Official Secrets Act
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any person employed by (a) her Department, (b) the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible and (c) any private firms contracted by her Department is bound by any part of the Official Secrets Act. [104845]
Norman Baker:
All Crown Servants and government contractors (as defined by Sections 12(1) and 12(2) of the Official Secrets Act 1989) are subject to the requirements of the Official Secrets Act. Upon entering the Department, all staff are made aware that they are bound by the terms of the Official Secrets Act and that their actions
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resulting in unauthorised disclosure of official information may result in legal proceedings being taken against them.
Public Consultation
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of her Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification. [104079]
Norman Baker: Formal verification of compliance with the various obligations set out under the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation is normally a matter that is handled internally, in accordance with the obligation under the Code to monitor the effectiveness of consultation exercises.
Although no central record is kept, the Department for Transport occasionally uses external verification for large complex consultations such as those conducted on Heathrow and on High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) to ensure that the processes for collating and analysing consultation responses are robust. For Heathrow, Faber Maunsell did this at a cost of under £30,000 in 2007. The HS2 consultation has used a peer review group for verification of the consultation approach. This is ongoing but the cost to date has been £3,909.60 incl. VAT. HS2 has also commissioned the Consultation Institute to undertake a review of the response analysis methodology, the cost of which was £23,760 incl. VAT.
Railways: Franchises
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on whether a franchised service operator continues to be charged marginal track access costs when they buy out or take over an open-access operator. [105323]
Mrs Villiers: Decisions on the structure and level of access charges for use of the railway network are made by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), which is independent of the Government. ORR is currently reviewing the structure and level of track access charges that will apply for Network Rail's next control period from 2014 to 2019.
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the differential in charges is for track access costs between open-access operators and those rail companies that are franchised service operators. [105324]
Mrs Villiers: All train operators pay a variable track usage charge and a capacity charge which reflect the incremental costs of their use of the rail network. All operators of electric trains also pay a traction electricity charge. Franchised train operators pay an additional fixed track access charge which does not apply to open- access operators. Fixed access charges are 62% of Network Rail's total track access income (ORR estimate for CP4 2009-2014).
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Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many open-access operator routes there are in operation in England. [105325]
Mrs Villiers: Scheduled open-access passenger services operate on the following routes:
London King's Cross to Hull (Hull Trains)
London King's Cross to Sunderland (Grand Central Railway)
London King's Cross to Bradford via Halifax (Grand Central Railway)
London Paddington to Heathrow (BAA)
Grosmont to Whitby (North Yorkshire Moors Railway).
Other routes are used by non-regular charter trains which operate on the national network under open access rights.
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.42 of her Department's publication, “Reforming our Railways: Putting the Customer First”, whether open access bids that are currently in the pipeline will be given consideration. [105353]
Mrs Villiers: Decisions on the allocation of railway network capacity for open-access operations are made by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), which is independent of the Government. ORR makes those decisions by reference to its statutory duties under the Railways Act 1993 (as amended). The Government have no plans to alter these arrangements.
Road Signs and Markings
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of brown tourist signs on the Highways Agency managed road network are paid for (a) from the public purse and (b) by the tourist sites they relate to. [103873]
Mike Penning: All tourist signing permitted on the strategic road network should be at the expense of the applicant, so there is no financial burden on the public purse.
The exception to this is where a road improvement scheme requires a tourist sign to be repositioned. This may be funded through the scheme cost if the destination remains eligible following the works.
Work and Pensions
Child Maintenance
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department takes to inform a parent with care when the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission takes a decision not to pursue the collection of child maintenance arrears and to suspend the arrears on its accounting records. [103324]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the child maintenance commissioner to write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested, and I have seen the response.
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In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to inform a parent with care when the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission takes a decision not to pursue the collection of child maintenance arrears and to suspend the arrears on its accounting records. [103324]
When considering the collection of child maintenance arrears due, the first step taken is to contact the parent with care to confirm that they wish the arrears to be collected. Prior to the Child Support Agency (CSA) exercising its discretionary power to temporarily or permanently suspend collection of child maintenance arrears full consideration will be given to the individual circumstances of both the case and the parties involved.
