Solar Power: Cornwall
Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the effect of the fast-track review of the feed-in tariff scheme on farmers in Cornwall who have signed contracts with solar photovoltaic developers. [51116]
Gregory Barker: DECC officials are in regular contact with organisations representing the views of farmers in Cornwall, and will take into account all evidence received through the current public consultation.
Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many megawatts of solar photovoltaic generating capacity have been installed in Northumberland since the launch of the feed-in tariff scheme. [51352]
Gregory Barker: As of 31 December 2010, 173.1 kW of solar photovoltaic (PV) had been installed in Northumberland since 1 April 2010, the launch date of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme. An additional 28.7 kW of solar PV capacity was installed between 15 July 2009 (when the FITs scheme was announced) and 1 April 2010.
Treasury
Air Passenger Duty
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when his Department first announced that air passenger duty would be increased by the rate of inflation each year; [50640]
(2) how much income from (a) air passenger duty and (b) the inclusion of aviation in the Emissions Trading Scheme he expects to accrue to the Exchequer in each year to 2015-16; [50641]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 889W
(3) if he will publish the advice he received on the legality of a per-plane duty. [50642]
Justine Greening: The June 2010 Budget policy costings document:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf
made clear on page 51 that air passenger duty (APD), along with many other duties, was assumed to increase with RPI.
The Office for Budget Responsibility now publishes revenue forecasts independently. The OBR’s revenue forecasts for all APD and ETS receipts were set out on page 92 of the Budget 2011 document.
The Government do not routinely publish legal advice to safeguard openness in communications between Ministers and officials, ensuring access to full and frank advice.
Banks: Incentives
Mr Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment his Department has made of EU proposals for a financial transaction tax. [50487]
Mr Hoban: The European Commission issued a communication in October 2010 on taxation of the financial sector. This concluded that financial transactions taxes were best suited to raising revenue at a global level. Further detail was set out in Explanatory Memorandum 15282/10: Taxation of the Financial Sector.
The Government believe that financial transaction tax could not be viable unless implemented globally. There are many issues that need to be further explored around whether the financial transaction tax model offers a stable and efficient mechanism to raise revenue.
Business: National Insurance
Nic Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely annual dead-weight cost to the public purse of the exemption from national insurance for new businesses setting up outside the south-east. [49727]
Mr Gauke: The regional national insurance contributions (NICs) holiday scheme is designed to support new businesses in their first year and reduce the cost of hiring staff for new businesses.
The Budget costing is an estimate of the NICs forgone from the number of qualifying new businesses we should normally see setting up. This did not account for any additional start-up activity or any wider macro-economic benefits from the policy.
The Government do not consider the support of these businesses, dead-weight costs since they provide a benefit to new businesses, increasing incentives to take on employees and improving the likelihood of business survival in the potentially vulnerable early stages.
Further information on the assumptions and methodologies underlying the costing are available at:
(page 21)
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf
5 Apr 2011 : Column 890W
Child Benefit
Nic Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the dead-weight cost to the public purse of operating the child benefit system in the latest period for which figures are available. [49726]
Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs publishes detailed information about the costs associated with the administration of child benefit in its annual accounts. The most recently published information can be found in the 2009-10 accounts, trust statement and the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General published together at:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accs-0910.pdf
Child Tax Credit
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the number of households in (a) Glasgow North East constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) Great Britain in which the child-care element of working tax credit payable will reduce in each of the next four financial years; and if he will estimate the average annual change in income attributable to such a reduction in each case; [50134]
(2) if he will estimate the likely annual loss of income to affected households attributable to the reduction in the child-care element of working tax credit in (a) Glasgow North East constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) Great Britain for individuals earning (i) up to £16,000, (ii) between £16,000 and £24,000, (iii) between £24,000 and £30,000, (iv) between £30,000 and £40,000, (v) between £40,000 and £50,000 and (vi) £50,000 and above in each of the next four financial years. [50138]
Mr Gauke: The reduction of child care support to 70% from 80% is part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the spending review. However, to ensure support is better targeted at low-income families with children, some of the savings from measures announced at the spending review have been recycled into significant above-indexation increases to the child tax credit in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Treasury analysis shows that modelled tax and benefit reforms announced since Budget 2010 have a small reduction in child poverty in 2011-12 and 2012-13; however given the uncertainty around these types of estimates, this change may not be statistically significant.
There are interactions between the measures so estimating the impact of just one measure does not give a clear indication of the full impact on households.
The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the whole package of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_annexb.pdf
This distributional analysis is not available at the geographical breakdowns requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 891W
Corporation Tax
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of businesses trading in the UK and subject to corporation tax who will pay the tax in each of the next four financial years. [50033]
Mr Gauke: HMRC does not forecast the proportion of UK businesses that will pay tax in the next four financial years. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) publish an onshore CT forecast to which a link is provided at:
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/econ-fiscal-outlook-march.html
This forecast includes the aggregate effect of tax deductions which may result in some businesses having no taxable profits.
Departmental Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement; [50089]
(2) how many of his ministerial team have been issued with (a) an Oyster card and (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on government business; [50170]
(3) on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010; [50192]
(4) how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by (a) ministerial car, (b) train, (c) bus, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010. [50214]
Justine Greening: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. All travel undertaken by Treasury Ministers is carried out in line with the “Ministerial Code”, in all cases by the most efficient and cost-effective means possible.
Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation
Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the first compensation payments to be made to Equitable Life policyholders. [51334]
Mr Hoban: The Government's ambition is to start making payments in the middle of this year.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 892W
Financial Institutions
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to sell the Government’s stake in (a) Northern Rock, (b) Bradford & Bingley, (c) Royal Bank of Scotland and (d) Lloyds TSB Bank. [51320]
Mr Hoban: UK Financial Investments (UKFI) manages the Government’s shareholding in Bradford & Bingley plc; Northern Rock Asset Management plc; Northern Rock plc; Lloyds Banking Group; and the Royal Bank of Scotland on an arm’s length and commercial basis.
In October 2010 UKFI integrated Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc and Bradford & Bingley plc under a single holding company UK Asset Resolutions (UKAR) which is committed to an orderly wind down of both banks’ closed mortgage books.
In relation to Northern Rock plc; Lloyds Banking Group; and the Royal Bank of Scotland UKFI’s remit is to devise and execute a strategy for disposing of the Government’s investments in an orderly and active way, in line with its overarching objective to create and protect value for the taxpayer as shareholder.
Because any decision needs to be taken in the context of changing economic and market conditions, UKFI do not think that it is possible or desirable to state hard goals such as time that would drive the sale of the Government’s shareholdings. But circumstances under which UKFI are likely to be able to sell shares are likely to be those in which the economy—and investor confidence—is recovering and in which bank share prices are firm.
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate UK Financial Investments Ltd has made of the monetary value of each of the financial institutions in which it has a stake. [51324]
Mr Hoban: UK Financial Investments (UKFI) manages the Government's shareholding in Bradford and Bingley plc; Northern Rock Asset Management plc; Northern Rock plc; Lloyds Banking Group; and the Royal Bank of Scotland on an arm's-length and commercial basis.
UKFI set out a summary of investee banks' performance and key financials in their annual report.
