Immigration Advisory Service
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Immigration Advisory Service regarding the status of the current clients of the service and their on-going legal cases. [66851]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) has been working closely with the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS) for some time now following an audit which raised concerns about the company’s financial management and claims irregularities, and as such the Trustees of the IAS decided that the organisation had to enter into administration on 8 July 2011.
The primary concern for the Government and the LSC now is to ensure clients of IAS continue to get the help they need. The LSC expects that the administration of IAS will allow a managed close down process of IAS's activities and an orderly transfer of clients to new providers. Provisional arrangements have been made to ensure that any emergency cases are dealt with speedily.
Meanwhile the LSC is identifying alternative advice provision in the areas affected and arrangements for case transfer will follow as soon as possible. Three IAS hub centres will be kept open for the moment: in Manchester, Birmingham and Bradford, which will help facilitate the transfer of these cases.
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure repayment of money which the Immigration Advisory Service claimed in error to the Legal Services Commission. [66852]
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Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is working with the administrators to establish the value of claims for work that had not been submitted for payment when the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS) entered administration, following a decision by its Trustees on 8 July 2011. These claims will be set off against any sum that is confirmed as being owed to the LSC as a result of the contract compliance audit, which has not yet concluded.
Judges: Retirement
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements govern the posts former judges are able to take up following the end of their appointment. [66988]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: Salaried judicial office holders are appointed on the understanding that they do not return to private practice as a barrister or solicitor in their former jurisdiction. Former judges may, however, provide services as independent arbitrators or mediators.
Legal Aid Scheme
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many clinical negligence claims made with assistance from legal aid by claimants in north Wales were successful in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10; and how much was paid to (i) the claimants and (ii) their legal representatives in consequence in each such year. [65912]
Mr Djanogly: In relation to damages paid to claimants resulting from clinical negligence cases in north Wales, this information is shown in the following table.
| Financial year | Volume | Damages (£) | Legal fees (£) |
Payment of damages reflects amounts paid in cases closed in the financial year. The amount of fees paid will reflect instances where a case is settled and costs have been agreed between the parties. These fees may relate to cases that settled in previous years.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria will be used to determine the most serious cases under his proposals for reform of legal aid; and how many cases met those criteria in 2009-10. [66694]
Mr Djanogly: The starting point for our consideration has been to examine, from first principles, which issues should attract public funding in the light of the financial constraints. In reaching our proposals, we have taken into account our domestic, European and international legal obligations, including the European convention on human rights, and have also taken into account the importance of the issue at stake in the case, the litigant's ability to present their own case, the availability of alternative sources of funding and the availability of other routes of resolution. Our impact assessment shows that, based on cases funded in 2009-10, we intend to retain approximately 390,000 acts of assistance within scope of the civil legal aid scheme.
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Legal Aid Scheme: Children
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether children representing themselves in civil cases will have access to legal aid under his proposed reforms to legal aid. [66516]
Mr Djanogly: For cases retained within the scope of the civil legal aid scheme, children and adults will have access to legal aid, subject to the usual tests of financial means and the merits of the case. We have announced our intention to retain legal aid for children for family proceedings. This will primarily be where the judge decides that it is in the best interests of the child for them to be separately represented from the other parties in the case (usually their parents).
For cases that will be excluded from the scope of the civil legal aid scheme, there will be a safety net in the form of our exceptional funding scheme. This will allow funding to be granted in individual excluded cases where failure to provide funding would amount to a breach of the individual's rights to legal aid under the Human Rights Act 1988 or EU law. In considering whether exceptional funding should be granted, we will take into account the ability of the client to present their own case, the complexity of the issues, the importance of the issues at stake and all other relevant circumstances. In the vast majority of civil cases, parents will be bringing proceedings on behalf of their children as their litigation friend. Where children are acting without a litigation friend, this would be taken into consideration in deciding whether they had the ability to present their own case.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many civil cases relating to (a) debt, (b) immigration, (c) housing and (d) benefits where legal aid advice or representation was provided involved a self-represented child or a child represented by a legal guardian in 2009-10; and what the cost to the public purse was of legal aid in each category of case. [66693]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) does not hold information which clearly distinguishes between children who represented themselves and children represented by a legal guardian. However, the following tables outline the volume of cases and the costs to legal aid to represent persons under the age of 18 years in the financial year 2009-10 for matters involving debt, housing, immigration and asylum, and welfare benefits.
| Civil representation 2009-10 | ||
| Category | Closed cases | Closed case spend (£) |
| Legal help 2009-10 | ||
| Category | Claim volume | Claim value (£) |
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Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases where legal aid advice or representation was provided, involved (a) children at risk of abuse and (b) international child abduction in 2009-10; and what the cost to the public purse was of the legal aid provided in such cases. [66695]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) does not record information separately that counts those cases where there are concerns that children are at risk of abuse. Table 1 shows the number of public law family cases and spend for 2009-10. It is considered that it is likely that children funded in these categories may be at risk of abuse.
Table 2 shows the number of international child abduction cases and expenditure funded under a legal aid certificate. However, there may also be other types of matters, such as wardship, which involve issues of child abduction. These figures exclude advice and assistance under legal help as the LSC does not record this level of detail under legal help.
| Table 1: Public law family cases, 2009-10 | ||
| Category | Volume of closed cases | Closed case spend (£000) |
| Table 2: International child abduction cases, 2009-10 | ||
| Proceeding code | Volume of closed cases | Closed case spend (£000) |
Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Violence
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many claimants have received legal aid in relation to domestic violence cases in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse was of legal aid in relation to domestic violence cases in each of the last five years. [66284]
Mr Djanogly: Legal aid in domestic violence funds two levels of service; legal help for initial advice, and civil representation funded under a legal aid certificate in cases likely to proceed to court.
The value of legal aid claims under legal help and the number of matters started are included in Table A.
| Table A | ||
|
|
Volume | Value (£ million) |
18 July 2011 : Column 737W
| (1) Before October 2007 it was possible to report only one matter in family legal help e.g. children or domestic violence. The new way of recording allows the Legal Services Commission (LSC) to record multiple matters. So advice involving both children and domestic violence can now be recorded as such. Whereas it would have been domestic violence or children before. | ||
The expenditure and the number of cases funded under a legal aid certificate are included in Table B.
| Table B | ||
|
|
Volume | Value (£ million) |
Table C shows the number of cases funded under a legal aid certificate together with the legal costs where they are met by the opponent to the party funded under legal aid.