Although ultimately the decision to suspend collection of the arrears lies with the CSA due regard will be given to any representations made by the parent with care. Additionally, the CSA must consider the welfare of any children likely to be affected by the decision to suspend collection of any child maintenance arrears.
Whether the arrears are due wholly or partially to the parent with care, they will be contacted in either case by phone and the position will be explained to them along with potential timescales to review the suspension of arrears collection. The decision to suspend collection will also then be notified by letter to both the non-resident parent and the parent with care.
Where the arrears are entirely due to the Secretary of State the parent with care will not be contacted in relation to the decision to suspend collection of the arrears as it will have no impact upon them.
If a decision has been restated not to collect at that time, the arrears are then suspended on the relevant child support computer system and a review date set. If the review date is reached and the decision is at that point taken to collect then the arrears are reinstated to the client's accounts as appropriate. Collection activity will then recommence.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the results were of the unadjusted survey data from the customer insight analysis undertaken by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to determine the behavioural impact of the introduction of fees to use the future statutory child maintenance system on (a) levels of future compliance and (b) use of the future statutory collection service from 2013 onwards. [103338]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Lady with the information requested, and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the results were of the unadjusted survey data from the customer insight analysis undertaken by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to determine the behavioural impact of the introduction of fees to use the future statutory child maintenance system on (a) levels of future compliance and (b) use of the future statutory collection service from 2013 onwards. [103338]
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The surveys did not include any questions on expectations of future compliance for either parents with care or non-resident parents. 87% of current non-resident parents indicated that they would prefer to use maintenance direct if there was a charge to use the collection service.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assumptions the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission made in interpreting the raw survey data from its customer insight analysis to determine the behavioural impact of the introduction of fees to use the future statutory child maintenance system in its (a) cautious and (b) optimistic estimate for the number of customers prepared to pay fees. [103339]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Lady with the information requested, and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assumptions the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission made in interpreting the raw survey data from its customer insight analysis to determine the behavioural impact of the introduction of fees to use the future statutory child maintenance system in its (a) cautious and (b) optimistic estimate for the number of customers prepared to pay fees. [103339]
The ‘optimistic' and ‘cautious' estimates are based on the Commission's upper and lower range estimates for the number of customers prepared to pay fees after adjusting for how it expects them to behave. The estimate of the unadjusted survey is modelled on the proportion (13 percent) of non-resident parents who replied they would use the Commission's collection service to transfer maintenance payments. The Commission believes that such a scenario is highly unlikely as some parents will demonstrate behaviour that will necessitate the use of the collection service. The Commission believes a range between 56 and 78 per cent of non-resident parents using the collection service is more realistic.
The key assumption is therefore around the extent to which collection charging will influence behavioural change in non-resident parents and to what extent the parent with care will be flexible in receiving payments, especially as there may be initial opposition to maintenance direct on the part of the parent with care. Analysts are in the process of refining assumptions in this area and the survey results, associated analysis and assumptions will be published alongside the impact assessment covering charging and case closure later this year.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) parents with care and (b) non- resident parents were consulted as part of the customer insight analysis undertaken by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to determine the behavioural impact of the introduction of fees to use the future statutory child maintenance system. [103397]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Lady with the information requested, and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
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You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) parents with care and (b) non-resident parents were consulted as part of the customer insight analysis undertaken by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to determine the behavioural impact of the introduction of fees to use the future statutory child maintenance system. [103397]
The quantitative element of the insight work achieved completed surveys from 2549 parents with care and 1334 non-resident parents. In addition, focus groups were held with 50 parents with care and 33 non-resident parents.
