have not converted.
The UK has consistently called for the ban to be implemented in 2012 with strict enforcement by the EU.
We welcome the efforts the UK laying hen industry has made to comply with the ban and we will continue to work closely with the Commission, other member states and the industry to find a practical enforcement solution.
Seas and Oceans: Radiation
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the safety of radiation levels of seawater in which the UK fishing fleet fish; and if she will make a statement. [50254]
Richard Benyon: There is a substantial programme of environmental monitoring for radioactivity in UK waters which has been established for a number of years. The results of this programme, together with implications for human health and environmental health are published annually in the Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE) report series. These reports confirm that the environment and man are adequately protected, and that doses of radioactivity received by people and wildlife continue to be well within regulatory limits. The uncertainty in dose estimations is relatively low.
For the wider north-east Atlantic, the UK works with other European states within the OSPAR convention (for the protection of the marine environment of the north-east Atlantic) to ensure that inputs and levels of
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radioactivity are reduced. OSPAR’s Quality Status Report 2010 assessment for the north-east Atlantic concludes that environmental concentrations and exposure of humans and biota to monitored radionuclides are low.
In the particular case of Japan, there are currently no UK fishing vessels operating in Japanese Waters or waters adjacent to it. The Food Standards Agency has implemented Commission Regulation (EU) No. 297/2011 which applies EU-wide controls to prevent the import of food and feed which may be contaminated, including fish and fishery products, from Japan.
Water Charges: Billing
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much additional funding will be available to reduce water bills in the South West region in each of the next four financial years; and what her estimate is of the average reduction in affected household bills in each of those financial years. [49679]
Richard Benyon: The Government will consult shortly on proposals to address water affordability across England, including the south-west. This will include reforms to the existing WaterSure scheme, the approach to company social tariffs and options for additional Government spending to provide further support.
We will carefully consider how to strike the right balance between using additional Government spending to assist households in the south-west, and assisting households with water affordability problems both inside and outside the south-west.
Water: Prices
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when she plans to publish her consultation document on proposals to address water affordability in the south-west; [50255]
(2) what additional funds will be made available to address water affordability in the south-west; [50286]
(3) what estimate she has made of the likely change in level of water charges for the average household in the south-west as a result of implementation of the Government’s Budget proposals on water bills. [50287]
Richard Benyon: The Government will consult shortly on proposals to address water affordability across England, including the south-west. This will include reforms to the existing WaterSure scheme, the approach to company social tariffs and options for additional government spending to provide further support.
We will carefully consider how to strike the right balance between using additional government spending to assist all households in the south-west and assisting households with water affordability problems both inside and outside the south-west.
Communities and Local Government
Departmental Manpower
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of each civil servant appointed to his Department since 11 May 2010. [49713]
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Robert Neill [holding answer 30 March 2011]: The Department for Communities and Local Government headcount numbers have fallen from 2,108 in May 2010 to 2,000 in February 2011, a reduction of 108 staff, 5% of headcount.
This is a net figure after the residual transfer of 69 staff from the Government office for London into the Department. In the same period, numbers of Department for Communities and Local Government employees in the Government office network fell by 207 to 324 as at February 2011.
The net figure also includes approximately 30 staff who have returned to the Department from unpaid leave, loans and secondments.
Staffing numbers in DCLG will fall further by around 700 when the selection and restructuring process is completed in 2012. This affects staff at all levels.
I have interpreted ‘appointed’ to mean staff newly recruited to the civil service and Department on either a permanent or fixed-term contract. Since 11 May 2010, 39 civil servants have been appointed to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
A breakdown of their job titles and pay grade bands as follows:
1 x Administrative Officer.(National): £19,935 to £22,194
3 x Administrative Officer (London): £23,218 to £25,847
2 x Executive Officer (London): £24,951 to £30,162
1 x Higher Executive Officer (London): £28,668 to £34,665
2 x Legal Trainee (HEO equivalent): £25,709
2 x Policy Advisor (HEO equivalent): £28,668 to £34,665
17 x Fast Streamer (HEO equivalent): £27,000 to £35,000
2 x Senior Executive Officer Audit (London): £37,732 to £45,734
3 x Senior Planning Officer (SEO equivalent): £37,739 to £45,734
2 x Grade 7 (Legal): £44,494 to £57,110
1 x Grade 6 (London): £54,828 to £70,375
1 x Permanent Secretary: £141,800 to £277,300
2 x Special Advisers: £52,215 to £69,266.
A total freeze on recruitment is now in place with the exception of a handful of very specialist posts that could not be filled internally.
