Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements are in place to ensure that claimants can telephone benefits officers without being subjected to large phone bills; and what (a) guidance is given to and (b) performance measures set for benefits offices answering and calling back claimants who telephone them. [103062]
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Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions operates a number of arrangements to ensure that claimants receive an effective service when contacting us by telephone and do not incur large phone bills.
The Department offers an immediate call back service to claimants who contact us and request a returned call. Contact Centre agents are trained to provide this facility, and guidance is available to all staff detailing the actions to take. Where a benefit inquiry is complex or time consuming, we arrange to call the claimant back within three hours. Against a 95% target we are currently achieving a 95.9% successful resolution. The performance measure for answering initial calls is currently set at 90%, against which we are currently achieving 91.7%.
For our most vulnerable claimants, including those claiming crisis loans, we offer a freephone 0800 service to ensure the cost of the call is free to the claimant.
State Retirement Pensions
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each (a) region, (b) local authority and (c) constituency are receiving the basic state pension. [102748]
Steve Webb: The information for August 2011 has been placed in the Library.
Taxis
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on taxis for (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants between August 2011 and January 2012. [101419]
Chris Grayling: The Department has taken robust action to reduce business travel expenditure which has resulted in an overall reduction of circa 60% since 2009-10 and the Department continues to seek to drive down costs on travel to deliver value for money for the taxpayer.
In line with the Government's austerity agenda, the Department for Work and Pensions has taken vigorous action to enhance business travel policy. The DWP's business travel policy actively discourages travel, unless the alternatives have been examined and exhausted and where travel is deemed appropriate, encourages the use of the most cost-effective modes of transport.
Expenditure by the Department on taxis needs to be seen in the context of a Department employing approximately 100,000 people across the whole of the UK, based at over 900 sites.
An estimated 40% of the expenditure on taxis is incurred to enable disabled members of staff to travel to and from work. This expenditure represents payment by the Department of costs which, in the case of other employers, could be claimed for under the ‘Access to Work’ scheme which Government Departments voluntarily forego.
As set out in the Ministerial Code, Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.
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| Ministers | Civil servants | |
| Note: Since May 2010 the Department has reduced its number of ministerial cars from six to one resulting in £492,000 in savings from May 2010 to April 2011 against the same period the previous year. | ||
Universal Credit
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effect he expects universal credit to have on labour market participation. [101640]
Chris Grayling: Universal credit represents a fundamental and structural change to the welfare system. The Impact Assessment of Universal Credit, published in February 2011, estimates that there will be a reduction in the region of 300,000 workless households.
The Government will make a further assessment of the likely impact in the future, including taking account of the shape of local support for council tax once more detail becomes clear.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to announce the changes in circumstances which will lead to a loss of transitional protection under universal credit. [102457]
Chris Grayling: The exact definition of the changes in circumstances that will lead to a loss of transitional protection is under development.
We will provide more information as soon as it is ready. Full details will be set out in regulations, which will be debated in the House.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he expects the system designed to pay universal credit in respect of rent to be fully operational by October 2013; and if he will make a statement. [102465]
Chris Grayling: Universal credit will provide a new single system of means-tested support for working-age people who are in or out of work. Support for housing costs, children and child care costs will be integrated in the new benefit. It will also provide additions for disabled people and carers.
Universal credit will be paid as a single monthly payment which will include any entitlement to support for eligible housing costs such as rent. The system designed to pay universal credit is expected to be operational by October 2013.
Vodafone Group
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts Vodafone has been awarded by his Department in the last 12 months. [103183]
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Chris Grayling: In the 12 month period from 30 March 2011 to 29 March 2012, the Department for Work and Pensions awarded one contract to Vodafone.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contracts his Department has with Vodafone. [103184]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions presently has three live contracts with Vodafone.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the Permanent Secretary in his Department has met Vodafone representatives in the last 12 months. [103185]
Chris Grayling: The Permanent Secretary has not met with Vodafone representatives in the last 12 months.
Winter Fuel Payments
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households eligible for winter fuel payments in 2011-12; how many applications his Department received for such payments; and how many such payments were made in (a) England, (b) the North West, (c) Cumbria and (d) Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency. [102678]
Steve Webb: Over 95% of winter fuel payments are made automatically, without the need to claim, based on information held in DWP records. A small number of people whose circumstances we do not know, for instance because they are not on state pension or other benefits administered by DWP, need to make a claim. It is not possible to give the exact number of eligible people, but we have no reason to estimate that eligibility is materially different from the level of payments made—see following table.
| Area | Number of payments |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. 3. The latest figures for winter fuel payments are published at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp 4. These tables recognise the May 2010 structural changes to the parliamentary constituencies of England and Wales. Source: DWP Information Directorate | |
Work Capability Assessment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2012, Official Report, columns 647-48W, on work capability assessment, what the criteria was for Atos to accept or refuse requests for audio recording of work capability assessments; and what measures are in place to monitor differential rates of acceptance or refusal nationally. [102232]
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Chris Grayling: There are no criteria for deciding whether or not to accept or refuse a recording request. Instead, Atos endeavour to offer this facility to anyone who requests it, based on availability. We are in discussion with Atos to negotiate what management information will be required to monitor uptake of recording and the numbers of cases where the requests have not been met.
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions, the right hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) of 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 76WH, on work capability assessment, what initial scoping work has been carried out in respect of the Gold Standard Review for descriptors for mental, intellectual and cognitive function and fluctuating conditions; how many cases will be used to test the new descriptors; and what the timescale is for the completion of the work. [102683]
Chris Grayling: We are currently working through the detail of how the evidence-based review of mental function and fluctuating conditions descriptors might look and work. It would be inappropriate to comment on case numbers timescales or any possible changes to the work capability assessment resulting from the evidence-based review until the detail has been agreed.
Work Experience
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2011, Official Report, column 94W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in his Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria. [100731]
Chris Grayling: DWP participates in the two week Civil Service Whitehall Internship programme which was announced through the Social Mobility Strategy in April 2011. This programme provides year 12 college level students with an opportunity to undertake a two week work experience placement in a Government Department. The programme is designed to increase professional experience and workplace skills and is aimed at students from under-represented backgrounds. DWP offered seven internships on this programme in 2011.
DWP also offers internships to graduates and undergraduates through the Summer Diversity Internship programme (SDIP). The programme is aimed at black and minority ethnic university students and those from lower socio-economic groups and seeks to provide talented candidates with six nine-week training placements in Government Departments. DWP offered eight internships across the Department in 2011.
Some 860 young people took up voluntary work experience placements in DWP between October 2011 and March 15 2012.
DWP has no record of any volunteers working in the Department during the last 12 months, and has no arrangements to deliver placements or opportunities
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for voluntary working within the Department, except through the voluntary work experiences referenced above.
At the end of February 2011, DWP employed 98,791 FTE staff (110,275 by ONS headcount). At the end of February 2012 the comparable totals were 89,031.22 and 100,378.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which companies have withdrawn from unpaid work experience agreements with his Department since 1 January 2012. [102367]
Chris Grayling: No employers who signed a national service level agreement with Jobcentre Plus have withdrawn from agreements to provide work experience since January 2012.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Action for Employment
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any new contracts have been let by his Department to A4e between 27 February and 27 March 2012. [102113]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 27 March 2012]: Neither the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills nor the chief executive of Skills Funding let any contracts to A4e between 27 February and 23 March 2012.
