Social Services: Finance
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on planned reforms to the funding of social care. [92865]
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Maria Miller: DWP Ministers have had a number of discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Health over the last year to discuss the findings of the Dilnot Commission on the funding of social care, and the forthcoming care and support White Paper.
Work Programme
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether wage subsidies under the Youth Contract will be equally divided among Work programme providers in each contract package area. [94098]
Chris Grayling: No decisions have been taken on how wage incentives will be distributed between contract package areas or Work programme providers. More information will be available in due course.
Working Tax Credit
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his planned reforms of working tax credit, if he will make it his policy that couples with children who are unable to continue in their job due to changes in their entitlement to working tax credit will not be subject to job seeker's allowance sanctions. [91541]
Chris Grayling: If an individual claims jobseeker's allowance, we will ask them why their previous employment ended. If it is deemed that the individual left their employment voluntarily, and the employer confirms this, then the case will be referred to an impartial decision maker. The individual will have an opportunity to put forward their reasons for the job ending and the decision maker will take account of all the individual circumstances of the case when determining whether or not a sanction should be applied. This includes taking account of the financial changes with reference to the particular job in question. The decision maker uses the relevant legislation and established case law to establish whether (on the balance of probabilities) the person had ‘just cause’ for leaving their employment voluntarily.
Of course should an individual claim jobseeker’s allowance we will look to support them in moving back into employment as quickly as possible.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Angard
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will ask the Post Office to prepare and publish an evaluation of the (a) services provided by and (b) employment policy of the contract company Angard. [93517]
Norman Lamb: Operational matters, such as arrangements with Angard and its employment practices, are the responsibility of management at Royal Mail. The Government do not play a role in these issues.
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Post Office on (a) outstanding pay owed to employees and (b) ongoing disputes with employees or former employees in respect of the contract company Angard. [93520]
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Norman Lamb: Operational matters, such as the recruitment of temporary staff using Angard, are the responsibility of management at Royal Mail. The Government do not play a role in these issues.
Clearly, the problems experienced by some seasonal workers are deeply regrettable. My right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), the now Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change raised this matter with Royal Mail and had been assured that Royal Mail management are continuing to work very hard to rectify any outstanding issues. In addition, I understand that the company has been reviewing the issues that arose last Christmas with a view to ensuring that there is no repeat in future.
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. [94113]
Norman Lamb: The Intellectual Property Office held a number of stakeholder meetings during the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations. A range of stakeholders including business, internet service providers and consumer interest and open rights groups participated. The last stakeholder consultation was held in September 2010 prior to the final round of negotiations. Interested parties were also invited to submit comments via the Intellectual Property Office ACTA website.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his plans are for the ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. [94114]
Norman Lamb: The UK signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement on 26 January 2012. The agreement is currently with the European Parliament with a vote on consent likely to take place towards late summer 2012. The UK intends to ratify the agreement in due course.
Copyright
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) economic research was conducted and (b) advice was sought in preparation of (i) Impact Assessment BIS0315, Protecting copyright exceptions from override by contract and (ii) Impact Assessment BIS0312, Exception for copying of works for use by text and data analysis. [92922]
Norman Lamb: The initial impact assessments published with the current consultation on copyright were developed on the basis of available evidence from a range of sources, including the submissions made to the Hargreaves Review. The Government are now seeking more detailed evidence on the costs and benefits to all parties who could be affected by the proposals, through public consultation.
Tristram Hunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions officials in his Department have had with officials of
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the European Commission on the proposal to introduce a copyright exception for data and text mining. [92923]
Norman Lamb: The Government have regular discussions with the European Commission on a wide range of copyright and other intellectual property policy issues including the Hargreaves Review, which recommended introduction of an EU-wide copyright exception for data and text mining, The Government are currently consulting on a proposal for a UK copyright exception for data and text mining for non-commercial research.
Council of Ministers
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings of the EU Council of Ministers has the Minister of State for Universities and Science attended since May 2011. [94112]
Mr Willetts: I attended formal Competitiveness Councils on 30-31 May and 6 December 2011 and an informal Council on 20-21 July 2011.
Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effects of implementing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in (a) the UK and (b) the EU. [93309]
Norman Lamb: The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has been reviewed by Government lawyers and the European Commission Legal Services who confirm that ACTA will not create new intellectual property rights, laws or criminal offences in the UK or EU.
Implementing ACTA will provide EU and UK industry and creators with better protection in overseas markets, through the creation of common enforcement standards and practices and more effective international co-operation.
Food Procurement
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of food purchased by his Department was produced in the UK in each of the last five years. [93721]
Norman Lamb: The Department's catering and conference services are contracted to BaxterStorey who source the food used.