Financial Institutions: Public Sector Debt
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on using proceeds from any future sale of the stake UK Financial Investments Ltd holds in UK financial institutions for payment of the national debt. [51488]
Mr Hoban: UK Financial Investments' (UKFI) objective is to dispose of the Government's investments in an orderly and active manner, within the context of an overarching objective of protecting and creating value for the taxpayer.
Because any decision needs to be taken in the context of changing economic and market conditions, UKFI does not think it is possible to or desirable to state hard goals such as price or time that would determine when the Government's interests will be sold.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 893W
Financial Services
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to paragraph 3.5 of Project Merlin-Banks’ Statement, whether a banking institution may be released from its obligations under the agreement if it is deemed necessary by its board. [50123]
Mr Hoban: As a result of the Government’s discussions, the four largest UK banks have committed that the total remuneration paid in 2010 will be lower than it was in 2009 and lower than it would have been otherwise. The Remuneration Committee chair of each bank will write to the FSA to confirm that this commitment has been met.
Financial Services: EU Law
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capital requirement rules within the Basel III accord in respect of financial institutions based in the UK. [51070]
Mr Hoban: The Basel III agreement will strengthen the safety of the financial sector by significantly increasing the amount capital banks are required to hold against their risk weighted assets and by introducing a leverage ratio to prevent a dangerous build up of leverage emerging in the financial system. The Basel package represents a credible and crucial set of reforms that will strengthen the resilience of the banking system to the long-run benefit of the economy.
Moreover, in order to protect the economic recovery the Basel committee has agreed an extended transition period; with most elements of the package phased in gradually from 2013 to 2019.
The UK supports a full and faithful implementation of the Basel III agreement in the EU through the Capital Requirements Directive.
Fly-tipping
Mr Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects to accrue to the Exchequer from landfill tax receipts arising from disposal in landfill of waste previously fly-tipped on (a) private and (b) public land in the financial year 2010-11. [50381]
Justine Greening: The data collected on fly-tipping of waste does not include the level of detail necessary to undertake this calculation.
Gift Aid
Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will consider the merits of extending the criteria for gift aid eligibility to include junior subscriptions to community amateur sports clubs; [50596]
(2) what representations he has received on extending the eligibility criteria for gift aid to include junior subscriptions to community amateur sports clubs. [50597]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 894W
Justine Greening: Last year the Gift Aid Forum, established by HM Treasury recommended a number of ways to improve the Gift Aid system but made no proposals in respect of junior membership subscriptions to community amateur sports clubs. This Government have not received any representations on extending Gift Aid to junior subscriptions.
Budget 2011 announced a number of improvements to Gift Aid which will benefit community amateur sports clubs as well as charities. The new Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme will allow clubs and charities to claim Gift Aid-style payments on up to £5,000 of small donations without needing to obtain a Gift Aid declaration from donors. Together with the introduction of online Gift Aid claims, this means that from 2013 the income of many community amateur sports clubs will increase at the same time as their administrative burdens are reduced.
We continue to keep all policy issues under review.
ISA: Children
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the content of (a) the website taxfreejuniorisa.co.uk and (b) commercial websites which present information as if it were the policy of his Department; and if he will make a statement. [49818]
Mr Hoban: The Government have been made aware of the existence of www.taxfreejuniorisa.co.uk, but has not received any representations on its content. The website does not purport to be a Government website.
The Treasury has no record of receiving any recent representations on other commercial websites purporting to present information as if it were the policy of the Department.
Northern Rock
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the future mutual status of Northern Rock. [51487]
Mr Hoban: UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI) manages the Government's investments in financial institutions on an arm's length and commercial basis. The development and execution of strategies for disposing of the Government's shareholding in Northern Rock is part of UKFI's remit.
UKFI are looking at the full range of alternatives for divestment, and are exploring options based on maximising value for the taxpayer, maintaining financial stability and paying due regard to promoting competition. All exit strategies, including mutualisation, for Northern Rock plc will be considered with the final decision on the sale of Northern Rock made by the Chancellor.
Oil and Gas Industry
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what meetings on what dates he had with representatives of the oil and gas industry in the six months prior to 23 March 2011; and who attended each such meeting; [50607]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 895W
(2) what discussions, on what dates, he had with representatives of the oil and gas industry on the supplementary charge on the industry prior to making his Budget Statement on 23 March 2011; who attended each such meeting; and at which of these meetings the effects of the price of oil falling below $75 a barrel was discussed. [50609]
Justine Greening: A list of Treasury Ministers’ meetings with outside interest groups is published quarterly on the Treasury website:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ministerial_meetings.htm
Treasury Ministers and officials meet representatives from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors 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.
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the likely effects on future trends in production and investment in the oil and gas industry of the supplementary charge on the industry announced in his Budget Statement. [50608]
Justine Greening: As set out in Budget documentation, the Government do not expect a significant impact on investment or production in the forecast period as a consequence of this measure.
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 field that would qualify for field allowance should there be cases where the tax change has made previously new fields un-commercial.
Oil: Prices
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements he has made for the reduction in the supplementary charge on the oil and gas industry should the oil price fall below the level of $75 per barrel specified in his Budget Statement. [50606]
Justine Greening: If the oil price falls below the trigger on a sustained basis, the Government will reduce the supplementary charge back towards 20% 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.
Public Finance
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reductions in public expenditure required to reduce the budget deficit by half over four years. [48019]
Justine Greening: The Office of Budget Responsibility’s June 2010 pre-Budget forecast set out an independent forecast for public spending and the deficit consistent with the previous Government’s plans. This forecast is available at:
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/d/pre_budget_forecast_140610.pdf
5 Apr 2011 : Column 896W
Solvency II Process
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many officials (a) in his Department and (b) of the Financial Services Authority are engaged in policy development in respect of the Solvency II proposals; [51202]
(2) what recent assessment he has made for benchmarking purposes of the size of (a) the UK annuity market and (b) similar product markets in each other EU member state; [51203]
(3) what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the Solvency II approach to capital for insurers; [51204]
(4) what assessment he has made of the potential effect on consumer prices of implementation of the capital requirements under consideration in the Solvency II process; [51205]
(5) whether the decisions on Solvency II proposals in the Council of Ministers will be subject to (a) unanimous consent of member states, (b) agreement via qualified majority voting or (c) another form of decision-making; and if he will make a statement. [51327]
Mr Hoban: HM Treasury and its associated public bodies have a number of staff involved in working across government and with other partners on Solvency II as part of their wider roles.
The Treasury is working closely with the FSA and with UK industry on assessing the scale of, and implications for, the annuities market. The Association of British Insurers estimate, that in 2009 (the last date available) the total premium written for annuity was £10.8 billion, and that the total amount of annuity liability is around £130 billion. Finance Ministries across Europe take a similar approach with respect to the products offered by their industries. Government do not engage in the public benchmarking of the UK annuity market against other European markets.
The Chancellor and other Treasury Ministers have regular discussions with European counterparts on a range of issues, including the new approach to capital for insurers under Solvency II, and the treatment of long-term products such as annuities.
The potential effect on consumer prices of implementation of the Solvency II capital requirements cannot be sensibly estimated yet as the rules are still not finalised. The Government continue to work closely with the Financial Services Authority and with industry to ensure a full understanding of the potential effect on consumer prices.
