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Departmental Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each executive agency of his Department has spent on travel by (a) private hire vehicles, (b) trains, (c) buses, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010. [56080]
Mr Davey: I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office, the UK Space Agency and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to the hon. Lady directly.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 25 May 2011:
The Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question how much each executive agency in his Department has spent on travel by (a) private hire vehicles, (b) trains, (c) buses, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010.
The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, spent the following amounts in the 12 months May 2010 till April 2011 inclusive in respect of:
a. Private hire vehicles made up of:
i. Taxis: £2.666
ii. Hire Cars: £5,208
b. Trains: £594,881
c. Buses: Not available
d. Commercial aircraft: £7,657
e. Private aircraft: Nil
Staff can claim for bus fares as part of their subsistence claims for incidental expenses of £2.90 per day. It is not possible to disaggregate the bus element of incidental expense claims.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 20 May 2011:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 12 May 2011, UIN56080 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
You have asked for the details of what we have spent on various forms of travel since May 2010. Unfortunately, I can only provide the information for the financial year as a whole, as re-calculating the costs so as to exclude the April figures would be disproportionately expensive. With that proviso the costs are as follows:
| Mode of Transport | Cost (£) |
Further details relating to Companies House's spend on travel are published on our website under the Transparency Agenda. This can be found at:
http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/publicExpenditure.shtml
and you will find figures under the heading ‘Government Procurement Card Spend’.
Letter from Peter Mason, dated 24 May 2011:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (formerly National Weights and Measures Laboratory) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12th May 2011 [reference 2010/5378] to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking how much each executive agency in
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his Department has spent on travel by (a) private hire vehicles, (b) trains, (c) buses, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010.
The Agency has spent the following amounts between May 2010 and April 2011
(a) private hire vehicles: £10,579,
(b) trains (including underground travel): £14,842,
(c) buses: £337,
(d) commercial aircraft: £5,549, and
(e) private aircraft: £ nil.
Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 23 May 2011:
Thank you for your parliamentary question addressed to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills asking how much the Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) has spent on travel by (a) private hire vehicles, (b) trains, (c) buses, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010.
Please be advised that in the year May 2010 to April 2011 the Agency spent the following amounts on travel, which have been extracted from the information we publish online:
|
|
£ |
| (1) Information is held on individual claims but not recorded separately in the accounts as it is considered to be of insignificant value | |
At May 2010 the number of Agency employees was 1,950.
Letter from Dr David Williams, dated 26 May 2011:
Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills asking how much each executive agency in his Department has spent on travel by (a) private hire vehicles, (b) trains, (c) buses, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010. (56080)
The UK Space Agency became an executive agency on the 1st April 2011 and there have been no recorded transactions for the above criteria since this date.
Letter from John Alty, dated 27 May 2011:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 12th May 2011, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
From May 2010 until the end of April 2011 the Intellectual Property Office spent the following amounts,
|
|
£000 |
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent on travel in respect of (a) each of his Department's Executive agencies and (b) the chief executive of each such agency since May 2010. [56174]
Mr Davey: I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office, the UK Space Agency and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to the hon. Lady directly.
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Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 25 () May 2011:
The Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question how much has been spent on travel in respect of (a) each of his Department's executive agencies and (b) the chief executive of each such agency since May 2010. (56174).
The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, spent the following amounts on travel in the 12 months May 2010 till April 2011 inclusive in respect of:
|
|
£ |
| (1) Including chief executive. | |
The travel costs are made up of the cost of rail, commercial aircraft, hire cars and taxis. Staff can claim for bus fares as part of their subsistence claims for incidental expenses of £2.90 per day. It is not possible to disaggregate and report the cost of the bus element of incidental expense claims and thus bus costs have not been included or reported.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 20 May 2011:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 12 May 2011, UIN 56174 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
You have asked for the details of what we have spent on travel since May 2010. Unfortunately, I can only provide the information for the financial year as a whole, as re-calculating the costs so as to exclude the April figures would be disproportionately expensive. With that proviso the costs are as follows:
| Spent by: | Cost (£) |
Further details relating to Companies House's spend on travel are published on our website under the Transparency Agenda. This can be found at:
http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/publicExpenditure.shtml
and you will find the figures under the heading 'Government Procurement Card Spend'.
Letter from Peter Mason, dated 24 May 2011:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (formerly National Weights and Measures Laboratory) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12th May 2011 [reference 2010/5381] to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking how much has been spent on travel in respect of (a) each of his Department's executive agencies and (b) the chief executive of each such agency since May 2010.
The Agency has spent £89,675 on travel between May 2010 and April 2011. The Chief Executive has spent £3,490 on travel during the same period. These figures include spend on hotels and meals while travelling.
Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 23 May 2011:
Thank you for your parliamentary question addressed to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills asking how much (a) the Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) and (b) its chief executive have spent on travel since May 2010.
Please be advised in the year May 2010 to April 2011 the Agency spent the following amounts, which have been extracted from the information we publish online:
|
|
£ |
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| (1) Included in the amount above. | |
At May 2010 the number of Agency employees was 1,950.
Letter from Emma Lord, dated 16 (th) May 2011
Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent on travel in respect of (a) each of his Department's executive agencies and (b) the chief executive of each such agency since May 2010. (56174)
The UK Space Agency became an executive agency on the 1st April 2011 and the recorded transactions for the above criteria since this date are (a) £155 for mileage. There are no recorded transactions for criteria (b).
Letter from John Alty, dated 27 May 2011:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 12th May 2011, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Intellectual Property Office has spent £448,000 on travel, between May 2010 and April 2011. Of this £21,000 related to travel undertaken by the chief executive.
Employment Agencies: EU Law
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to (a) amending the content and (b) delaying the implementation of the agency workers directive regulations; and if he will make a statement. [59705]
Mr Davey: As set out in my statement to the House on 19 October 2010, Official Report, column 49WS, I have considered amending the regulations. However, opening up the regulations to amendments would have put at risk the 12-week qualifying period arising from the social partner agreement, which significantly mitigates the burdens the legislation will place on employers. Therefore the Government will not be amending the regulations.
The deadline for member states to implement the agency workers directive is 5 December 2011. In order to meet this deadline we are introducing the regulations at the closest common commencement date, which is October 2011. In advance of the regulations coming into force, DBIS has worked closely with all parties to develop accompanying guidance to help businesses, hirers and agency workers understand and prepare for the changes. This is available online at
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/employment-matters/strategies/awd
English Language: Education
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood of 17 May 2011, Official Report, column 150W, on the English language: education, on what date before the summer recess he plans to publish the equality impact assessment on proposals for the future funding of English for speakers of other languages courses. [59089]
Mr Hayes
[holding answer 10 June 2011]:An assessment of how the changes announced in Skills for Sustainable
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Growth may affect English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) learners is currently being carried out by the Department. I expect to be able to publish this before the summer recess.
Export Credit Guarantees
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what overseas public projects were funded by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in the latest period for which figures are available. [57986]
Mr Davey: The Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) provides guarantees to banks and insurance policies to exporters in support of export contracts with overseas buyers. It publishes a list of the guarantees and insurance policies it has issued in its annual report and accounts, the latest available being in respect of the 2009-10 financial year. The list includes details of the obligors under each facility. Copies of ECGD's annual report and accounts are available from the Libraries of the House and from ECGD's website.
Flood Control: Finance
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the potential sums to be spent on flood defence projects by the Green Investment Bank in the first three years of its operation. [58208]
Mr Prisk: Flood defence projects in themselves do not generate revenue streams which can help fund the costs of any capital provided by the Green Investment Bank (GIB) or pay back other sources of financing. The benefits of flood defence projects tend to be in terms of avoided losses, land and property values, and insurability against flood damages. We do not therefore anticipate that the GIB will be making any such investments.
Further Education: Admissions
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people entered formal post-16 education in further education colleges in (a) 2000 and (b) 2009. [58912]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 as follows shows the number of young people participating on a government-funded further education course at a further education college in 2001/02, the earliest year for which we hold this data.
Table 2 shows number of young people participating on a government-funded further education course at a further education college in 2009/10.
These tables are not directly comparable due to changes in the funding methodology used to determine a government-funded learner over this period.
| Table 1: Young people in further education, 2001/02 | ||
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|
Under 19 years old | 19-24 years old |
| Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||
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| Table 2: Young people in further education, 2009/10 | ||
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|
Under 19 years old | 19-24 years old |
| Notes: 1. Data have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Further education colleges include tertiary colleges. 3. Further information on learner numbers in 2001 can be found in an historic Statistical First Release at: http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/ILRSFR02.pdf 4. Table 2 shows a breakdown by age of information published as a cascade of the FE and Skills First Release at: http://mireportslibrary.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/49370DDC-4C3E-452C-948C-AA2E1FD10F37/0/FEandSkills_providertype_finalV3.xls Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||
Government Departments: Apprentices
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprentices there are in each Government department. [58849]
Mr Hayes: The latest available data collected by Government Skills cover apprenticeship starts during the period April 2010 to March 2011. During this period there were a total of 2,120 apprenticeship starts within Government Departments.
Green Investment Bank
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential contribution to the private capital of the Green Investment Bank of Government-guaranteed green bonds in capital markets. [58320]
Mr Prisk: The Green Investment Bank (GIB) will be capitalised during this Parliament with £3 billion of public funding.