Housing: Energy
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department had with the Department of Energy and Climate Change prior to the announcement that new homes will not be required to be zero carbon. [50283]
Grant Shapps:
From 2016, all new homes will be required to be zero carbon. What we are not going to do is to try to build in how many electrical appliances such as plasma TVs a homeowner may have. However, these appliances are already covered by other arrangements such as the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, so this will
31 Mar 2011 : Column 468W
have no impact on the Government’s carbon reduction strategy. What this will do is minimise costs to house builders, so protecting the viability and affordability of new housing, and helping house builders deliver the new homes the country needs.
Policy to deliver Zero Carbon Homes from 2016 has been subject to collective consideration and agreement between interested Departments—including the Department of Energy and Climate Change—as is the case with all Government policy.
Housing: Rural Areas
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to promote its Home on the Farm scheme. [50053]
Andrew Stunell: I would like to take this opportunity to thank my hon. Friend as the originator of this scheme, which provides a welcome opportunity for farmers and local authorities to work together to help to address the problems of rural affordable housing. I announced on 18 October that we are promoting the “Home on the Farm” scheme which encourages both parties to work together to secure the conversion of redundant and underused farm buildings to deliver affordable homes for local people. Officials have discussed the scheme with interested partners, such as the National Farmers Union and English Heritage, and we will continue to work with partners to promote the scheme.
Local Government: Finance
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the formula grant to each local authority in absolute cash terms has been in each year since 2006-07. [44023]
Robert Neill: A table has been placed in the Library of the House showing the amount of formula grant received by each authority for the financial years 2006-07 to 2011-12. In addition, the provisional 2012-13 allocations have been provided.
Promotional Merchandise
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on promotional merchandise between 2006 to May 2010; how many of each item of promotional merchandise were ordered; and how each such item was branded. [43858]
Robert Neill: The Department has historically purchased promotional items through the Central Office of Information (COI). COI records show the following DCLG spend through the COI merchandising framework over the last two years:
| £ | ||||
| Date | Item | Cost | VAT | Total |
31 Mar 2011 : Column 469W
31 Mar 2011 : Column 470W
A full breakdown for previous years is not available. However, the total spend for each year via the COI merchandising framework was as follows:
|
|
£ |
No promotional items have been purchased since the formation of the new administration in May 2010. The COI merchandising framework is no longer in operation.
Public Expenditure
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which bodies and individuals received funding from Government Offices for the Regions under his Department's (a) community resilience and (b) Preventing Violent Extremism funding streams in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; and what the (A) purpose and (B) monetary value of the payment was in each case. [43878]
Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not operate a separate funding stream for Community Resilience.
The Government offices have had access to a fund of £750,000 per annum between 2008 and 2011 to build their capacity to support Prevent work in their regions. This money was provided to them from the Prevent division's programme funds.
Owing to the quantity of data involved, details regarding the bodies and individuals that received funding from the Government offices for the regions under the Preventing Violent Extremism funding stream have been placed in the Library of the House.
Social Services
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health on monitoring the quality of independent social care providers. [49786]
Robert Neill: Ministers in both Departments have regular discussions on matters of mutual interest, including social care.
Sustainable Development
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanism he proposes to use to introduce a presumption of sustainable development in the local planning system. [49680]
Greg Clark: The Government intend to introduce a presumption in favour of sustainable development through national planning policy. The presumption will be a key feature of the National Planning Policy Framework, a full draft of which will be published for consultation in the summer.
Treasury
Air Passenger Duty
Graham Stringer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much income will accrue to the Exchequer from the auction of permits under the Aviation EU Emissions Trading Scheme in each of the next five years. [50060]
Justine Greening: The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) now publishes revenue forecasts independently. The OBR’s revenue forecast for all Emissions Trading Scheme receipts were set out in Table C3 of the Budget 2011 document. Aviation receipts are not separately identified in the OBR’s forecast.
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| Table C3: EU ETS auction receipts | |
|
|
£ billion |
Corporation Tax
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer in tax forgone of the reduction in the main rate of corporation tax to 26 per cent. in the period from 1 April 2011 to 1 January 2012. [49696]
Mr Gauke: The estimated impact on the Exchequer in tax foregone, of changes to the main rate of corporation tax as announced at Budget 2011, are set out in the following Budget 2011 document:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/2011budget_policycostings.pdf
Counterfeit Manufacturing: Alcoholic Drinks
Mr Gale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the quantity of counterfeit branded spirits sold in the UK in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of that quantity which (a) is manufactured within the UK and (b) enters the UK as imported or contraband alcohol and is subsequently re-bottled for sale as branded goods. [49466]
Justine Greening: HMRC does produce estimates of the volumes of illicit alcohol consumed in the UK and the revenue losses arising from that. However, the data available do not enable these estimates to be broken down by quantities of genuine and counterfeit product. The latest estimate for illicit spirits (relating to the year 2008-09) was published on the HMRC website on 16 September 2010, in the document “Measuring Tax Gaps 2010”. This document can be accessed online at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps-2010.htm.pdf
Cycle to Work Scheme
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of his Department are participating in the Cycle to Work scheme. [49408]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury encourages all its employees to choose environmentally friendly forms of transport to and from work in both its London and Norwich offices, and provides free secure storage and changing facilities for those who choose to do so. 29 employees participated in the Department’s last formal Cycle to Work Scheme which closed in 2009. The scheme for 2011 is currently being finalised.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Mr Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees on temporary contracts (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental bodies for which he is responsible had in each of the last five years. [49601]
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Justine Greening: The number of employees on temporary contracts within HM Treasury, the UK Debt Management Office and the Asset Protection Agency (APA) for each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
|
|
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Note: The APA was established in 2009, and its costs are recharged in full to the Royal Bank of Scotland | |||||
Equitable Life
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the parliamentary ombudsman’s report on Equitable Life. [49642]
Mr Hoban: The Government have accepted all the parliamentary ombudsman’s recommendations in full. The Government’s ambition is to start making payments in the middle of this year.
