Higher Education: Science
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time first degree entrants studying (a) medicine and dentistry, (b) subjects allied to medicine, (c) biological sciences, (d) physical sciences, (e) mathematical sciences, (f) computer science, (g) engineering and technology, (h) architecture, building and planning, (i) social studies, (j) law, (k) business and administrative studies, (l) mass communications, (m) historical and philosophical studies, (n) creative arts and design and (o) all subjects at higher education institutions there were in each year from 2002-03 to 2009-10 by state school marker. [59513]
Mr Willetts:
The numbers of UK-domiciled full-time first degree entrants to UK higher education institutions who had previously attended state schools are shown by subject area in the following table. The state school marker does not include first degree entrants who had previously attended further education colleges, including sixth form colleges: the categories for known previous education institution are state school, further education college, independent school and higher education institution.
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Information is taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record and is provided for the academic
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years 2002/03 to 2009/10. Figures for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from January 2012.
| UK-domiciled full-time first degree entrants, who had previously attended state schools, by subject area: UK higher education institutions (1) academic years 2002/03 to 2009/10 | ||||||||
| 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/0 6 | |||||
| Subject area | No. with known previous institution information | Of which: State school | No. with known previous institution information | Of which: State school | No. with known previous institution information | Of which: State school | No. with known previous institution information | Of which: State school |
| 200 6 /0 7 | 2007 /0 8 | 200 8/09 | 20 09/10 | |||||
| Subject area | No. with known previous institution information | Of which: State school | No. with known previous institution information | Of which: State school | No. with known previous institution information | Of which: State school | No. with known previous institution information | Of which: State school |
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| (1) Excludes the Open University: there were no UK-domiciled full-time first degree entrants to the Open University between 2002/03 and 2009/10 Note: 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. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record | ||||||||
Insolvency Act 1986
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the merits of revising section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 to include on-sellers of telecoms services and equipment in addition to direct suppliers; [60850]
(2) if he will assess the merits of revising section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 to prevent suppliers requiring payments on insolvency which would reduce the (a) likelihood of a rescue and (b) dividends to creditors; [60851]
(3) if he will assess the merits of revising section 233 of the Insolvency Act 1986 to include information technology services, computer software and accounting software as essential suppliers for the purposes of reflecting the use of modern technology in business operations; and if he will make a statement. [60852]
Mr Davey: 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.
Intellectual Property
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to encourage non-EU members of the World Trade Organisation to ratify the amendments to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to make importation of drugs easier and cheaper. [60589]
Mr Davey [holding answer 20 June 2011] : The UK will continue to make clear its support for the Doha Declaration on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) and public health, which agreed that:
“The TRIPS Agreement does not and should not prevent members from taking measures to protect public health.”
We also support the proposed amendment to TRIPS which allows developing countries with insufficient or no manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical sector to use a compulsory licence to import essential medicines.
At the World Trade Organisation the EU, with the UK's support, continues to support calls on countries to ratify this amendment. Members are regularly reminded of their commitment at the WTO TRIPS Council, most recently on 7 June 2011.
Intellectual Property: Africa
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has for the UK Patent Office to undertake joint working with intellectual property offices in Africa. [60590]
Mr Davey [holding answer 20 June 2011]: The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) does not currently work with African IPO's but will consider requests for technical assistance and the sharing of knowledge and best practice. We have commissioned research which will be published later this year on the effectiveness of intellectual property technical assistance. This will inform our future work programme with African intellectual property offices.
In addition, the Department for International Development (DFID) currently funds the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD). This is a not-for-profit organisation that, on request, provides assistance to developing countries on intellectual property.
Local Enterprise Partnerships
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2011, Official Report, column 398W, on local enterprise partnerships (LEP), how many private sector members representing (a) micro, (b) small and (c) medium-sized businesses each LEP has; and which LEPs have no representative of micro-businesses at board level. [60677]
Mr Prisk:
To date 14 local enterprise partnership (LEP) boards have been recognised by the Government.
