10 Nov 2011 : Column 452W
Cabinet Office
Bell Pottinger Group
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in his Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed. [80064]
Mr Maude: Details of Cabinet Office Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-permanent-secretaries%E2%80%99-meetings-external-organisations
Further detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Civil Contingencies Secretariat: Finance
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the budget was for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in each year since 2005; and what the budget will be during the comprehensive spending review period. [79598]
Mr Maude: The budget for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) for each financial year between 2008-09 and 2011-12 was/is:
| £ | |
This includes budgetary provision for resilient telecommunications programmes.
In the time available it has only been possible to produce information for 2008-09 onwards. I will write to the hon. Member when the additional information for the earlier years is available.
The Cabinet Office has not yet finalised unit budgets for future financial years.
Civil Servants: Secondment
Martin Horwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many UK nationals on secondment from each Government Department were working in an EU (a) institution and (b) agency (i) in each of the last 20 years and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [78604]
Mr Lidington [holding answer 7 November 2011]:I have been asked to reply.
On 1 November 2011, the British Government had 88 officials seconded to the EU institutions and seven seconded to EU agencies.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 453W
These figures do not include secondments to the European External Action Service.
| Institutions | Agency | |
|
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment Northern Ireland |
||
We are unable to provide a breakdown of the number of secondments for each of the last 20 years without incurring disproportionate cost as the information is not held in the form requested.
Co-operatives
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps the Government plans to take to promote the achievements of co-operative organisations during the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives in 2012. [79137]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 454W
Mr Maude: I appointed the Mutuals Taskforce, chaired by Julian Le Grand, earlier in the year, with representatives from organisations in the field, including Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Cooperatives UK.
The taskforce has recently confirmed it will take on the role of the UK national forum for the International Year of Co-operatives, with Cooperatives UK leading the taskforce's work in this area. Cabinet Office will work closely with the taskforce and with Cooperatives UK to develop and take full advantage of opportunities to celebrate the achievements of co-operative organisation during the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives.
Defence: Procurement
Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to lift the temporary exemption from publication for Ministry of Defence contracts associated with war like stores. [79611]
Mr Maude: There are no immediate plans to lift the temporary exemption from publication for Ministry of Defence contracts associated with war like stores.
However, Cabinet Office officials are exploring with the Ministry of Defence ways in which more contract information can be made transparent.
Departmental Training
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many external training courses staff of (a) his Department, (b) 10 Downing street and (c) the office of the Deputy Prime Minister attended in the last 12 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of each course. [74396]
Mr Maude: Both the Prime Minister's Office and the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
298 Cabinet Office staff have attended external training courses in the 12 months prior to 1 October 2011. The total cost of the courses attended is estimated to be £1,184,636. To provide the cost of individual courses would exceed the cost threshold.
Domestic Horizon Scanning Committee
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what dates the Domestic Horizon Scanning Committee has met since May 2010; and who chaired each meeting. [79599]
Mr Maude: The Domestic Horizon Scanning Committee has met regularly every quarter since May 2010. Each meeting was chaired by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office.
Emergencies
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what date he expects the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2011 to be published. [79602]
Mr Maude: I expect an updated National Risk Register to be published by the end of January 2012.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 455W
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many full-time equivalent staff work on the (a) central response, (b) local response and (c) resilient telecommunications workstreams of the Capabilities Programme; and what the staffing level was in each of the last 10 quarters; [79607]
(2) how many full-time equivalent staff work on (a) evacuation and shelter, (b) warning and informing the public, (c) recovery and (d) community resilience workstreams of the Capabilities Programme; and what the staffing level was in each of the last 10 quarters. [79609]
Mr Maude: Varying numbers of staff from a number of Government Departments, agencies and other organisations concerned with emergency response have worked on these workstreams over the years; information on the overall numbers that are or have been involved in each workstream is not held. But those in my Department currently involved as part of their duties are:
(a) Central response: two full-time equivalents (FTEs).
(b) Local response: three FTEs.
(c) Resilient telecoms: eight FTEs.
