Tax Avoidance
Mr Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence his Department has evaluated relating to allegations of UK tax avoidance by (a) Vodafone, (b) Arcadia, (c) Diageo, (d) Shell and (e) Barclays over the last 10 years. [55623]
Mr Gauke: I cannot comment on the tax affairs of any individual or corporate taxpayer.
The Government are committed to tackling tax avoidance and set out action being taken at Budget in the document “Tackling Tax Avoidance” which is available at
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_taxavoidance.pdf
The Government have shown their strong support for HMRC in its operational work by investing £917 million over the spending review period to tackle avoidance, evasion and criminal attack with the objective of bringing in around £7 billion per year in additional revenue by 2014-15.
VAT: Alcoholic Drinks
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) social clubs and (b) working men's clubs of the (i) increase in the rate of value added tax and (ii) changes in the rate of duty on alcohol. [54247]
Mr Gauke [holding answer 5 May 2011]: Economic effects are considered on the whole package of Budget measures by the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR). Individual measures and their impact on specific sectors are not considered in isolation.
Energy and Climate Change
Departmental Billing
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many invoices his Department received in respect of goods or services supplied by tier 1 suppliers between 1 May 2010 and 1 April 2011; and how many of those invoices were not paid within the period of time specified in the Government’s Fair Payment guidance. [55869]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change received 15,829 invoices from its suppliers between 1 May 2010 and 1 April 2011, of which, 1,146 (7.2%) were not paid within the Government’s payment target of five days. Of these payments, 8,100 were made by Government procurement card at the point of purchase.
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Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what mechanism his Department has established to ensure its payments are passed through the supply chain to each tier in accordance with the last date for payment defined in the Government's Fair Payment guidance. [55892]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change sets contractual terms and conditions to ensure that its payments are passed through the supply chain in accordance with the timescales set out in the Government's Fair Payment guidance. The Department's contracts include standard clauses undertaking to pay correctly submitted invoices within 30 days of receipt and requiring that contractors make payment within 30 days to any sub-contractors used to perform services on their behalf under the contract.
In making payments to Tier 1 suppliers, the Department exceeds the Government's more stretching target to pay over 80% of valid invoices within five days of receipt.
Departmental Data Protection
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many contracts his Department holds which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas; to which contracts this applies; in which countries the data for each such contract are held; and how many people have their data stored overseas under each such contract. [55739]
Gregory Barker: DECC holds no contracts which allows contractors to store the personal data of UK citizens overseas.
Departmental Legal Costs
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department paid in (a) damages, (b) claimant costs and (c) defendant costs in respect of all civil claims brought against his Department in which the claimant was successful or the Department settled since its inception. [54642]
Gregory Barker: The Department has spent the following amounts:
|
|
Amount October 2008 to March 2011 (£ million) |
Nearly all the above payments relate to injury related claims connected with the health liabilities of British Coal that now rest with the Department. The vast majority of these claims have been handled under the supervision of the High Court. However, the coal health figures relate to claims issued in all jurisdictions, even though the Department has assumed that the term “civil claims” in the question refers to claims issued in England and Wales, in the courts of civil jurisdiction (the High Court and the county courts). Data on coal
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health claims payments and costs relating solely to claims issued in England and Wales could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change was established in October 2008. In relation to coal health claims, the amounts included in the table for 2008-09 are pro rata estimates, based on total payments and costs that year.
The figures included on other (non-coal health) claims relate to claims issued in England and Wales, in the courts of civil jurisdiction, and do not therefore include employment-related claims pursued through the employment tribunals. In one of these cases, the Department used the case handling services of another Government Department, and the cost of those services could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Pay
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what additional pay he plans to provide to officials in his Department in the period from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013 to reflect (a) seniority, (b) promotion and (c) performance. [55412]
Gregory Barker: For the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) continues to be subject to a pay freeze and will not be awarding any consolidated pay increases to staff earning more than £21,249. We plan to award consolidated pay increases of at least £250 in line with Treasury guidance to staff earning less than £21,000, although the final amount has not yet been determined.
For the period 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013, DECC has not yet considered what increases will be awarded to staff, as the Department will make decisions in line with central pay guidance that has not yet been published.
(a) DECC does not currently award additional pay to reflect seniority and has no plans to do so.
(b) Where staff are promoted from one grade to another the Department awards a 10% increase in pay, except where this results in a lower salary than the grade minimum at the higher grade, where the grade minimum is paid instead. We expect this policy to remain unchanged during the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013.
(c) The value of any non consolidated performance awards payable between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2013 are yet to be determined.
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department plans to cease to fund any of its functions over the period of the comprehensive spending review. [55188]
Gregory Barker: DECC is not ceasing any major functions. The Department is though going through a process of restructuring including reducing from five director general groups to four. We have also undertaken a business planning process that has involved reallocation of resources to ensure we have sufficient capacity and the right skills to deliver our key priorities.
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Energy: Housing
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what his policy is on the setting of installer qualification requirements under the Green Deal; [55656]
(2) whether installers who will be legally responsible for signing off on electrical work under the Green Deal will have to be qualified to level 3 or above; [55657]
(3) what arrangements are in place to ensure that installers who will be legally responsible for signing off on electrical work under the Green Deal are appropriately qualified; [55658]
(4) when his Department plans to consult on (a) the specific qualifications requirements for installers working under the Green Deal and (b) the installation works that will be included under the Green Deal funding arrangements. [55664]
Gregory Barker: We have commissioned the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop a Green Deal standard by the end of this year. This will bring together the existing standards—including those for installation of electrical works—and new standards where necessary. BSI will develop the standard with industry and also publicly consult in late summer. Only installers who meet this standard will be allowed to install measures under the Green Deal.