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 11 of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's delivery plan for 2011-12, what interventions were tested by the Child Maintenance Options Service during the course of the year which were designed to help parents make family-based arrangements; and when he expects to publish the evidence gathered as a result of those interventions concerning what works in encouraging successful family-based agreements on child maintenance. [105310]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the child maintenance commissioner to write to the hon. Lady with the information requested, and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 11 of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's delivery plan for 2011-12, what interventions were tested by the Child Maintenance Options Service during the course of the year which were designed to help parents make family-based arrangements; and when he expects to publish the evidence gathered as a result of those interventions concerning what works in encouraging successful family-based agreements on child maintenance. [105310]
The Child Maintenance Options service has been piloting a new approach to help parents overcome the barriers they may face in making effective family-based arrangements, this includes a new range of guides aimed at helping parents to collaborate and reach decisions together on a range of issues, in the best interests of their children. The new guides range from practical to emotional issues parents may face on separation such as dealing with a new partner, practical information for new single parents and co-parenting without conflict.
Customer feedback on the new guides has now been completed and will form part of the overall internal evaluation of the pilot due in early May which will inform future service developments to encourage, more parents to collaborate.
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information the Child Support Agency holds on the proportion of parents with care each year who transfer from a maintenance direct arrangement to the Child Support Agency's collection service; and how many parents with care switched from a maintenance direct arrangement to using the Child Support Agency's collection service in 2011-12. [105352]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Lady with the information requested, and I have seen the response.
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In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information the Child Support Agency holds on the proportion of parents with care each year that transfer from a maintenance direct arrangement to the Child Support Agency's collection service; and how many parents with care switched from a maintenance direct arrangement to using the Child Support Agency's collection service in 2011-12. [105352]
As at December 2010, there were 171,800 maintenance direct cases. 11,400 (7%) of these had a liability to pay maintenance via
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the CSA collection service at least once in the year between December 2010 and December 2011.
Disability Living Allowance
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people were in receipt of the (a) care and (b) mobility component of disability living allowance in (i) Wrexham constituency, (ii) Wales and (iii) the UK in the latest period for which figures are available. [103691]
Maria Miller: The information requested is contained in the following table.
| Number and proportion of people in Wrexham constituency, Wales and the UK in receipt of the care and mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA): August 2011 | |||||
| Total in receipt of DLA | Number in receipt of care component | Percentage of the population in receipt of care component | Number in receipt of mobility component | Percentage of the population in receipt of mobility component | |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10, percentages to one decimal place. 2. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. DLA care and mobility components can be paid together or on their own. 4. These data are available on the Departments tabulation tool at: http://83.244.183.180/100pc/dla/tabtool_dla.html 5. Northern Ireland data are the responsibility of the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland. For Northern Ireland statistics go to: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm 6. Population figures are mid-year 2010 and are available on the ONS website at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?pageSize=50&newquery=population+estimates+great+britain+2010 Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate, 100%WPLS. | |||||
Employment Schemes: Young People
Mr Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training he expects to meet his eligibility criteria of holding no GCSEs at grades A to C for support as part of the Youth Contract; and what steps he is taking to make provision for those who do not meet his criteria and wish to access learning and work. [104529]
Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Education.
We expect around 36% of 16 and 17-year-olds NEET nationally to meet the eligibility criteria of holding no GCSEs at grades A* to C.
We were clear in “Building Engagement, Building Futures” that this programme is one element of our overall plans to reach full participation in education and training for 16 to 17-year-olds. The Department is providing a record investment in education and training places for 16 to 19-year-olds of £7.5 billion in 2012-13. Local authorities have clear statutory duties to ensure that there is sufficient, suitable education and training provision to meet young people's needs and to support them to participate. This support for young people NEET is funded from the Early Intervention Grant, which is worth over £2.3 billion in 2012-13.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason a single national fund has been established for wage subsidies payable under the Youth Contract rather than the subsidies being made available on the basis of likely need in each provider's area. [105609]
Chris Grayling: Take-up of the new wage incentive will be driven by employer demand. We do not want to limit or restrict take-up of the wage incentive and we have therefore not imposed artificial limits on our Work programme providers. The Department will, however, monitor the take-up of the wage incentive closely and we are committed to formally reviewing Youth Contract progress in the summer.