The Solvency II directive has already been adopted by the Council of Ministers. The directive is being amended through Omnibus II, to bring it into line with the decision-making process agreed in the Lisbon treaty. Omnibus II will be subject to agreement via the qualified majority decision process, as well as agreement with the European Parliament. When Omnibus II comes into force, the Delegated Acts—which will set out the technical details and rules of Solvency II—will then be subject to the qualified majority decision process in the Council of Ministers.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 897W
Statoil
Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department received from Statoil or its representatives or agents prior to the 2011 Budget. [51477]
Justine Greening: No budget representations were received from Statoil or their agents/representatives prior to the 2011 Budget.
Tax Evasion
Mr Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to encourage Crown Dependencies to share more information in respect of potential tax evasion; and what effects he expects such steps to have on the amount of unpaid tax which is recovered. [50814]
Mr Hoban: The Crown Dependencies exchange information on request under Tax Information Exchange Agreements and similar arrangements. In addition the Isle of Man and Guernsey will have moved to automatic exchange of information under the EU Savings Directive framework by 1 July 2011. This will help HM Revenue and Customs to ensure the correct tax is paid by UK tax residents with savings income arising in those jurisdictions. We encourage Jersey to move to automatic exchange of information on savings income as soon as possible.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Animal Welfare
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Belfast East of 14 February 2011, Official Report, column 566W, on animal welfare, by what date he expects to be able to determine his policy on the implementation of the 7th amendment to Council Directive 76/768/EEC and Regulation (EC) No 1223/200 on the testing of cosmetics on animals in 2013. [50684]
Mr Davey: This will depend entirely on the date of publication of the European Commission impact assessment on the effects of the ban.
Apprentices
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new apprenticeship places will be available as a result of announcements in the 2011 Budget in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15. [50581]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 1 April 2011]:In the Budget we announced an additional £180 million package for 50,000 additional adult apprenticeship places over the spending review period. This is on top of the plans for growth in the adult apprenticeships programme that we published in “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth”(1) in November 2010.
The apprenticeships programme is demand led, which means that we do not plan places or set targets. In “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth”, we provided illustrative learner forecasts to show the capacity for
5 Apr 2011 : Column 898W
training that Government investment can support: 437,000 in 2011/12 AY and 497,000 in 2012/13 AY. These will be updated to include the additional places announced in the Budget. We will publish a revised forecast for academic year 2011/12 and a forecast for 2012/13 later this year.
(1) Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth published by BIS
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/s/10-1272-strategy-investing-in-skills-for-sustainable-growth.pdf
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts his Department plans to fund in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15. [50583]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 1 April 2011]:In the Budget we announced an additional £180 million package for 50,000 additional adult apprenticeship places over the spending review period. This is on top of the plans for growth in the adult apprenticeships programme that we published in “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth”(1) in November 2010. The Department for Education’s plans for the apprenticeship programme for those aged 16-18 years are outlined in the 16-19 Funding Statement(2) ( )published by the Young People’s Learning Agency in December 2010.
The apprenticeships programme is demand led, which means that we do not plan places or set targets. In “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth”, we provided illustrative learner forecasts to show the capacity for training that Government investment can support: 437,000 in 2011/12 AY and 497,00 in 2012/13 AY. These will be updated to include the additional places announced in the Budget. We will publish a revised forecast for academic year 2011/12 and a forecast for 2012/13 later this year.
(1 )Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth published by BIS
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/s/10-1272-strategy-investing-in-skills-for-sustainable-growth.pdf
(2) 16-18 Funding Statement published by the YPLA
http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/YPLA/16-19_Funding_Statement.pdf
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the (a) allocation and (b) funding of the additional apprenticeships announced in the 2011 Budget in each region. [51232]
Mr Hayes: In the Budget we announced an additional £180 million package for 50,000 additional adult apprenticeship places over the spending review period. This is on top of the plans for growth in the adult apprenticeships programme that we published in ‘Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth’(1) in November 2010.
The apprenticeship places announced in the Budget are in addition to the minimum expectation of apprenticeships delivery set out in the Skills Funding Agency's final funding allocations issued to providers on 31 March 2011. I have asked the Skills Funding Agency to propose how the additional funding can best be allocated to colleges and training providers to support delivery of these additional apprenticeships. Take-up by region follows employer demand. For this reason, we are not able to provide estimates of the geographical
5 Apr 2011 : Column 899W
distribution of apprenticeship places or funding as these would be either too broad to be of use or would be potentially misleading.
(1) Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth published by BIS
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/s/10-1272-strategy-investing-in-skills-for-sustainable-growth.pdf
Apprentices: Mechanics
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had recent discussions with private sector training colleges on provision of car mechanic apprenticeships in (a) the west midlands and (b) nationally. [51165]
Mr Hayes: I meet with the Association of Learning Providers on a quarterly basis, and did so most recently in January this year. I also hold discussions on a wide variety of subjects related to apprenticeships with individual colleges and training providers in arranged visits and meetings. However, I do not recall any discussions specific to private sector training providers and provision of car mechanic apprenticeships either in the west midlands or nationally.
Apprentices: Funding
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for how many apprenticeship places he plans to allocate funding in 2012-13; what recent discussions he has had on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [50282]
Mr Hayes: In the budget we announced an additional £180 million package for 50,000 additional adult apprenticeship places over the spending review period. This is on top of the plans for growth in the Adult Apprenticeships programme that we published in “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth”(1) in November 2010. The Department for Education’s plans for the Apprenticeship programme for those aged 16 to 18 years are outlined in the 16-19 Funding Statement published by the Young People’s Learning Agency in December 2010(2).
From the 2011/12 academic year (AY) colleges and training organisations will have a single adult skills budget, with earmarked delivery for adult apprenticeships so that they can use the increased freedoms and flexibilities that we have given them to respond to and be accountable to the needs of learner, employers and communities. This means that while we do not plan apprenticeship places or set targets, we have provided illustrative learner forecasts to show the capacity for adult training that Government investment can support.
Using the funds committed in the spending review alone, as set out with illustrative forecasts in “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth”, we anticipate that Government funding will support 437,068 adult apprenticeships in the 2011/12 AY. For those aged 16 to 18 years old, we estimate we will fund 230,000 in the 2011/12 AY. We will publish a revised forecast for academic year 2011/12 and a forecast for 2012/13 later this year.
(1) Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth published by BIS
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/s/10-1272-strategy-investing-in-skills-for-sustainable-growth.pdf
(2) 16-19 Funding Statement published by the YPLA
http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/YPLA/16-19_Funding_Statement.pdf
5 Apr 2011 : Column 900W
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department plans to contribute to funding the apprenticeship places announced in the 2011 Budget; and from which of his Department's budgets such funding will be drawn. [51484]
Mr Hayes: In the Budget we announced an additional £180 million package for 50,000 additional adult apprenticeship places over the spending review period. This is on top of the plans for growth in the adult apprenticeships programme that we published in ‘Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth’(1) in November 2010. The funding is not drawn from elsewhere within the Department's budgets; it is in addition to BIS' allocation announced in the spending review in the autumn.