We will use UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) to provide independent accreditation of installers.
To support this, we have already announced that we will fund at least 1,000 dedicated Green Deal apprenticeships, in addition to the many apprenticeships that already exist in trade sectors—including electrical contracting and building services.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether an installer registered under the Green Deal will also be able to act as an assessor under that scheme. [55663]
Gregory Barker: Should someone meet all of the relevant standards and codes of practice to be both an installer and assessor, they may fulfil both functions under the Green Deal. In every case, there will be specific safeguards to protect consumers and retain the integrity of both processes.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the new Green Deal on suppliers of cavity wall insulation; and if he will make a statement. [55816]
Gregory Barker: Our current estimates, as published in the Energy Bill Impact Assessment, are that from October 2012, when the Green Deal is introduced, 4 million cavity walls are feasible.
We believe suppliers will benefit from the Green Deal or the Energy Company Obligation in accessing this remaining potential.
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Feed-in Tariffs
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) how much he estimates the feed-in tariffs scheme would cost energy consumers if the rules on eligibility and tariff levels remained unchanged in each of the next five years; [55434]
(2) how much he estimates the feed-in tariffs scheme would cost energy consumers if large-scale solar power plants remained eligible for the scheme in each of the next five years. [55435]
Gregory Barker: The estimated costs to electricity consumers of the feed-in tariffs scheme if no changes are made to the scheme as it was announced in February 2010 are provided in the following table. These projected costs are based on original analysis carried out for the February 2010 final impact assessment and recent analysis undertaken on large scale solar photovoltaics and farm-scale anaerobic digestion for the fast-track review of FITs.
It is important to note that these figures do not take into account further evidence obtained since the launch of the fast-track review. We are in the process of reviewing this evidence, but early indications are that it would lead to an increase in the estimates.
| Estimated costs to consumers of FITs (2011 prices, discounted) | |
|
|
£ million |
| Notes: 1. Impacts are presented as additional to baseline, where baseline costs are those costs expected to occur for sub-5MW uptake under the renewables obligation in the absence of FITs. 2. Figures have been rounded. 3. Cost to consumers is the net subsidy cost of the scheme, i.e. total generation and export tariff payments minus the value of exports to suppliers. 4. Each annual figure is cumulative, i.e. includes payments against projects that joined the feed- in tariffs scheme in previous years. | |
The first comprehensive review of FITs as announced by Government in February 2011 is currently under way and may provide revised estimates of future FIT costs to consumers.
Fuels: Prices
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on the independent petrol retailing sector of the varying cost to the sector of premium branded fuels across the UK. [55843]
Charles Hendry: The UK has a diverse, open and competitive fuel retail market that we consider to be in the wider long-term interest of consumers. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) regulates markets in the UK through enforcement of competition law, to ensure that markets work well for the benefit of consumers.
I recognise the importance of the independent petrol retailing sector to the UK, and if independent petrol retailers have evidence of anti-competitive behaviour in the cost to the sector of premium branded fuels, I would urge them to write, enclosing as much detailed evidence as possible, to the OFT.
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Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the UK (a) Government and (b) downstream oil industry will be consulted on the terms of reference for the investigation by G20 countries of (i) Argos and (ii) Platts. [55844]
Charles Hendry: The terms of reference for this investigation were established by the Communiqué issued by the G20 summit in Seoul of November 2010:
“We also request the IEF, IEA, OPEC and IOSCO to produce a joint report, by the April 2011 Finance Ministers' meeting, on how the oil spot market prices are assessed by oil price reporting agencies and how this affects the transparency and functioning of oil markets.”
A preliminary report to G20 Finance Ministers was made in April, with the final conclusions to be ready for Finance Ministers when they meet in October.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the UK (a) Government and (b) downstream oil industry will be involved in the investigation by G20 countries into the workings of (i) Argos and (ii) Platts. [55845]
Charles Hendry: This investigation was initiated by the G20 summit in Seoul of November 2010, which asked the International Energy Forum, the International Energy Agency, OPEC and the International Organization of Securities Commissions to produce a joint report on how the oil spot market prices are assessed by oil price reporting agencies (“PRAs”).
Neither G20 members nor the downstream oil industry are directly involved in this investigation.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects the Downstream Oil Industry Forum report to be published; and to whom it will be circulated. [55846]
Charles Hendry: Work has been conducted to examine the resilience of the downstream oil industry by a task group of the Downstream Oil Industry Forum; a study carried out by Wood Mackenzie on behalf of DECC on this topic has been completed, is available on DECC's internet site and was placed in the Library of the House on 26 April. In addition, a related report conducted for DECC by Deloitte LLP has also been placed in the Library of the House and is available on DECC's website.
Renewable Energy
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the energy supply was generated from renewable energy sources in the UK in (a) 1997 and (b) 2010. [55421]
Gregory Barker: The following table shows the proportion of primary energy supply from primary renewable energy sources for 1997 and 2009 (data will be available for 2010 in July 2011).
| Percentage | ||
|
|
1997 | 2009 |
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Renewable Energy: Manpower
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the renewable energy sector in the UK in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the numbers who will be employed in the sector in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012. [54239]
Mr Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
Independent analysis commissioned by this Department and its predecessors estimates that in 2008/09 the renewable energy sector (including its supply chain) employed over 266,000 people, reflecting a marginal increase on 2007/08.
Growth rates for employment are difficult to estimate, but the commissioned analysis estimated (in December 2009) average annual growth rate in market value of 5.0% for the renewable energy sector in the UK between 2009/10 and 2015/16.