The Government will provide details of the scheme to Parliament in the spring.
Green Investment Bank
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what his policy is on granting the Green Investment Bank power to raise capital through borrowing during the comprehensive spending review period; [49203]
(2) whether he has plans to introduce (a) bonds and (b) individual savings accounts designed for small investors to invest capital in (i) environmental industries and (ii) the Green Investment Bank. [49763]
Justine Greening [holding answer 28 March 2011]:The Government are undertaking analysis into how investment in green industries can be increased.
The Chancellor announced in the Budget that the Government will enable the Green Investment Bank to have borrowing powers from 2015-16 and once the target for debt to be falling as a percentage of GDP has been met.
Inheritance Tax
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether individuals who donate their homes to charitable bodies but continue to reside within them as tenants will be eligible for the reduction in the rate of inheritance tax on their estates payable on their death should the value of such donations exceed 10 per cent. of the value of their estates. [49681]
Justine Greening: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his recent Budget that the rate of inheritance tax would be reduced for those estates leaving 10% or more to charity. The Government will be consulting on the detail of the policy and how the policy will be implemented to ensure that charities get the maximum benefit and it is straightforward for taxpayers.
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Landfill Communities Fund
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the performance of projects funded by the Landfill Communities Fund; what plans he has for the future of the fund; and if he will make a statement. [49682]
Justine Greening: The performance of Landfill Communities Fund projects is assured by an independent regulator, ENTRUST, using key performance indicators that are agreed in formal terms of approval set by HMRC.
The Government are committed to ensuring that the valuable work supported by the Landfill Communities Fund continues to flourish. Therefore, in the Budget, the value of the fund in 2011-12 was increased in line with inflation to £78.1 million.
To improve the efficiency of the fund in getting contributions into communities as quickly as possible, the Government have challenged environmental bodies to reduce the level of unspent funds that they hold.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Chief Secretary to the Treasury plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Torbay of 17 September 2010 on behalf of his constituent Ms Claire Harding on the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign. [49688]
Justine Greening: I wrote to the hon. Member on 30 March.
State Retirement Pensions
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Pre-Budget Report 2009, paragraph 5.45, whether the age at which pensioner benefits can be received will increase in line with his proposed increase in the state pension age. [49544]
Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
The age at which pensioner benefits, such as pension credit and winter fuel payments, can be received is already set to increase in line with the female state pension age.
This also includes the age of eligibility for the bus pass although local authorities, such as Merseytravel, which provides the Merseyside pass, can under certain circumstances provide discretionary travel schemes.
Changes to the state pension age have not yet been reflected in the arrangements for prescription charge exemption and people are still eligible at age 60.
Taxation: Business
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Wages Inspectorate visits have been made to (a) small, (b) medium and (c) large companies in each of the last six months. [48389]
Mr Gauke [holding answer 23 March 2011]: HMRC does not capture information on national minimum wage (NMW) cases on the basis of whether the company is small, medium or large.
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HMRC can provide information on the number of visits made to employers based on the number of workers shown in the following table:
| Workers | Visits carried out between September 2010 and February 2011 |
Taxation: Oil and Gas
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met representatives of the oil and gas industry to discuss the taxation arrangements for oil and gas production. [49952]
Justine Greening: Treasury Ministers and officials meet representatives from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sector as part of the process of policy development and implementation. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effect on (a) employment in Scotland and (b) investment in new oil production of his changes to taxation of the oil and gas industries. [49953]
Justine Greening: Recognising the importance of continued investment in the North sea, the Government will consider with the industry the case for introducing a new category of qualifying for field allowance.