(1) Investing in Skills (or Sustainable Growth published by BIS
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/s/10-1272-strategy-investing-in-skills-for-sustainable-growth.pdf
Apprentices: North West England
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts there were for (a) men and (b) women in (i) the north west, (ii) Merseyside, (iii) Wirral and (iv) Wirral South constituency in (A) 2007-08, (B) 2008-09 and (C) 2009-10. [51236]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts by gender for the north west region, Wirral local education authority and Wirral South parliamentary constituency for 2007/08 to 2009/10. We only hold information at region, local education authority and parliamentary constituency levels of geography, therefore data for Merseyside are not presented.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship starts by gender in the north west region, Wirral local authority and Wirral South constituency, 2007/08 to 2009/10 | |||
|
|
2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Notes: 1. All Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geography information is based upon the home postcode of the learner. 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 31 March:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
5 Apr 2011 : Column 901W
Both the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Department for Education are responsible for the promotion of equality of access to apprenticeships. The National Apprenticeships Service (NAS), as the body responsible for promoting apprenticeships to employers and to potential apprentices, manages its systems to ensure equal access to information about the programme and to apprenticeship vacancies. A priority for NAS is to address stereotyping and under-representation across apprenticeships including gender, race and disability.
Apprentices: Poole
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people in Poole constituency (a) started and (b) completed an apprenticeship in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2010. [50499]
Mr Hayes: The following table shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts and framework achievements in Poole parliamentary constituency from 2008-09 to 2009-10.
| Apprenticeship framework starts and achievements, 2008-09 to 2009-10 | ||
| Poole parliamentary constituency | ||
|
|
Starts | Achievements |
| Notes: 1. Figures for parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 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 31 March 2011:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
Apprentices: Wolverhampton
Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much he has allocated for level 2 apprenticeships in Wolverhampton North East constituency in 2011-12. [49757]
Mr Hayes: Apprenticeships are a demand-led programme for young people and adults. Government fund apprenticeship training, in full for 16 to 19-year-olds and in part for adults, but relies on employers and providers to work together to offer sufficient opportunities, in the context of the greater freedoms and flexibilities that we have created in the further education system. Therefore, Government do not plan apprenticeship places but provide funding and forecast the number of places that may be afforded as a result.
Budget 2011 announced a package of measures for apprenticeships worth £180 million. Taken together with the funding announced at the spending review, this means the Government will fund at least 250,000 more adult apprentices over the next four years compared with the previous Government's plans.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 902W
Bankruptcy
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of raising the bankruptcy level under section 267(4) of the Insolvency Act 1986 to prevent bankruptcy petitions being made on very low level debts. [51089]
Mr Prisk: My officials in the Insolvency Service have analysed the likely effect of an increase to the bankruptcy level and undertook some targeted consultation with interested parties last year. About 80% of bankruptcies are as a result of the bankrupt’s own petition where no limit applies. If the limit was increased to £1,750 (which would have been approximately in line with inflationary increases since the limit was last set), there would be expected to be about 3% fewer bankruptcy orders made on a creditor’s petition. Views were invited on the whole personal insolvency regime in our consultation “Managing Borrowing and Dealing with Debt”. Officials are carefully analysing the responses and will be reporting to me in due course.
Business: Maidstone
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises located in Maidstone and the Weald constituency on their access to credit. [51133]
Mr Prisk: Both the Secretary of State and I meet regularly with national business representative bodies—such as the British Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Federation of Private Businesses, the Institute of Directors, and the Confederation of British Industry. At these meetings, a range of matters are discussed, which include access to finance for small businesses.
In addition, the Small Business Economic Forum, chaired by me, meets quarterly. This forum includes representatives from a number of small business representative bodies. The most recent meeting was held on 4 April, and the agenda included items on the progress being made by the British Bankers Association in implementing their Business Finance Taskforce proposals, and exporting.
These representations have a national focus, rather than focusing on the Maidstone and the Weald specifically. However, BIS data and other research indicate that access to finance is an issue that affects small businesses all across the UK to a broadly equal extent.
Climate Change
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has asked the National Physical Laboratory to take steps to support (a) the assessment of low carbon technology, (b) carbon trading and (c) the validation of climate change measurement. [51265]
Mr Willetts:
As part of the National Measurement System Programmes, funded through the National Measurement Office (an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)),
5 Apr 2011 : Column 903W
the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is carrying out work related to both the assessment of low carbon technology and the validation of climate change measurement. Some of this work is also in receipt of co-funding from the European Metrology Research Programme. BIS has not to date requested NPL to undertake work to support carbon trading.
Consumers: Debts
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the merits of introducing Simplified Individual Voluntary Arrangements for simple consumer debt cases. [51088]
Mr Davey: Our recent call for evidence, “Managing Borrowing and Dealing with Debt”, sought views on the personal insolvency framework. Officials are carefully analysing the responses and will be reporting to me in due course. I will consider whether changes need to be made to consumer insolvency procedures in the light of the responses received.
Departmental Interpreters
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for which services provided by (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies, interpreters provide services in a language or languages other than English; how many interpreters are employed or subcontracted for each non-English language; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of interpretation costs incurred in the latest period for which figures are available. [42221]
Mr Davey: This Department does not hold information centrally on the number of interpreters employed or subcontracted for each non-English language. This also applies to this Department’s non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). To provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.
This Department has spent the following amounts on interpreters/translation services.
|
|
£ |
| (1 )Approximately. | |
Departmental Manpower
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in his Department were in the Civil Service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of these had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date. [44348]
Mr Davey: As at 31 March 2011, the Department has 30 people in its Career Centre of which 18 people have been there for more than six months.
Easter
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring into force the provision of the Easter Act 1928 fixing the date of Easter. [51197]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 904W
Mr Davey: There are no current plans to implement the Easter Act 1928. This Act remains on the statute book, however, the Act requires that before a draft order is laid before Parliament
“regard shall be had to any opinion officially expressed by any Church or other Christian Body”.
At this time, the Churches have not all expressed a desire or willingness to move to a fixed Easter.
Employment Agencies: Regulation
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department takes to ensure that individuals who are proposed for vacancies by employment agencies or businesses are made aware of their rights to refuse such vacancies under the provisions of regulations 18 and 19 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003. [49154]
Mr Davey: The Department for Business, Innovations and Skills (BIS) ensures agency workers are aware of their rights under the provisions of the conduct regulations by publishing advice on the Direct.gov and Business Link websites, by publicising the pay and work rights helpline number (0800 917 2368) and by producing leaflets for workers which are handed out at job fares and universities.
BIS are currently working with the TUC and have produced an awareness raising video, which will be hosted on the TUC website and distributed to union representatives as part of a TUC training package.
Employment: West Midlands
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the number of (a) men and (b) women aged 16 to 24 who are seeking (i) work and (ii) training in the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement. [51166]
Mr Hayes: My right hon. Friend has held no discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the numbers of 16 to 24 year olds seeking work or training in the West Midlands. However, we recognise that this is an important issue both in the West Midlands and nationally.
Adults aged 19 and over are currently entitled to fee remission to support them to attain basic literacy and numeracy and the equivalent of five good GCSEs (Level 2); adults aged 19 up to 25 are currently entitled to fee remission to support them to attain the equivalent of 2 A-Levels (Level 3).