Sellafield
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the section of the report to the Radioactive Substances Committee of the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic by the expert panel in relation to radioactive discharges from Sellafield into the Irish Sea since 2008. [55780]
Charles Hendry: The Government welcomed the report of the expert panel and remain committed to meeting their obligations under the OSPAR convention's radioactive substances strategy. Significant progress has been made by Sellafield in reducing radioactive discharges to the Irish sea. While annual discharge levels do fluctuate and indeed increased in 2008 and 2009, I expect this overall downward trend to continue as a result of new technology and abatement techniques though managing the legacy wastes at Sellafield remains a challenging task.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and (b) Nuclear Management Partners on the changes to the levels of (i) alpha-emitting radioactive discharges, (ii) tritium discharges, (iii) beta discharges and (iv) technetium 99 discharges from Sellafield. [55781]
Charles Hendry: No recent discussions have taken place with representatives of either the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority or Nuclear Management Partners on changes to the levels of discharges from Sellafield of these radionuclides. However, officials from my Department continue to work with Sellafield and other Government Departments to monitor the level of radioactive discharges from Sellafield.
Wind Power: Finance
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much each wind farm (a) operator and (b) site received in constraints payments in the last two financial years. [55659]
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Charles Hendry: National Grid advises that the total level of constraint payments made to wind farms over the last two financial years is as follows:
| Wind farm site | Wind farm operator | Constraint payment (£) |
No other wind farms have received constraint payments.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to modify the constraints payments to wind farm operators as part of his plan for electricity market reform. [55660]
Charles Hendry: Reducing or increasing the output of generators is a routine part of National Grid's role to balance supply and demand. One of the tools used to do this is the “Balancing Mechanism”, where in the final hour before real time National Grid can accept “bids” and “offers” from all types of generators for the payment they require to alter their output.
This is a competitive market where National Grid will pick the most cost-effective way to deliver what they need. This is being kept under review, but it is a matter for Ofgem who are responsible for monitoring developments in the market and facilitating any changes that may be required.
DECC does not plan to consider constraints payments to wind farm operators as part of plans for electricity market reform.
Cabinet Office
Departmental Data Protection
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts his Department holds which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas; to which contracts this applies; in which countries the data for each such contract are held; and how many people have their data stored overseas under each such contract. [55733]
Mr Maude: Cabinet Office policy does not allow data to be stored overseas. Departmental electronic and paper records show that the Cabinet Office does not hold any contracts which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas.
Departmental Information Officers
Pete Wishart:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each other non-departmental public body sponsored by his
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Department on the most recent date for which figures are available. [38966]
Mr Maude: The number of staff employed in press and communications within the Cabinet Office (including No. 10) was 115, as at April 2010.
In December 2010 it was agreed to integrate the Cabinet Office, No. 10, OGC and DirectGov communications team into a single central communications function.
The new structure now in place, which also includes teams supporting the Deputy Prime Minister and the National Security Council, has 95 posts as follows:
|
|
Number |
Commission for the Compact and Capacitybuilders, the non-departmental bodies sponsored by the Cabinet Office, ceased to exist as of the 31 march 2011. Data for communications professionals in both organisations were not available to answer this question.
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) officers in other positions with a communications remit his Department employed on the most recent date for which figures are available. [45537]
Mr Maude: The number of staff employed in press and communications within the Cabinet Office (including No. 10) was 115, as at April 2010.
In December 2010 it was agreed to integrate the Cabinet Office, No. 10, OGC and DirectGov communications team into a single central communications function.
The new structure now in place, which also includes teams supporting the Deputy Prime Minister and the National Security Council, has 95 posts as follows:
|
|
Number |
Government Departments: ICT
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of retendering Government contracts for IT suppliers since May 2010. [43220]
Mr Maude: The Government have not retendered contracts centrally with IT suppliers. This has been left to Departments to manage where appropriate. The Cabinet Office has not collected information relating to the costs involved in this process.
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However, since July last year, the Cabinet Office has carried out a programme of renegotiation with Government’s top suppliers, of which, 17 were IT suppliers. Over £800 million of savings have been delivered from this programme within 2010-11.
Work and Pensions
Attendance Allowance: Norwich City Council
Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of attendance allowance in the Norwich city council local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available; and what average weekly level of benefit was paid to those claimants in the latest period for which figures are available. [53582]
Maria Miller: The information requested is in the following table:
| Attendance allowance recipients, August 2010 | ||
| Area | Total number of claimants | Average amount (£ per week) |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10; average amounts are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny. 2. Figures do not include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. These figures are published at: http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | ||
Asthma
Mrs Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of cases of asthma caused by high exposure to flour within the baking industry. [55278]
Chris Grayling: Statistics specifically about the number of cases of asthma caused by high exposure to flour within the baking industry are not available. Published statistics do not allow the causative agent for cases of occupational asthma to be identified within a specific occupational group. Statistics for the occupational group ‘bakers and flour confectioners’ are provided and these reflect the role of flour dust as a cause of occupational asthma.
Based on reports by chest physicians to the Surveillance of Work Related Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD) scheme and reports to the Occupational Physicians Reporting Activity (OPRA) scheme, the incidence of occupational asthma among ‘bakers and flour confectioners’ during 2007-09 was estimated to be 18 cases per year. However, these statistics are subject to under-reporting.
Other statistical data sources suggest that the overall incidence of occupational asthma may be as much as tenfold higher than estimated by SWORD and OPRA.