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any taper will apply to the supplementary charge on oil and gas profits if the price per barrel is between $75 and $100. [49956]
Justine Greening: As announced at Budget 2011, if the oil price falls below a set trigger price on a sustained basis, the Government will reduce the supplementary charge on a staged and affordable basis while prices remain low. The Government believe that a trigger price of $75 per barrel would be appropriate, but will set a final level and mechanism after seeking the views of oil and gas companies and motoring groups.
Urenco
Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contingency plans he has made should the sale of the UK shareholding in Urenco not realise the sum identified as necessary to fund the Green Investment Bank. [49613]
Justine Greening: The Government are considering a range of possible asset sales to fund the Green Investment Bank. To give information on expected proceeds from individual asset sales would prejudice the Government's commercial position in ongoing and future sale processes. However, at an aggregate level, the Government are confident that the asset sales they are considering will be sufficient to provide the £2 billion target.
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Business, Innovation and Skills
Green Investment Bank
19. Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to publish a business plan for the Green Investment Bank. [49989]
Vince Cable: We will capitalise—with equity finance—the Green Investment Bank (GIB) with £2 billion on top of £1 billion of departmental funding already announced. The bank will be able to engage in borrowing when public finances are healthier. We intend to announce more details, including a business plan, in May.
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the amount of investment in green infrastructure that the Green Investment Bank will be generating in the comprehensive spending review period. [50554]
Mr Prisk: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the 2011 Budget that the Green Investment Bank will be capitalised with £3 billion during this Parliament.
We estimate that this capital could leverage up to £15 billion for green infrastructure by 2014-15.
Apprentices: Greater London
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) adult and (b) youth apprenticeships were offered in the (i) public and (ii) private sector in London in each of the last five years. [49866]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 29 March 2011]: The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts in England by age for 2005/06 to 2009/10, the latest year for which final data are available. Information on the number of apprenticeships offered in the public and private sector is not available.
| Apprenticeship programme starts by age, 2005/05 to 2009/10 | |||||
| Age | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the programme. 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
Arms Trade: Exports
Sir John Stanley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 9 March 2011, Official
Report, column 1173W, on arms trade: exports, for which countries arms export licences have been revoked as a result of his Department’s review of export licences announced on 18 February 2011 since 15.00 on 3 March 2011; how many (a)
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individual and
(b)
open licences were revoked in respect of each country; and what the date of revocation was in each case. [49524]
Mr Prisk: The information is as follows:
(a) For Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) one licence was revoked for Libya on 4 March;
(b) For Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) one licence with multiple destinations was amended on 4 March, revoking exports to the Country of Bahrain; and two licences with multiple destinations were amended on 9 March, both of which revoked exports to the Country of Bahrain.
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the Arts and Humanities Research Council on funding research into the Big Society; what assessment he has made of the compatibility of his proposals with the Haldane Principle; and if he will make a statement. [50063]
Mr Willetts: The Haldane Principle means that decisions on individual research proposals are taken by researchers themselves through peer review. A statement of the Principle was published alongside the science and research funding allocations on 20 December 2010:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101220/wmstext/101220m0001.htm
Every Government will have some key national strategic priorities. The research base has an important role to play in addressing such priorities and the research councils, with the support of independent advice, have proposed research programmes to tackle them. It is also appropriate for Ministers to ask research councils to consider how best they can contribute to these priorities without crowding out other areas of their missions. But it is for the research councils to decide on the specific projects and people to fund within these priorities, free from ministerial interference.
The Arts and Humanities Research Council's (AHRC) Delivery Plan published in December 2010 was agreed in discussion with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. This sets out their strategic research priority areas. AHRC has been working since 2008, with four other research councils, on the Connected Communities Research Programme which has been developed through consultation with researchers. It has not been changed or modified in any way because of any intervention from Ministers: there has been none. At the core of this programme is research to understand the changing nature of communities in their historical and cultural contexts, and the value of communities in sustaining and enhancing our quality of life. These issues are also relevant to debates about the ‘Big Society’. The AHRC has made clear their position in a statement published on 28 March:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/News/Latest/Pages/Observerarticle.aspx
Business
Mr Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department is making on achieving the Government's aim of making the UK the best place in the world to start a business; what recent discussions he has had
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with the Confederation of British Industry on this matter; and if he will make a statement. [50309]
Mr Prisk: The UK is ranked as the 4th easiest economy out of 183 economies in the world in which to do business, according to the World Bank benchmarks published in November 2010, confirming our place as the best country in the G8 and Europe to do business. But there is no room for complacency and since last May we have introduced a number of measures to help achieve our aim of making the UK the best place in the world to start a business. These include:
The Budget announced a general moratorium from all new domestic regulations for three years for businesses of less than 10 employees and for new start-ups.
The Budget also introduced 21 new Enterprise Zones offering a package of benefits including a 100% business rate discount worth up to £275,000 over a five year period.
From 6 April, Companies House will launch a new web incorporation service which will enable people to set up a simple company within a few hours for just £18-an important step towards the Government's aim of one-click registration.