From 2011/12 the L2 entitlement will also include support for those who need help to make the step up from basic skills.
We are also helping young people improve their skills and get into work through pre-employment training and in the Budget, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced funding for 50,000 additional adult apprenticeship places over the lifetime of this Parliament.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 905W
English for Speakers of Other Languages: Finance
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what work his Department has undertaken on the equality impact assessment on the changes to the funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages announced in November 2010. [50710]
Mr Hayes: This Department published an Equality Impact Assessment published alongside “Skills for Sustainable Growth” (November 2010) which found that, at the aggregate level, there are unlikely to be disproportionate impacts on protected groups. A separate assessment of how the changes to skills funding may affect ESOL learners is currently being carried out by this Department.
EU External Trade: India
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what objectives his Department has set for the outcome of negotiations on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement. [51037]
Mr Davey: The UK wants to agree an ambitious EU-India Free Trade Agreement which achieves maximum liberalisation across all sectors, including meaningful liberalisation in the services sector, and ensures that intellectual property (data exclusivity) provisions do not impact negatively on access to medicines for the poorest.
Executives: Females
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make a comparative assessment on the relative performance of private sector companies which have (a) women and (b) no women on their board; and if he will make a statement. [51128]
Mr Davey: We welcome the noble Lord Davies' review into women on boards and encourage companies to implement his business-led strategy. A growing body of evidence now exists to show that well balanced boards are better boards, benefiting from fresh perspectives, talent, new ideas and broader experience which lead to better decision making. In addition, diverse organisations reflect their customers better, understand them better and offer better products and services as a result.
We remain committed to seeing more women reaching the boardrooms of UK plc and are working with stakeholders, including leading business representative organisations, and academia to monitor progress.
Exports
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to (a) increase British exports and (b) reduce the UK’s trade in goods deficit. [50539]
Mr Prisk: UK trade has increased by 55% in real terms between 1998 and 2008. However the UK’s relative share of world trade has declined over the same period from 5.7% in 1998 to 3.9% in 2008.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 906W
Our recent Trade and Investment White Paper, published in February 2011, set out our strategy to improve the UK’s trade performance. The strategy has already begun to be implemented and work will continue over the coming months and years.
The White Paper announced that UK Trade and Investment’s new strategy will focus on encouraging more innovative and high growth of small and medium businesses (SMEs) to export and focus on high growth and emerging markets. To support SMEs in particular, the White Paper also announced an expanded and better co-ordinated package of trade finance products on a pilot scheme basis which will be launched by April 2011.
We will continue to boost open trade, which will enable UK businesses to export more easily, through the successful conclusion of the Doha Development Round, completion of bilateral trade agreements and strengthening of the Single Market Act.
My noble Friend the Minister of State for Trade and Investment chairs the Economic Affairs Cabinet Sub- Committee on Trade and Investment. This Committee will drive the implementation of the strategy, using its regular meetings to monitor progress and shape the emerging policies.
Exports: Government Assistance
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much financial support UKTI provided to (a) agricultural companies, (b) manufacturing, (c) universities and educational institutions, (d) financial services companies and (e) professional services companies in each region in 2011-12; and how much such support he expects to be provided in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14. [49836]
Mr Prisk: All UK businesses, irrespective of sector or region, can access UKTI services. UKTI, therefore, does not plan or record expenditure at sector or regional level.
To provide the information at sectoral or regional level would require gathering and collating the information and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Further Education: Bureaucracy
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to reduce administrative burdens for further education colleges. [51142]
Mr Hayes: We are committed to reducing burdens and bureaucracy on colleges, so that they can better meet the needs of their communities. This is set out in detail in our strategy documents “Skills for Sustainable Growth” and “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth”.
We have removed centrally imposed targets, which enables colleges to determine the learner offer that best meets the needs of learners and employers. We are simplifying the public funding system with a single adult budget. In addition, the Education Bill currently going through the House aims to remove a raft of regulations that will further free colleges to deliver for their local customers—delivering value for money and serving community needs.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 907W
Higher Education Funding Council
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with external organisations on the role of the Higher Education Funding Council in England in each month since 1 January 2011; and if he will make a statement. [51471]
Mr Willetts: Departmental Ministers have frequent meetings with arms-length bodies and other organisations about higher education, involving regular discussion about HEFCE and its functions.
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of students from (a) sixth form and (b) further education colleges entered university in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2010. [50500]
Mr Hayes: The last available estimate shows that 63% of students aged 17 (who attempted at least one GCE/VCE A level or VCE Double Award level in 2005/06) from further education colleges (including sixth form colleges) progressed to higher education by age 19 in 2007/08. The Department has not yet produced data which show sixth form colleges separately from other further education colleges. Data for the 2008/09 academic year will be available in the summer.
Higher education progression rates for sixth form colleges and further education colleges were first published in a joint report by the Sutton Trust and this Department in July 2009 (page 14):
http://www.suttontrust.com/research/applications-offers-and-admissions-to-research-led-universities/
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the capacity of the director of fair access to (a) fulfil his statutory duty to protect the academic freedom of higher education institutions and (b) adhere to his Department’s guidance that the director should ensure that each such institution is making sustained progress towards a more balanced and representative student body. [50857]
Mr Willetts: We have every confidence in the director of fair access to fulfil his duties.
Higher Education: Finance
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much capital funding for teaching and research his Department allocated to each university in each of the last five years; how much it plans to allocate in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [49873]
Mr Willetts
[holding answer 29 March 2011]: The Higher Education Funding Council for England announced its capital allocations for 2011/12 to 2014/15 on 17 March 2011 and they were published on its website. These include indicative allocations for teaching capital for
5 Apr 2011 : Column 908W
2012/13 and research capital for the four years 2011/12 to 2014/15, with funding for 2012/13 to 2014/15 being indicative:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2011/grant1112/capital.htm
Funding for future years is not yet confirmed.
Capital allocations for previous years are available at:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2008/08_04/
for the years 2008 to 2011, and at:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_08/
I will place copies of these in the Libraries of the House.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings he has had with external bodies to discuss allocation of the higher education budget in each month since 1 January 2011; and if he will make a statement. [51472]
Mr Willetts: The majority of my meetings with external bodies in higher education include a discussion of funding issues. However, individual allocations to institutions are a matter for the Higher Education Funding Council for England and Ministers play no part in that process.
Higher Education: Forensic Science
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students in further and higher education are studying courses in forensic science in 2010-11. [50009]
Mr Willetts: In the 2009/10 academic year, the latest year for which we have complete data, 20 students were enrolled at English further education colleges on Government-funded further education courses in forensic science.
The latest available figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show in the 2009/10 academic year there were 5,640 enrolments on forensic science higher education courses at English higher education institutions. Figures for 2010/11 will be available in January 2012.
Horticulture: Qualifications
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of (a) qualifications and (b) apprenticeships available in ornamental horticulture; and whether it has made an assessment of the change in the number of such (i) qualifications and (ii) apprenticeships in the last 10 years. [49764]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of enrolments in the Horticulture and Forestry Sector Subject Area for 2005/06, the earliest year for which we have comparable data, to 2009/10 the latest year for which we have full year data (Near-Final).