| Table C | ||
|
|
Volume | Value (£ million) |
Legal Aid Scheme: Per Capita Costs
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which countries his Department used to benchmark the average cost per head of legal aid; and what the average cost per head is in each such country. [67334]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry’s assessment of the average cost per head of legal aid abroad relies on the research report “International Comparison of Publicly Funded Legal Services and Justice Systems” which provides robust comparisons of legal aid spending in England and Wales and a selection of European and non-European countries, as well as an assessment of the difficulties of international comparisons in this area. It is published on the Ministry of Justice website at
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/comparison-public-fund-legal-services-justice-systems.pdf
In addition, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) publishes reports on “European Judicial Systems: Efficiency and Quality of Justice”, which are updated every two years. These reports contain a range of information on judicial systems, including legal aid, for a broad selection of European countries. The latest report is available at
http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/cooperation/cepej/evaluation/default_en.asp
18 July 2011 : Column 738W
Legal Costs
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to table 6.5, chapter 2, of the Review of Civil Litigation Costs: Preliminary Report, May 2009, what costs were paid by defendants to the claimants' solicitors in each type and category in respect of category B claims concluded in (a) 2008 and (b) 2009. [65916]
Mr Djanogly: The table the hon. Gentleman refers to appears at Part 2: Chapter 6 of Lord Justice Jackson's preliminary report of his review of civil litigation costs, and the data were provided by the Legal Services Commission. Equivalent figures for (a) 2008 and (b) 2009 are available on the Legal Services Commission's website, in the annual ‘statistical information’ publications. I should point out that the figures relate to financial years, rather than calendar years.
The figures for 2008-09 can be found in table CLS9 in ‘Statistical Information 2008-09’, available at:
http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/archive/archive_about.asp
The figures for 2009-10 can be found in table CLS9 in ‘Statistical Information 2009-10 - July 2010’, available at:
http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/aboutus/how/strategic_publications.asp#annual
Magistrates Courts: ICT
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the monetary value in today's prices is of the (a) original estimate and (b) final cost of the magistrates courts Libra computer system; and what additional costs, in current prices have been incurred since its completion. [65635]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The original ICL bid for the Libra project in May 1998 estimated its cost at £146 million over 11 years; and
(b) the project's outturn cost when it closed on 31 March 2009 was £444 million (comprising £232 million for infrastructure (completed 2003); and £212 million for the application (completed 2008)). The ongoing service charge for the Libra application has been £10 million in each of the years 2009-10 and 2010-11, and for the current financial year it is £11.4 million. Maintenance and development costs for the Libra infrastructure are subsumed under a contract which serves Crown and county courts, tribunals and HQ, as well as magistrates courts, and it is not possible to provide separate figures for these. To calculate the monetary value of the Libra project in today's prices for the whole of its life-cycle would incur disproportionate cost.
Child Sexual Exploitation
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2011, Official Report, column 62-4W on child sexual exploitation, what offences relating to child sexual exploitation were included in the data provided. [66212]
Mr Blunt: The offence descriptions relating to child sexual exploitation that were included in the answer of 23 June 2011, Official Report, columns 62-4W, can be viewed in the following table.
18 July 2011 : Column 739W
18 July 2011 : Column 740W
Offenders: Rehabilitation
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many offenders serving life sentences have cognitive self-change programmes in their sentence plans; [66464]
(2) how many cognitive self-change programme places there will be in prisons in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013. [66465]
Mr Blunt: Details of the individual sentence plan requirements for prisoners serving life sentences are not held centrally and the number of life-sentence prisoners with a recommendation in their sentence plan to complete the cognitive self-change programme (CSCP) could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by collecting information held on offender files or on local data systems, validating it, and then collating it in a common format in order to provide a response.
NOMS targets for the provision of places on accredited offending behaviour programmes are set for business years (i.e. 1 April to 31 March) rather than calendar years. In 2011-12 the target is to provide a total of 60 places for CSCP in prison establishments in England and Wales.
The targets for future years have yet to be set.
Offenders: Unpaid Work
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents occurred involving offenders in unpaid work groups of each size of group in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010. [66052]
Mr Blunt: Information is not collected on the size of the group of offenders in which an incident occurred.
Information is available on the number of incidents involving offenders in unpaid work in 2009 and 2010, and the average size of groups of offenders in unpaid work for 2010-11.
In 2009 there were at least 607 reported incidents involving offenders in unpaid work.
In 2010 there were at least 791 reported incidents involving offenders in unpaid work.
In 2010-11 the average size of groups of offenders in unpaid work was six.
Note:
Data are not available on incidents in the former Sussex probation area and so figures for ‘Number of reported incidents involving offenders in unpaid work’ in 2009 and 2010 will understate the total number of incidents.
Prisons: Discipline
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to make available to (a) the public, (b) victims of crime and (c) interested parties the disciplinary records of offenders while in prison, including details of (i) offences and (ii) breaches of prison rules committed while in custody. [67011]
Mr Blunt: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 28 June 2011, Official Report, column 712W.
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Prisons: Information Technology
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on development of a new IT system for the prison service between the commissioning of the system and the decision not to proceed with it. [66732]
Mr Blunt: The cost of the C-NOMIS project from inception to December 2007 was £160.7 million (before financing). A strategic review of the C-NOMIS project was requested by the then Minister of State, the right hon. Member for Delyn (Mr Hanson), in August 2007 following discovery that the original business case was unaffordable. On 8 January 2008, the C-NOMIS project was revised and became part of the new NOMIS programme. The C-NOMIS project was delivered successfully, on time and within budget in May 2010.
Prisons: Mother and Baby Units
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many babies have been born to women committed to Prison Service custody in each of the last 15 years. [67132]
Mr Blunt: Information on the number of women who have given birth in prison is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as in order to provide this information staff would need to look at each individual's record.
Prisons: Safety
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the standards of prison safety at HMP Birmingham on 1 October of each of the last five years; and if he will assess the likely standard on 1 October 2011. [66451]
Mr Blunt: Standards of prison safety are not measured at any one point in the year, but are subject to measurement throughout the year using a range of data and assessments.
Prisons are assessed regularly by external independent regulators, such as HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and the local independent monitoring board (IMB), by NOMS internal audit and assurance teams, including a “measuring the suality of prison life” (MQPL) survey, and by NOMS national performance management using key performance indicators and targets (KPIs and KPTs), which include measurement of safety and security among others.
Local management and staff are responsible for ensuring that safety, in all forms, is monitored on an ongoing basis and, where necessary, that prompt, corrective action is taken to minimise violence or self-harm.
All prisons are subject to assessment and audit by NOMS management and external regulation regardless of provider. This has applied to HMP Birmingham over the last five years and will apply to HMP Birmingham on 1 October 2011 and after the completion of the handover to G4S, the new provider.
18 July 2011 : Column 742W
Remand in Custody
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) women and (b) men remanded in custody in each year since 2001 subsequently received a custodial sentence that was served fully on remand; [66406]
(2) how many (a) women and (b) men were remanded in custody on the grounds of (i) being accused of a serious offence, (ii) risk of absconding, (iii) risk of interference of witnesses, (iv) lack of community ties and (v) risk of committing further offences in each year since 2001. [66407]
Mr Blunt: Information on bail and remand collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice and held on the court proceedings database does not record the length of time defendants spent on remand. Therefore, it is not possible to say from the data available how many offenders receiving a custodial sentence served the time fully on remand.