Housing Benefit
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's impact assessment entitled “Under-occupation of social housing”, whether the application of private rented sector size criteria to the social rented sector will include the criterion that an individual under 35 years should live in a property with shared facilities; what discussions he has had on the extension of this aspect of private rented sector size criteria to the social rented sector; and if he will make a statement. [106053]
Steve Webb: The local housing allowance size criteria will be applied to the social rented sector in establishing under-occupancy. The shared accommodation rate is not part of the size criteria and so will not apply to the under-occupation measure for claimants in the social rented sector.
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Housing Benefit: Glasgow
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many in-work households were in receipt of housing benefit in (a) the City of Glasgow and (b) Glasgow North constituency in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011. [103726]
Steve Webb: The economic status of all HB recipients is not available. Information is available only for those HB recipients whose claim is not passported: that is for those who do not receive either income support, jobseeker’s allowance (income-based), employment and support allowance (income-based) or pension credit (guaranteed credit). A small proportion of the passported cases will be in part-time employment. The available information is shown in the following table.
| Housing benefit recipients, non-passported and in employment—City of Glasgow local authority, December 2009-December 2011 | |||
| Total HB recipients | All non-passported | Non-passported, of which in employment | |
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 3. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant-level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and December 2011 is the most recent available. 5. Passported status does not include recipients with unknown passported status. 6. The data refer to people receiving housing benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit and are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant or the partner of claimant (if applicable) in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported benefits who are working part-time cannot be identified and are therefore not included in this analysis. 7. Information is not available for housing benefit recipients at parliamentary constituency level each month from November 2008. However, the Department has published a one-off analysis on housing benefit case loads at parliamentary constituency level for January 2011 only, on its website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/hb_ctb_parlc_jan11.xls Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE). | |||
National Insurance Credits
Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether parents who receive national insurance credits linked to child benefit will no longer receive those credits if their child benefit is withdrawn on the basis of their household income; [105504]
(2) by what means he plans to determine eligibility for national insurance credits linked to child benefit under his proposed changes to child benefit. [105505]
Steve Webb: National insurance credits which protect a person's future entitlement to the basic state pension and the state second pension will remain available for those claiming child benefit for a child under 12.
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Parents and carers who get national insurance credits linked to them claiming child benefit will not lose them on the basis of their household income even if they choose not to receive the actual payments or their partner has to pay the new tax charge.
The introduction of the tax charge will not affect a person's right to claim child benefit.
Parents and carers will have two options to safeguard their state pension, which will be made clear on the child benefit claim form:
they can claim child benefit, receive the payments and, if liable, they or their partner can pay the new tax charge; or
they can claim child benefit to establish entitlement to the credits but choose not to receive the actual payments; this means that neither they nor their partner will be liable to pay the new tax charge.
New Enterprise Allowance
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of extending the New Enterprise Allowance to participants in the Work programme; and if he will make a statement. [105604]
Chris Grayling: No estimate has been made of the cost of extending the New Enterprise Allowance to participants in the Work programme because I have no plans to do this. A core principle of the Work programme is that providers are free to offer the interventions they feel are right for the individual, at the right time. Providers can offer self-employment support if they wish to do so, but this would be outside of the New Enterprise Allowance programme operated by Jobcentre Plus.
Pensioners: Council Tax Benefits
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in receipt of a state pension who became ineligible for council tax benefit as a result of the recent increase in the state pension. [105132]
Steve Webb: The information is not available.
Pensioners: Postage Stamps
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Royal Mail on its concessionary scheme for pensioners to purchase stamps at Christmas. [105154]
Steve Webb: There have been no discussions between Ministers and Royal Mail on this issue. However, a number of meetings at official level have taken place.
Remploy
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that the Government will meet any liabilities in the Remploy Pension Fund. [105529]
Maria Miller:
The reforms of Remploy have not affected the security of member benefits. While Remploy continues it will continue to fulfil its employer's obligations to the scheme as usual. If Remploy is to leave Government
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then, as promised in the 7 March announcement, the Department will fully protect all Remploy Pension Scheme members' accrued benefits.
The Government have no intention that the reforms will lead to a wind up of the Remploy Pension Scheme. If Remploy were to leave Government control at the end of the process, the pension scheme would have to close and member benefits would be fully protected as mentioned previously. The Government will work closely with Remploy and the Pension Scheme Trustees to ensure that the scheme could continue to be run as a closed scheme.