5 Apr 2011 : Column 909W
| Table 1: Further education and skills (excluding apprenticeships) enrolments on the Horticulture and Forestry Sector Subject Area, 2005/06 to 2009/10 | |
|
|
Total |
| (1) Figures for 2008/09 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years as the introduction of demand led funding has changed how data are collected and how funded learners are defined from 2008/09 onwards. More information on demand led funding is available at: http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/datadictionary/businessdefinitions/Demand+Led+Funding.htm Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Information in this table is based on all Government funded learners. 3. This data include FE, Train to Gain, Adult Safeguarded Learning and University for Industry funding streams. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Table 2 shows apprenticeship starts on Amenity Horticulture, Horticulture and Production Horticulture frameworks from 2002/03 the earliest year for which comparable data are available to 2009/10, the latest year for which full year data are available.
| Table 2: Apprenticeship starts on Amenity Horticulture, Horticulture and Production H orticulture frameworks, 2002/03 to 2009/10 | |||
|
|
Amenity H orticulture | Horticulture | Production H orticulture |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Information in this table is based on all Government funded Apprenticeships. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |||
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the level of skills deficit in the (a) gardening industry and (b) ornamental horticulture sector; and if he will make a statement. [49767]
Mr Hayes: Lantra is the Sector Skills Council for the land-based and environmental industries. Lantra works with employers to identify skills needs and seeks to improve the match between the supply and demand for technical skills. A skills assessment of the horticulture and landscaping industry is available on the Lantra website at:
www.lantra.co.uk
Innovation: Finance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how the funding allocated by his Department to the High Value Manufacturing Technology and Innovation Centre will be distributed between the constituent organisations. [51269]
Mr Willetts:
Discussions are currently underway between the Technology Strategy Board and the parties that will form the High Value Manufacturing Technology and
5 Apr 2011 : Column 910W
Innovation Centre to set the framework for building an integrated business plan that will define funding requirements. This will allow the Technology Strategy Board to finalise the overall funding the centre will receive and then how much funding each individual party will receive.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department provided to each of the partners in the High Value Manufacturing Technology and Innovation Centre in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [51366]
Mr Willetts: The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) have not received any direct funding from the Department over the last five years.
The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has received approximately £26.5 million from my Department. This includes £12 million for the construction and operation of a large-capacity Industrial Biotechnology Demonstration Facility; approximately £2.5 million from the Tees Valley Industrial Programme; and £12 million for Printable Electronics Technology Centre.
The Department has also provided £12 million of funding for the National Composite Centre (NCC), which is due to open in the autumn, and £19 million in to the universities of Sheffield and Manchester for the establishment and operation of the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC).
Departmental funding, where identified, was provided over the period 2009/10 to 2010/11, and does not include funding from the Regional Development Agencies, the Technology Strategy Board, the Research Councils, or the Devolved Administrations, where relevant.
Insolvency
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to the merits of introducing a moratorium from creditor action for financially distressed individuals to increase the likelihood that they are able to enter an appropriate insolvency solution. [51087]
Mr Davey: This was one area covered by our recent call for evidence, “Managing Borrowing and Dealing with Debt”. Officials are carefully analysing the responses at present and will be reporting to me in due course. I will then inform the House of our proposals on how to deal with all the issues covered in that document.
Local Government Finance
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the effects of reductions in funding for local authorities on the level of private sector contracts with the construction industry; and if he will make a statement. [51025]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 911W
Mr Prisk: The Secretary of State for Business has had no recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on this specific issue.
Last month the Government issued a Plan for Growth to put the UK on a path to sustainable long-term economic growth and which set out a number of specific measures to benefit the construction sector.
Meetings
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings Ministers in his Department have had with their counterparts in (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (b) HM Treasury since his appointment. [51328]
Mr Davey: Ministers in this Department have had 23 meetings with Ministers in the Department for Communities and Local Government and 31 with Ministers in HM Treasury.
New Businesses: Kent
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of his Department’s provision of support for business start-ups in Kent. [51130]
Mr Prisk: The Government’s plans for modernising the provision of publicly funded support, information and advice for business were set out in the “Bigger, Better Business” pamphlet published on 5 January 2011, which can be found on the BIS website at
www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/enterprise/docs/b/11-515-bigger-better-business-helping-small-firms
Henceforth, the majority of publicly funded support for people wanting to start-up will be delivered online through a dedicated start-up hub within the national Business Link website. There will also be a new national contact centre for those who cannot access the information they need on the website.
The Government are also establishing local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) that will develop links to existing private sector provision for start-up support and encourage their use. The new LEP for Kent, Greater Essex and East Sussex, will involve local business and civic leaders working together to drive economic growth and create new jobs in their communities.
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to assist the development of small and medium-sized businesses in Kent. [51131]
Mr Prisk: Business support is currently delivered via the regional development agencies through the Business Link regional advisory service and
www.businesslink.gov.uk
The Government recently announced reforms to the way information, guidance and advice to businesses is provided, with more focus on improving small business performance and growth, and a greater emphasis on further and better private sector provision. The “Bigger, Better Business” pamphlet sets out the plans in detail. It can be found on the BIS website at
www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/enterprise/docs/b/11-515-bigger-better-business-helping-small-firms
5 Apr 2011 : Column 912W
The Government’s plans include: offering online business information and tools more closely tailored to the individual needs of businesses, through improvements to the www.businesslink.gov.uk website; encouraging the development of business mentoring through business mentoring providers and the British Banking Association; and backing potential high growth SMEs through Business Coaching for Growth to optimise their development.
The Government are also establishing local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) that will develop links to existing private sector provision for start-up support and encourage their use. The new LEP for Kent, Greater Essex and East Sussex, will involve local business and civic leaders working together to drive economic growth and create new jobs in their communities.
In the Budget it was also announced that 21 enterprise zones will be created that will be sited within LEP areas. The first 11 have been allocated but the Kent, Greater Essex and East Sussex LEP will be able to bid for an enterprise zone to be located within their LEP area in the second phase.
New College Redditch: Apprentices
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the apprenticeships announced in the 2011 Budget will be allocated to New College in Redditch. [51099]
Mr Hayes: In the Budget we announced an additional £180 million package for 50,000 additional adult apprenticeship places over the spending review period. This is on top of the plans for growth in the adult apprenticeships programme that we published in ‘Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth’(1) in November 2010.
In support of the coalition Government's principle of greater freedom, ‘Skills for Sustainable Growth’(2) and ‘Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth’ set out the abolition of central targets and increased freedom and flexibility for further education colleges and training organisations to respond effectively to the needs of employers, learners and their communities. It is for individual colleges and training organisations, working directly with their local partners, to determine the offer that best meets the needs of their communities. The apprenticeship places announced in the Budget are in addition to the minimum expectation of apprenticeships delivery set out in the Skills Funding Agency's final funding allocations issued to providers on 31 March 2011. I have asked the Skills Funding Agency to propose how the additional funding can best be allocated to colleges and training providers to support delivery of these additional places.