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Departmental Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his Department are provided with mobile communication devices; and how much his Department spent on mobile telephones and related data services in the last year for which figures are available. [51493]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had 16,077 mobile telephones, 1,922 BlackBerries and 6,077 3G mobile data cards—figures for March 2011.
The total spend for the 2010-11 financial year on mobile related services, including rental, call charges and data usage, was £3.4 million plus VAT.
The Department's business units are responsible for issuing mobile communication devices to their staff based on DWP business need. DWP is currently reviewing the use of all mobile devices and this will result in a significant reduction in the overall number of devices across the Department. All business units are expected to continuously review their requirement, with an emphasis on cost reduction.
Through the Cabinet Office, the Department has recently taken advantage of the new central Government framework on mobile tariff rates, introduced from 1 April 2011. However, the tariffs are being applied retrospectively from 1 October 2010 as part of the contractual agreement completed in autumn 2010. These new rates offer significant savings on rental and call charges. These savings are not included in the 2010-11 spend but will be brought to account during the 2011-12 financial year.
The Department has separately negotiated further reductions in the cost of its BlackBerry rental charge. These reduced rates were agreed in autumn 2010 and came into effect from April 2011.
Departmental Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [50207]
Chris Grayling: Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. The ministerial team has led the Department's travel cost reduction programme by example, as shown by the reduction in overall travel expenditure by Ministers in the categories listed. This has decreased from £566,000 to £106,000 overall.
This is broken down as follows, with comparative figures provided from May to February 2009-10 provided for the purpose of illustration:
| Period | |||
| Expenditure category | May 2010 to February 2011 (£) | May 2009 to February 2010 (£) | Percentage reduction |
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Departmental Work Experience
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice his Department provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in his Department. [52808]
Chris Grayling: The Department provides paid summer internships to students from under-represented groups to encourage them to apply for the civil service Fast Stream. The Fast Stream is the civil service graduate development programme and the purpose of the Summer Internship programme is to encourage students from ethnic minorities and those from under-represented socio-economic backgrounds to gain experience of working in stretching assignments that will prepare them to apply for the Fast Stream when they have graduated.
The Department will also be offering paid internships through the Whitehall Internship Programme announced as part of the Social Mobility Strategy. To complement the existing Fast Stream Summer Diversity Internships two new schemes will be piloted in summer 2011 and are targeted at students from under-represented groups including Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority communities and people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds:
at sixth-form college level, providing placements to Year 12 students to increase professional experience and workplace skills, and
at secondary school level, running day-long programmes within Whitehall, providing an opportunity for students to meet Ministers and senior civil servants.
As part of the Government's Get Britain Working Work Experience initiative the Department is looking to offer a number of eligible young people short-term work experience. Initial advice to candidates on the programme will be provided by their Jobcentre Plus adviser. When people start with us we will provide a structured induction with advice and support which will help them settle into the Department and the working environment.
There are no other specific programmes in the Department for work experience or for people to work as volunteers but there may, on occasions, be local opportunities for short spells of work experience. In such cases advice and guidance to participants would be specific to the individuals and roles involved.
Everyone who works in the Department, in whatever capacity, is subject to baseline security checks and will receive any essential training as is appropriate to their role.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many responses he has received to his Department's consultation document on the reform of disability living allowance. [55928]
Maria Miller: We consulted on the reform of disability living allowance from 6 December 2010 to 18 February 2011. We had a large response to the public consultation, receiving over 5,000 individual responses and over 500 responses from representative organisations.
We published our response to the consultation on 4 April 2011. The full response can be viewed at:
www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations
Employment Agencies
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in the last year for which figures are available. [51409]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
DWP spent £11.3 million on recruitment agency fees in 2009-10 which is the last year a full 12 months figures are available.
DWP spent £893 on outplacement agency fees in 2009-10 which is the last year a full 12 months figures are available.
The service provides advice and support for employees who are considering applying for voluntary redundancy, or have had an application accepted.
DWP spent £18.7 million on staff training in 2009-10 which is the last year a full 12 months figures are available.
Employment and Support Allowance
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of recipients of employment and support allowance there would be in the (a) work related activity group and (b) assessment phase (i) with and (ii) without time-limiting in place for each financial year from 2011-12 to 2015-16. [55205] [Official Report, 21 June 2011, Vol. 530, c. 1MC.]
Chris Grayling: The first table shows the estimated future recipients of contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) in the work related activity group (WRAG) with and without time-limiting in force.
| Contributory ESA caseload in the WRAG | ||
|
|
With time-limiting in force | Without time-limiting in force |
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The second table shows the estimated future recipients of contributory ESA in the assessment phase with and without time-limiting in force.
| Contributory ESA caseload in the assessment phase | ||
|
|
With time-limiting in force | Without time-limiting in force |
Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 claimants and are based on Budget 2011 forecasts for the ESA time-limiting proposal. Caseloads for contributory ESA have been given as people on income-related ESA or credits-only ESA will be unaffected by the time limiting proposal.
For those who leave the contributory ESA as a result of the time limit, it is estimated that around 60%, or approximately 400,000 people by 2015-16, are expected to be fully or partially compensated by income-related ESA, so will retain entitlement to ESA. And those who don't qualify for income-related ESA may remain on ESA on a credits-only basis.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of contributory employment and support allowance claimants in (a) the work-related activity group and (b) the assessment phase who would, in a steady-state without time-limiting, have a duration of 12 months or more. [55206]
Chris Grayling: It is estimated that in steady state, without time-limiting, around 77% of contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants in the work-related activity group or assessment phase would have duration of 12 months or more. This breaks down as 94% of contributory ESA claimants in the work-related activity group and 6% of contributory ESA claimants in the assessment phase.