Information on bail and remand collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice and held on the court proceedings database does not record the reason(s) for remanding defendants into custody.
The information regarding time spent on remand and reasons for remanding defendants to custody could be ascertained only by reference to individual court and prison files, which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were held in custody on remand (a) on the last Friday of each month since May 2010 and (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [66688]
Mr Blunt: Monthly prison population statistics are typically reported based on the last day of the month, rather than the last Friday of the month. The following table shows the number of prisoners on remand as at the end of each month from May 2010 to March 2011 (latest published).
| Remand prison population | |
|
|
Number |
These figures are published on the Ministry of Justice website in table 1.2 of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, most recently up to March 2011. The publication can be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/oms-quartlery.htm
18 July 2011 : Column 743W
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Sexual Offences: Criminal Injuries Compensation
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2011, Official Report, column 1212W, on sexual offences: Criminal Injuries Compensation, how many claims were made for compensation for (a) sexual assault injuries and (b) injuries categorised under the heading non-consensual vaginal and/or anal intercourse, or non-consensual penile penetration of the vagina and/or anus and/or mouth. [66503]
Mr Djanogly: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) does not hold that information. When people apply for criminal injuries compensation they are asking CICA to assess what happened to them, decide whether they are eligible for compensation and, if so, how much. Injury descriptions, from the criminal injuries compensation scheme's ‘tariff of injuries’, are used as the primary basis for paying compensation, so they are only reliably recorded once CICA has assessed someone as eligible to receive the compensation payable for that injury. Similarly, since payments are based on injuries and not crimes, CICA does not hold figures for how many people apply following a specific crime or type of crime.
Victim Support Schemes
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on supporting victims of crime and witnesses who were party to proceedings at York Crown court in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [65950]
Mr Djanogly: These figures are not recorded by my Department. The support of victims and witnesses party to proceedings at York Crown court are provided by a range of agencies, including the Victim's Service, HMCTS and the police. The agencies consider, on an individual basis, what support to provide to victims and witnesses depending upon their circumstances.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Access to Work Programme
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many disabled employees of his Department are receiving support from the Access to Work programme; and what proportion of the workforce of his Department this figure represents. [64390]
Mr Davey: There are no disabled employees in the Department receiving support from the Access to Work programme. Support under this programme was withdrawn from central Government Departments, including predecessors of BIS, in 2006.
It is not possible to give an exact number of disabled employees who receive support in the form of workplace
18 July 2011 : Column 744W
assessment or reasonable adjustments in line with those previously provided under the Access to Work programme as some reasonable adjustments are agreed between disabled employees and their line managers without a formal assessment process being required and are not therefore recorded or funded centrally.
Some 280 employees have notified the Department that they have a disability and would as a consequence be offered a workplace assessment for recommended reasonable adjustments. The Department funded 48 workplace assessments during 2010.
Aimhigher Programme
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of the number of activities to be delivered (a) following the end of the Aimhigher programme and (b) in the academic year 2011-12; and how such activities will be delivered; [66794]
(2) what assessment he has made of the ability of universities to provide support and impartial service to students equivalent to that offered under the Aimhigher programme. [66795]
Mr Willetts: We are establishing a new framework, with increased responsibility on institutions to widen participation and greater Government investment in improving attainment and access for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Higher education institutions (HEIs) will deliver a range of outreach activities as part of their access agreements, agreed with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), and their widening participation strategic assessments, agreed with the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
We are moving away from an assessment of inputs and processes to a focus on clear outputs from access activities and measurable progress against appropriate benchmarks.
It is right that universities have the freedom and flexibility to decide how to spend their resources in a way that offers the greatest benefit. Universities will be able to focus their outreach and other activities where they will have the most impact, including through partnerships. Last week OFFA announced its decisions on institutions' access agreements for 2012/13. The agreements contain institutions’ plans for investment in activities to widen access through programmes such as summer schools, scholarships and fee waivers, estimated to reach more than £600 million annually by 2015.
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he considered the merits of restructuring the Aimhigher programme. [66796]
Mr Willetts: Universities and schools have learned a lot from the Aimhigher programme about “what works” in raising the aspirations of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Much of this knowledge is now embedded in the sector. However, while there has been some progress in improving access to higher education, overall this has masked a position where institutions and courses that offer the greatest lifetime benefits to their graduates have failed to reflect the wider social mix of our country.
18 July 2011 : Column 745W
We needed a new and different approach that builds on existing best practice while developing it further. We are establishing a new framework, with increased responsibility on institutions to widen participation and greater Government investment in improving attainment and access for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Last week the Office for Fair Access announced its decisions on institutions’ access agreements for 2012/13. The agreements contain institutions' plans for investment in activities to widen access through programmes such as summer schools, scholarships and fee waivers, estimated to reach more than £600 million annually by 2015.
Apprentices
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 23 June 2001, Official Report, column 21WS, on apprenticeships (creation of opportunities), what proportion of apprentices who started their apprenticeship in the 2010-11 academic year were undertaking learning under the Train to Gain scheme in 2009-10. [64176]
Mr Hayes: We do not have information available on the number of apprentices who started their apprenticeship in the 2010/11 academic year who were undertaking learning under the Train to Gain scheme in the 2009/10 academic year.
Since May 2010, the Skills Funding Agency encouraged colleges and providers to switch(1) activity from Train to Gain to support more employers to invest in apprenticeships and support the Government's commitment to an additional 50,000 adult apprenticeships.
Provisional data show that this Government have delivered 326,700 apprenticeship starts in the first nine months of the 2010/11 academic year—this is 114,000 more than the previous year and more than double our ambition.
(1) In June 2011 (Statistical First Release) there were 327,000 apprenticeship starts and 354,000 Train to Gain starts (between August and April) compared to 212,000 apprenticeship starts and 427,000 Train to Gain starts for the same period in 2010.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts there were where the Skills Funding Agency’s 25 per cent. large employer discount was applied for (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 24 and (c) 25 plus apprenticeships in 2009-10 and the first three quarters of 2010-11. [65750]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 12 July 2011]: Table 1 shows the number of Apprenticeship starts where the Skills Funding Agency’s 25% rate reduction for large employers(1) was applied for 19 to 24 and 25+ apprenticeships between August 2010 and April 2011 for the 2010/2011 academic year.