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The following table shows the number of representatives of
(a)
micro,
(b)
small and
(c)
medium-sized businesses sitting on each recognised LEP board.
| LEP | Micro (0-9 Employees) | Small (10-49 Employees) | Medium (50-249 Employees) |
Some Board members will have had experience of running start-up companies and building them up. This previous experience is not reflected in the table. Similarly some board members as well as owning their own business will also have a role in organisations that represent businesses from more than one category, again this has not been captured. There is one instance where a board member owns two sizes of business and as a result has been listed under both categories.
Opiates
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has considered the merits of reviewing the licensing of opium derivatives in order to increase price competition. [59777]
Mr Davey [holding answer 15 June 2011]: The Government have committed to reviewing the controlled drug licensing arrangements relating to opium derivatives during 2011. This review will be lead by the Home Office, in consultation with other Government Departments as necessary.
Patent Office: China
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has for the UK Patent Office to undertake joint working with the China Patent and Trademark Office. [60591]
Mr Davey
[holding answer 20 June 2011]:The Intellectual Property Office works with the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office to develop mutually beneficial improvements to our intellectual property (IP) systems. Under an agreement signed in June 2010, we are exploring ways to increase the effectiveness and quality of processes for handling patent applications in both countries. We are working to develop model IP agreements for UK-China
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collaborative research; we have joint seminars to encourage the use and understanding of our respective IP systems; and are discussing the feasibility of a fast-track for green patents in China, similar to the UK model.
Under a 2009 Memorandum of Understanding, the Intellectual Property Office is also working with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce to exchange information and best practice on trade mark examination procedures, oppositions and disputes, and enforcement procedures.
Patents
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of unprocessed patent applications. [60880]
Mr Davey: With respect to reducing the number of unprocessed patent applications at the European Patent Office and on a global level, I refer to my answer given on 16 June 2011, Official Report, column 963W.
The Intellectual Property Office of the UK is itself working with offices from a number of other countries on work-sharing initiatives to reduce duplication of effort, and thereby to reduce patent application backlogs. Moreover, the Intellectual Property Office is pursuing a managed reduction in the stock of patent applications awaiting substantive examination. This is being achieved through matching resources to projected long-term demand, efficiency improvements, and selective use of overtime. The Office met its target of clearing all outstanding patent examinations older than 49 months by March 2011 and has been set a new target of reducing this figure to 42 months by March 2012.
Plastic Bags: Fees and Charges
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration has he given to the merits of placing a requirement on businesses to charge for plastic carrier bags. [59660]
Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply.
A range of measures to reduce the distribution of single use carrier bags was considered as part of the Review of Waste Policy and a decision will be made in 2012. This timetable enables us to take into account the experience in Wales, where a charge will come into force in October 2011, and the results of the European Commission consultation that is currently being undertaken on a number of possible options for reducing the use of plastic carrier bags, including charging and a ban.
Regional Growth Fund
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of Regional Growth Fund applications which were declined were assessed as in breach of state aid rules (a) in each region and (b) nationally in the most recent round of applications. [59473]
Mr Prisk:
State aid compliance was not assessed in a binary way during round 1 of the regional growth fund. A state aid compliance risk assessment was made for each bid and this was considered in parallel with the
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other four published criteria: project location, additionality, sustainable private sector growth and value for money. As no bid was declined solely on the grounds of state aid it is not possible to provide the statistics requested.
Small Businesses
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on trends in (a) net capital investment by small businesses, (b) the proportion of managers of small businesses that carry out management or leadership training and (c) the use of ICT by small businesses in each year since 2005. [61121]
Mr Prisk: The information requested is as follows:
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information on net capital investment through its annual business survey.
| Annual business survey (ABS), small firms, net capital expenditure | |||||
| £ million | |||||
|
|
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Note: The ABS covers about two-thirds of the UK economy including production, construction, distribution, and service industries. | |||||
The Department's regular small business survey contains information on the proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that provided managers with management and leadership training.
| Percentage of SME employers (1-249 employees) that provided management and leadership training to managers in previous year | ||||
| Time period of survey | ||||
|
|
2005 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2010 |
| Source: Small Business Survey (2010) and Annual Small Business Survey (2007/08, 2006/07 and 2005) | ||||
The Department's regular small business survey collects information on ICT use by SMEs. For example, the small business survey 2010 found that 87% of SME employers had broadband for their business and 57% used the internet for advice on regulation. As a result of changes to the questionnaire it is not possible to compare trends since 2005.