(d) Evacuation and shelter: one FTE.
(e) Warning and informing the public: one FTE.
(f) Community resilience and recovery: four FTEs.
Central coordination of the workstreams is carried out as part of their duties by a team currently numbering three FTEs.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the budget was for the (a) central response, (b) local response and (c) resilient telecommunications workstreams of the Capabilities programme in each year since 2005; and what the budget will be during the comprehensive spending review period; [79608]
(2) what the budget was for the (a) evacuation and shelter, (b) warning and informing the public, (c) recovery and (d) community resilience workstreams of the Capabilities programme in each year since 2005; and what the budget will be during the comprehensive spending review period. [79610]
Mr Maude: Work on these workstreams within the Cabinet Office has been carried out within the administrative budget for work on national security. None of the workstreams has had a specific budgetary allocation with the exception of the resilient telecommunications programme, whose budget for the programme from 2007-08 to 2010-11 was:
|
|
£ |
Initial provision of £5.5million was made for the resilient telecommunications programme for the current financial year. The Cabinet Office has not yet finalised provision for the programme for future financial years.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 456W
Resilience and Emergencies: Cabinet Committees
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how often the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development: Sub-committee on Protective Security and Resilience officials has met since May 2010; and what the membership is of the committee; [79495]
(2) on what dates the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development: Sub-committee on Protective Security and Resilience has met since May 2010; and what the membership is of the Committee; [79600 ]
(3) which special advisers have attended the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development: Sub-committee on Protective Security and Resilience since May 2010; and on what dates. [79601]
Mr Maude: The Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development: Sub-committee on Protective Security and Resilience, was disestablished in May 2010.
The current list of Cabinet Committees is available at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-committees-system-and-list-cabinet-committees
Resilience and Emergencies: Training
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) officials, (b) special advisers and (c) Ministers have received Central Government Emergency Response Training since May 2010. [79497]
Mr Maude: 179 officials from Government Departments have attended Central Government Emergency Response Training since May 2010. The Cabinet Office provides additional briefings on an ad hoc basis as required. Ministers and special advisors receive tailored one-to-one briefing as appropriate in addition to briefing as part of their ministerial induction. The number of such sessions is not recorded centrally.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of the officials in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat have not received Central Government Emergency Response Training. [79498]
Mr Maude: Over 90% of staff in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat have received Central Government Emergency Response Training. All new staff joining CCS undertake CGERT training as part of their induction process.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials in Government Departments have received Central Government Emergency Response Training. [79499]
Mr Maude: To date, 968 officials from Government Departments have attended Central Government Emergency Response Training.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many permanent secretaries in each Government department have received Central Government Emergency Response Training. [79500]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 457W
Mr Maude: Permanent secretaries are briefed by the Cabinet Office on central Government emergency response arrangements, at their request or in the run up to participating in national exercises. The number of such sessions is not recorded centrally.
Freedom of Information
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he is making on creating a right to data; and if he will make a statement. [79492]
Mr Maude: The Government are pursuing amendments to the Freedom of Information Act in the Protection of Freedoms Bill. The amendments will place a new requirement on public authorities to make datasets available for re-use, where reasonably practicable, in a re-usable format when releasing them in response to requests or through publication schemes. These changes to the Freedom of Information Act support the Government's commitment to deliver an enhanced right to data.
The Cabinet Office's consultation “Making Open Data Real” which closed last month, sought views on
10 Nov 2011 : Column 458W
how the Government can further enhance the right to data to increase transparency for a wider range of bodies than those covered by the Freedom of Information Act and other legislation. Cabinet Office is analyzing the responses received over the coming weeks to inform the forthcoming White Paper due early next year.
The Freedom of Information Act will also be subject to post-legislative scrutiny to see how it is working in practice. Further policy in this area will be developed in light of the evidence drawn from both sets of work.