(1) The Apprenticeships 2010/11 Funding Requirements Version 2, published in October 2010, states that from 2010/11 there will be an up-front 25% rate reduction for all 19+ employer responsive provision delivered to and by large employers, that is, those with 1,000 or more employees. The publication can be found at this website:
http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/SFA/ApprenticeshiFunding_ Requirements_2010_11-v2_October.pdf
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The Skills Funding Agency first applied a 25% rate reduction for large employers at the start of the 2010-11 academic year. Data relating to the 25% reduction for large employers are not available for 2009/10. The 25% reduction for large employers applies onlyto 19+ provision, so data relating to 16 to 18-year-old learners are not available.
In addition to the 25% rate reduction for large employers, the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and the Skills Funding Agency will seek to secure further value for money, such as unfunded learners, in their work with the largest national employers.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many learners have started more than one apprenticeship at the same level since April 2009. [65751]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 12 July 2011]: Table 1 shows the number of learners who have started more than one apprenticeship programme at the same level and with the same provider in (i) the 2009/10 academic year and (ii) between August 2010 and April 2011 for the 2010/11 academic year, based on provisional data.
| Table 1: Learners starting more than one Apprenticeship programme at the same level within an academic year, 2009/10 and August to April 2010/11 (provisional) | ||
|
|
2009/10 | 2010/11 August to April (provisional) |
| Notes: 1. These figures are based on the number of apprentices who start more than one apprenticeship programme with the same provider and within the same academic year only. 2. These figures include those learners who have transferred or completed their apprenticeship programme. Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||
There were a total of 279,700 apprenticeship programme starts in the 2009/10 academic year. In 2010/11 to date, provisional data show 326,700 programme starts between August 2010 and April 2011.
A learner who starts more than one apprenticeship at the same level is normally only endorsed when an individual is changing their career. The “Apprenticeships 2010/11 Funding Requirements” Version 2, published in October 2010, states that:
“Funding will only be available for a maximum of one Apprenticeship Framework at any one time. The delivery of more than one Apprenticeship Framework must be done consecutively and not concurrently. This includes Frameworks that are in either the same sectors or not. Where the learner wishes to progress to another Framework, at the same or higher level, then the previous Framework must have either been achieved or the learner has been withdrawn from the Framework.”
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Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships had a planned length of stay that was less than (a) 53 weeks, (b) 29 weeks, (c) 17 weeks and (d) 13 weeks in 2009-10 and the first three quarters of 2010-11. [65752]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 12 July 2011]: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts which had a planned length of stay(1) that was less than (a) 53 weeks, (b) 29 weeks, (c) 17 weeks and (d) 13 weeks in the 2009/10 academic year and the first three quarters of the 2010/11 academic year (provisional).
(1) Estimates of the planned length of stay are derived from the difference between the apprenticeship programme start date and the planned end date.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by planned course duration for 2009/10 and August 2010 to April 2011 (1) | ||
| Apprenticeship starts | ||
|
|
2009/10 | August to April 2010/11 (1) |
18 July 2011 : Column 748W
| (1) Provisional. Notes: 1. The start date and planned end date entered on the ILR reflect the length of the apprenticeship programme applicable to an individual learner and is based on a number of factors, including the needs of the employer, which is agreed at the outset with them, the individual apprentice and the training provider. In issuing apprenticeship frameworks, each issuing authority (typically sector skills councils) will determine the ‘normal’ length of stay. For many intermediate apprenticeships this is 12 months or 52 weeks, and for advanced programmes it is generally in excess of 12 months. 2. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except for total figures, which are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Figures for 2010/11 cover August 2010 and April 2011 and are provisional. It is not possible to directly compare provisional 2010/11 estimates against final full year 2009/10 figures. Source: Individualised Learner Record. |
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people (a) started and (b) completed apprenticeships in (i) York Central constituency, (ii) the city of York, (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iv) England in each year since 2005. [65842]
Mr Willetts: The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements in York Central parliamentary constituency, York local education authority, Yorkshire and Humber, and England for the academic years 2005/06 to 2009/10, the latest year for which final year data are available.
| Apprenticeship starts and achievements in academic years 2005/06 to 2009/10 | ||||||
|
|
|
2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except the England total, which is rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Geography information is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Information on the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 23 June 2011: http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||||||
Apprentices: Arts
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has any plans to lay regulations before Parliament enabling flexible models for the delivery of advanced and higher-level apprenticeships in the digital and creative industries. [66964]
Mr Hayes: In accordance with the commitment set out in the Department's “Structural Reform Plan(1)”, the Department is in the process of finalising draft English apprenticeship alternative completion conditions regulations intended to provide flexibility for the delivery of apprenticeships in specific occupations not only in the digital and creative industries, but in set crafts, maritime occupations and photo imaging, where self-employment and unpaid work are the predominant and accepted modes of employment. These are on track to be completed by the end of July 2011, and we hope to be in a position to lay the draft regulations before Parliament in September.
(1) ( )http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/transparency/srp/view-srp/44/94
Apprentices: Richmond Park
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have started an apprenticeship in Richmond Park constituency in 2011. [65821]
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Mr Willetts: The following table shows a quarterly breakdown of apprenticeship starts in the Richmond Park parliamentary constituency during the first nine months of the 2010/11 academic year, from August 2010 to April 2011, based on provisional data.
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Figures relating to the calendar year are not available, but quarterly provisional totals for each of the last three quarters are shown for reference.
| Apprenticeship starts in Richmond Park constituency by quarter, between 1 August 2010 and 30 April 2011 (provisional) | |
|
|
Apprenticeship starts in Richmond Constituency |
| Notes: 1. All Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geography information is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 23 June 2011: http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Bombardier
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates he has met representatives of Bombardier since his appointment; and whether (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department plan to meet Bombardier to discuss the future of the company in the UK. [65897]
Mr Prisk: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 4 July 2011, Official Report, column reference 1073W.
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has had no meetings with Bombardier Transportation since his appointment but he, like other Ministers, would not have been able to discuss the details of live public rail procurement tenders while they were still being evaluated and awarded. Bombardier has not, since the Thameslink announcement, sought a meeting with any BIS Minister.
However, BIS officials are in regular contact with the company both in setting up the economic response task force and to discuss ongoing support to Bombardier Transportation as it carries out its own internal review of its rail operations in the UK. The BIS Permanent Secretary, Martin Donnelly, is scheduled to meet Colin Walton (Chairman, UK and Ireland Bombardier Transportation Group) on 27 July.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have arranged with Bombardier on their future in the UK. [65972]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 13 July 2011]: There are currently no scheduled meetings between the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) Ministers and Bombardier. BIS officials and UKTI are in regular contact with the company both in setting up the economic response task force and to discuss ongoing support to Bombardier, as it carries out its own internal review of its operations. Colin Walton is also scheduled to meet the BIS Permanent Secretary, Martin Donnelly, on 27 July.