For those who leave contributory ESA as a result of the time limit, it is estimated that around 60%, or approximately 400,000 people, are expected to be fully or partially compensated by income-related ESA, so will retain entitlement to ESA.
Employment Schemes
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the new Work programme contractors his Department estimates are planning to sub-contract to voluntary sector organisations in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow city, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK. [52740]
Chris Grayling: The Work programme competition is still under way with post tender discussions being undertaken with preferred bidders. Contracts have not yet been signed and the information requested, therefore, cannot be provided at this time. When contracts have been signed, further information, including details of the prime contractors and their subcontractors, will be published on the Contracts Finder website as part of the ongoing commitment to the Transparency agenda.
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However, there are 57 third sector organisations within the supply chains of the preferred bidders within the Contract Package Area covering the constituencies inquired about. Nationally there are over 300 first-tier third sector organisations. In addition, there is a significant number of organisations providing ad hoc support as customer requirements dictate.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account his Department took of (a) price and (b) previous performance in the assessment of bids for contracts for the Work programme. [52742]
Chris Grayling: The Department assessed all tenders for the Work programme mini competitions from the Framework for the Provision of Employment Related Support Services against the published evaluation criteria, this was based both on quality, including performance, and financial aspects of the tenders. The evaluation was conducted without prejudice based entirely on the evidence contained within the tenders.
The preferred bidders were publicly announced on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender in each contract package area, i.e. those that, in the opinion of DWP, offered the optimum combination of quality, financial capacity and acceptable level of risk.
Employment: Private Sector
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the sustainability of the increase in the level of private sector employment which took place during the quarter to February 2011; and if he will make a statement. [54077]
Chris Grayling: The Government's aim is to achieve lasting growth in employment by tackling the deficit, improving the competitiveness of the economy and encouraging the growth of new businesses.
Private sector employment rose 77,000 in November 2010-January 2011 compared to the previous quarter. This continues the recent trend that has seen it rise in each of the last four quarters and by 428,000 over the last year as a whole. The latest Office for Budget Responsibility forecast is for market based employment to rise by around 1.3 million between 2010 and 2015.
Health: Young People
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what benefits are available to 16 to 18-year-olds with long-term health conditions who are (a) in employment, (b) unable to work as a result of their condition, (c) seeking work and (d) in education. [52748]
Maria Miller: The following table summarises which benefits may be available to people in the four groups quoted in the question:
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| Benefits available to 16 to 18-year-olds with long-term health conditions who are: | ||||
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(a) i n employment | (b) unable to work as a result of their condition | (c) seeking work | (d) in full-time education |
Working tax credit is designed to remove barriers to work and to top up earnings of working people on low to moderate incomes. People with children or a disability can claim it from age 16, provided they work at least 16 hours a week. Others must be aged 25 and work 30 or more hours a week to qualify. This reflects the fact that people without children or a disability face fewer barriers to work and should, therefore, be expected to work more hours per week than those with children or a disability.
Employment and support allowance (ESA) is payable to people aged 16 to 65 whose ability to work is limited by ill-health or disability, subject to other qualifying conditions being met. ESA has both contributory and income-related elements; entitlement to contributory ESA is linked to a person's national insurance record with income-related ESA providing a means tested level of support.
Disability living allowance is a cash benefit for children and adults with long-term impairments, which contributes towards the extra costs associated with their disability. It can be paid whether the recipient is in employment, unable to work as a result of their condition, seeking work or in education. It is not means tested and does not require a record of national insurance contributions.
Young people under 18, who are available for work and training, can get jobseeker's allowance in certain situations—in particular if the young person would suffer severe hardship if the allowance were not paid. Under this power, all the individual circumstances of the young person are taken into account and it is therefore an effective safety net for those young people who are the most vulnerable. The young person will need to meet certain labour market rules and register with Connexions.
Certain groups of young people who are still in relevant education can claim income support. These include lone parents and those who are still in full time non-advanced education (up to A Level/NVQ Level3 and equivalents) but estranged from their parents or those acting as their parents for reasons of abuse or family breakdown.
Housing Benefit
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Denbighshire were in receipt of housing benefit in each of the last five years. [54922]
Steve Webb: The number of people in Denbighshire local authority who were in receipt of housing benefit in each of the last five years is as follows:.
| Table 1: Housing benefit recipients in Denbighshire local authority (LA) as at February 2007 | |
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Caseload |
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Quarterly aggregate clerical “stock count” returns were replaced by monthly electronic “individual level” scans from SHBE. The final quarterly return was for August 2007 and the first monthly data from SHBE was November 2008. 4. The February 2007 data have been used in this instance, in order to provide a closer time-series with the later SHBE data. Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly data—100% data taken in February 2007 | |
| Table 2: Housing benefit recipients in Denbighshire local authority (LA) as at the dates shown | |
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Caseload |
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. 4. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and January 2011 is the most recent available. 5. Data from SHBE incorporate the local authority changes from 1 April 2009. 6. These figures are available from the Department's tabulation tool at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?paae=tabtool Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) | |
Industrial Accidents: Eyesight
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the policy of the Health and Safety Commission is on investigation by the Health and Safety Executive of each industrial accident that results in the permanent blinding of one or both eyes. [55081]
Chris Grayling: HSE policy is to select for potential investigation all work-related permanent blinding injuries that are reportable under the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. The decision to investigate is made on a case-by-case basis and will depend upon whether any investigation is practical, there are reasonably practicable precautions that could have been taken to prevent the incident or other priorities take precedence.