Contracts: JCB
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contracts the Government has awarded to (a) JCB and (b) associates of JCB since May 2010. [78336]
Mr Maude: Since January 2011, as part of the Government's programme to increase transparency, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the contracts they award. The following table summarises contracts that are listed on Contracts Finder. Further information is held by individual Departments.
| Supplier | Procuring authority | Contract |
|
Mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders, and mining machinery |
||
Procurement
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he plans to take steps to support small and medium-sized enterprises competing against larger corporations for Government contracts. [74728]
Mr Maude: The Government recognise the vital role that small firms have to play in helping it to achieve the best possible value for money when it buys goods and services, and is taking forward a series of measures to make it easier for SMEs to compete on a level playing field for Government contracts.
These measures include making greater use of the “open” procedure to avoid excluding suppliers unnecessarily; seeking to removing pre-qualification questionnaires from contracts below the £100,000 threshold for goods and services; greater transparency, for example through ‘Contracts Finder’ to make opportunities easier to find (which is obviously beneficial to smaller local businesses that may have fewer resources to devote to looking for opportunities); simplifying the public procurement process; making more use of outcome-based specifications; breaking procurements into smaller lots; greater use of pre-market engagement; and encouraging different contracting models, such as consortia.
Further information can be found on the Cabinet Office website:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/government-opens-contracts-small-business
Major Projects Authority
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the Major Projects Authority has met; and if he will make a statement. [79488]
Mr Maude: I announced the creation of the Major Projects Authority (MPA) in February 2011, in order to significantly improve the success rate of major projects across central Government.
The MPA is a central authority staffed by Cabinet Office officials working in partnership with HM Treasury with a clear, enforceable mandate from the Prime Minister for the oversight and direction of major projects funded and delivered by central Government. It has been operational since 1 April 2011.
Further details are available on the Cabinet Office website:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/major-projects-authority
The MPA Board, chaired by the Chief Operating Officer of the Efficiency and Reform Group, meets every two months to consider key issues of policy and operational practice.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 459W
Public Sector Transparency Board
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the Public Sector Transparency Board has met; on what dates; and if he will make a statement. [79489]
Mr Maude: The Public Sector Transparency Board has met on 11 occasions, on the following dates:
24 June 2010
15 September 2010
19 November 2010
11 January 2011
8 February 2011
2 March 2011
19 May 2011
8 June 2011
19 July 2011
6 September 2011
11 October 2011.
Public Sector: Pensions
Katy Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will ensure that a gender equality impact assessment is carried out for the reform proposals being made in relation to each public sector pension scheme. [79325]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
As agreed with the trade unions, the Government will ensure that there is a full equality impact assessment before changes to public service pensions are implemented.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Arts: Higher Education
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications for art and design undergraduate courses were made in each of the last five years; what proportion of all applications this represented in each such year; and whether he has made an estimate of the number of applications for such courses in the 2012-13 academic year. [79314]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 7 November 2011]: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave on 3 November 2011, Official Report, columns 758-62W.
Business: Entry Clearances
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2011, Official Report, column 1343W, on business: entry clearances, which business sectors have made representations on the immigration cap. [79709]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 460W
Mr Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has ongoing contact with business representatives from across all sectors on a range of issues including migration.
In addition, the Migration Advisory Committee has recently put out a call for evidence on the review of the Tier 2 limit and associated policies. Representations on the immigration cap have been received from the following sectors: IT, manufacturing, multi-sector global.
Business: Regulation
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which external consultants are providing services to his Department in connection with the Red Tape Challenge; and what the (a) duration and (b) cost is of the services provided by each consultant. [79743]
Mr Prisk: No external consultants are providing services to the Department in connection to the Red Tape Challenge.
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which (a) organisations and (b) individuals have made the largest number of submissions to the Red Tape Challenge to date. [79799]
Mr Prisk: We are unable to provide data on submissions to the Red Tape Challenge as our website privacy policy clearly states that all personal information submitted to our public comment pages, and our private inbox, will not be disclosed except under the conditions listed. The total number of comments on the Red Tape Challenge website as at 8 November 2011 was 25,967.