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2012, Official Report, column 164W, on Action for Employment, what involvement his Department has in the contracts with A4e for delivery of the Offender Learning and Skills Service. [102345]
Mr Hayes: All decisions relating to the funding of individual training providers, including the award of contracts for offender learning, are made by the chief executive of Skills Funding, supported by the Skills Funding Agency.
Contracts with A4e for delivery of the Offender Learning and Skills Service were let by the Learning and Skills Council in 2009.
The re-procurement of offender learning (which is currently under way) is being supported by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), which is part of the Ministry of Justice. All decisions about the procurement process are being made by the chief executive of Skills Funding, supported by the Skills Funding Agency, in consultation and agreement with NOMS and Prison Governors. Officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have taken no part in the evaluation of tenders by prospective providers.
Aerospace Industry
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of the aerospace sector is to the economy; how many people are employed in the industry; what proportion of the industry operates in each region; and what the industry spent on its supply chains in the UK in 2011. [101974]
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Mr Prisk: According to the National Accounts published by the Office for National Statistics the manufacture, maintenance and repair of aircraft and spacecraft accounted for £6.1 billion gross value added in 2010, 0.5% of the UK economy. It also provided direct employment for 100,000 across Great Britain (employment figures for this industry in Northern Ireland are disclosive and therefore not published). This figure does not include indirect employment within the supply chain supported by the aerospace industry.
The value of goods and services consumed in production by the aerospace industry was £11.2 billion in 2009; the latest year for which these data are available.
The following table details the regional breakdown of employment in the aerospace manufacture, maintenance and repair sector (note Northern Ireland is excluded for confidentiality reasons.)
| Employment in the aircraft manufacturing, maintenance and repair industries 2010 by region (GB only) | ||
| Regions | Employment | Percentage of total |
| Source: Business Registers Employment Survey 2010 (ONS) | ||
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support the aerospace industry and its domestic supply chain. [101984]
Mr Prisk: The Government are working with the UK aerospace industry, primarily through the Aerospace Business Leaders group and the Aerospace Growth Partnership to see how best the UK aerospace sector can strengthen its competitive position in the global market and maximise the opportunities for growth. This includes looking at supply chain competitiveness issues.
Business and Government (through the Technology Strategy Board—TSB) are investing in strategically important collaborative research and technology projects such as ‘Next Generation Composite Wing’ and ‘Strategic Investment in Low Carbon Engine Technologies’ (SILOET). Most recently, in the Budget, Official Report, columns 793-808, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £60 million investment in a virtual UK Centre for Aerodynamics and related collaborative research to maintain the UK's competitiveness in a technology that is critical to the next generation of more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft.
On 23 March 2012, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), announced that the £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative will open for applications from across advanced manufacturing
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sectors. This opened on 29 March. This initiative will provide grants and loans to successful projects demonstrating real ambition to create globally competitive supply chains. The funding can support a combination of investment in capital equipment, associated research and development, and training and skills in recognition of the flexibility needed to overcome the barriers that suppliers and supply chains can face. Birmingham city council will oversee the competition to award funds for this national scheme while the Technology Strategy Board will support Birmingham city council through running the competition process. There will be briefings for interested businesses and more information on the criteria of the fund, timescales, eligibility and how to bid will be available at:
www.innovateuk.org
This £125 million national initiative is being funded by the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. A number of aerospace companies have previously received a conditional allocation of funding under the RGF including EADS, Airbus, Aeromet, and Messier Dowty, as well as the North West Aerospace Alliance.
There are also a range of other initiatives that will benefit UK-based suppliers to the aerospace industry and other sectors. For instance, the Department is providing an additional £7 million funding for the Manufacturing Advisory Service to help supply chain companies.
The Department also continues to provide Repayable Launch Investment to support the development of new aircraft programmes—with commitments totalling some £535 million.
Flycatcher Technology
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with ARM on the effect of its new flycatcher technology on communications. [102600]
Mr Prisk: The ARM Cortex-M0+ is a low power processor design which has a wide range of potential applications for ARM's partners. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and its key delivery partners, such as the Technology Strategy Board, seek to keep alert of the latest technologies to understand their impact on a range of issues including the development of communications technologies. However, no specific discussion has been undertaken with ARM on the “Flycatcher technology”.
Arts
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on developing a creative industries export strategy. [102336]
Mr Prisk:
UK Trade & Investment and the Department for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (DCMS) officials are in regular contact and also collaborate closely through the Creative Industries International Marketing Strategy Board (CIIMSB), a cross-industry initiative which promotes the UK's creative industries internationally. The Creative Industries Council (CIC) provides a forum for representatives from across the sector to meet with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and
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Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) and to consider issues impacting on growth in the creative industries such as skills and access to finance.
Business
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will establish a small business administration. [103055]
Mr Prisk: The Government are aware of the Federation of Small Businesses' recent calls for the creation of a small business administration (SBA) to represent the interests of small businesses.
We believe all Government Departments should understand and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and as Minister with responsibility for business and enterprise, I and officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' Enterprise Directorate are responsible for promoting small businesses in Whitehall. In addition, the Prime Minister has appointed Lord Young of Graffham to advise him on enterprise issues.
There are three main areas covered by the SBA in the US, namely: government-backed loans to strengthen access to capital for small businesses, the provision of business support and leading federal government's efforts to ensure that 23% of federal contracts go to small businesses. In the UK, we are already active in these areas. We have announced credit easing which will see £20 billion of Government guarantees utilised to increase the supply of affordable credit through the new National Loan Guarantee Scheme and we have extended the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme until 2014/15, providing, subject to demand, over £2 billion of additional lending to viable SMEs. We have transformed the way we enable businesses to access the information, advice and guidance they need to start and grow their business including:
An improved Business Link website
www.businesslink.gov.uk
which includes a new Growth and Improvement Service, offering a range of business tools and an updated events management system; and My New Business, a comprehensive tailored start-up service providing online tools and training for those looking to start a business.
A Business Link helpline (0845 600 9006) which will support people who are unable to access the internet or have difficulty in doing so.
A mentoring portal
www.mentorsme.co.uk
(launched July 2011), provides a single point of access for those seeking mentoring and those seeking to be mentors across the UK. The site connects small businesses with mentoring organisations that can support and guide their development.
And like the United States, we have an aspiration that by May 2015, 25% of the value of government contracts, both directly and via the supply chain, should be awarded to SMEs by removing the barriers faced by small businesses and eliminating complexities and waste in the process.
In addition, the Government have taken action to reduce the burden of regulation on the smallest businesses at both a domestic and a European level, for example through the microbusiness regulatory moratorium announced in the Plan for Growth.