Alongside the launch of StartUp Britain, the ground-breaking response from the private sector to the Government's call for an enterprise-led recovery, we announced last week a package of announcements to help inspire, support and grow new businesses in the UK:
support for every school to run its own business through the Enterprise Champions Programme.
a major roll-out of Tenner Tycoon, the successful competition owned and run by the Peter Jones Foundation which gives young people the opportunity to take forward their business ideas.
the creation of enterprise societies in every university and most further education colleges to develop students with the ambition and skills for enterprise.
We have announced we will be changing the way we provide information, guidance and support to make it easier to start a business, revamping the www.businesslink.gov.uk website and introducing a national contact centre. In October we will be launching a new improved, and personalised, online support package for anyone who wants to start up in business. The Start- Up Hub will provide a range of tools and checklists, which have been tested by business customers and includes key elements of starting up such as business planning, as well as tax calculators and other help. It will be easy to access online information and guidance including simple ‘no nonsense guides’ to starting up in a variety of formats, and online training such as video workshops and case studies.
We have announced that we will continue the Enterprise Finance Guarantee until 2014-15, providing up to £600 million of additional lending to around 6,000 SMEs next year, and subject to demand, over £2 billion in total over the next four years, helping to ensure businesses can access the finance they need.
We are providing targeted support for specific groups:
supporting the Royal British Legion's ‘Be the Boss’ scheme, which provides loans, grants and advice to UK service leavers to help them fund, plan and grow their own businesses.
working with the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver a tailored package of measures, including an expansion in the planned New Enterprise Allowance, to help the unemployed become self employed.
Working with mentoring providers to understand and address the barriers to enterprise for all groups, including women, former service personnel and Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.
Working with social landlords to remove red tape and encourage more tenants to start up businesses.
From 6 April, a new prospective entrepreneur visa will be available and there will be changes to the entrepreneurs' visa to encourage more wealth and job creators to come to the UK.
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The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is one of this Department's key corporate stakeholders, and Ministers and officials meet regularly with their CBI counterparts. I last met with John Cridland, the CBI's Director General, in early March, where we discussed many aspects of policy aimed at making the UK the best place in the world to start a business. These included planning, regulation and employment law. We also spoke on the afternoon of Budget day. The CBI welcomed the Budget overall and the accompanying growth review, particularly welcoming the measures on corporation tax, entrepreneurs' taxation, regulation, fuel duty and manufacturing.
Compensation
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much (a) his Department and its predecessors and (b) each (i) agency and (ii) non-departmental public body for which he is responsible spent on compensation payments to members of the public for errors made by such bodies in each of the last five years. [47425]
Mr Davey: Compensation payments are disclosed annually in the Department’s published accounts under the heading of special payments. Payments above £250,000 are detailed separately. Compensation payments made to members of the public for errors made are not recorded separately and the figures could be disaggregated only at disproportionate cost.
Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, Skills Funding Agency and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to my hon. Friend directly.
Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 16 March 2011:
Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills asking how much the Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) spent on compensation payments to members of the public for errors made by the Agency in each of the last five years.
Please be advised that the Agency has no record of any compensation payments made to members of the public recorded in the ledgers of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the predecessor to the Skills Funding Agency—up to 31 March 2010, nor in the ledgers of the Skills Funding Agency, the successor organisation to the LSC, from 1 April 2010 to date.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 24 March 2011:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 14 March 2011, UIN 47425 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
As a Government department Companies House does not pay compensation. However; we will make payments for costs, known as ex gratia payments, where the costs are incurred as a direct result of an error made by Companies House. The amount of ex gratia payments for each of the last five years is as follows:
|
|
Amount (£) |
The figures for 2010/11 are for the year to date.
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Letter from John Alty, dated 15 March 2011:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 14th March 2011 to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Intellectual Property Office generally does not pay compensation. Where the Office has not provided a service to the standard we and our customers expect an ex-gratia payment may be made. This generally is a refund of fees paid but can be more, to cover costs, in exceptional circumstances. The figures for the last five years are:
|
|
£ |
Letter from Peter Mason, dated 22 March 2011:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (formerly National Weights and Measures Laboratory) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 14 March 2011 reference 2010/4536 to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking how much his Department and its predecessors and each (a) agency and (b) non-departmental public body for which he is responsible spent on compensation payments to members of the public for errors made by such bodies in each of the last five years.
The National Measurement Office has not spent any money on compensation payments to members of the public for errors in any of the last five years.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 28 March 2011:
The Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question how much his Department and its predecessors and each (a) agency and (b) non-departmental public body for which he is responsible spent on compensation payments to members of the public for errors made by such bodies in each of the last five years.