Conditions of Employment
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which (a) public and (b) private sector organisations he has met to discuss his Department's review of (i) employment law and (ii) workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements since May 2010. [79744]
Mr Davey: This Department is leading the cross-Government employment law review. All Departments involved in the review are engaging with relevant stakeholders on their specific areas of policy. This includes individual businesses as well as representative bodies.
The first stage of the workplace rights compliance and enforcement review was carried out internally and considered the existing evidence on the overall effectiveness of the enforcement architecture. As I outlined in my ministerial statement of 12 October 2011, Official Report, columns 29-30WS, this first stage found significant fragmentation within the enforcement landscape as a whole, largely as a consequence of the underpinning regulations, which need to be considered as part of the Red Tape Challenge on employment law.
Therefore, both reviews are closely linked with the Red Tape Challenge process, where Government have sought input from the widest possible range of stakeholders through their website, and a number of specific discussion workshops and focus groups on particular areas of policy.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 461W
It is not Government policy to give details of individual meetings undertaken as part of the policy development process.
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2010, Official Report, column 791W, on conditions of employment, what representations he has received relating to the Government's review of arrangements for workplace rights compliance and enforcement; [79806]
(2) what progress he has made on the review of Government workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements; [79840]
(3) when he expects to publish a statement of findings from the review of Government workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements; [79841]
(4) whether he plans to issue a consultation on the findings from the review of Government workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements; [79842]
(5) which organisations Ministers and officials in his Department have met as part of the review of Government workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements. [79843]
Mr Davey: Initial findings of the Workplace Rights Compliance and Enforcement Review were outlined in my ministerial statement of 12 October 2011, Official Report, column 29WS. The first stage of the review was carried out internally and considered the existing evidence on the overall effectiveness of the enforcement architecture. It found significant fragmentation within the enforcement landscape as a whole, largely as a consequence of the underpinning regulations. Therefore, it has been essential for us to first consider the regulations as part of the Red Tape Challenge Spotlight on Employment Law before beginning to develop proposals further.
The Spotlight on Employment Law launched on 3 October 2012 and has involved systematic consultation of businesses, unions and civil society. These groups were also invited to respond to a discussion paper on employment law strategy which accompanied the challenge and included discussion points on the enforcement arrangements. We received a number of considered responses from businesses, unions and some members of the public to this paper.
Following the outcomes of the Red Tape Challenge, we plan to make further announcements of the Workplace Rights Compliance and Enforcement Review in spring 2012. There will be a full consultation on any recommendations that emerge from the review.
It is not Government policy to give details of individual meetings undertaken as part of the policy development process.
Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many procurement contracts his Department has awarded to small businesses since May 2010. [67223]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 462W
Mr Davey: Information on the Department's procurement spend level with small businesses since May 2010 will be available in December, and I will write to my hon. Friend with the information and place a copy of my letter and the data in the Libraries of the House.
Information on the number of procurement contracts awarded could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Directors: Disqualification
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 758W, on directors' disqualification, what monetary benefit to the economy the Insolvency Service has estimated accrues for each disqualified director. [79956]
Mr Davey: For every company director that the Insolvency Service disqualifies, there is an estimated net benefit to the market of £88,000 (in terms of potential economic damage that they would otherwise cause). For 2009/10 the total potential savings to creditors from disqualifying unfit directors is estimated at £143.2 million.
Employment: Waste Management
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the potential (a) turnover, (b) level of employment and (c) level of exports attributable to the waste services sector in each year to 2020. [80025]
Mr Prisk: HM Government have made no estimates regarding projected turnover, employment or exports in the waste services sector.
However, independent research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills estimated the turnover, exports, number of jobs and forecast growth of the waste management sub-sector and the recovery and recycling sub-sector. The waste management sub-sector includes activities such as construction and operation of waste treatment facilities and the recovery and recycling sub-sector includes activities such as waste collection. Estimates include activity across the supply chain. The most recent data report on the 2009-10 financial year. The following tables provide 2009-10 turnover, employment and export estimates and growth forecasts.
| Sales | |||
| £ million | |||
| Sub-sector | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |||
| Employment | |||
| Sub-sector | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |||
10 Nov 2011 : Column 463W
| Exports | |||
| £ million | |||
| Sub-sector | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |||
| Growth estimates (1) | ||
| Sub-sector | Waste m anagement | Recovery and r ecycling |
| (1) The growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011 | ||
Environment Protection
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of potential trends in employment in the environmental goods and services sector in each year to 2020; and if he will make a statement. [80013]
Mr Prisk: HM Government have made no forecasts of the potential trends in employment in the environmental goods and services sector.