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Business: Ombudsman
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will establish an ombudsman for small businesses. [103054]
Norman Lamb: The Government have no plans to establish a small business ombudsman, but take the concerns of small business very seriously. That is why I am working closely with Lord Young of Graffham, the Prime Minister's Enterprise Adviser, to ensure small businesses' issues are addressed and that Government are doing all they can to promote and boost enterprise. With regard to access to finance matters, we have worked with the banks to establish an independent appeals procedure for businesses that have been declined credit by their bank.
Construction
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of the construction sector is to the economy; how many people are employed in the industry; what proportion of the industry operates in each region; and what the industry spent on its supply chains in the UK in 2011. [101973]
Mr Prisk:
According to the latest Office for National Statistics Annual Business Survey (ABS), the contribution
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of the whole value chain, that is, the gross value added (GVA) of construction contractors as well as the GVA generated by construction-related professional services (e.g. architectural, surveying etc.) and the construction products sector, amounted to £85.4 billion in 2010, or 6.6% of UK GVA.
According to the same source, the whole value chain of the construction sector had a turnover of £248.7 billion and employed 1.8 million people in 2010, representing 5.8% of UK employment. The sector is also characterised by relatively high levels of self-employment, particularly in construction contracting, most of which is not captured by the ABS. According to the latest ONS Workforce Jobs series, there were 889,000 self-employed jobs in construction contracting in 2011Q4.
A breakdown of construction output by region is only available for the construction contracting sector (see Table 1 below, based on non-seasonally adjusted data published by the ONS on 9 March 2012). The table shows that the London and the South East accounted for more than a third of construction output in Great Britain in both 2010 and 2011. The regions contributing the least to total construction output over this period were the North East and Wales.
The value of goods and services consumed or used up in production by the construction contracting sector (i.e. ‘intermediate consumption') was £122.2 billion in 2009 (latest year available).
| Table 1: Value of construction output by region—All work Great Britain, current prices, non-seasonally adjusted | ||||||
| North East | Yorkshire and the Humber | East Midlands | East of England | London | South East | |
| South West | Wales | West Midlands | North West | Scotland | GB | |
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support the construction industry and its domestic supply chain. [101988]
Mr Prisk: The best way to help the construction industry is by creating a balanced model of economic growth. We are doing this through our Plan for Growth.
The Government are acting positively to strengthen the industry including reforming the planning system, modernising public sector procurement and setting out the first National Infrastructure Plan (NIP), which will unlock up to £200 billion of public and private investment. The NIP sets out a clear pipeline of over 500 infrastructure projects that will be built over the next decade and beyond, including indentifying the 40 priority projects considered most critical for growth.
Announced as part of Housing Strategy were a number of measures which will make it quicker and easier to get developments off the ground including:
The NewBuy Guarantee, which from 12 March 2012 allows prospective first time buyers to obtain mortgages on newly-built properties with just a 5% deposit. This will support an estimated 50,000 jobs in construction and related industries by increasing demand for newly-built homes;
£420 million Get Britain Building Fund to help get stalled sites moving again. In the March 2012 budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced plans to expand this scheme further; and
£500 million Growing Places Fund to provide infrastructure support. It was announced in the March 2012 budget that a further £270 million would be allocated to this scheme.
On 23 March 2012, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), announced that the £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative will open for applications from 29 March. This initiative will provide grants and loans to successful projects demonstrating real ambition to create globally competitive supply chains.
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The funding can support a combination of investment in capital equipment, associated research and development, and training and skills in recognition of the flexibility needed to overcome the barriers that suppliers and supply chains can face. (Birmingham city council will oversee the competition to award funds for this national scheme.) There will be briefing events for interested businesses and more information on the criteria of the fund, timescales, eligibility and how to bid is available at:
www.innovateuk.org
This £125 million national initiative is being funded by the Regional Growth Fund and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Drugs
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of the pharmaceutical sector is to the economy; how many people are employed in the industry; what proportion of the industry operates in each region; and what the industry spent on its supply chains in the UK in 2011. [101978]
Mr Prisk: According to the National Accounts published by the Office for National Statistics the manufacture of pharmaceuticals accounted for £11 billion gross value added in 2010, 0.9% of the UK economy. It also provided employment for 41,600 across the UK.
The value of goods and services consumed in production by the pharmaceuticals manufacturing industry was £8 billion in 2009; the latest year for which these data are available.
The following table details the regional breakdown of employment in the pharmaceuticals manufacturing sector.
| Employment in the pharmaceuticals manufacturing industry 2010 by region | ||
| Region | Employment | Percentage of total |
| Source: Business Registers Employment Survey 2010 (ONS) | ||
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the period for which e-mails sent and received by (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department are retained; and whether such e-mails are recoverable from the IT systems in his Department after that period. [102962]
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Norman Lamb: The general retention policy of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) for e-mails is to delete these 12 months after the e-mail was sent/received. This policy covers the live e-mail accounts of Ministers, special advisers and officials until they depart from BIS, upon which live accounts are deleted.
E-mails are backed up and retained for a default period of three months after deletion so potentially an e-mail could be available for fifteen months from its sent/received date.
Machinery of Government changes and some individual staff arrangements may occasionally result in e-mails being retained beyond dates specified in the BIS e-mail policy. Where this occurs the Department seeks to delete such e-mails and accounts as quickly as possible after transition has been completed.
It is BIS policy that e-mails that need to be retained to form part of the public record are stored in the BIS Electronic Records and Document Management system. These e-mails are retained for a minimum of eight years.
Employment: Females
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of women who return to the work force after a period away from paid employment to look after children in each parliamentary constituency or other geographical area. [103016]
Norman Lamb: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) have detailed information on the proportions of women returning to the work force within 12 to 18 months of the birth of their child. The Department also have some more general information from the Labour Force Survey on the broader question of the number of women returning to work after a period off to look after children.
The difference between these two is that the former source specifically refers to mothers returning to the work force after giving birth, while the latter refers to women returning to the work force after a period spent looking after family at home, which includes time off for births.
There is no statistically reliable information on the number of women returning to the work force after a period away from paid employment to look after children in each parliamentary constituency. There is also relatively little information by broad regions of the UK, but we give some information as follows.
The detailed information that we have is taken from the Maternity and Paternity Rights and Women Returners Survey 2009/10. The survey shows that in 2008, approximately three-quarters (77%) of mothers who had worked before the birth of their child had returned to work when the child was aged between 12 and 18 months. The survey report did find that region is an important predictor of returning to work after childbirth, with women in some regions outside London more likely to resume work in the 12 to 18 months after childbirth. In particular, women who worked in the west midlands or east midlands were more likely to return than women who worked in London.
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Of the mothers who returned to work after their maternity leave, the majority returned to the same job with the same employer (84% in 2008). This did not vary by region.
The figures above do not include mothers who return to work after giving birth at a later point in time (later than 18 months after the birth), or those who may be returning to the work force having taken a break to look after children unrelated to maternity.
For more general estimates of the number of women returning to the work force after a period away from paid employment to look after children, BIS have turned to the Labour Force Survey (LFS)(1). From the LFS, the Department have produced an estimate of the number of women who fall into the category of currently being in employment(2), having a dependent child under the age of 18, and who were looking after the family home 12 months earlier.