Business Survey
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the views of those running small and medium-sized businesses. [67056]
Mr Prisk: This Department undertakes regular surveys, including the BIS small business survey, and other research on a range of topics relating to small businesses, details of which can be found at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/enterprise-and-business-support/analytical-unit/research-and-evaluation
Business Links
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the timetable is for the integration of Business Link with the AlphaGov programme. [67273]
Mr Prisk: The Government’s digital service, led by the Cabinet Office, has launched an Alpha version of a new website on the internet to test the concept of a “single Government domain” with customers and developers. A Beta version of this site is due to be released in July 2011.
While both the Alpha and Beta versions of the Government's digital service are being tested, a plan for the migration of content on the current Business Link website is being drawn up with HM Revenue and Customs which is responsible for managing the BL.Gov programme. There are no fixed dates for this migration exercise to be completed at this stage.
BIS will play a lead role in the migration exercise, ensuring that businesses can continue to access the support they need during this transition period.
Business Regulation
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many regulations that impose costs on businesses his Department (a) introduced and (b) removed in the six months prior to 1 September 2010; and what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was. [65401]
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Mr Prisk: In the six months prior to 1 September 2010, BIS introduced one regulation that imposed costs to business, the consumer credit directive. The cost is £40 million and the benefit is £180 million, with a net effect benefitting business of some £140 million.
In the six months prior to 1 September 2010, BIS removed three regulations with a net effect benefiting business of some £9.5 million. These are:
amendments to the conduct of employment agencies and employment business regulations—net effect of £7.5 million benefitting business;
the Legislative Reform (Insolvency) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Order 2009—net effect of £7.5 million benefitting business; and
modernisation of insolvency rules—zero cost to business.
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the burden of regulation on micro-businesses; [67285]
(2) what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on reducing regulatory burdens on small businesses and micro-enterprises. [67256]
Mr Prisk: I have raised these issues with Antonio Tajani, the Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, and with Daniel Calleja Cresepo, the European Commission’s SME Envoy. I have also spoken with Members of the European Parliament.
In addition, senior staff engage on an on-going basis with the Commission Secretary-General, her deputy and members of the Barroso cabinet on this matter.
I have spoken with my German and Belgian counterparts and jointly lobbied the Commission with my German, Italian and Polish colleagues on the review of the Small Business Act for Europe.
Business: Rural Areas
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the likely level of business capital to be available in rural communities in each of the next four financial years. [66367]
Mr Prisk: The Government do not have any evidence that rural businesses have any issues regarding access to finance beyond those identified for businesses generally.
The British Bankers Association (BBA) taskforce has made 17 commitments to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in order to support economic recovery. These commitments cover bank relationships with SME customers, access to finance and promoting understanding.
One of these was a commitment to enhance the cross-industry lending dataset by broadening the statistics available on lending to deprived areas and national and regional data on the provision of bank support to business start-ups. The first set of data is expected in autumn 2011. This information will help us to identify any regions or specific areas where there is a particular issue with accessing finance.
The Government are also committed to supporting microfinance, to support loans to SMEs and start-ups in disadvantaged groups and communities.
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Community development finance institutions (CDFIs) lend to enterprises that traditional lenders may consider too costly to serve or too risky (this might be for reasons including absence of a track record or lack of security to offer to the lender), but who have viable business plans and will have a positive impact on the local community. We have given the go-ahead (subject to due diligence) for a new £30 million wholesale fund, funded through the regional growth fund, that will provide resources for CDFIs. This will be the largest fund of its kind for the sector ever.
On a national level, the Government continue to support the enterprise finance guarantee scheme, facilitating lending to viable SMEs that lack sufficient collateral or track record to access bank finance on standard commercial terms. To date, over £1.5 billion of loans have been offered to SMEs through the enterprise finance guarantee, which has been extended to 2014-15, with £700 million available this year.
As a result of talks with the Government, the UK's five major banks have stated a capacity and willingness to lend £190 billion of new credit to business in 2011, including new businesses. This includes £76 billion of new lending to SMEs, which is a 15% increase on the amount lent in 2010.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the likely number of business (a) start-ups and (b) closures in rural communities in each of the next four financial years. [66368]
Mr Prisk: BIS does not produce projections for the number of business start-ups or closures.
Care Homes: Training
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department provides for workplace training in the residential care home sector. [67101]
Mr Willetts: In the 2011-12 financial year we plan to invest over £3.8 billion for over 3 million adult training places funded through the Skills Funding Agency. This includes the £180 million package announced in the 2011 Budget for an additional 50,000 adult apprenticeship places over this spending review.
From the 2011/12 academic year we have introduced a single adult skills budget. This will provide further education colleges and training organisations with the flexibility to offer the range and balance of programmes, from basic skills to higher-level skills, in the mode of delivery that will best meet the needs of learners, employers and communities (classroom, workshop, online and in the workplace). As funding is not allocated at the learning aim level, the amount of money spent on qualifications in specific sectors is not reported centrally by the Skills Funding Agency.
Departmental Dismissal
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department were dismissed for under-performance as a result of the procedures arising from his Department's staff appraisal system in each of the last three years. [64693]
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Mr Davey: The number of officials dismissed for under-performance as a result of the procedures arising from the staff appraisal system within BIS or predecessor Departments is less than five within the last three years. An exact number cannot be given in order to prevent possible identification of individuals.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many staff are employed in his Department's retail unit; how many were employed in May 2010; and what changes in staff numbers in the retail unit are planned over the comprehensive spending review period; [65900]
(2) how many economists are employed in his Department's retail unit; how many such economists were employed in May 2010; and what changes in the number of economists in the retail unit are planned over the comprehensive spending review period. [65901]
Mr Prisk: Four people were employed in my Department's retail team in May 2010, and it now comprises three people. In addition, two more people are helping the team specifically on the Mary Portas review, and the team is able to call on the wider resources of the Department, which includes advice from economists.
Departmental Redundancy
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible has spent on redundancies since May 2010. [66338]
Mr Davey: In June 2009 the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform was merged with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) to create the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
BIS ran a voluntary exit scheme in September-October 2010, at a total cost of £27,169,651. In February 2011 the Department launched a voluntary redundancy scheme that is still ongoing, in respect of which the 2010/11 accounts contained an accrual of £9 million for costs that were incurred in the financial year and, in addition, a provision of £5.9 million against expected future costs.
This information for agencies and non departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Regulation
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what process his Department follows for the production of regulatory guidance; and how many officials of his Department were involved in the production of such guidance on the last date for which figures are available. [67211]
Mr Prisk: Guidance is produced when users need information to be confident that they can comply with the law. Guidance is compliant with the code of practice on guidance, and is tested with stakeholders so that it is comprehensive and meets user needs.
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Figures are not available on the number of officials involved in the production of guidance.