The Insolvency Service, an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, does not hold a breakdown of amounts paid for compensation to members of the public for errors. Where an official receiver acting as trustee or liquidator has not taken action as required by insolvency legislation in relation to an insolvency case, The Service may be liable to make a fruitless payment. Provisions for such payments are included in the notes to The Service’s Accounts published annually and laid in Parliament. The Service’s Annual Report and Accounts also includes any payments in respect of complaints that are upheld by the independent Adjudicator of complaints.
Enterprise Zones: Wales
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the use of the enterprise zone model in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [50121]
Mr Prisk: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State visited Wales on Tuesday 29 March when the issue of enterprise zones was discussed at length with key representatives of the Welsh business sector.
In addition, the Government wrote to the Welsh Assembly Government—as well as the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive—in advance of the Budget, setting out their commitment to work with the devolved Administrations to establish enterprise zones if they so wish. The Government remain ready to work
31 Mar 2011 : Column 480W
with them on this and have made funding available in the Budget to support enterprise zones in the devolved Administrations through the Barnett formula.
Land: Bristol
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for ownership of the land on which the SPark Bristol and Bath Science Park is located other than the National Corporate Centre Site following the closure of the South West Regional Development Agency. [50149]
Mr Prisk: The South West of England Development Agency’s detailed assets and liabilities plan is currently being scrutinised by Government. The Government expect information to be available in due course, once in principle decisions have been made on appropriate methods of disposal for particular types of assets. The Government anticipate the systematic disposal of the South West of England Development Agency’s assets and liabilities will begin shortly.
Local Enterprise Partnerships
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the population of England is covered by local enterprise partnerships; what plans there are to extend coverage; and if he will make a statement. [50303]
Mr Prisk: To date, 32 partnerships have been approved. These represent:
1.8 million or 90% of all businesses (active enterprises) in England;
21 million employees (employee jobs figures) or 91% of all employees in England and;
A population of 47 million or 90% of England's population.
We welcome further proposals for areas not yet covered by partnerships and continue to work with them at a speed that is appropriate for them.
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what role his Department has set for local enterprise partnerships in promoting (a) the automotive industry, (b) low-carbon technologies, including offshore wind farms and (c) biotechnology and the life sciences in their areas. [50324]
Mr Prisk: It is for local enterprise partnerships to decide their priorities, and where they have a particular strength in a sector in their locality such as in automotive, low carbon or life sciences they may well wish to promote that sector. The Government have already made clear that they will share information and work with partnerships on such issues if they would find that helpful.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Torbay of 14 December 2010 on behalf of the Devon Education Business Partnership regarding work experience placements. [49690]
Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply.
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The Minister of State for Schools, my hon. Friend the Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr Gibb), replied to my hon. Friend on 29 March 2011.
New Businesses: Scotland
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding will be allocated to (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow North West constituency and (c) Glasgow city under the StartUp Britain initiative. [50052]
Mr Prisk: StartUp Britain does not receive Government funding.
It is an initiative for business, led and funded by business.
Northern Way: Expenditure
Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Northern Way project spent; and what evaluation he has made of the project's performance in meeting its objectives. [49744]
Mr Prisk: The Northern Way formed in 2004 and is a partnership between One North East, Yorkshire Forward and Northwest Development Agency. Its forecast total spend is £126 million covering two phases, 2004-08 (£100 million) and 2008-11 (£26 million).
An evaluation of the first phase was published in April 2009. An evaluation of the second phase was initiated in March 2009. An interim report was published in June 2010 and the final report will be issued in April 2011. The reports can be found at:
http://www.thenorthernway.co.uk/page.asp?id=812
The partnership will formally close on 31 March 2011.
Re-Export Control Bill [HL] 2010-11
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on referring the Re-Export Control Bill [Lords] to a Second Reading Committee; what his policy is on such references; and if he will make a statement. [50308]
Mr Prisk: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) received a letter from my hon. Friend the Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 4 March on this issue.
My noble Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills expressed the Government's reservations about the Re-Export Controls Bill during its Second Reading in the House of Lords on 3 December. The Government intend to set out its position on the Bill during Second Reading in the House of Commons, which is currently scheduled for 13 May.
Regional Growth Fund: Poole
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications to the Regional Growth Fund have been received from organisations based in Poole constituency. [50540]
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Mr Prisk: Four hundred and sixty-four bids to the value of £2.78 billion have been received in Round 1 of Regional Growth Fund (RGF). No bids have come directly from the Poole area.
Service Industries: Minimum Wage
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the operation of the national minimum wage in the hospitality industry. [49978]
Mr Davey: I met with the hon. Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk on 21 March 2011 to discuss national minimum wage enforcement in the hospitality industry. I am considering the issues raised at this meeting and shall be writing to the hon. Member shortly.