The LFS shows that in 2011 there were 156,000 such women in employment. The equivalent figures in 2010 and 2009 were 172,000 and 175,000 respectively. To put these figures in context, these numbers represent roughly 1% of all women in employment at any one time.
These figures are underestimates of the number of women returning to employment after a period away to look after children, as they will not include some of the women who return to work relatively quickly following their maternity, within a year.
The Labour Force Survey does theoretically allow us to break these figures down into regions, for example by country within the UK, by Government office region, by local authority, and by parliamentary constituency. However, for each of these regional breakdowns, the number of observations per unit is too small to allow statistically robust reporting of the populations in each region, and so we have not reported these here. However, the proportion of women returning to the work force each year compared to the total number of women in the work force in each country of the UK does not vary significantly from the average of around one per cent quoted above.
(1) Some of the women may be entering the work force for the first time, rather than returning.
(2) Includes both employed and self-employed women.
Energy
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of the energy sector is to the economy; how many people are employed in the industry; what proportion of the industry operates in each region; and what the industry spent on its supply chains in the UK in 2011. [101976]
Mr Prisk: According to the National Accounts published by the Office for National Statistics the electricity power generation, transmission and distribution industry accounted for £13.5 billion gross value added in 2010, 1% of the UK economy. It also provided employment for 70,000 across the UK.
The value of goods and services consumed in production by the electricity industry was £44 billion in 2009; the latest year for which these data are available.
The following table details the regional breakdown of employment in the electricity sector.
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| Employment in the electricity generation, transmission and distribution industry 2010 by region | ||
| Region | Employment | Percentage of total |
| Source: Business Registers Employment Survey 2010 (ONS) | ||
Environment Protection
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 519W, on industry: carbon emissions, if he will publish a further implementation plan specifically on the low-carbon sector. [102159]
Mr Prisk: There are no plans to publish a further implementation plan for the low carbon and environmental goods and services sector. Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy includes a timeline which shows the range of policies that support this sector. Various initiatives are being carried forward, such as the £400 million made available to promote the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles and a £60 million fund provided for the development of offshore wind manufacturing facilities at port sites.
EU External Trade
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the potential annual economic benefit to the UK from each EU free trade agreement under negotiation; and if he will make a statement. [102034]
Norman Lamb: The European Commission in general publishes comprehensive Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIAs) for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) before and after negotiations. SIAs estimate annual economic benefits to the EU from each FTA over the short and long term, across a number of scenarios. This permits estimates to be made of benefits to the UK.
In particular, with respect to FTAs currently under negotiation:
(i) EU-Canada: The benefits of this agreement to the UK could be approximately £423 million per annum in the short term;
(ii) EU-India FTA: This agreement could produce benefits to the UK of approximately £2 billion over ten years;
(iii) EU-Mercosur FTA: The Commission has conducted some research but there is not yet a published SIA. The UK is pressing the Commission for clarity over its analysis and we hope to see a published SIA in due course;
(iv) The EU-Malaysia FTA and EU-Singapore FTA are important building blocks towards an EU-ASEAN FTA, which could bring benefits of up to £3 billion per annum to the UK in the long term.
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(v) Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTA) with Moldova and Georgia were launched in December and the UK is pressing the European Commission to produce sustainability impact assessments. The economic impacts from these DCFTA on the UK are expected to be limited.
These estimates are based on extrapolations made by Trade Policy Unit analysts from data and analysis in Commission produced reports, including the Trade Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIAs) which have been published for some of the FTAs under negotiation. Published SIAs are available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/trade/analysis/sustainabiiity-impact-assessments/assessments/
EU Trade
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the annual economic benefit to UK consumers from the increased variety of goods and services resulting from (a) liberalisation of the single market and (b) EU free trade agreements; and if he will make a statement. [102035]
Norman Lamb: The Government are committed to promoting open markets and strongly support the conclusion of ambitious EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). FTAs deliver economic benefits for a number of reasons including by encouraging diverse and competitive markets in goods and services. During the negotiation of these agreements the EU conducts Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIAs) which estimate the short and long run economic benefits across a range of scenarios. Figures for overall benefit include benefits to consumers although in general the analyses do not disaggregate the data in this way. The results of these assessments are published on the Commission website:
http://ec.europa.eu/trade/analysis/sustainability-impact-assessments/assessments
The annual economic benefit to UK consumers from the increased variety of goods and services resulting from liberalisation of the single market are difficult to estimate. As an indication one can look at the overall benefits of the single market. The European Commission has carried out studies showing that for the period 1992 to 2006 alone the overall benefits are likely to have been in the range of a 2.15% increase in GDP and 2.75 million extra jobs.
Rarely do studies show the benefits to consumers of increased variety of goods and services. However, recent analysis by the European Commission estimates that the benefits for European consumers from an increased variety of goods are at €600 per person per year, although this reflects benefits from the EU's external trade policy, as well as the impact of the single market. This analysis is available at:
http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2010/november/tradoc_146940.pdf
European Fighter Aircraft: India
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to prepare an analysis of the reasons the Eurofighter bid for the contract with the Indian Air Force was unsuccessful. [102720]
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Mr Prisk: The process in India has not yet concluded. Nevertheless, the German-led consortium has sought clarification from the Indian Government of the reasons for the decision at this stage to open negotiations with Dassault ahead of the Eurofighter Typhoon bid. The response to this will inform the analysis we will conduct with our partners. We remain convinced that the Eurofighter Typhoon offers best value overall and we remain ready to re-engage with the Indian Government.
Flycatcher Technology
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the potential economic benefit to the UK of developing the Flycatcher technology for smart infrastructure. [102598]
Mr Prisk: The ARM Cortex-M0+ is a low power processor design which has a wide range of potential applications for ARM's partners. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its key delivery partners, such as the Technology Strategy Board, seek to keep alert of the latest technologies to understand their impact on a range of issues including the development of “smart infrastructure”. However, no specific assessment has been undertaken on the “Flycatcher technology”.
Free Movement of Labour
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many posted workers from the EU came to work in the UK under the Posted Worker Directive in 2011; [102004]
(2) how many posted workers from the EU are currently working in the UK under the Posted Worker Directive; [102005]
(3) how many posted workers the UK sent to other EU member states to work under the Posted Worker Directive in 2011. [102006]
Norman Lamb: There is no systematic collection of data on posted workers. The best source of information on the number of postings to and from the United Kingdom is the E101 certificates data published by the European Commission. Data on the number of E101 certificates issued in 2011 and 2010 have not yet been published.
In 2009, according to E101 certificates data, there were approximately 32,000 postings from the UK to other EU countries under the Posted Workers Directive (96/71/EC). In the same year, approximately 35,000 workers were posted to the UK from other EU countries. The figures for postings to and from the UK in 2009 are broadly similar to those for previous years.
This is an imperfect measure of the numbers of posted workers, as they measure jobs, not workers and therefore may count some posted workers more than once, as some workers take multiple postings. Workers on very short postings may also not be captured by these data. The data available, therefore, do not allow us to state how many posted workers from the EU are working in the UK at any one point in time.