However, independent research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills estimated the number of jobs and forecast growth in the low- carbon environmental goods and services sector, including jobs across the supply chain. Included within this sector is the environmental sub-sector. The most recent data report on the 2009/10 financial year. The following tables show employment and growth forecasts in the low-carbon and environmental goods and services sector as a whole and also in the environmental sub-sector between 2007/08 and 2009/10.
| Total employment | |
| UK LCEGS | Number |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |
| Growth forecasts | |
| UK LCEGS | Percentage (1) |
| (1) The growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |
10 Nov 2011 : Column 464W
| Total employment | |
| UK LCEGS sub-sector | Number |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |
| Growth forecasts | |
| UK LCEGS sub-sector | Percentage (1) |
| (1) The growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people are currently employed in the environmental goods and services sector; and if he will make a statement. [80014]
Mr Prisk: According to independent research published by K-Matrix and commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, employment in the low- carbon and environmental goods and services sector in 2009/10 was estimated at 914,273.
Broken down in to sub-sectors, employment in the environmental sub-sector is estimated at 197,967; employment in the low-carbon sub-sector is estimated at 449,091; employment in the renewable energy sub-sector is estimated at 267,215.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people are employed in the low-carbon and environmental goods and services sector. [80022]
Mr Prisk: According to independent research published by K-Matrix and commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, employment in the low- carbon and environmental goods and services sector in 2009/10 was estimated at 914,273. This estimate includes jobs across the supply chain.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings of the Green Economy Council he has attended since his appointment. [80005]
Mr Prisk: The Green Economy Council has met on two previous occasions. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), attended the meetings on 16 February and 7 June 2011 and will attend the next meeting on 16 November.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the (a) turnover, (b) level of employment and (c) level of exports attributable to the contaminated land remediation sector in each year to 2020. [80020]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 465W
Mr Prisk: HM Government have made no estimates regarding projected turnover, employment or exports in the contaminated land remediation sector.
Independent research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills estimated the turnover, exports, number of jobs and forecast growth of the contaminated land reclamation and remediation sub-sector. Estimates include activity across the supply chain. The most recent data report on the 2009/10 financial year. The following tables provide 2009/10 turnover, employment and export estimates and growth forecasts.
| Sales | |||
| £ million | |||
|
|
2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |||
| Employment | |||
|
|
2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |||
| Exports | |||
| £ million | |||
|
|
2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |||
| Growth forecasts (1) | |
| Growth percentage | |
|
|
Contaminated land reclamation and remediation |
| (1) Growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |
Research
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Transport, (b) Justice, (c) International Development, (d) Health and (e) Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on departmental research and development budgets. [79788]
Mr Davey: None. Decisions on Departments' research and development budgets are for their Secretaries of State.
Green Construction Board
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the terms of reference are of the Green Construction Board. [79897]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 466W
Mr Prisk: Terms of reference will be published shortly on the BIS website following consultation with Green Construction Board members.
Growing Places Fund
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Department for Communities and Local Government on the Growing Places Fund; and on what dates. [80036]
Mr Prisk: Ministerial colleagues have many meetings with their departmental counterparts and discuss numerous issues. In addition, discussions between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and other Government Departments have been undertaken by officials based upon the direction of Ministers.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what involvement his Department will have through its local offices network in the approval of projects put forward under the Government's Growing Places Fund. [80037]
Mr Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills local officials will not be involved in the approval of Growing Places Fund projects. The fund will be allocated as unringfenced grants and therefore, recipients will have the flexibility to allocate in line with local priorities. Local enterprise partnerships will be asked to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire and if they meet the requirements they will qualify for funding.