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the light of proposed changes to welfare benefits funding, what assessment he has made of the possibility of disabled people being unable to afford their care and of the cost to local authorities of providing such care. [105026]
Maria Miller: The Government spend £40 billion supporting disabled people through services and benefits. Personal independence payment is being designed to ensure that those who face the greatest barriers to living an independent life will be in receipt of a package of support that recognises the individual's needs. In the spending review, the Government recognised the pressures on the adult social care system within a challenging settlement for local government and took the decision to allocate an additional £7.2 billion to the system over the four years to 2014-15 to support local authorities in delivering social care..
As part of the reform of DLA and introduction of personal independence payment for people aged 16 to 64 from April 2013, my Department is continuing to work with the Department of Health and local authorities to ensure that disabled people continue to have access to relevant support.
Our October 2011 Impact Assessment considered income and health among other impacts. We will publish more information when it becomes available. Some impacts will be difficult to estimate, however. For example, the Department does not monitor what claimants spend the benefit on and there are no plans to do so in future. Reforms are designed to ensure that those claimants who face the greatest barriers to living full, active and independent lives continue to receive the right levels of support.
State Retirement Pensions
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of (a) men and (b) women over retirement age (i) did not qualify for a national insurance retirement pension and (ii) drew a reduced retirement pension in each of the last 30 years; what factors in a claimant's contributory record accounted for this; and what assessment he has made of trends in these factors in that period. [105499]
Steve Webb: The information requested is available only from the year 2000 onwards.
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| Proportion of people over state pension age in Great Britain who (i) did not receive a basic state pension (BSP) (ii) received a reduced BSP | ||||
| Percentage | ||||
| (a) Men | (b) Women | |||
| (i) No BSP | (ii) Reduced BSP | (i) No BSP | (ii) Reduced BSP | |
| Notes: 1. Data are for Great Britain and relate to basic state pension (BSP) only. 2. Reduced BSP means between 1 and 99% of the full rate of BSP. 3. The relevant information from the sample of administrative data was not collected before September 1999. 4. The sample of administrative data is available here: http://83.244.183.180/5pc/tabtool.html 5. Figures from the sample of administrative data were taken at March of the relevant year; the population data are mid-year estimates. 6. Figures exclude people deferring their state pension. 7. The eligibility conditions for basic state pension were reformed in April 2010. The first and second contribution conditions were withdrawn and the number of qualifying years required for a full basic state pension was reduced to 30. Source: DWP calculations based on 5% sample administrative data and Office for National Statistics population figures. | ||||
The Department has published research investigating the gaps in individuals' national insurance (NI) records. It found that there is no single activity that explains why the majority of people have gaps in their NI records. The research is available here:
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/WP61.pdf
Unemployment: Speech Therapy
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of qualified speech therapists who are unemployed. [105241]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate he has made of the number of qualified speech therapists who are unemployed. 105241
Estimates of the number of unemployed people are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Unfortunately estimates of those qualified as speech therapists are not available.
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Universal Credit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the cost of transitional protection under universal credit in each year up to 2015. [105681]
Chris Grayling: We will offer transitional protection to universal credit recipients, which will ensure that households will not receive less as a result of their move to universal credit, where circumstances have remained the same. The overall cost of transitional protection in each year up to 2015 and beyond is subject to the build-up of the universal credit case load and the final policy design. The detailed approach to managing the build-up of universal credit case loads is under development.
The cost of transitional protection is included within the £2 billion spending envelope allocated for the introduction of universal credit over the spending review period.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Assets
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 23 March 2011, Official Report, columns 115-16W, on departmental assets, what receipts from the sale of regional development agency assets are anticipated in his Department's budget for (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14; and what proportion of his Department's budget they represent in each year. [105294]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 24 April 2012]: The vast majority of regional development agency (RDA) land and property assets (in terms of value) transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency on 19 September 2011 for management and development in accordance with the stewardship arrangement described in my statement of 14 September 2011, Official Report, column 45WS. Other assets transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) during 2011-12. BIS has no plans to sell former RDA assets during the course of 2012-13 or 2013-14.