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Government Departments: Buildings
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for Government premises at 25 Queen street in Leeds; and whether any agreements have been signed in relation to the building. [102475]
Norman Lamb: The Prime Minister's initiative to encourage start-up businesses by using their stock of surplus unoccupied office space is being led jointly by BIS and the Cabinet Office. BIS is responsible for the business start-up element of this initiative, and Cabinet Office, through the Government Property Unit (GPU), is leading work on the property aspect of the initiative.
25 Queen street in Leeds is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), and it has been identified by GPU as suitable for the initiative. 25 Queen street is subject to due diligence and ongoing, confidential discussions with DCLG's landlord. No agreements have yet been signed pending these confidential discussions with the landlord.
When these discussions are concluded, I will ask the GPU to write to the hon. Member with information regarding whether any agreements have been signed in relation to 25 Queen street, and will place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
Government Departments: Empty Property
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his proposals to sub-let unused Government premises to small businesses, how many unused Government offices have been identified in each region to be used for small businesses; what the address is of each property that has been identified; and how many (a) have had contracts signed for sub-letting, (b) have been deemed unsuitable and (c) are subject to restrictive covenants or other legal limits. [102450]
Norman Lamb: The Prime Minister's initiative to encourage start-up businesses by using their stock of surplus unoccupied office space is being led jointly by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Cabinet Office. BIS is responsible for the business start-up element of this initiative, and Cabinet Office, through the Government Property Unit (GPU), is leading work on the property aspect of the initiative.
From over 300 spaces in the central Government estate mentioned in the Prime Minister's announcement in January, the GPU, working with Departments, is currently exploring around 130 potentially suitable spaces. As responsibility for the spaces rests with individual Departments, they will consider leases and other legal limits on a case-by-case basis.
The GPU and Departments are undertaking due diligence and are in ongoing, confidential discussions with landlords and it is therefore not currently possible to provide either the location of the spaces or the number of contracts signed for sub-letting. No contracts have yet been signed. I will ask the GPU to write to the hon. Member with the appropriate information when these discussions are concluded, and will place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
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Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses he estimates will take part in the scheme to rent empty government buildings; and how much revenue he expects to accrue to the Exchequer from this scheme in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15. [102474]
Norman Lamb: We have no estimate of the number of businesses which will take place in the initiative.
The initiative is being run on a cost neutral basis and we therefore do not expect the Exchequer to accrue revenue from this initiative.
Government Departments: Private Sector
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to paragraph 1.227 of Budget 2012 Red Book, what the terms of reference are for Lord Heseltine's review; what resources will be provided to Lord Heseltine to allow him to undertake his review; which relevant public sector bodies have been selected for review; which economies will be used for the benchmarking exercise; what private sector companies have been selected for review; and if he will make a statement. [103140]
Norman Lamb: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) have asked my noble Friend Lord Heseltine to undertake an independent review of how spending Departments and other relevant public sector bodies interact with the private sector, and to assess their capacity to deliver pro-growth policies. This will include a benchmarking exercise comparing how other competing economies implement their industrial strategies.
Lord Heseltine will be supported by a secretariat drawn from across Government Departments that will be based in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). As an independent review it will be for Lord Heseltine to decide which economies to benchmark and which public sector bodies to review.
Green Investment Bank
Mr Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his proposed timetable is for establishing the Green Investment Bank; and when he expects it to open for applications. [102540]
Norman Lamb: The Government have made a series of announcements to the House (24 May 2011, Official Report, column 789; 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 61WS; and 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 67WS), providing details on developments and our forward plans for the UK Green Investment Bank ("GIB").
To summarise these announcements, I can report that good progress is being made towards establishment of the GIB. The location has been finalised, with headquarters in Edinburgh and the major transactions team situated in a London office.
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Work is currently under way to recruit the chair and senior independent director. Their appointments and the establishment of UK Green Investment Bank plc are due to be announced in the spring, with a view to the bank being fully operational by autumn 2012, subject to state aid approval. The bank will have full borrowing powers from April 2015, subject to public sector net debt falling as a percentage of GDP.
In advance of the GIB's establishment, from April 2012 the Government will make direct investments in green infrastructure on commercial terms, led by my Department's UK Green Investments team.
Higher Education: Part-time Education
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on financial education for applicants wishing to study on higher education courses on a part-time basis since May 2010. [102170]
Mr Willetts: I refer the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood) to the answer I gave on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 554W.
There was no spend on financial education for applicants wishing to study on higher education courses on a part-time basis between May 2010 and May 2011.
Higher Education: Private Sector
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy that private higher education providers should not be able to charge an administration fee for applications for students funded by student loans. [103067]
Mr Willetts: Private higher education providers are not currently subject to fee regulation and are therefore free to set their own fee levels. It is a matter for students to make an informed choice on whether those fees are reasonable and offer value for money.
We set out in the White Paper “Students at the Heart of the System” our intention to legislate, subject to parliamentary time, so that all providers which access student support funding will be subject to the same conditions. This includes tuition charge caps.
Job Creation
Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many jobs have been promoted by UK Trade and Investment in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland. [102634]
Mr Prisk: The devolved Administrations have the main responsibility for delivery of trade and investment support within Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) works closely with them, in particular promoting the UK as a destination for high quality foreign direct investment (FDI), helping UK-based companies develop their business through international trade, promoting UK capability overseas, and promoting overseas trade opportunities to UK companies.
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Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
In 2010/11 (the last full year when figures are available), UKTI was involved in FDI successes which created and safeguarded the following number of jobs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland:
| Number of new jobs | Number of safeguarded jobs | Total number of associated jobs | |
| Note: The above figures are based on company data and declarations. | |||
Additionally to the FDI successes detailed above, in 2010/11 UKTI through its trade services contributed significantly to the creation and safeguarding of over 126,000 further jobs across the UK. On a pro rata calculation based on the proportion of trade service deliveries by UKTI to companies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in that period, these represent around a further 6,000 jobs in Scotland, almost 4,500 in Wales and almost 4,000 in Northern Ireland.
The above figures do not take into account those FDI successes and trade service activities delivered solely by the devolved Administrations' own trade and investment promotion teams.
Languages: Training
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what language training his Department provides to support its officials working on UK exports. [102568]
Mr Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is a joint Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). BIS staff working overseas for UKTI transfer to FCO on a temporary basis when taking up their posts. In markets where there is a language requirement, and if they need it, they receive language training from the FCO before they take up their posting. Language training is delivered both in the UK and overseas and works in three phases. Assessments determine an officer's level in a given language; aptitude tests determine an officer's ability to learn a foreign language and exams test the officer's proficiency in the language.
Staff: Business Support Schemes
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials work on each of the business support schemes that his Department and its agencies currently operate. [101083]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 22 March 2012]: The information is as follows:
Manufacturing Advisory Service—two officials.
Access to Finance—two officials working on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme (EFG) and the ex-EFG. Two officials work on the Enterprise Capital Fund and Business Angel and Co-Investment Fund. Two officials work on the Community Investment and Development initiatives.
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Collaborative Research & Development Product (Colin Swan).
Grants for Business Investment—20 officials including projects taken over from the regional development agencies. These officials work on other duties as well.
Regional Growth Fund—38 officials working on the fund.
Smart, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Networking for Innovation (Colin Swan).