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Jobcentre Plus
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department monitors the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus centres in providing long-term employment. [55432]
Chris Grayling: DWP monitor the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus via a range of performance mechanisms, including performance against the Cabinet Office Structural Reform Plan and its own internal Performance Management Framework.
The main measure of Jobcentre Plus performance is the rate at which people leave jobseeker's allowance, income support and employment and support allowance and move into employment. The measure supports the Department for Work and Pensions 2011-15 business plan and the coalition Government's structural reform priorities. Jobcentre Plus provides regular monthly progress and performance reports to the Department and Ministers, and makes performance data available to the public through the DWP website.
For the very large numbers of Jobcentre Plus customers, it is not cost effective or appropriate to routinely monitor what happens to them after they have been successful in finding work. Jobcentre Plus has mechanisms in place to help identify those customers who return quickly to benefit and who experience difficulties remaining in work. The Department also undertakes a range of evaluation activity of its programmes to assess the impact on long-term employment.
From June, we will implement the Work Programme where customers at most risk of longer dependency on welfare will receive additional help and support delivered through private companies. Work programme providers will receive additional financial rewards for achieving job outcomes which are sustained.
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Jobcentre Plus: Crimes of Violence
Mr Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many assaults occurred at Jobcentre Plus establishments and their predecessor benefit offices in each year from 1997 to 2010. [54039]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many assaults occurred at Jobcentre Plus establishments and their predecessor benefit offices in each year from 1997 to 2010. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus works hard to mitigate all Health and Safety risks and whilst no assault is acceptable, it is important to review these figures in context—Jobcentre Plus staff are involved in around 60m face to face meetings with clients every year and any incident should be viewed in light of this fact. Jobcentre Plus has a robust Risk Assessment methodology to deal with this volume of customer interactions, with suitable and sufficient control measures in place to manage the majority of those contacts. The majority of incidents reported are verbal. Jobcentre Plus employs approximately 73,000 staff. It takes the safety of staff very seriously. For this reason, it encourages staff to report all incidents of unacceptable customer behaviour. Where incidents do occur we provide support through our Employee Assistance Programme. All incidents are also investigated so that, if appropriate, lessons can be learned.
The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the table below. This information is not available for years prior to the inception of Jobcentre Plus and includes incidents involving Customer Care Officers (CCO) who are employed under contract by Group 4 Securitas.
All figures are reported in operational years rather than calendar years.
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Verbal assault | Attempted assault | Actual assault | Unknown | Total |
Due to the phased nature of the rollout of the Jobcentre Plus organisation, the information provided is from April 2005, when the capture of information became uniform across the business.
The information has been collated from Department of Work and Pensions Accident and Assault Database (AAD) and have been rounded to the nearest 10. Please note that the data supplied are derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
Mortgages: Government Assistance
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people whose claim for Support for Mortgage Interest ceased as a consequence of the rules on the two year limit on awards in each month of 2011 to date. [51376]
Steve Webb: We do not have an estimate of the number of people whose Support for Mortgage Interest has ceased as a result of the two-year limit.
We carried out a scan of the jobseeker's allowance payment system in January to identify those claimants with a two-year limit date for Support for Mortgage Interest to March 2012. The scan identified the following numbers of claimants to date:
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Claimants with a two-year limit date |
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It is important to note that these figures do not represent the number of claimants whose Support for Mortgage Interest has stopped. Those figures will be lower than the numbers in the table because a proportion of the claimants identified will have left benefit, for example, to move into work.
National Insurance
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were (a) issued and (b) current in each year since 2007. [53421]
Chris Grayling: The figures for the number of national insurance numbers (NINos) registered in each year since 2007 is in the following table.
| NINo registrations | |
| Period | Total ( m illion) |
| (1 )Around. Notes: 1. Figures are for all NINo registrations in the UK (including Northern Ireland). 2. Period refers to the annual reporting period (1 April to 31 March) and the date the NINo was registered on NPS. 3. HM Revenue and Customs no longer undertake a full scan of NINos registered to UK nationals. The figure provided is an estimated figure for overall NINo registrations, based on the number of NINo cards issued. Source: 100% extract from HM Revenue and Customs National Insurance and PAYE (NPS) system. | |
Information is not available for the number of current national insurance numbers in each year since 2007. However, the latest available figures (February 2011) shows a total of 83.36 million national insurance number (NINo) records on DWP's Customer Information System (CIS). These consist of:
63.73 million live NINo accounts
19.63 million NINo accounts with a date of death applied.
Once a NINo is allocated it needs to remain on the Department's computer system. This is because the NINo provides a permanent numerical link between the individual and their national insurance contribution record, which determines entitlement to contributory benefits and state pension. In the case of deceased individuals, a partner may make a claim for a contributory benefit, which is dependant on the contribution record of the deceased individual.
Pension Credit
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the operation of the new housing element of state pension credit. [55728]
Steve Webb: In the Welfare Reform Bill, we are taking powers to introduce a housing credit within pension credit and the intention is that this will operate on broadly similar lines to the current rules that apply in housing benefit. Detailed arrangements are still under consideration.
Rachel Reeves:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any future recipients of welfare payments to couples where one person is above
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the qualifying age for state pension credit and their partner is entitled to universal credit will be worse off under the system proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill; and if he will make a statement. [55832]
Steve Webb: In the Welfare Reform Bill, we are taking powers to restrict access to pension credit for couples so that couples with one member below the qualifying age for pension credit will be required to claim universal credit if they need support through the benefits system.