Electric Vehicles
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will commission research into (a) the product life cycle of electrical components and (b) the environmental sustainability of electric vehicles before deciding on further expenditure on the electric automotive sector. [64156]
Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply.
The Government keep their electric and other ultra- low emission vehicle policies under review to ensure that they continue to deliver environmental and green growth benefits, taking account of relevant research.
Government research has estimated that an electric vehicle manufactured in 2010 is around 40% more efficient than a petrol-fuelled equivalent over its life cycle. This figure will automatically improve in line with improvements in the environmental performance of the national grid.
The Technology Strategy Board is currently funding a series of studies on vehicle battery recycling and re-use, which helps to address concerns around sustainability and recovery of raw materials.
Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the application of the European Union waste electrical and electronic equipment directive 2002/96/EC, as amended by 2003/108/EC; and if he will make a statement. [66978]
Mr Prisk: I met the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on 7 December 2010 and discussed the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive. Officials are in regular contact with officials in DEFRA.
The European Commission is seeking to recast the WEEE directive to increase the minimum levels of WEEE collected and the overall levels of that equipment and those products that are treated, recycled or reused.
The UK's priority in the negotiations is to deliver more consistency in implementation across member states, reduce administrative burdens and bring greater clarity for business and other obligated parties.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proposals he has had for the operation of sector-based work academies set out in his Department's structural reform Plan. [66962]
Mr Hayes:
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Work and Pensions have engaged with relevant sector bodies to discuss the proposals for the operation of sector-based work academies. This engagement has shaped the model
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we are now using, which will offer participants up to six weeks of pre-employment training and work experience leading to a guaranteed interview.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consultation his Department has had with representatives of employers on (a) their involvement with and (b) the implementation of sector-based work academies. [66963]
Mr Hayes: BIS officials have worked with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to engage employment representative bodies in both the development and implementation of sector-based work academies. This included discussions with employer representative organisations, sector skills councils and national skills academies. In addition, a number of employers were directly involved in a series of consultative events held earlier this year by DWP. Employers in a range of sectors were also involved in the recent test of the approach in the south Yorkshire and Merseyside regions and their input has been used to influence the model that will be implemented in England from August.
English Language: Education
Jon Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of the average student contribution to course fees for each level of study that will be required for those on inactive benefits to access English for speakers of other language courses in the 2011-12 academic year; [64547]
(2) what the average course cost will be for English for speakers of other language courses at each level of study in the 2011-12 academic year. [64549]
Mr Willetts: As autonomous bodies, further education (FE) colleges and training providers are responsible for their fees policies.
In 2009/10(1) the average full cost of an English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) course for those without full fee remission was £1,057, which covered courses ranging from 9 to 530 guided learning hours. From August 2011, full fee remission will be provided for unemployed people in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance or in the employment and support allowance (work-related activity) group, and this will include ESOL courses where English language skills have been identified as a barrier to entering employment. We will continue to pay 50% of ESOL course fees for people who are settled here. We will no longer fund ESOL courses delivered in the workplace, as public funding should not be used to substitute employer investment in this training. We have introduced increased freedoms and flexibilities for FE colleges and providers, providing them with increased flexibility to respond to the needs of their communities.
(1) The last full academic year for which data are available.
Environmental Protection: St Albans
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to encourage the growth of the green economy in St Albans. [61652]
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Mr Prisk: The Government will shortly publish a roadmap to a green economy to provide clarity for businesses across the economy and a platform for growth. It will set out a clear vision for the green economy of the future, the Government's policy framework and the risks, opportunities and challenges for businesses.
At a local level, local enterprise partnerships decide priorities, and this Department will work to help them deliver maximum economic growth across their area in the future. We work closely with industry and trade associations to get the right environment to enable green businesses to flourish and determine how best to enable companies to overcome barriers to business.
Further Education
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department provides to further education colleges on their governance. [65847]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 13 July 2011]: Further education colleges are independent organisations, incorporated under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Through this legislation the Department issues “Instrument and Articles of Government”, which sets out a governance framework that each college must adhere to. However, as independent organisations they are themselves responsible for their policies, procedures and governance, so the Department does not provide guidance.
Further Education: Admissions
Mr Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the resources and personnel which will be required to enable the Office for Fair Access to maintain the present level of scrutiny of university access agreements; and if he will make a statement. [66492]
Mr Willetts: The Government have committed through the recent White Paper ‘Students at the Heart of the System’ (June 2011) to strengthen the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) so that it can provide more active and energetic challenge and support to universities and colleges. We will want to work with the Director on the size and structure of OFFA but will make significantly more resources available, increasing capacity up to around four times its original level. This would equip OFFA to use its powers fully to monitor and review access agreements and identify and promote best, evidence-based practice.
Further Education: Private Sector
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Office for National Statistics on the reclassification of further education colleges as part of the private sector; and if he will make a statement. [64519]
Mr Willetts:
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is an independent body which classifies organisations as public or private sector bodies for the purposes of compiling national accounts according to international and EU agreed guidelines. The ONS decisions are based
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on objective consideration of the facts and it is the final arbiter of classification decisions for the purpose of national accounts. The Department, working with HM Treasury, has presented evidence to the ONS seeking to clarify the nature of the relationship between further education colleges and the Government. This included information about our proposals, as set out in the Education Bill 2011, to reduce the regulatory burden as part of the Government's commitment to free colleges from central control. We await the outcome of the ONS's consideration of this evidence.
Further Education: Public Sector
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether further education colleges are classified as public sector institutions. [66139]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 14 July 2011]: In October 2010 the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced its decision to classify further education colleges as central Government bodies for the purposes of national accounts. The Department, working with HM Treasury, has presented evidence to the ONS seeking to clarify the nature of the relationship between further education colleges and the Government. This included information about our proposals, as set out in the Education Bill 2011, to reduce the regulatory burden as part of the Government's commitment to free colleges from central control. We await the outcome of the ONS's consideration of this evidence.
Green Investment Bank
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the remit of the Green Investment Bank is to include the promotion of green process improvements. [66140]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 14 July 2011]: The Green Investment Bank will tackle finance gaps which exist despite a range of strong policies to incentivise green investments. Our May update publication gave examples of sectors which may currently face gaps, including industrial energy efficiency (which could include green manufacturing process improvements).
The intention is to maintain a broad remit for the bank in view of the breadth of opportunities and challenges associated with greening the economy.
In due course, Ministers will set the strategic direction of the bank, ensuring that it becomes an effective instrument of green policy.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what role the Green Investment Bank will have in supporting (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) business start-ups; [66441]
(2) what role the Green Investment Bank will have in supporting recharging infrastructure for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. [66442]
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Mr Prisk: The Green Investment Bank (GIB) will support the deployment of green infrastructure and late- stage technologies. It will tackle finance gaps which exist despite a range of strong policies to incentivise green investments.