Helping Your Business Grow Internationally—this encapsulates all the support provided by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to enhance the competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investment. UKTI is not an employer in its own right. For the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one or other of its two parent Departments, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, staff employed locally in missions overseas drawn from the private sector and people from the private sector in the English regions to support delivery activity. For 2010-11 (see UK Trade & Investment Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11 HC 1005) some 2,270 people work on UKTI's trade and investment business; 1,227 are overseas and 635 are UK-based headquarters posts and 408 are in nine English regions. Some 1,400 of those people are not officials. The average number of full-time equivalent BIS officials allocated by UKTI in 2010-11 to "Helping your Business Grow Internationally" was 397.
Work Place Training, Including Apprenticeships—The Apprenticeship Unit, staffed by BIS and DfE and accountable to both BIS and DfE Ministers, is responsible for the policy and strategy development of the Apprenticeship Programme. As of 20 March the unit consists of 18.5 full-time equivalent members of staff.
Designing Demand—the Designing Demand design mentoring programme for small businesses is run by the Design Council on behalf of the Department. No civil servants work on this programme.
Business Coaching for Growth—3.5 officials.
The role of the Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK Export Finance) is to support exports and investments overseas. It does so through the provision of a number of business support schemes, e.g. insurance and guarantees. The delivery of ECGD's schemes involves staff, directly and indirectly, in functions such as risk analysis, pricing, underwriting, negotiation, documentation, reporting and claims and recoveries. As at 31 January 2012, ECGD had 185 full-time equivalent members of staff and in 2010-11 supported £2.9 billion of business.
I have asked chief executives of the Executive agencies to respond directly to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 16 April 2012:
Thank you for your question in asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many officials work on each of the business support schemes that his Department and its agencies currently operate.
Please be advised that the Skills Funding Agency is responsible for allocating funding to further education colleges and training providers for adult skills and Apprenticeship training. The National Apprenticeship Service, which is housed, within the Skills Funding
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Agency, is responsible for the support and engagement of employers in apprenticeships. Neither the Agency or the Service work on business support schemes.
Letter from Peter Mason, dated 19 March 2012:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (formerly National Weights and Measures Laboratory) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 15 March 2012 (reference 2010/9543) to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills asking how many officials work on each of the business support schemes that his Department and its agencies currently operate.
The National Measurement Office does not have any officials that work on business support schemes.
Letter from John Hirst, dated 19 March 2012:
I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 15 March 2012, UIN 101083 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Met Office provides many services which are directed at supporting businesses in their efficiency and development. However, the Met Office does not operate any direct business support schemes itself and has no staff working on schemes operated by the Department for Business, Innovation and skills (BIS) and its agencies.
The Met Office is an accredited Investors in People organisation. Some staff effort is involved in maintaining this accreditation at no incremental cost.
I hope this helps.
Letter from David Evans, dated 19 March 2012:
I write in response to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 15 March 2012 which asked the following:
To ask the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many officials work on each of the business support schemes that his Department and its agencies currently operate.
As confirmed in our response to your previous Parliamentary Question numbered 96762, Land Registry, which is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, does not currently operate any support schemes for business.
Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence, dated 19 March 2012:
As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to reply to you in response to your Parliamentary Question asking how many officials work on each of the business support schemes that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies currently operate.
As set out in our response to your previous question, Parliamentary Question 2010/9199, as a Government Trading Fund, Ordnance Survey engages with a wide range of businesses as a supplier, as a partner and as a customer. However, the areas of activity mentioned in that response have broad remits of which providing support to businesses is only one. As such, no officials are employed solely to work on business support schemes as such.
Letter from John Alty, dated 16 March 2012:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 15th March 2012, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Intellectual Property Office, an executive agency of BIS, runs and develops a number of business support schemes targeted at improving access to IP for SMEs. Officials working on these schemes are detailed below:
Business Outreach Team - 5 (including Lawrence Smith-Higgins, Head of Business Outreach and Education).
Business Support Policy - 5 (including Guy Robinson, Head of Business Support Policy).
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 22 March 2012:
The Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question how many officials work on each of the business support schemes that his Department and its agencies currently operate.
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I referred in an earlier answer (question 96762) to a discretionary scheme administered by The Insolvency Service's Redundancy Payments Service (RPS) which occupies one FTE.
Letter from Tim Moss, dated 16 March 2012:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 15 March 2012, UIN 101083 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Companies House, as we confirmed in our reply to your question of 22 February, does not operate any specific support schemes for business.
Thank you for your questions addressed to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills regarding, how many officials work on each of the business support schemes that his Department and its agencies currently operate (101083).
Please be advised that the UK Space Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does note administer any business support schemes.
Manufacturing Industries
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that the higher education system provides a workforce capable of supporting manufacturing industry. [102569]
Mr Willetts: Central planning of how higher education meets industry needs is impossible.
Under the new university funding regime, the Government will continue to pay teaching grant to support the higher costs of the scientific, technical, and engineering disciplines. We are also keen to see apprenticeships linked with higher education. Higher apprenticeships have the potential to deliver high level skills tailored specifically to individual business requirements. £18.7 million from the Higher Apprenticeship Fund will support the development of 19,000 new higher apprenticeships in sectors including construction, advanced engineering, insurance and financial services.
As part of the autumn statement, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced two initiatives to improve the information that is available to young people considering careers in manufacturing and other scientific and engineering areas. The first is Government support for an employer-led scheme to facilitate the kite-marking of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (“STEM”) degree courses that will signal which ones best prepare students for employment in particular sectors or occupations, and the second is the extension of the STEM Ambassadors programme into higher education. This will offer undergraduates access to mentoring support drawn from the existing network of STEM Ambassadors and raise the profile of the STEM sector, thereby encouraging more young people to consider a variety of STEM careers including in engineering and manufacturing.
At undergraduate degree level, in 2010/11 the number of UK-domiciled STEM entrants were up by 1% compared to 2009/10, while non-STEM subjects saw a decrease of 1%. There have been large increases since 2009/10 for Chemistry (+9%) and Physics (+5%). In 2010/11 UK domiciled STEM PhD entrants were up 6% compared to 2009/10, and across all STEM subject PhD entrants rose by 7%. This included large increases in Computer Science (+16%), Medicine and Dentistry (+15%) and Physics (+9%).
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Sir Tim Wilson's recent report to the Department on business-university collaboration presented numerous examples of effective co-operation. We are considering how this extensive good practice can be further extended and consolidated.
Manufacturing Industries: West Midlands
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support manufacturing in (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency, (b) Birmingham city council area and (c) the west midlands. [102445]
Mr Prisk: Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) manufacturing businesses in Birmingham and the west midlands can take advantage of our new streamlined Solutions for Business portfolio: eligible companies can gain support in areas such as training and skill development, resource efficiency, exploiting ideas, accessing international opportunities and growing your business. For example, the Business Coaching for Growth programme, which aims to help up to 10,000 high growth businesses a year to address barriers to growth and grow more rapidly.
Support is also available from the new Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), which offers manufacturing SMEs practical support on all aspects of manufacturing, including direct access to manufacturing experts with a proven track record.