Small Businesses: Recruitment
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to employ staff; and if he will make a statement. [50307]
Mr Prisk: The Government have announced plans to promote employment by reducing the cost of hiring and retaining staff.
We raised the threshold for employer NICs, increasing the number of employees for whom employers pay no contributions, and introduced a national insurance contributions (NICs) holiday scheme.
We have also made good progress on our Parliament-long review of employment laws—including proposed reforms to the employment tribunals system, which should make it easier and more attractive to take people on.
Students: Loans
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to ensure that all student loans eligible for repayment are repaid in full following implementation of the increased maximum chargeable amount in tuition fees. [49824]
Mr Willetts: Borrowers who remain in the UK and work here will have their loans recovered through the UK tax system.
For those borrowers who move abroad, whether temporarily or because they live in another country, the Student Loans Company (SLC) has established repayment arrangements and will ask for information about earnings and give the borrower a monthly repayment schedule under the terms of the contract of the loan.
The progressive system of student loans to be introduced in the 2012/13 academic year links repayments to earnings, with the effect that high earners will repay the full cost, or more, of their tuition.
The £21,000 income threshold will offer protection to those who do not go on to earn high wages or have periods out of employment.
After 30 years all former students will have any outstanding balance written off. Under this system, around a quarter of former students with the lowest lifetime earnings will repay less overall than former students under the current system do now.
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Tobacco: Sales
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Reducing Regulation Committee has discussed proposals for the future display of tobacco products in shops. [49459]
Mr Prisk: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committee, including items on the agenda, is generally not disclosed, as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal Government discussion.
WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the retention of the UK's role of hosting a WHO collaborating centre as part of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network. [50256]
Mr Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research, including research relating to influenza. The MRC is a non-departmental public body which receives its grant in aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Influenza Centre at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research is one of five WHO Collaborating Centres for Reference and Research on Influenza. MRC support for the centre is subject to scientific peer review and is assessed every five years by MRC as part of their ongoing programme of review for MRC research units and institutes. This assessment takes account of scientific expertise, links with other organisations nationally and internationally including WHO, the Health Protection Agency, the (US) Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
The MRC is currently conducting the five-yearly review of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), and decisions on support for the centre for the coming five years will be taken as part of this review. The MRC expects to complete the institute review during 2011-12.
In keeping with the Haldane Principle, prioritisation of an individual Research Council's spending within its allocation is not a decision for Ministers.
Education
Academies
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what process he has put in place by which an independent school may become an academy. [45633]
Mr Gibb: An independent school wanting to become an Academy should follow the Free School application process, which has been open to them since its launch in June.
Applications from independent schools are considered alongside applications for new schools. All applications must meet minimum criteria. In order to ensure only
31 Mar 2011 : Column 484W
the best independent schools are considered for the Free Schools programme, independent school applicants must meet additional criteria, set out on our website at:
www.education.gov.uk/freeschools
The minimum criteria that independent schools must meet in order to be considered are:
The latest inspection judgment on the school should be either good or better;
There should be no significant outstanding issues on compliance with independent schools standards; and
The existing Trust has a good track record of managing their accounts.
The Department will also take into account a range of contextual factors to make a judgment on whether the school will provide value for money and high quality places.
Apprentices: Finance
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on which dates Ministers in his Department have made announcements on (a) the creation of apprenticeship places and (b) funding to be allocated to apprenticeships since May 2010. [40581]
Mr Hayes: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 14 February, 2011, Official Report, columns 562-3W which I answered as Minister with responsibility for apprenticeships in both the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Children: Carers
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds of the number and proportion of children who are carers in each (a) region and (b) socio-economic group. [40326]
Tim Loughton: Precise local and national data on the number and proportion of children who are carers in each region of the UK and socio-economic group are not held centrally. However the 2001 Census estimates that there are approximately 175,000 children in the UK aged 17 or under offering some care to a family member, neighbour or friend. More up to date census data will be available later in the year.
Departmental Expenditure: Film Production
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on film production, including the filming of speeches, since May 2010. [35829]
Tim Loughton: Since May 2010 the Department has spent £4,565.00 on film production.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) actual and (b) full-time equivalent staff his Department employed on the latest date for which figures are available. [42385]
31 Mar 2011 : Column 485W
Tim Loughton: As at March 2011, the number of staff employed by the Department for Education is 2,605 or 2,484.4 full-time equivalent (FTE).
31 Mar 2011 : Column 486W
Similar headcount information (from the latest data available in March 2011) for the Department's arm’s length bodies is set out in the following table:
Departmental Telephone Services
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2011, Official Report, columns 1034-35W, on departmental telephone services, what steps are being taken within the specification outlined to facilitate the qualification of small voluntary sector organisations under the terms for contracted services; and if he will make a statement. [49641]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 30 March 2011]: The Home Office in liaison with OGC and other Government Departments has developed the good practice guidance on procuring services from the voluntary and community sector (VCS). The primary focus of the guidance is to improve the participation of the VCS in public service contracts but it is also highly relevant to procurement relationships with small to medium enterprises and black and minority ethnic enterprises.