Our May update publication identified offshore wind, waste and non-domestic energy efficiency as examples of sectors which may currently face gaps. But the intention is to maintain a broad remit for the bank in view of the breadth of opportunities and challenges associated with greening the economy. As an enduring financial institution, the GIB will need to make investments that are expected to make a positive return.
In due course, Ministers will set the strategic direction of the bank, ensuring that it becomes an effective instrument of green policy.
There is already a broad range of Government interventions to assist SMEs’ growth, including the enterprise finance guarantee and enterprise capital funds.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what representations he has received on the requirement for legislation to establish the Green Investment Bank; [66649]
(2) what assessment he has made of the requirement for legislation to establish the Green Investment Bank; [66650]
(3) what assessment he has made of the requirement to obtain state aid clearance from the European Commission in respect of the Green Investment Bank. [66651]
Mr Prisk: A number of stakeholders expressed a view that legislative underpinning for the bank could send a positive signal about the Government's commitment to create an enduring institution. Following state aid approval, the Government will introduce appropriate legislation confirming the Green Investment Bank's independent status as an enduring institution with a key public role.
Whenever Government bodies make investments, they must comply with state aid rules. The UK's proposals for creating the Green Investment Bank are subject to approval by the European Commission, which must investigate the proposals and reach decisions on whether or not they are compatible with the provisions of the EU treaty as it relates to state aid. In the case of the Green Investment Bank, there may be state aid issues around the institution itself (because it is being capitalised with Government funds) as well as around some of the products it might deploy, which might be viewed as subsidies.
The Government have begun engagement with the European Commission on the Green Investment Bank.
Green Investment Bank: Location
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what the timetable is for the decision on the location of the Green Investment Bank; [67263]
(2) what the process is for deciding the location of the Green Investment Bank; [67264]
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(3) if he will assess the case for locating the Green Investment Bank in Yorkshire. [67265]
Mr Prisk: The bank’s location will be decided after state aid approval has been achieved. It will be chosen to enable the bank best to deliver its mission. Our May update publication provided detail of the criteria by which the decision will be made.
Ministers will consider all submitted business cases for the bank’s location. To date, London, Edinburgh and Bristol have each made representations to host the bank.
High Street Review
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) on what date he expects the Government to respond to the recommendations made by the review on the future of the high street led by Mary Portas; and what form the response will take; [65902]
(2) by what date he expects the independent review of the future of the high street to report. [65906]
Mr Davey: The review remains due in late 2011. It is too soon to indicate when and how the Government will respond. This will be influenced by the nature and number of the review's recommendations.
Higher Education: Funding
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment has been made of the potential effects of planned changes to higher education funding on the level of (a) uptake and (b) fees for (i) MSc and (ii) PhD courses. [65848]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 13 July 2011]: The recent HE White Paper noted that the Browne review had raised the possibility that in future, when graduates are contributing more to the costs of their higher education at undergraduate level, they may be less likely to participate in postgraduate study and so recommended that trends in participation should be monitored carefully. Professor Sir Adrian Smith's postgraduate review group reconvened in spring 2011 to advise on this issue.
This group advised that the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) be asked to review participation in postgraduate study, following the changes to undergraduate funding, as part of a longer-term assessment and evaluation of the impact of the funding changes. We will also ask HEFCE to consider as part of its review what additional data should be collected about postgraduates. We will revisit the issue of postgraduate funding as the new system beds in.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to require the Higher Education Statistics Agency to collect information on new providers of higher education, including for-profit institutions; and if he will make a statement. [66113]
Mr Willetts:
The White Paper “Higher Education: Students at the Heart of the system” (CM 8122) makes it clear that we expect information requirements to apply to all providers as part of a single, transparent
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regulatory framework. The information that the Higher Education Statistics Agency is required to collect will depend on the type of degree awarding status or source of public funding a provider wishes to access. Precise information requirements for individual providers are a matter for the Higher Education Funding Council for England to determine through its regular review of provider agreements.
Proportionate information requirements are essential to ensure accountability to students and the public on quality, access, value for money and financial regularity, but data collection can impose burdens on higher education institutions and we will work with the Higher Education Statistics Agency to reduce the size of data collections through the periodic review process.
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on widening participation in the higher education sector. [66633]
Mr Willetts: The Government have been very clear about the importance of widening participation and improving fair access in higher education. We are establishing a new framework, with increased responsibility on institutions to widen participation and greater Government investment in improving attainment and access for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Higher education institutions (HEIs) will deliver a range of outreach activities as part of their access agreements, agreed with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), and their widening participation strategic assessments, agreed with the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
Last week OFFA announced its decisions on institutions' access agreements for 2012/13. The agreements contain institutions' plans for investment in activities to widen access through programmes such as summer schools, scholarships and fee waivers, estimated to reach more than £600 million annually by 2015.
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what targets each higher education institution has agreed with the Office for Fair Access in each year since that office was established. [64511]
Mr Willetts: This is a matter for the Director of Fair Access. The Government made it clear in their guidance letter to the Director that institutions should identify their own measures by which they will judge the success of their investment in access. The Government do not impose targets. They are chosen by individual institutions and agreed with the Office of Fair Access (OFFA).
To date, OFFA has published sector-level summary information on progress on milestones. This information is available in the relevant annual reports describing monitoring outcomes, available at:
www.offa.org.uk
From September 2012, the Director of Fair Access will assess annually the progress made by each institution towards appropriate benchmarks and other measures of widening participation, access and student retention that higher education institutions will have agreed with OFFA through their access agreements. OFFA will
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require institutions to publish a summary of their progress against their own proposed milestones and targets each year.
Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the research used by the Office for Fair Access in the formulation of targets for access for individual higher education institutions set out in paragraph 5.22 of the higher education White Paper. [64522]
Mr Willetts: Our recently published higher education White Paper made it clear that measures and targets in access agreements are chosen by the institution and agreed with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA).
In February, our letter of guidance to the Director of Fair Access set out our expectation that institutions should agree a programme of defined progress each year—set within a five-year timeframe—in relation to appropriate benchmarks. This might include the access and retention benchmarks as calculated by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). In addition, we encouraged the use of measures taking account of the individual context of the institution and using an institution's own data. These expectations have been reflected in the Director's own guidance to the sector.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students who started courses of higher education in 2009-10 had AAB-equivalent qualifications. [65203]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 11 July 2011]: In 2009/10 there were 56,000 UK and EU-domiciled entrants to English higher education institutions who had AAB or above equivalent qualifications. This is the same population used for the 65,000 estimate of the AAB population in 2012/13 quoted in the higher education White Paper.
Source:
2009/10 HESA and ILR data.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what methodology was used to model the impact of the new system of allocating student places set out in the higher education White Paper. [65903]
Mr Willetts: The impact assessment of the proposals in the White Paper can be found on our website. This includes modelling on the policy of allowing unrestrained recruitment of highly qualified students, and the creation of a margin of 20,000 places.