Manufacturing companies will also be eligible to apply for the Advanced Manufactunng Supply Chain Initiative, launched on 29 March, which will support investment in training to improve skills as well as expenditure on research and development and capital equipment.
This will complement the significant support given to Jaguar Land Rover through the Regional Growth Fund and Grant for Business Investment scheme to enable them to invest in the new engine plant and development of new models. The Deputy Prime Minister announced a third round of the Regional Growth Fund at the Manufacturing summit on 23 February. Businesses have until 13 June to apply and further information on the application process can be found at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/economic-development/regional-growth-fund
The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), together with the other partnerships across the west midlands, is putting in place a range of local initiatives to complement these national measures. GBSLEP has established the Birmingham business hub at Baskerville house in Birmingham city centre which provides a one-stop shop for business support. Further details are available from the website at:
www.centreofenterprise.com
Members: Correspondence
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise plans to respond to the letter of 23 February 2012 from the hon. Member for Weaver Vale (Graham Evans) on behalf of Mr Anthony Powell. [102991]
Norman Lamb: I replied to this letter on 15 April 2012.
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Motor Vehicles
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to support the automotive industry and its domestic supply chain. [101991]
Mr Prisk: The Department works closely with the UK automotive industry through the Automotive Council with a strategic focus on building stronger supply chains and stimulating innovation.
On 23 March, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), announced that the £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative will open for applications from across advanced manufacturing sectors—including automotive. This opened on 29 March. This initiative will provide grants and loans to successful projects demonstrating real ambition to create globally competitive supply chains. There will be briefing for interested businesses and more information on the criteria of the fund, time scales, eligibility and how to bid will be available at:
www.innovateuk.org
A number of automotive companies have received a conditional allocation of funding under the first two rounds of the Regional Growth Fund; including Getrag-Ford Transmissions, JCB, Nissan, Zytek Automotive, Bentley, Cummins and BMW.
There are also a range of other initiatives that will benefit UK-based suppliers to the automotive industry and other sectors. For instance, the Department is providing an additional £7 million funding for the Manufacturing Advisory Service to deliver supply chain activities over the next three years.
We are also providing support for research, development and demonstration projects. The Government have made provision of over £400 million through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) to promote the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles. The latest competitions supported by the Technology Strategy Board to accelerate the commercialisation of low carbon vehicles includes up to £25 million for collaborative research and development (with OLEV) and £9.5 million for a low carbon truck demonstration trial (with the Department for Transport).
Northwest Regional Development Agency
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether staff employed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency received retention bonuses after the announcement by the Government of the abolition of the regional development agencies. [102389]
Norman Lamb:
The eight regional development agencies (RDAs) have put in place arrangements to secure the retention of key staff until the agencies are closed. They have made these arrangements with the approval of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and HM Treasury. This is to safeguard the taxpayer's interest in making best use of the significant public assets that the RDAs have owned. A retention payment process had been recommended to be put into place by the National Audit Office. At the Northwest Regional
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Development Agency to date, three members of staff have received retention payments on completion of duties when made redundant.
Office for Life Sciences
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2012, Official Report, column 96W, on Office for Life Sciences, for what reason the Office for Life Sciences is undergoing a restructure; if he will place a copy of the business case developed to support the restructure in the Library; and when he expects the restructure to be completed. [102020]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 26 March 2012]: The Prime Minister launched the Strategy for UK Life Sciences in December 2011. This sets out an ambitious programme of activity designed to position the UK as the global hub for life sciences and the location of choice for investment, thus contributing to sustained economic growth. While not a formal restructure, the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) work is being reprioritised to ensure the strategy implementation is adequately supported. No formal business case has been created as the changes will utilise vacant posts, operate within the same staffing envelope and resource budget to ensure more focused responsibilities and greater efficiency.
Prescription Drugs
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which UK universities and research establishments are working on anti-angiogenesis; and how much funding his Department has provided to such establishments for such research in the latest period for which figures are available. [102922]
Mr Willetts: Research is ongoing in many UK research institutions to better understand how angiogenesis is controlled, and thereby how it might be prevented. The Department does not hold detailed information on this.
The following table shows Medical Research Council (MRC) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) expenditure directly relating to anti-angiogenesis and angiogenesis:
| £000 | ||
| Anti-angiogenesis | Angiogenesis | |
| (1 )The expenditure information provided for 2010/11 is provisional and subject to change pending the publication of MRC Annual Report and Accounts. Because of this the values have been rounded down to the nearest £0.25million. | ||
BBSRC supports research on the underpinning biological mechanisms underlying the normal developmental and growth process throughout life. BBSRC funds some research on angiogenesis which is the formation of new blood vessels and is a vital process associated with wound healing, repair of damaged tissue and reproduction.
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BBSRC's aim is to increase understanding in maintaining the balance and control of angiogenesis in normal healthy tissue.
When the balance of control of angiogenesis is disturbed it can mitigate a wide range of diseases such as cancer, diabetic ulcers, cardiovascular disease. Thus, anti-angiogenesis, the prevention of blood vessel formation and growth, is for example, important in slowing down or stopping the growth of tumours and the spread of cancer and falls under the auspices of the MRC and medical charities.
The research that the MRC has funded on anti-angiogenesis is being undertaken at:
The University of Edinburgh
The University of Oxford
The University of Manchester
Queen Mary, University of London
Institute of Ophthalmology
University of Leeds
The MRC has also made an award to the Institute of Cancer Research for a project looking at anti-angiogenesis; however there was no expenditure against this project in the five year period 2006/07 to 2010/11.
Railways: Manufacturing Industries
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of the rail manufacturing sector is to the economy; how many people are employed in the industry; what proportion of the industry operates in each region; and what the industry spent on its supply chains in the UK in 2011. [101979]
Mr Prisk: According to the Annual Business Survey published by the Office for National Statistics the manufacture of railway locomotives and rolling stock accounted for £0.2 billion gross value added in 2009, 0.02% of the UK economy. In 2010 it provided employment for 4,000 across Great Britain. (Employment data for Northern Ireland are disclosive and therefore not published).
Estimates from the Annual Business Survey suggest that the value of goods and services consumed in production by the rail manufacturing industry was £1 billion in 2009.
The following table details the regional breakdown of employment in the railway manufacturing sector.
| Employment in the railway locomotives and rolling stock manufacturing industry 2010 by GB region | ||
| Region | Employment | Percentage of total |
| Source: Business Registers Employment Survey 2010 (ONS) | ||
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to support the rail manufacturing industry and its domestic supply chain. [101989]
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Mr Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is working together with the Department for Transport, the rail sector and key delivery partners, such as UK Trade and Investment, to support the train manufacturing sector and the wider rail supply chain in securing more sustainable UK jobs through clearly identified business opportunities such as the Intercity Express Programme, Thameslink, Crossrail and High Speed 2.
The Technology Strategy Board also announced last November a £4 million Accelerating Innovation in Rail funding competition to support the development of technologies that are able to address the challenges facing the rail industry.