(1) Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth published by BIS
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/s/10-1272-strategy-investing-in-skills-for-sustainable-growth.pdf
(2) Skills for Sustainable Growth published by BIS
http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2010/Nov/skills-for-sustainable-growth
Novartis
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether (a) he or (b) Ministers in his Department met representatives of Novartis in the period 12 May 2010 to 16 March 2011. [50288]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 913W
Mr Davey [holding answer 31 March 2011]:The Minister for Universities and Science (Mr Willetts) had a telephone conference meeting with Novartis on 15 March 2011.
Office for Fair Access
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many representations his Department received on the role and powers of the Office for Fair Access in each month since 1 January 2011; and if he will make a statement. [51470]
Mr Willetts: Our records show that the Department has received the following numbers of parliamentary questions and general correspondence that include a reference to the Director of Fair Access or the Office for Fair Access.
|
|
January | February | March |
Overseas Students: Loans
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2011, Official Report, column 1180W, on overseas students: loans, how much has been written off as bad debt from EEA students in arrears; what the monetary value of pending payments is; and if he will make a statement; [49091]
(2) how many people from (a) EEA countries, Switzerland and Turkey and (b) the UK have ceased making scheduled repayments against outstanding student loans after being declared bankrupt in the latest period for which figures are available. [49116]
Mr Willetts: The Student Loans Company (SLC) does not write off any loans as bad debt. If any borrowers are due to repay and are not doing so, the SLC will continue to recover arrears and outstanding balances until the loan(s) expire. The SLC will pursue any such borrowers through the courts if necessary.
At the SLC, loan cancellations due to bankruptcy do not occur when the borrower notifies the SLC but when the SLC processes the cancellation, i.e. when the SLC obtains evidence of the concluded bankruptcy from the borrower’s elected legal practitioner. Provisions were included in the Higher Education Act 2004 to prevent student loans being written off on bankruptcy, so since then, loans have only been written off on bankruptcy which occurred prior to this legislation, the processing of which concluded more recently.
In financial year 2009-10, the latest year for which figures are available, approximately £1.4 million was cancelled due to bankruptcy, for approximately 300 borrowers. We cannot separately identify the nationality of those borrowers.
Overseas Trade
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the UK’s share of world trade in the next six months; and if he will make a statement. [50306]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 914W
Mr Prisk: UK trade has increased by 55% in real terms between 1998 and 2008. However the UK’s relative share of world trade has declined over the same period from 5.7% in 1998 to 3.9% in 2008.
Our recent Trade and Investment White Paper, published in February 2011, set out our strategy to improve the UK’s trade performance. The strategy has already begun to be implemented and work will continue over the coming months and years.
The White Paper announced that UK Trade and Investment’s new strategy will focus on encouraging more innovative and high growth of small and medium businesses (SMEs) to export and focus on high growth and emerging markets. To support SMEs in particular, the White Paper also announced an expanded and better co-ordinated package of trade finance products on a pilot scheme basis which will be launched by April 2011.
We will continue to boost open trade, which will enable UK businesses to export more easily, through the successful conclusion of the Doha Development Round, completion of bilateral trade agreements and strengthening of the Single Market Act.
My noble Friend the Minister of State for Trade and Investment chairs the Economic Affairs Cabinet Sub Committee on Trade and Investment. This Committee will drive the implementation of the strategy, using its regular meetings to monitor progress and shape the emerging policies.
Post Office: Bank Services
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 16 February 2011, Official Report, column 833W, on the Post Office: bank services, what estimate he has made of the minimum cost of establishing a Post Bank. [51100]
Mr Davey: As set out in my previous answer to the hon. Member on 16 February 2011, Official Report, column reference 883W, the costs of establishing a Post Bank would be determined by its operational remit and scale. As such the Government are not able to identify a minimum cost of establishing a Post Bank.
Post Offices
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what access criteria he has agreed with Post Office Ltd for the main post offices it has committed to provide by the end of the current Parliament. [51102]
Mr Davey: Under the terms of its funding from Government, Post Office Ltd has committed to adhere to the strict access criteria already in place. These will continue to apply across the whole of the network, ensuring that 99% of the population will live within three miles of a post office branch. Main post offices will typically tend to be located in town and city centres, where the access criteria are even more stringent—95% of the urban population must be within one mile of a post office branch.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 915W
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which post offices will be main post offices by the end of the current Parliament; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of the UK population which will be within (a) three miles and (b) six miles of a main Post Office. [51103]
Mr Davey: Post Office Ltd is in the process of planning the location and distribution of the 4,000 main post offices it will have in place by the end of this Parliament.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which post offices are to be converted into Post Office Locals by the end of the current Parliament; and how many of these will offer a narrower range of products as a result of the conversion. [51104]
Mr Davey: Post Office Ltd is currently piloting the Post Office Local model in some 60 locations across the UK. Final decision over the precise nature of services to be offered in Post Office Locals will be made by Post Office Ltd, informed by the results of these pilots. Recent research by Consumer Focus shows that 86% of existing post office services, equating to over 95% of consumer transactions by volume are already available in Post Office Local pilots. The national implementation of the Local model will begin in 2014, with around 2,000 Local branches by the end of this Parliament.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which services offered by (a) Crown Post Offices and (b) sub-post offices are not offered by a Post Office essentials service. [51105]
Mr Davey: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what payments are made to (a) sub-postmasters and (b) providers of Post Office essentials services by Post Office Ltd. [51106]
Mr Davey: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what compensation payments have been made to sub-postmasters for converting to Post Office Locals services as part of the Post Office Locals trial. [51107]
Mr Davey: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Kate Hoey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2011, Official Report, column 742W, on
5 Apr 2011 : Column 916W
the Post Office: modernisation, whether there are any additional conditions on the use of the funding package for 2011-15. [51110]
Mr Davey: The Government's £1.34 billion funding to modernise the Post Office network to safeguard its future includes as a condition a commitment from Post Office Ltd to maintain the network at its current size of at least 11,500 branches. Post Office Ltd will also continue to adhere to the strict access criteria which ensure that 99% of the national population lives within three miles of a post office branch. This is in addition to the Government's commitment that there will be no programme of closures under this Government.
Regional Development Agencies: Assets
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of transferring regional development agency assets to local authorities and local enterprise partnerships; [50715]
(2) what estimate he has made of the monetary value of each regional development agency's assets to be transferred to local authorities and local enterprise partnerships; [50716]
(3) which assets of each regional development agency he proposes to transfer to local authorities and local enterprise partnerships; [50717]
(4) if he will publish the proposals made by each regional development agency for the disposal of its assets. [50718]
Mr Prisk: Each regional development agency (RDA) has developed a detailed plan for the disposal of its assets and liabilities and the scrutiny of the plans is ongoing. That consideration has not yet been completed but a list of land and property assets has been approved for short term market sale in line with Managing Public Money which provides that disposals will be at market value; this list will be published shortly.
We do not have a final estimate of what will go to local authorities or local enterprise partnerships. In line with my previous answer to the hon. Member for Blackpool South (Mr Marsden) on 17 February 2011, Official Report, column 984W, in many cases local authorities, and local enterprise partnerships will be given first refusal as they were the proposed recipient in the relevant asset and liability plan. The disposals will be made in a way that seeks to secure best value for the taxpayer and minimises cost. It is for RDAs to decide when and how to release the plans as they know which aspects of the plans are commercially sensitive. We support them in being as transparent as possible.