The ONS conducts an annual survey into e-commerce and ICT activity and measures the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by businesses with 10 or more employees. This survey provides times series on a range measures, including whether businesses have a website.
| Percentage of businesses with a website | ||||
| Employment size | 10-49 | 50-249 | 250-999 | 1,000+ |
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| Coverage: UK businesses with 10 or more employment | ||||
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/abs/
Results from BIS's small business survey and annual small business survey can be found on BIS's website at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/enterprise-and-business-support/analytical-unit/research-and-evaluation/cross-cutting-research
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=6645&Pos=2&ColRank=1&Rank=390
Students: Finance
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he or officials of his Department have met representatives of (a) Lloyds Banking Group, (b) Santander, (c) HSBC, (d) Royal Bank of Scotland, (e) Barclays and (f) other banks incorporated in the UK to discuss the provision of private student loans; and if he will make a statement. [59091]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 10 June 2011]: I met Barclays on 8 November 2010 to discuss professional and career development loans.
I met Santander on 24 May 2011 regarding its involvement in UK higher education via its Santander Universities programme. A broad range of higher education issues were discussed, including the possibility of the provision of private student loans.
BIS officials met Barclays bank in 2010 to discuss a range of issues related to student finance.
Supermarkets: Competition
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many arbitrations there have been under the Groceries Supply Code of Practice since it came into force. [60991]
Mr Davey: Between February 2010 and August 2010, there were no arbitrations. Over the coming months, the designated large grocery retailers who the Groceries Supply Code of Practice applies to will be submitting their annual compliance reports to the Office of Fair Trading.
Technology: Greater London
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2011, Official Report, column 1203W, what the monetary value is of the contract held by Hill and Knowlton for Tech City; and what the duration is of that contract. [60722]
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Mr Prisk: The international marketing campaign contract won by Hill and Knowlton amounts to £99,945 inclusive of fees and costs for an initial 12-month contract.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2011, Official Report, column 1203W, on technology: Greater London, what the process was by which the contract for international marketing for Tech City was let. [60723]
Mr Prisk: The contract for the international marketing of Tech City followed Government tendering process.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2011, Official Report, column 1203W, on technology: Greater London, whether UKTI will tender for national marketing for Tech City. [60724]
Mr Prisk: UK Trade and Investment are leading on the national marketing of Tech City. There are no plans to put this service out to tender.
UK Trade & Investment
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials of UK Trade & Investment are posted to each (a) embassy and (b) other mission. [60031]
Mr Prisk: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is a joint Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) organisation and is not an employing organisation in its own right. The majority of staff posted to our embassies and missions overseas and working for UKTI are employees of the FCO. In addition to staff posted to our embassies and missions from the UK, there are some 1,100 locally employed staff working for UKTI. A table which sets out the numbers of such staff by country and city (expressed as full-time equivalents) will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
VAT
Mr Umunna:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number and proportion of companies with value added
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tax registrations that
(a)
achieved £1 million of turnover and
(b)
employed 10 or more staff by their fourth year of trading in each year since 2005. [61114]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number and proportion of companies with value added tax registrations that (a) achieved £1 million of turnover and (b) employed 10 or more staff by their fourth year of trading in each year since 2005. (61114)
Annual statistics on the number of enterprises are available from the ONS release UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at www.statistics.gov.uk. The tables below contains the latest statistics available, which show a) the number of VAT registered companies less than 4 years old with a turnover of 1 million or more and b) the number of VAT registered companies less than 4 years old with 10 or more employment. Both are given as a proportion of the total number of VAT based companies.
| (a) VAT-based companies with £1 million turnover or more who are less than four years old in each reference year | |||
|
|
VAT-based companies less than four years old with a turnover of £1 million or more | Total VAT-based companies | Percentage |
| (b) VAT-based companies with 10 employment or more who are less than four years old in each reference year | |||
|
|
VAT-based companies less than four years old within an employment of 10 or more | Total VAT-based companies | Percentage |