It will have borrowing powers in 2015 and once the target for debt to be falling as a percentage of gross domestic product has been met. This will allow the GIB to significantly scale up its activities.
At the moment, we are not seeking to be prescriptive about which form the borrowing should take. There are a range of possible options, direct from the capital markets (including green bonds) or via the National Loans Fund or Debt Management Office. In due course, the merits of each possible mechanism will need to be judged according to criteria that weigh up their relative costs and benefits.
In due course, the Government will also determine the GIB's borrowing limit, as this will score against public sector net debt.
Higher Education:Part-time Education
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what recent discussions he has had with representatives of higher education institutions (HEIs) on steps to ensure that study through the part-time mode is financially sustainable for (a) students and (b) the provider HEI; and if he will make a statement; [58986]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Open university and (b) Birbeck college on steps to ensure that under-represented groups in higher education receive adequate financial support; and if he will make a statement. [58987]
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Mr Willetts: I have had a number of discussions with representatives of higher education institutions (HEIs) about our package of reforms, including its impact on part-time students and HEIs.
I meet representatives of the Open university and Birkbeck college on a regular basis to discuss all aspects of part-time student support, including support that will be provided to encourage under-represented groups in higher education.
From 2012/13 eligible new part-time students will not need to pay their tuition charges upfront as they will be able to access loans in order to pay for their tuition, as is the case for full-time students. The new system of loans will be available to significantly more part-time students than the existing package of means-tested grants, available only to low-income students and which supports only around one in seven part-time students. Support under the new loans package will not be means-tested, and can be accessed by eligible students studying at an intensity rate of at least 25% of the full-time equivalent course (FTE) each year (currently grants are available only to students studying at 50% FTE). The amount of loan will fully meet the student's actual tuition charge, which is frequently not the case under the current system of grants.
In order to improve financial support to under-represented groups in higher education we are introducing the national scholarship programme, which in particular will support students from low-income backgrounds.
The significant improvement in the package of support for eligible part-time students will provide new opportunities for institutions with large numbers of such students to provide courses that are attractive.
Insolvency
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the merits of amending Section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 to include on-sellers of telecommunications services and equipment; [59465]
(2) what assessment he has made of the merits of amending Section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 to prevent suppliers demanding ransom payments on insolvency; [59466]
(3) if he will consider the merits of introducing legislative proposals to amend Section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 to include information technology services, computer software services and accounting software services as essential suppliers; and if he will make a statement. [59467]
Mr Davey [holding answer 13 June 2011]:We announced in May that we would discuss with interested parties the issue of termination clauses in the context of further consideration of a possible new restructuring moratorium. Officials are currently engaged in that process. Any move to include other essential supplies in section 233 would have implications for the suppliers themselves and would need to be carefully considered in this context.
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Insolvency Service's proposals for regulation of the insolvency community will be subject to the moratorium on new regulation for micro-businesses. [59686]
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Mr Davey: The Department is currently reviewing the responses to its consultation on the regulation of insolvency practitioners. The moratorium on new regulation for micro-businesses applies to all new proposals unless a waiver is agreed by Ministers taking account of all the circumstances.
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the potential effects of after-the-event fee review in insolvency cases on the number of complainants on insolvent estates; and whether he has plans to make arrangements to protect the money realised for creditors from being used to cover unfounded fee review complaints; [59691]
(2) what assessment he has made of the potential effects of after-the-event fee review in insolvency cases on the financial incentives of lawyers and other advisers to businesses. [59692]
Mr Davey: The Department is currently reviewing the responses to its consultation on the regulation of insolvency practitioners. Whether to add a fee review mechanism formed a significant part of that consultation, and the question raises an important issue(s) which is being considered as part of the review process.
Local Enterprise Partnerships: Yorkshire and the Humber
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the public purse will be provided to each local enterprise partnership in Yorkshire in (a) 2011-12 and (b) each of the next two financial years. [58574]
Mr Prisk: Local enterprise partnerships can apply to Government funding to support their development through this Department's capacity and start-up funds.
They can also apply for funding to support specific programmes or projects, for example, the regional growth fund or through the Technology Strategy Board. Partnerships can also access European funding streams or may receive financial support from local authorities.
The Department has made no projections as to how much funding each local enterprise partnership will receive from these various funding sources.
Motor Vehicles: EU Law
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the potential effects on the economy of Plymouth of the removal of the 2002 motor vehicle block exemption regulation. [59119]
Mr Davey: I have no plans to assess the potential effects of the revised regulation.