During the last five years the percentages of indigenous food and of all food purchased were as follows:
| Percentage of indigenous food | Percentage of all food | |
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Ministerial Travel Costs
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 31WS, on cost of ministerial cars, whether his Department has any other arrangements for ministerial travel; and how much his Department has spent on (a) private hire vehicles and (b) taxis for each Minister since May 2010. [92853]
Norman Lamb: As set out in the Ministerial Code, Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. To meet this requirement the Department has supplemented its use of ministerial cars provided by the Government Car Service (GCS) with vehicles supplied by a private sector company since 1 December 2010. The cost of providing cars for ministerial cars and taxis is as follows with earlier data provided as a comparison:
| £ | ||
| Hire vehicles (incl GCS) | Taxis (UK and overseas) | |
Foreign Trade: India
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he supports the inclusion of data exclusivity in the text of the EU-India free trade agreement; and what conversations he has had with colleagues within the European Commission on the potential effect of this clause on India's ability to produce generic HIV medicines for patients in the developing world. [94202]
Norman Lamb: The free trade agreement with India in its current form will not change Indian data exclusivity arrangements. The EU Trade Commissioner has made it clear that nothing in the agreement should prevent the poorest from accessing life-saving medicines. The UK supports this position.
Higher Education: North East
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UCAS applications were submitted by residents of (a) Stockton North constituency, (b) the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, (c) Tees Valley and (d) the north- east in the (i) 2010-11 admissions cycle by 15 January 2011 and (ii) 2011-12 admissions cycle by 15 January 2012. [93343]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 6 February 2012]: The information, provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), and showing all the constituencies in the Tees Valley, is shown in the table.
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| All applicants to UCAS by the main 15 January deadline, by parliamentary constituency/region (1) | ||
| Application cycle | ||
| Constituency | 2010-11 (2) | 2011-12 (3) |
| (1 )Parliamentary constituency has been identified using the home postcode of the applicant, irrespective of their declared area of permanent residence. (2 )Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (3 )Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013. | ||
Higher Education: Research
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote the transfer of innovative university research to the commercial sector. [93323]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 6 February 2012]: The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) supports a range of programmes to encourage and incentivise the application and commercialisation of research generated by the UK research base. These programmes are supported both directly by BIS, and also through organisations that it funds and sponsors, such as the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Research Councils and the Technology Strategy Board.
The Government are committed to accelerating the commercialisation of research, following announcements in the autumn statement, and the subsequent publication of the “Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth” and the “Strategy for UK Life Sciences”.
Post Offices: Closures
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many sub-post offices closed in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Wales in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011. [92694]
Norman Lamb: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of the Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Royal Mail
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with the (i) chief executive and (ii) chairman of Royal Mail in the last two years; and what the reason was for each such meeting. [93655]
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Norman Lamb: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Ministers have had a number of meetings with the chief executive and chair of Royal Mail in the last two years covering a broad range of issues regarding the performance of the company and its future strategy.
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenses were claimed by the (a) chief executive and (b) chairman of Royal Mail in the last two years. [93656]
Norman Lamb: The chief executive officer (CEO) and chair are eligible to claim reasonable expenses in relation to their employment in line with normal business practice.
Details of their remuneration are published in the company's annual report.
Shares: Fraud
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the use of shareholders' details obtained from companies under sections 116 to 120 of the Companies Act 2006 by people engaged in boiler room fraud. [93798]
Norman Lamb: The right to inspect and require copies of the register and the index of members' names was reviewed as part of the Companies Law Review which shaped the Companies Act 2006. The current provisions follow extensive debates in Parliament and reflected the need for information about the members of a company to be readily available for inspection.
For the first time the law provides a clear legal basis for companies not to provide the information if the information is thought not to be for proper purpose.
Students: Loans
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of further education student loans on the number of individuals who will study health, social care and nursing courses as the result of an access course. [93885]
Mr Hayes: The consultation stage impact assessment “Further Education (FE)—Level 3+ Loans” estimated the impact of introducing further education loans on overall learner numbers. The consultation stage asssessment can be accessed at the link as follows:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/f/11-1218-further-education-loans-impact-assessment
A final stage impact assessment, containing updated estimates of learner numbers, will be published by May 2012. The final stage assessment will be informed by research and analysis commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). This will include the results of an Online Learner Panel Survey carried out by opinion panel and the market research company, Taylor Nelson Sofres—British Market Research Bureau (TNS-BMRB) work with potential FE students, to understand how FE loans might affect their decision to study, and further research as required.