Bankruptcy: North Lanarkshire
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bankruptcies have occurred in Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill constituency since May 2010. [105923]
Norman Lamb: Official Statistics for bankruptcies on a regional basis for the years 2010 and 2011 will be published on 16 May at 9.30 am. The published statistics will include annual figures, on a calendar year basis, down to the equivalent of local authority level; statistics at constituency level will be deposited at the House of Commons Library.
The latest publication currently available and covering the years 2000 to 2009 is available via the following link:
http://www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/regionalstatisticsmenu.htm
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Biofuels
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has any plans for UK Trade and Investment missions focusing on sustainable biofuels. [103304]
Mr Prisk: UK Trade & Investment have no plans at present to conduct any trade missions focusing on biofuels.
Although UKTI recognise the low carbon value of the biofuels industry, there is not a significant export focused customer base for UKTI services. The UK imports 80% of its biofuels. UKTI are focused on the higher value export activity related to renewable energy particularly offshore wind.
Business: Government Assistance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2011, Official Report, columns 385-6W, on business: Government assistance, what the value of awards made by the Selective Finance for Investment in England and the Grant for Business Investment was in (a) Newcastle and (b) England in each year from 2005-06 to 2009-10. [105383]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 25 April 2012]:The total value of offers accepted under the Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE) and the Grant for Business Investment (GBI) schemes from 2005-06 to 2009-10 in (a) Newcastle and (b) England, is set out as follows. For “Newcastle” we have used the three Newcastle upon Tyne parliamentary constituencies.
| £ million | ||
| Newcastle | England | |
Business: Regulation
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to revise the system of regulation of businesses employing fewer than five people. [105454]
Mr Prisk: The Government recognises the particular burden that new regulation places on the smallest businesses.
In order to support growth and establish a period of increased regulatory stability for these businesses the Government introduced a moratorium on new domestic regulation for micro-businesses and start-ups from 1 April 2011.
The moratorium applies to all new domestic regulation within the scope of One-in, One-out that affect businesses with fewer than 10 employees, and which is intended to come into force before 31 March 2014.
The Government has no plans to revise the moratorium at the present time.
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Business: United Arab Emirates
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage collaboration and networking of UK businesses with international partners in the United Arab Emirates. [105372]
Mr Prisk: The economic relationship between the United Kingdom (UK) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a critically important one from which both countries derive considerable benefits. Given this, we are making strenuous efforts to ensure UK businesses receive the support they need to succeed in this market. Recent high level commercial initiatives, including the UK-UAE CEO Forum, have given a further significant boost to the bilateral relationship.
The UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) team in the UAE deal with about 60 different British business groups every year and with over 2,000 enquiries from UK businesses wanting to do business there.
Consultants
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on efficiency and reform in Government corporate functions through shared service centres, HC 1790, which management consultants were involved in (a) setting up and (b) operation of the shared service centre project for his Department. [104021]
Norman Lamb [holding answer 23 April 2012]: A number of management consultancies were involved in the project to set up the shared service centre and in subsequent reviews. Activa Consulting and Deloitte were appointed by the Research Council in 2006 to assist the requirements-gathering phase of the project. In October 2006 Impact Plus were appointed to deliver the implementation of shared services. In May 2009 a tender was let appointing PA Consulting to assist in defining the shared service transition process. The project appointed Fujitsu in August 2007 to put in place the information and communication technologies (ICT) systems to underpin the shared service centre. Fujitsu subcontracted the work to Oracle. The contract with Fujitsu was terminated in November 2009 when Oracle were appointed. In October 2010 Gartner were appointed to undertake a review of the ICT systems. Following the publication of the National Audit Office Value for Money report in 2011, PricewaterhouseCoopers were commissioned to identify the challenges in respect of the shared service centre achieving full stability and the shared service centres readiness for expansion. Deloitte have been involved at various stages providing audit and assurance reviews of the project, processes and operations.