Higher Education: Teachers
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of higher education professors in each subject area were (a) male and (b) female in each of the last three years. [78388]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 3 November 2011]: The numbers and proportions of professors at UK higher education institutions in each cost centre (includes subject areas) who were male and female are shown in the table for the academic years 2008/09 and 2009/10.
Due to a change in the definition of the professorial role, comparable information for earlier years is not available. From 2008/09 onwards the professor role indicates whether the contract of employment confers the title of professor to the holder, regardless of whether an institution's local grade structure contains a professor grade. Prior to 2008/09 the professor grade included heads of department, professors, former Universities Authoritative Panel scale researchers (grade IV), clinical professors and those recorded as professors on a locally-determined scale. The differences in the definition of professor role and professor grade mean that these two categories are not comparable.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 467W
10 Nov 2011 : Column 468W
| Academic professorial staff (1) by cost centre and gender — UK higher education institutions, a cademic years 2008/09 and 2009/10 | ||||||||||||||
| 2008/09 | 2009/10 | |||||||||||||
| % | % | |||||||||||||
| Cost centre | Female | Male | Total | Female | Male | Female | Male | Total | Female | Male | ||||
10 Nov 2011 : Column 469W
10 Nov 2011 : Column 470W
| (1) Excludes atypical staff: atypical staff are those members of staff whose employment contracts involve working arrangements that are not permanent, involve complex employment relationships and/or involve work away from the supervision of the normal work provider. (2) SET Departments listed in the table are consistent with Equality Challenge Unit definitions. (3 )Represents a percentage calculated on a population of 52 or fewer individuals. Notes: In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5, so components may not sum to totals. Percentages are not subject to rounding. Source: HESA Staff Record 2008/09, 2009/10. | ||||||||||||||
Pollution Control
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the potential (a) turnover, (b) level of employment and (c) level of exports attributable to the air pollution control sector in each year to 2020. [80019]
Mr Prisk: HM Government have made no estimates regarding projected turnover, employment or exports in the air pollution control sector.
However, independent research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills estimated the turnover, exports, number of jobs and forecast growth of the air pollution sub-sector, which includes activities such as industrial emission control and the environmental monitoring, instrumentation and analysis sub-sector which includes activities such as monitoring industrial emissions. Estimates include activity across the supply chain. The most recent data report on the 2009/10 financial year. The following tables provide 2009/10 estimates for turnover, employment, export and growth forecasts.
| Total Sales | |||
| £ million | |||
| Level 2 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Source : K-Matrix 2011 | |||
| Total Employment | |||
|
|
2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |||
| Exports | |||
| £ million | |||
|
|
2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
| Source: K-Matrix 2011 | |||
| Growth Forecasts (1) | ||
| Growth percentage | ||
|
|
Air Pollution | Environmental Monitoring, Instrumentation and Analysis |
| (1) The growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011 | ||
Regional Growth Fund
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any of the successful bids for the second round of the Regional Growth Fund were not part of the Independent Advisory Panel's original recommendations. [79283]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 7 November 2011]: The Independent Advisory Panel's job is to advise Ministers on which bids to the Regional Growth Fund to support. Final decisions on which bids to support rest with the Ministerial Panel’s chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bids received to the second round of the Regional Growth Fund from each Government office region were not successful. [80033]
Mr Prisk: The following table gives a regional breakdown of unsuccessful bids received to the second round of the Regional Growth Fund.
|
|
Number |
| Note: The numbers include projects that were part of a package/programme bid | |
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Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the value of the bids to the second round of the Regional Growth Fund in each Government office region which were unsuccessful. [80034]
Mr Prisk: Summary information on the bids received in Round 2 and the list of successful bids is published on our website:
www.bis.gov.uk/rgf
We will publish information regarding the value of successful bids after they complete due diligence.