Research: Finance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department had with (a) research councils and (b) local authorities before taking its decision on additional capital expenditure at Daresbury, Harwell and Cambridge. [50733]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 917W
Mr Willetts [holding answer 1 April 2011]: The Department asked the seven Research Councils to identify their highest scientific priorities for a one-off injection of capital in 2011/12 in the Budget. This did not involve consultation with local authorities.
Sector Skills Councils
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to review the role of Sector Skills Councils in further education. [50918]
Mr Hayes: There are no plans for a specific review of the role of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) in further education. The role of SSCs is changing and will increasingly focus on raising employer ambition and investment in skills. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UK CES) works with the SSCs to produce and utilise high quality sectoral labour market intelligence to reduce skill gaps, and to raise skill levels. This information helps to ensure that the further education sector provides accurate advice and guidance, as well as delivering qualifications relevant to the changing skill needs of the work force. In addition, SSCs have a central role in developing apprenticeship frameworks, and in enhancing the quality and accessibility of apprenticeships. The majority of SSCs also work closely with national skills academies to promote excellence in vocational training.
Students: Fees and Charges
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure differentiation in the level of tuition fees between higher education institutions whilst protecting the autonomy of those institutions. [50858]
Mr Willetts: No university wishing to charge over £6,000 yet knows for certain how much it will charge. This is because no university has yet signed an access agreement with the director of fair access. The guidance to the director of fair access makes clear that we expect universities to meet stringent conditions before they can charge above £6,000. However, the director is not a price regulator. What he will do is ensure that the levels of ambition of an institution’s access agreement is proportionate to how much more than the basic level the institution intends to charge.
We expect there to be a range of charges and those institutions discussing higher levels all look set to include substantial fee waivers for students from poorer backgrounds.
Teachers: Training
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to fund initial teacher training for teachers in further education colleges. [51486]
Mr Hayes: For 2011/12, Further Education Initial Teacher Training (FE ITT) courses delivered by higher education institutions will continue to be funded through the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
In addition, BIS will continue to fund:
ITT courses validated by and delivered for National Awarding Bodies, via the Skills Funding Agency;
5 Apr 2011 : Column 918W
FE Fee Grants to support trainee teachers undertaking diploma level ITT on a part-time/in-service basis, provided to their employers via the Institute for Learning (IfL);
a FE bursary scheme to attract and train high quality teachers to teach STEM subjects and literacy and numeracy skills.
For 2012/13 onwards, new funding arrangements will be introduced for higher education so that funding follows the choices of individual students. We have recently asked the Association of Colleges (AoC) to lead a review of the future funding and delivery of FE Initial Teacher Training, working with other FE employer representative bodies and in consultation with wider FE stakeholders. We expect AoC to report findings to BIS by the end of May 2011.
Technology Strategy Board
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many representations his Department received on the role of the Technology Strategy Board in each month since 1 January 2011; and if he will make a statement. [51469]
Mr Willetts: I have regular interactions with officials, particularly the chief executive, of the Technology Strategy Board, but the Department has not had any other representations specifically on its role. The role of the Technology Strategy Board, and its programmes, such as establishing an elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres, is often raised however in the context of wider discussions with stakeholders on the Department’s role in achieving strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.
Trade Agreements
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met (i) trade associations, (ii) charities and (iii) non-governmental organisations to discuss free trade agreements since his appointment. [51126]
Mr Prisk: Both Ministers and officials in this Department engage regularly with a wide range of stakeholders on the subject of those EU bilateral Free Trade Agreements under negotiation. This includes regular consultation with trade associations, charities and non-governmental organisations.
Training: English Language
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what methods he plans to use in his Department's equality impact assessment on the changes to English for Speakers of Other Languages funding; and what the name is of each group officials of his Department will consult as part of this process; [51482]
(2) whether he plans to consult with institutions that provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses on his Department's equality impact assessment on changes to ESOL course funding. [51485]
5 Apr 2011 : Column 919W
Mr Hayes: The equality impact assessment published alongside ‘Skills for Sustainable Growth’ (November 2010) found that, at the aggregate level, there are unlikely to be disproportionate impacts on protected groups. A separate assessment of how the changes to skills funding may affect English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learners is currently being carried out by the Department, and I expect to be able to publish the assessment in due course.
The Department's equality impact assessment is drawing on published analytical information and on views offered to us in person or in writing by a wide range of organisations with an interest in this area, including correspondence from learners and their representatives and principals of further education colleges.
UK Trade & Investment: Official Hospitality
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) hospitality was received and (b) expenses were incurred by each member of the board of UK Trade & Investment in each of the last three years. [47983]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 21 March 2011]: The information is as follows:
(a) UK Trade & Investment’s (UKTI) board members received hospitality as per the following table:
| Summary of hospitality for UK board members—number of occasions | |||
|
|
2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| (1 )One occasion included accommodation. (2 )Two occasions included accommodation. | |||
5 Apr 2011 : Column 920W
(b) While UKTI records expenses claimed personally by each board member, UKTI does not centrally hold records of expenses that are incurred on their behalf by offices overseas. UKTI has offices in 162 locations across 96 countries. To obtain the information, for each executive board member, would involve tasking each office to review and collate their records and this can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Non-executive board members receive attendance expenses and these are disclosed annually in UKTI’s Annual Report and Accounts (HC 3).
UK Trade & Investment: Private Sector
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking (a) to increase awareness of private sector approaches and (b) ensure that his Department makes effective use of private sector expertise with UK Trade & Investment; and if he will make a statement. [50314]
Mr Prisk: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is seeking to emulate the best of the private sector professional services organisations. It has developed a range of corporate training programmes to underpin new business methods, such as relationship building with the most significant inward investors and exporters. UKTI's aim is to develop innovative approaches to working with the private sector in order to raise the quality of its services, build successful relationships with trade and investment clients and to achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction.
UKTI is a service delivery organisation and the use of private sector expertise is integral to the development and the delivery of these services. In addition, more than 200 senior business people help to shape and support UKTI's strategy and service delivery. 1,100, or 85% of people working in UKTI's trade teams overseas are locally engaged, and most of these have business experience. Trade and investment delivery services in England, apart from London, are outsourced to private sector organisations.
Unskilled Agency Workers
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department provides to unskilled agency workers in the construction industry aged 16 to 24 to assist them in furthering their careers; and if he will make a statement. [51024]
Mr Prisk: The Government have a responsibility to ensure that all those who need additional help can increase their skills and progress. We fully fund training for young adults undertaking their first full level 2 or first full level 3 qualification, and any adult who has a basic skills need is entitled to free training.
The Government have put apprenticeships at the heart of the FE and Skills system and they are a key route for young people to enter and progress in the construction industry. We are committed to significant growth in the number of places available and the Construction Industrial Training Board (CITB) positively encourages young people to enter the industry by promoting the availability of apprenticeships.
5 Apr 2011 : Column 921W
The CITB also delivers strategic careers information, advice and guidance to careers professionals to ensure they are fully informed of the wide range of careers qualifications and progression routes available to young people across all occupations within the construction and built environment sector.