We believe it wholly appropriate that people below the pension credit qualifying age should receive the support that will be available through universal credit to encourage and enable work. We are still considering the support that will be available for couples in this position. However, we also recognise that it is important not to undermine the stability and outcomes for existing pension credit customers, so the change will only apply to new claims and not to couples already in receipt of pension credit.
Sick Leave
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the contribution to meeting his Department's planned efficiency savings which will be made by reducing sickness absence. [51718]
Chris Grayling: No financial estimate of the contribution of reducing sickness absence to the Department's efficiency plans has been made. However, the Department has a strong track record in reducing sickness to increase the resource available to deliver public services, and strives to continually improve its performance in this area, having reduced sickness absence from a level of 11.1 days per employee per year in March 2007 to 8.1 days per employee per year currently.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fines were issued for benefit fraud in each year since 2006; and how much was received from such fines in each such year. [53368]
Chris Grayling: Fines for benefit fraud can be issued only by the courts and are managed by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service.
However, the Department does have the power to issue administrative penalties as a punishment for benefit fraud, which are similar to fines. The following tables provide information on the number of administrative penalties issued and the amount that has been recovered from these penalties:
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Number of administrative penalties issued |
| Note: Data are not yet available for 2010-11. Source: Fraud and Error by Sector (FIBS) and Fraud Referral and Intervention Management System (FRAIMS). The figures are Management Information (MI) collected for the purpose of routine administration, and therefore have not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance that is applied to DWP official statistics. | |
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Total recoveries from administrative penalties (£ million) |
| Note: Data on the amount recovered prior to 2008-09 are not available. Source: The figures provided are from Shared Services Debt Manager via Business Objects computer system and are subject to rounding. The figures are Management Information (MI) collected for the purpose of routine administration, and therefore have not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance that is applied to DWP official statistics. | |
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect of the cap on benefit entitlement on the financial incentives and disincentives for couples comprising two lone parents to live apart in separate households. [53716]
Chris Grayling: No assessment has been made of the likely effect of the cap on benefit entitlement on the financial incentives and disincentives for couples comprising two lone parents to live apart in separate households.
Our introduction of universal credit will reduce the couple penalty for many low income couples, particularly single earner couples. It will provide an enhanced earnings disregard which, along with the reduced taper, will allow couples to keep more of their income in work. Couples will also receive the higher personal allowance available in the current out-of-work benefits within their universal credit to ensure they are not disadvantaged relative to working single people.
State Retirement Pensions
Mr Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the likely change in the number of people eligible to receive a state pension in each of the next 10 years. [55284]
Steve Webb: The following table presents projections of the UK population above state pension age under the currently legislated state pension age timetable and that proposed in the Pensions Bill 2011.
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Pensions Act 2007 timetable | Pensions Bill 2011 timetable |
| Note: Projections rounded to the nearest 1,000. These projections, based on ONS’ 2008 UK principal population projections, do not include estimates of overseas claims and possible deferral or non take-up of state pension. | ||
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Deputy Prime Minister
Elections
Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consideration he has given to bringing forward proposals to ensure that returning officers meet agreed standards in the (a) organisation and (b) timing of election counts; and if he will make a statement. [55815]
Mr Harper: Under provisions in the Electoral Administration Act 2006, the Electoral Commission has determined and published performance standards for returning officers who are responsible for the conduct of elections, including the arrangements for the counting of votes.
The Electoral Commission’s performance standards for returning officers cover a range of areas in relation to the delivery of elections, including ensuring that returning officers have sufficient skills and knowledge to carry out their statutory duties, have developed robust planning processes for an election and provide appropriate training for all staff used at an election, which will be of relevance to the returning officer’s function in relation to the counting of votes.
The commission advised in their assessment of returning officers’ performance at the 2010 general election that they were encouraged both by the overall level of performance against the standards, and the willingness of returning officers and their teams to use the performance standards framework as a basis for continued improvement. The commission found that 95% of returning officers met or exceeded all three of the standards relating to ‘planning and organisation’ (‘skills and knowledge of the returning officer’, ‘planning’ and ‘training’) and 98% either met or exceeded the first standard relating to ‘skills and knowledge’ of the returning officer.
We look forward to the commission’s reports for the 2011 referendum and elections.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Business: Taxation
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated assessing any correlation between levels of business taxation and private sector investment in (i) research and development and (ii) new technology. [55987]
Mr Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has not commissioned any research assessing the correlation between overall levels of business taxation and private sector investment in research and development (R&D) or new technology. The impact of the tax regime on business decisions is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
In November 2010, a qualitative report jointly commissioned by BIS and HM Revenue and Customs looking at the impact of R&D tax credits on businesses’ processes for making decisions on R&D was published. This report found that for the businesses interviewed R&D tax credits had little effect on decisions to conduct individual projects but that they did increase the overall amount of research and development conducted.
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Exports: United Arab Emirates
John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many export licences have been granted to AssetCo plc for the sale of equipment to the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for use by the (a) army, (b) police and (c) fire service in the UAE in the last five years for which figures are available. [54831]
Mr Prisk: I refer the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 10 May 2011, Official Report, column 1190W.
Green Investment Bank
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date he applied for EU state aid approval for the creation of the Green Investment Bank. [54369]
Mr Prisk: The UK has begun the process of engaging with the EU Commission over the Green Investment Bank proposals to ensure their compatibility with the state aid provisions in the EU treaty. We expect substantive pre-notification discussions will take place over the summer with the aim of submitting a formal state aid notification later this year.
Havering
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of his Department’s employees work out of premises in the London borough of Havering. [55231]
Mr Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills currently has no employees located in premises in the London borough of Havering.