Science: Females
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what steps he is taking to encourage the participation of women in science and engineering disciplines; [78360]
(2) what steps he is taking to encourage people to take up careers in science and engineering; [78361]
(3) what steps he is taking to encourage more women to take up (a) qualifications and (b) careers in physical science disciplines. [78362]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 7 December 2011]:The coalition Government understand the importance of engaging all people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and encouraging more people to consider studying these core disciplines and pursuing careers related to STEM. We have a substantial programme of work in place to achieve this aim.
The Department has asked the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society to jointly develop a diversity programme for the STEM community. This will build on the academies' existing activities and excellent relationships with a diverse mix of institutions, and place a much greater emphasis on challenging the leaderships at all levels to take on responsibility for delivering the change needed to promote equality across all affected groups, including, but not exclusively focused on, gender.
The Department's work also includes helping all young people to appreciate how studying STEM disciplines, including engineering, leads to a wide choice of rewarding future career opportunities. Our support includes STEMNET and its cohort of 29,000 STEM ambassadors, National Science and Engineering Week, the Big Bang Fair and the National Science and Engineering Competition. We also run a three-yearly Public Attitudes to Science Survey which in 2011 included evidence about young peoples' attitudes to science.
In addition, we have worked with industry to launch 'See Inside Manufacturing': a programme of open days across industry, so that we can show young people who have never stepped inside a factory how exciting it can be. The programme has been piloted by the automotive sector this year, with taster events in June aimed at teachers and careers advisers and again in October involving young people as well. This autumn over 40 automotive companies across the UK opened their doors offering over 100 events to teachers, career advisers, parents and young people all showing the exciting and rewarding careers manufacturing offers. It is likely the programme will be rolled out more widely next year.
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The National Apprenticeship Service identifies 27 current apprenticeship frameworks as having a STEM status. Additional STEM apprenticeship frameworks are being developed at advanced and higher levels, which will give apprentices the qualifications they need to meet the standards required to register for professional technician status.
Overall, women and men are fairly evenly balanced on apprenticeships, although we know that women are under-represented in some traditionally male-dominated sectors. The National Apprenticeship Service is currently funding 16 ‘Apprenticeship Diversity’ pilots over the 12 months to March 2012, designed to test out different methods for improving access to apprenticeships for under-represented sections of society.
The Department works with the Department for Education to ensure that STEM issues affecting young people of all ages, from school to university, are considered in a coherent way. This includes regular joint meetings of Ministers from this Department and the Department for Education with representatives from the STEM community.
In addition, BIS's partners, including the national academies and the research councils, deliver a range of educational outreach activities directly aimed at school-aged students.
Science: Higher Education
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses each university offered in the last academic year for which figures are available; and whether his Department has targets in respect of (a) the number of and (b) participation in STEM courses. [75885]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 20 October 2011]: Information on the numbers of UK-domiciled enrolments to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses at each UK higher education institution in the 2009/10 academic year is shown in the following table. Figures for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from January 2012.
In allocating the teaching grant in future, BIS has asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to focus subsidy for teaching on subjects in Bands A and B, which include STEM subjects, and also on Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects (SIVS), which includes STEM subjects.
HEFCE does not generally have targets in respect of the number of or participation in STEM courses, although targets are set in relation to the numbers of students on undergraduate medical and dental courses and particular conditions of grant apply to some allocations to support provision in strategically important and vulnerable subjects, which includes some STEM subjects.
| UK-domiciled enrolments (1) to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) (2) courses at each UK higher education institution. Academic year 2009/10 | ||
| Institution | Enrolments | O f which : STEM |
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| (1) Covers students of all ages enrolled on full-time and part-time postgraduate and undergraduate courses. Figures include all years of study. (2) STEM covers the following subject areas: Medicine and dentistry; Subjects allied to Medicine; Biological sciences; Veterinary Science; Agriculture and related subjects; Physical sciences; Mathematical sciences; Computer science; Engineering and technology; Architecture, building and planning. (3) UHI = University of the Highlands and Islands. Notes: 1. Figures are based on a HESA Standard Registration Population. 2. In this table 0, 1 and 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record | ||