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Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the funding allocated for further education student loans will limit the number of students aged 24 or above who wish to study a level 3 or above qualification that can be recruited by further education providers. [94232]
Mr Hayes: The “New Challenges, New Chances” skills investment strategy published by BIS on 1 December 2011 confirmed that the budget for further education loans would be £129 million in 2013-14 and £398 million in 2014-15. The number of students this budget supports will depend on the level of demand and the courses that students choose. The consultation stage impact assessment “Further Education—Level 3+ Loans” published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 16 August 2011 assumed that around 186,000 learners would be supported to begin such courses in the 2013-14 financial year, and around 171,000 in 2014-15. In the case of 2013-14, this includes both starts supported through loans from the start of the academic year (when the policy is introduced), and grant-funded starts prior to that. There are no constraints on FE colleges and training organisations recruiting additional adult learners who can self-finance their courses.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the total amount of further education (FE) loans and interest on those loans a FE student will repay if they take out the maximum available FE student loan in 2013-14 and earn (a) £21,000, (b) £25,000, (c) £30,000 and (d) £35,000 per year until the loan is repaid. [94233]
Mr Hayes: There is no specified maximum amount of FE loan. Rather, learners will be able to take out a loan up to the value of the fully funded rate paid to their learning provider for the course they choose. In 2012/13, the course with the highest fully funded rate is expected to be around £10,000 (Engineering Apprenticeship), so we have assumed this is the amount borrowed. We have assumed that the learner starts the course in 2013/14, the course will last two years, and he or she will begin repayment in 2018 (to make the results comparable with question 94234 tabled by the hon. Member where repayment starts in 2018).
We have assumed that the requested income scenarios are given in 2016 terms; that the incomes increase with general earnings growth beyond that year; and that the learner remains in full-time employment for the whole of the 30-year period. On that basis, the total amounts borrowed, the total repayments over the repayment period of 30 years, and the total gross earnings for that period would be as shown in the following table:
| £ | |||
| Initial earnings | Amount borrowed | Total amount repaid over 30 years (nominal) | Total income over 30 years (nominal) |
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Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total combined loan (a) value and (b) repayment plus interest will be for an access to higher education student who takes out the maximum further education student loan and the maximum higher education student loan and subsequently earns (i) £21,000, (ii) £25,000, (iii) £30,000 and (iv) £35,000 per year until the loan is repaid from 2013-14; and if he will publish any modelling his Department has commissioned on these costs. [94234]
Mr Hayes: The expected maximum loan for an Access to a Higher Education (HE) course is £4,000, and the course is expected to last for one year. We have assumed that the learner starts the Access to HE course in 2013/14. If the same person subsequently enrols on a three-year HE course starting in 2014/15, the maximum amounts borrowed for the three years to pay for student fees could be around: £9,600, £9,900 and £10,300 and for London rate maintenance loans could be around: £8,200, £8,500 and £8,800. These amounts assume all 2012/13 fee and loan rates increase with inflation each year and that the student does not receive any fee waivers. This gives a total loan value of £59,300.
We have assumed that: the requested income scenarios are given in 2016 terms; that the incomes increase with general earnings growth beyond that year; and that the learner remains in full-time employment for the whole of the 30-year period. Then the total amounts borrowed, the total repayments over the repayment period of 30 years, and the total gross earnings for that period would be as shown in the following table:
| £ | |||
| Initial earnings | Amount borrowed | Amount repaid after 30 years | Total income received in those 30 years (nominal) |
The Government have published a calculator for students to work out their repayments which is accessible at the following link:
http://www.studentfinance.direct.gov.uk/portal/page?_pageid=153,4680136&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what modelling his Department has prepared on the financial implications of introducing further education student loans; and if he will publish the results of that modelling. [94235]
Mr Hayes: The Department's modelling of the impact of loans in further education is outlined in the consultation stage impact assessment “Further Education—Level 3+ Loans”. This was published in July 2011, and can be accessed at the following link:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/f/11-1218-further-education-loans-impact-assessment
A final stage impact assessment, containing updated modelling, will be published by May 2012.
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Supermarkets: Competition
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether legislation will be introduced in the next Session of Parliament to establish a groceries code adjudicator. [93500]
Norman Lamb: The Government are fully committed to introducing the groceries code adjudicator as soon as parliamentary time allows.
As the Leader of the House said on 15 December 2011, Official Report, column 937, the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill is a strong candidate for consideration as part of the second Session of Parliament.
Internships
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to reduce the number of unpaid internships. [93693]
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Mr Willetts: We want to make as many opportunities as possible available to talented young people from all backgrounds. It is important we do not close down potentially valuable options, for example where the intern is acting as a volunteer. For this reason we do not rule out unpaid internships but ask businesses to offer internships openly and transparently and provide financial support to ensure fair access.
We have recently updated guidance on Business Link and Directgov to provide more clarity on internships and to remind employers of their legal responsibilities, including that those who are entitled to the national minimum wage (NMW) should receive it.
The Graduate Talent Pool website, funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, also directs employers to this guidance and along with the vacancy quality assurance process, ensures that no employer is left in any doubt about his or her obligation to comply with national minimum wage legislation.