Motor Vehicles: Retail Trade
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will request motor manufacturers to agree to a Europe-wide franchised code with the franchised car dealership industry. [59048]
Mr Davey: I have no plans to do so, but I would encourage manufacturers and retailers to work positively together to agree the best ways of working together going forward.
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Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess (a) the extent of control of vehicle manufacturers over retailers in a franchised network and (b) the effect of such arrangements on (i) competition and (ii) consumers. [59244]
Mr Davey: I have no plans to undertake such an assessment.
Pets: Cremation
Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to require the provision of information at the point of sale by pet cremation businesses on the processes which they use. [59230]
Mr Davey: The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) ban traders in all sectors from engaging in unfair commercial practices with consumers. Among other matters, the CPRs require traders not to omit or hide material information which the average consumer needs, according to the context, to make an informed choice. Therefore, if the processes used by pet cremation businesses is material to the average pet owner's decision on whether to use the services of such businesses, this information would need to be given to them in good time before they made their purchasing decisions.
Private Sector: Mutual Societies
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage employee shareholding and mutual ownership in the private sector. [59062]
Mr Davey: The Government continue to encourage businesses to consider the benefits of employee ownership models and other mutual models as part of our wider strategy for sustainable economic growth.
The Government intend to improve the guidance available on
www.businesslink.gov.uk
to help businesses and other organisations to make better choices about legal forms and ownership models including employee ownership.
The Government provide four types of tax-advantaged employee share scheme, enabling employers to give employees a stake in the business and help improve its performance.
The Government are also committed to modernising the legislation governing mutuals and ensuring that this is kept up to date so that businesses using these legal forms can remain competitive in the future.
Regional Development Agencies: Finance
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the public purse regional development agencies were provided within (a) 2010-11 and (b) each of the previous three financial years. [58575]
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Mr Prisk: The allocations to the nine English regional development agencies in the four years in question were as follows:
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£ million |
Regional Growth Fund: Yorkshire and the Humber
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding each successful applicant to the regional growth fund in Yorkshire and Humber received; and for what purpose such funding was allocated in each case. [58572]
Mr Prisk: A summary of the bids that were successful and have received conditional allocations in Round 1 of the regional growth fund is available from the regional growth fund website:
www.bis.gov.uk/RGF
All those bids are subject to due diligence, which is presently ongoing. Until due diligence is complete and final contract arrangements are agreed, in order to respect commercial confidentiality, no further detail of individual successful bids will be released.
Students: Finance
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of students who lived (a) at home and (b) away from home took out a loan to fund their undergraduate studies in each of the last five years. [59068]
Mr Willetts: It is estimated that 80% of eligible students domiciled in England take out a maintenance loan and 86% take out a tuition fee loan. It is not possible to accurately split these estimates down for students who lived at home and away from home, as they are calculated from a number of sources with different coverage.
| Estimated take-up of maintenance loans by eligible students domiciled in England | |
| Academic year | Estimated take-up (percentage) |
Maintenance loans provide a contribution towards the student's living costs while at university. All eligible full-time students are able to take out a non-means- tested, upfront student loan to finance their tuition costs in full.
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many undergraduate students lived (a) at home and (b) away from home whilst completing their studies in each of the last five years. [59070]
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Mr Willetts:
The term-time accommodation of UK-domiciled full-time undergraduate enrolments to UK higher education institutions is shown in the following
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table for the academic years 2005/06 to 2009/10. Figures for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from January 2012.
| UK-domiciled full-time undergraduate enrolments by term-time accommodation UK higher education institutions, academic years 2005/06 to 2009/10 | |||||
| Term-time accommodation | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| (1) ‘Other rented accommodation’ refers to a more temporary arrangement than ‘Own residence’, for example where a number of students each rent a room in the same house on a yearly basis. (2) Covers enrolments not currently in attendance at the institution for reasons such as industrial placement or language year abroad. (3) Covers enrolments whose term-time accommodation was classified as ‘other’, ‘not known’ or ‘missing’. Notes: 1. Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and are rounded up or down to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. 2. The categories ‘Private-sector halls’ and ‘Other rented accommodation’ were introduced to the Student Record in 2007/08. 3. Prior to then the majority of enrolments in these categories were classified as ‘Institution maintained property’ or ‘Own residence’. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record | |||||
Summer Time
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to proposing legislation to amend daylight saving time. [58759]
Mr Davey: We are aware that there are a range of views on this subject. Although the Government do not propose to change current summer time arrangements, we continue to listen to representations we receive and consider any evidence presented to us.
Yorkshire Forward: Finance
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the public purse Yorkshire Forward received in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each of the previous three financial years. [58573]
Mr Prisk: The allocation to Yorkshire Forward in the four years in question was as follows:
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£ million |