The Deputy Prime Minister announced a third round of the Regional Growth Fund at the Manufacturing summit on 23 February. Businesses, including those active in the rail industry and its supply chain, have until 13 June to apply and further information on the application process can be found at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/economic-development/regional-growth-fund
We are also helping raise skills levels through an unprecedented focus on vocational training, including higher level apprenticeships which will provide for higher level skills and beyond into postgraduate level and professional qualifications.
On 23 March, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), announced that the £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative will open for applications from across advanced manufacturing sectors. This opened on 29 March. This initiative will provide grants and loans to successful projects demonstrating real ambition to create globally competitive supply chains. The funding can support a combination of investment in capital equipment, associated research and development, and training and skills in recognition of the flexibility needed to overcome the barriers that suppliers and supply chains can face. Birmingham city council will oversee the competition to award funds for this national scheme while the Technology Strategy Board will support Birmingham city council through running the competition process. There will be briefing for interested businesses and more information on the criteria of the fund, time scales, eligibility and how to bid will be available at:
www.innovateuk.org
This national initiative is being funded by the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) and BIS.
We have also modernised the Manufacturing Advisory Service and increased its funding, including an extra £7 million to support supply chains.
Furthermore, we recognise there is a need to manage the procurement and investment processes in the public sector so we can sustain a competitive supply base that meets the UK’s strategic needs. The Growth Review looked at how the Government can support businesses, including those in the rail sector.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), announced a series of measures at the Strategic Supplier summit last November, which focuses on taking a more strategic approach to the way we buy public goods, works and services so that we can better
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develop and manage our supply markets. These include the publication of rolling medium term pipelines for significant projects by April this year. The measures will not only ensure we get better value for money over the longer-term, but will also help the market to better prepare and invest in the capabilities needed to meet future UK demand.
Research: EU Grants and Loans
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of funding from the Sixth European Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development has been allocated to the UK. [102594]
Mr Willetts: The UK has been allocated €2,369 million(1), equivalent to 14% of all funding under the Sixth EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (2003-06).
(1) European Commission, FP6 projects and participants database, final version, released June 2008
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the performance of the European Framework Programme in (a) innovation, (b) business engagement and (c) pure research. [102595]
Mr Willetts: A BIS commissioned study undertaken by Technopolis Ltd in 2010 reported on the impacts of the European Framework Programme (FP) for Research and Technological Development in the UK. The headline messages were:
Good alignment between Framework Programme priorities and UK national research and innovation strategies, for example, through the creation of the European Research Council and its support for blue-skies research.
At the time of the report, private commercial organisations made up the majority of UK participants, more than 600 UK-registered private companies were involved in FP7 (or 67% of total UK participants).
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The majority of business respondents indicated that their involvement in FP had yielded important commercial benefits, with many reporting having gained access to new or significantly improved tools or methodologies, and some even reporting the creation of formal elements of intellectual property.
The full report can be found on the BIS website:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/science/docs/i/10-1158-impact-eu-rtd-framework
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had on funding for the Seventh European Framework Programme. [102596]
Mr Willetts: The overall funding levels and distribution for the Seventh Framework Programme were agreed in negotiations which were concluded before it was launched in 2007. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has therefore not had any discussions on this subject.
Research: Finance
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total (a) number and (b) monetary value was of grants for research and development provided under (i) micro projects, (ii) research projects, (iii) development projects and (iv) exceptional development project categories, or their replacement schemes in (A) 2007, (B) 2008, (C) 2009, (D) 2010 and (E) 2011; what the total monetary value was of the contributions to project costs made by companies which qualified for grants under each category in each year; and what assessment he has made of any future demand under these schemes. [102174]
Mr Willetts: The number and value of grant offers made to companies under the Government's Grants for Research and Development (R&D) programme between 2007 and 2011 is as follows:
| Micro | Research | Development | Exceptional | |||||
| N umber | Value (£) | N umber | Value (£) | N umber | Value (£) | N umber | Value (£) | |
Figures for the value of contributions to projects costs made by companies are not available. However, under the terms of the Grant for R&D programme, the percentage of project costs covered by the above grants (subject to the maximum grant) is as follows:
Micro-projects—50%
Research projects—60%—more in Assisted Areas
Development projects—35%—more in Assisted Areas
Exceptional Development projects—up to 35%
In April 2011, the Technology Strategy Board introduced a new national programme of Grant for R&D awards (now renamed Smart Awards). The new programme provides support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for Development of Prototype, Proof of Concept, and Proof of Market projects. The value of awards offered in 2011/12 under the new programme is as follows:
| Project type | Grants offered (£) | Company contribution (£) | Total project cost (£) | Number of projects |
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In December 2011, the Government announced £75 million of additional investment for the Technology Strategy Board to support innovative companies in developing new products and processes. As a result, the Technology Strategy will now make over £100 million available to SMEs between 2012-15 under the Smart Award programme.
Royal Mail: Public Appointments
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what process his Department uses to appoint directors of Royal Mail. [103096]
Norman Lamb: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), appoints the Chair of Royal Mail Holdings plc. This is an Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) regulated post and the process set out in the OCPA guidelines is followed.
Under the Articles of Association of Royal Mail Holdings plc and those of its two direct subsidiaries, Royal Mail Group Limited and Post Office Limited, the Secretary of State's consent, as the special shareholder in all three companies, is required for all other directors' appointments.
From 1 April, the Holdings Board comprises two directors, Donald Brydon and Alice Perkins, the respective Chairs of Royal Mail Group Limited and Post Office Limited. This reflects the operational independence that now sits with the boards of these subsidiaries.
The process for appointments to the boards of the subsidiaries will now be conducted by the Nominations Committees of Royal Mail Group Limited and Post Office Limited.
Students: Fees and Charges
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 232W, on higher education: admissions, what level of tuition fee loan he used to make his estimate. [102403]
Mr Willetts: The Department’s assumption for the average tuition fee loan for full-time students at publicly funded higher education institutions (HEIs) in 2012/13 is £7,500, which is assumed to be taken up by 90% of students.
Students: Finance
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to help mature students enrolled in full-time university courses with child care costs. [94868]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 20 February 2012]: Financial support is available for eligible full-time higher education students with children through the child care grant, which is in addition to the standard statutory support package covering tuition costs and living cost support. This grant pays 85% of registered or approved child care costs in term times and vacations. In 2011/12 it is worth up to a maximum of £148.75 a week for one child and up to £255 a week for two or more children.
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Full-time higher education students with dependent children may also be able to receive the parents’ learning allowance. This is to meet course-related costs and is worth up to £1,508 in 2011/12.
The child care grant and parents’ learning allowance are income-assessed and do not have to be repaid.
Higher education students with dependent children may also be entitled to claim child tax credit from HM Revenue and Customs.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many places the Student Loans Company plans to fund for students enrolled on designated courses in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [103068]
Mr Willetts: The Student Loans Company is responsible for providing financial support to eligible English domiciled students and EU students who have places on designated courses at universities and colleges. It does not limit the availability of that funding to a specific number of students at those universities and colleges.
Department estimates on cash outlay for student maintenance support and tuition fee loans up to 2014-15 are as follows:
| £ million | |||
| Outlay | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
The numbers are consistent with the impact assessment published in June 2011. Student support funding and departmental budgets beyond 2015 will be determined in the next spending review.