Higher Education: Admissions
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the right hon. Member for Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) and Old Southwark on the implications of his proposals for off-quota university places. [55646]
Mr Willetts: Both the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and I have had a number of discussions on how we assure fair access. Core to our principles for considering options for enabling off-quota recruitment is to ensure that all places would comply with the principles of fair access without any reduction in entry standards. I have not yet discussed specific off-quota options with my right hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark but we have discussed the numbers of applicants that in recent years have been unable to secure a place at university.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether public schools will be able to sponsor off-quota places in universities under his proposals; and if he will make a statement. [55649]
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Mr Willetts: We want to make it easier for employers and charities to sponsor students at universities, and to create a greater incentive for universities to set up sponsorship arrangements by allowing sponsored places to be additional to their student number allocations. We will only consider options that uphold the principle that admission to university must be on ability to learn, not on ability to pay. That is why any such scheme would need to comply with the conditions that the principles of fair access must apply, there would need to be genuine additional places, and there would be no reduction in entrance standards.
Therefore it is clearly not the intention that independent schools should be able to sponsor places for their own pupils and after consultation we will ensure that there is a framework in place to prevent this.
Higher Education: Reading Berkshire
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of schools in Reading West constituency sent at least one pupil to the university of (a) Oxford and (b) Cambridge in each of the last 13 years. [55721]
Mr Willetts: Information has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and is shown in the following table.
| Schools in Reading West with applicants accepted to full-time undergraduate courses at Oxford university or university of Cambridge via UCAS | ||||
| Schools with acceptances | ||||
| Oxford university | University of Cambridge | |||
| Year of entry | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage |
| Source: UCAS. | ||||
Schools have been identified as those with a postcode in the Reading West parliamentary constituency. The figures cover schools classed by UCAS as comprehensive, grammar, independent and other secondary schools in England. Other kinds of centres have not contributed to this analysis. Only schools from which UCAS received applications in the cycle concerned have contributed to the proportion calculation. Figures do not account for students accepted to Oxford or Cambridge who applied directly, rather than via UCAS.
Detailed data on applications via secondary schools are only available from 2001. Data for earlier years have not been provided as the necessary reference data is not available.
Office of Fair Trading
Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of resources available to the Office of Fair Trading to carry out the investigations that the Head of that Office considers necessary. [55417]
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Mr Davey: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is a non-ministerial Government Department and secures its budget allocation via the HM Treasury-led spending review process. As required by the spending review 2010 (SR10), the OFT submitted its plans for delivering its objectives within a reduced budget. The OFT's SR10 settlement was announced in October 2010. The OFT's budget for 2011-12 was set at £56 million. Internally, the OFT has allocated available resources in line with its published annual plan.
Regional Development Agencies: Redundancy Pay
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the calculation of redundancy pay for staff of regional development agencies in circumstances where there is a previous continuous service with a local authority employer; and what discretion he may exercise over the way in which such payments are determined. [55173]
Mr Prisk: Regional development agency (RDA) staff are covered by the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) as amended on 22 December 2010. The RDAs are also covered by the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government, etc.) (Modification) Order 1999.
Where a local authority employee was transferred into an RDA under TUPE regulations, at the time of redundancy the RDA would pay the individual the better of:
(a) his redundancy entitlement under CSCS terms for the period of employment with the RDA only;
(b) redundancy entitlement under the terms of previous employment with the local authority for the full period of his continuous service with the local authority and the RDA; or
(c) redundancy entitlement under any other terms reflecting a ministerial undertaking given at the point of transfer.
Where a local authority employee joined an RDA voluntarily, at the time of redundancy the RDA would pay the individual the better of either (a) above; or the redundancy entitlement under statutory redundancy terms for the full period of continuous service with the local authority and the RDA. I have no authority to exercise discretion over the way redundancy payments are calculated.
Space: Industry
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contribution the funding allocated to science centres in the 2011 Budget will make to the space industry. [55792]
Mr Willetts: Of the £100 million additional investment in science announced in the Budget, £10 million was earmarked to accelerate the development of the International Space Innovation Centre with the start of a National Space Technology Programme with industry.
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Students: Fees and Charges
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the potential effect of changes to higher education tuition fees on the ability of graduates to secure a mortgage. [55775]
Mr Willetts: The Council for Mortgage Lenders have advised that a student loan is very unlikely to materially impact on an individual’s ability to get a mortgage. The reduction in net income as a result of loan repayment results in a commensurate reduction in the amount a mortgage lender is willing to lend. That is one reason why our proposal to increase the repayment threshold from £15,000 to £21,000 reduces the amount borrowers need to repay each month, and therefore increases the amount of net monthly income available to them which could be helpful to them when applying for a mortgage.
Students: Loans
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what prominence he plans to give to information on the absence of any requirements for students to pay tuition fees upfront in his recently announced advertising campaign relating to student loans. [55942]
Mr Willetts: The Department considers it essential to ensure that prospective students and their families know about the full package of support available, to support access to higher education. One of the key messages for the campaign is that students will not have to pay up front. This message features in both our radio and digital advertising.
Technology and Innovation Centres
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 715W, on innovation, with which centres funded by regional development agencies his Department has had direct contact in the course of its consideration of the future of such centres. [55755]
Mr Willetts: The Department has in recent times invested significant funding in a number of centres via the Strategic Investment Fund. These centres include the National Renewable Energy Centre, Wave Hub, the Centre for Process Innovation, and the National Composites Centre, and these have been the primary focus of our direct discussions. Officials across this Department also have formal and informal contacts with a number of centres in the context of their work although there is no formal record of these interactions.