We have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to consult, immediately, on how to implement these approaches and to develop the necessary mechanisms. We have also asked HEFCE to monitor the impact of the approach and its effect on supply and demand and provide advice, as soon as feasible, on how the model is operating in its first year.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of any modelling carried out by (a) his Department and (b) the Higher Education Funding Council for England on models of allocation of student places. [65904]
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Mr Willetts: The impact assessment of the proposals in the White Paper can be found on our website. This includes modelling on the policy of allowing unrestrained recruitment of highly qualified students, and the creation of a margin of 20,000 places.
We have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to consult, immediately, on how to implement these approaches and to develop the necessary mechanisms. We have also asked HEFCE to monitor the impact of the approach and its effect on supply and demand and provide advice, as soon as feasible, on how the model is operating in its first year.
HEFCE has published some modelling of institutional impact of AAB proposal as part of its consultation on changes to be implemented in 2012/13. This shows the number of entrants with AAB or above and the number below AAB and can be found via the following link:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2011/11_20/
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to inform higher education institutions how many student places are to be withdrawn to create a flexible margin in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [65921]
Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) generally publishes details of its provisional allocations in March, informed by a grant letter from the Government normally issued in December of the previous year. Final allocations of recurrent funding to institutions are confirmed in July. This information contains details of the recurrent funding received by each institution and numbers of funded places.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of places that would be withdrawn from each higher education institution to create a margin of (a) 20,000, (b) 40,000 and (c) 60,000 places, assuming the most recent distribution of students accepted with AAB or above at A level remains unchanged. [65922]
Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Funding Council for England's consultation document states that creating a margin of 20,000 students would amount to an average reduction of approximately 8% to the student number control of all institutions with an access agreement with the Office for Fair Access. Reductions of 40,000 and 60,000 would therefore be approximately 16% and 24% respectively.
Higher Education: Finance
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the answer to Lord Willis of Knaresborough of 10 January 2011, House of Lords Official Report, column WA394, on higher education: funding, what steps he is taking to encourage private giving to colleges and universities following the closure of the matched funding scheme for voluntary giving. [66381]
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Mr Willetts: The matched funding was intended as a time-limited scheme to incentivise universities to improve their fund raising efforts. We are fully funding the £115 million required for the third and final year and expect the total Government contribution of £200 million to have leveraged an additional £400 million in donations to higher education institutions. The 2011 Budget also announced a number of measures that will encourage private giving in the higher education sector, including a 10% cut in inheritance tax for estates leaving at least 10% to charities. This has been warmly welcomed by the sector.
Additionally, higher education institutions' efforts to boost voluntary giving will be supported by a major profile-raising campaign for payroll giving and a philanthropy committee to consider honours for notable philanthropists, both announced in the recent Cabinet Office giving White Paper. We will also explore ways the Government can support existing mechanisms for voluntary giving, including among graduates.
Higher Education: Freedom of Information
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether all new providers of higher education are to be subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement. [64050]
Mr Willetts: The Freedom of Information Act 2000 states that an institution designated as eligible for public funding by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is classed as a public authority and therefore subject to the provisions of the Act. Hence, new providers which are designated as eligible for public funding by HEFCE are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Existing or new providers of higher education which are not designated as eligible for public funding by HEFCE are not subject to the provisions of the Act.
Higher Education: Science
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2011, Official Report, columns 276-80W, on higher education: science, how many full-time first degree entrants studying each subject listed in the answer (a) there were in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area and (b) were in receipt of free school meals in each year since 2002-03. [66657]
Mr Willetts: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the tables. Region and local authority relate to the students' location at the time of application to higher education (HE), rather than the location of the higher education institution.
Comparable information on students who received free school meals is not available. Figures on the number of HE students who previously had free school meals (FSM) is derived by matching the national pupil database with the HESA student record. However, the dataset only tracks a cohort from age 15 to whether they enter HE by age 19. The figures provided in the tables cover students of all ages and so are not comparable with the FSM population which only covers young entrants.
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The Department plans to publish information on progression rates to HE by FSM status in an Official Statistics publication on 10 August 2011.
A copy of the tables will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Higher Education: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the Higher Education Funding Council for England has distributed for (a) teaching and (b) research for each full-time equivalent learner to (i) the university of York and (ii) York St John university in each year since 2005. [65741]
Mr Willetts: This information is not held in the form requested. However, it is possible to provide notional figures for the amount of grant distributed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for teaching and research apportioned by the number of learners (full-time equivalent) in each year. It should be noted that there have been some significant changes in HEFCE's funding methodology over this period, which means that the following table should not be read as a time series. HEFCE funding is one source of income only and the figures provided do not include income from fees. In addition, the data do not take account of other sources of public funding, for example from the NHS or the research councils. Crucially, it should be borne in mind that institutions have a significant degree of freedom in terms of how their grant is distributed internally. It is for that reason that the figures given are notional and should not be read as the actual level of resource attached to any particular learner.
| £ per academic year | ||||||
| York St John university | University of York | |||||
| Study level | UG | PGT | PGR | UG | PGT | PGR |
| Key: UG—Undergraduate PGT—Postgraduate taught PGR—Postgraduate research. Notes: UG/PGT ‘Funds' for UG and PGT are standard resource minus assumed fees, plus widening access and improving retention funding. ‘FTEs' are Home and EU HEFCE-funded, excluding non-completions. Funding for non-mainstream FTEs has been excluded. PGR Figures include proportionately small amounts of transitional funding for PGR students. For the years in which the mainstream QR quality threshold differed from the PGR supervision fund threshold, the student numbers in this analysis include the larger of the eligible student totals. In the early years some notional teaching grant is included in the funding amounts. | ||||||
Human Trafficking
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what responsibility he has for contributing to Government action against human trafficking; and what recent action he has taken in this regard. [65362]
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Mr Davey: The inter-departmental ministerial group (IDMG) on human trafficking—which this Department is not represented on—co-ordinates work on trafficking across Government. The group brings together Ministers from key Departments to provide oversight and to strengthen our efforts to tackle human trafficking by ensuring that input and expertise from all Departments is shared.
The IDMG last met on 17 February 2011. The group will meet every six months, with a meeting of officials in-between. The next meeting of the group will be held in the autumn.
The Government will shortly be publishing their strategy on human trafficking. The strategy will reiterate the UK's intention to take a comprehensive approach to combating trafficking, both by focusing on tackling traffickers and maintaining effective care for victims. It will also mark a greater focus on combating the organised crime groups behind this crime.
The Government's approach will be based on four key principles:
improved victim care arrangements;
enhancing our ability to act early, before the harm has reached the UK;
smarter, multi-agency action at the border; and
a more co-ordinated policing effort at home.