The Department for Education (DfE) fully supports the use of the good practice guidance and recognises that the voluntary and community sector can make a significant contribution to the delivery of our policies. The Department's procurement policy requires that all procurement must be based on value for money (VFM), however, VFM and supplier diversity are not in opposition to each other and public procurement is generally more effective if it is open to ideas from all potential supply markets. The guidance is not about giving preferential treatment to VCS organisations; rather, it is about opening up opportunities and building effective relationships. We are also complying with the actions suggested by ERG and BIS—Growth Review:
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_growth.pdf
to help encourage SMEs and VCS's, e.g. reducing use of Pre Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs) for sub-threshold procurements and meeting the Governments transparency requirements.
To support the transparency agenda, all DfE tenders and contracts over £10,000 are advertised on the Contracts Finder website which provides access and guidance to public sector contracting. Contracts Finder is a free new service for businesses, Government buyers and the public. This service comes from Government under their transparency commitment, and you can find live contract opportunities, tender documentation, contract awards and contract documents.
Finance
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department allocated to local authorities in Greater Manchester for capital expenditure (a) in 2010-11 and (b) in each of the last five years. [49958]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 30 March 2011]: The following table sets out capital support for schools in the Greater Manchester area from 2005-06 to 2010-11 (provisional):
| £ million | ||||||
|
|
2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 (provisional) |
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The figures in the table include capital grant and supported borrowing allocations, but exclude PFI credits.
Flexible Working: Parental Leave
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the effect on early childhood development of (a) flexible working and (b) maternity and paternity leave. [48488]
Sarah Teather: The Department has made no explicit assessment of the direct effect on early childhood development of flexible working and maternity and paternity leave.
However, there are studies which the Department has commissioned, funded or is aware of which look explicitly at the effect of the home learning environment and parental involvement on childhood development.
The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project, after controlling for parents’ occupations and education, aspects of the home learning environment were found to have a significant impact on children's cognitive development both at age 3 years plus and again at school entry. The frequency with which the child plays with letters/numbers at home was linked with attainment in all measures. Parents’ drawing children’s attention to sounds and letters was linked to literacy skills, early number skills and non-verbal attainment.
The final report from EPPE is available here:
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/DCSF-00924-2008
‘The National Literacy Trust Face to Face’ research project, October 2010, was commissioned to identify key messages for parents and carers in relation to communicating with babies and young children and examined the most effective ways to promote these messages. The review found that there is general agreement that infants are predisposed to communicate, reciprocate and connect with other people. Key areas were identified in relation to the aspects of parenting that matter in relation to communicating with babies. More information on the study and the key findings can be found at:
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/6771/F2F_management_summary.pdf
‘The Impact of Parental Involvement on Children’s Education’, DCSF 2008, provides a summary of some of the research evidence on the impact of parental involvement on children’s education, the stages at which it is know to have an impact, and the types of activities which are influential. Overall, research has consistently shown that parental involvement in children’s education does make a positive difference to pupils’ achievement, as follows:
Parental involvement with children from an early age has been found to equate with better outcomes; particularly in terms of cognitive development. (Sylva et al (2004) Effective pre-School Education. Final report. DFES.)
Evidence indicates that a relationship exists between parental involvement and achievement, and that this continues to have a significant effect into adolescence and even adulthood, even when the background factors such as class and family size have been taken into account. (Desforges et al (2003) ‘The Impact of Parental involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment: A Literature Review’. DCSF).
Evidence suggests that the quality and content of fathers’ involvement matter more for children’s outcomes than the quantity of time fathers spend with their children. (Goldman, R (2005). ‘Fathers’ involvement in their Children’s Education’. National Family and Parenting Institute.) There is consistent evidence that fathers’ interest and involvement in learning is statistically associated with better outcomes, (ibid)
In 2007 two thirds of parents said that they would like to get more involved in the child's school life. Work commitments were the most frequently cited barrier by parents (44%) from getting more involved. (Peters et al (2008) Parental Involvement in Children's Education 2007. DCSF).
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/DCSF-00924-2008
Analysis of data collected from the British Household Panel Survey (1991-97) found a negative and significant effect on the child’s educational attainment as a young adult of the mother's full-time employment when the child was aged 0-5.
The effect of mother’s part-time employment is also negative but smaller and less well determined. Similarly, the effect of father’s employment is small but again negative. More information on the analysis can be found in ‘The Effect of Parents’ Employment on Children’s Educational Attainment’, John Ermisch and Marco Francesconi, 2000, available here:
http://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/publications/working-papers/iser/2000-31.pdf