Economic Growth
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 768W, on economic growth, whether successful outcome targets have been set for the firms awarded contracts as service providers for Business Coaching for Growth. [105384]
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Mr Prisk [holding answer 25 April 2012]: The contract for the delivery of Business Coaching for Growth was awarded to the Coaching for Growth Consortium in January this year. The Coaching for Growth Consortium is led by Grant Thornton (prime contractor) and comprises Winning Pitch, Oxford Innovation, Pera and seven other local delivery partners. I can confirm that these providers have been set targets for delivering the growth outcomes that we want to see for small businesses from Business Coaching for Growth; these targets are enshrined in the contract.
Economic Growth: EU Law
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 769W, on economic growth: EU law, whether he has yet published the Government's findings on ways to improve growth opportunities for UK business. [105382]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 25 April 2012]:The Government published the report “Let's get down to business: Smart regulation, more growth, better Europe” in November 2011. This sets out the findings of the Government's work with four companies, Balfour Beatty, GSK, Kingfisher and Tribeka, to find ways to improve European growth opportunities for UK businesses. The report was deposited in the Library of the House and can also be found at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/better-regulation/docs/l/11-1414-lets-get-down-to-business-smart-regulation.pdf
The Government also published in March 2012 an implementation update showing progress against the wide-ranging commitments of the growth review. This is available at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/growth/docs/12-p126a-growth-implementation-update-march-2012.pdf
EU Action
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have attended at an institution of the EU outside the UK since 12 May 2012. [104412]
Norman Lamb: The information is as follows:
(a) BIS Ministers have attended the following meetings with EU institutions outside of the UK since 12 May 2010:
| Meetings | |
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|
Employment, Social Policy. Health and Consumer Affairs Council |
|
(b) Special advisers have not attended meetings with any EU institution outside of the UK since 12 May 2010
(c) The information regarding officials could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Exports: Angola
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 750W, if he will provide a breakdown of the type of goods exported to Angola in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011. [105393]
Mr Prisk: The following table shows the top 10 types of goods exported to Angola in 2010 and 2011 by SITC-2 digit code.
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| Source: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics | |
Government Departments: Private Sector
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 280W, on Government departments: private sector, if he will publish the recommendations of Lord Heseltine's review in full; if he will make it his policy to (a) consider and (b) implement the recommendations of the report prior to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement; and what mechanisms have been put in place for hon. Members to contribute to Lord Heseltine's review. [105199]
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), wrote to Lord Heseltine 19 March 2012, and I am pleased to say that this important review is fully under way and that all Departments are engaged with its ambitious programme of work. It is, however, a completely independent review, and Lord Heseltine himself is in the process of deciding whom it is practical and appropriate for him to meet in the time available. If hon. Members are keen to contribute I would recommend that they contact the review team, based in the Department, in the first instance.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State are looking forward to receiving the findings of the review, which will no doubt be interesting and thought-provoking. It is too early to speculate on what ought to be the nature and timing of the Government's response to the findings, but I will update hon. Members on this when the review is complete.
Higher Education: Access
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to consult students' unions on institutional access agreements. [105524]
Mr Willetts: This is a matter for the Director of Fair Access to Higher Education. In his latest guidance to institutions on producing access agreements for 2013/14, the director has made it a requirement that there is a statement in each access agreement on the extent to which the institution has consulted with students, including student unions, in its development. The director also encourages student unions to engage fully in the development of the access agreement and to continue to provide him with feedback on their experiences.
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the Office for Fair Access on fee waivers and institutional access agreements for undergraduate courses. [105526]
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Mr Willetts: Formal guidance from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and me on 10 February 2011 set out for the Director of Fair Access to Higher Education our expectations about how he should approach the approval and monitoring of new access agreements from those institutions intending to charge more than the basic amount for tuition fees. In regard to encouraging the use of financial waivers, the guidance made clear that a waiver has the effect of reducing the cost of borrowing to both the public purse and the student. The Office for Fair Access will therefore monitor closely the impact of fee waivers and bursaries and plans to conduct research and analysis to see if one method of financial support is more effective than another in supporting fair access to higher education. Institutions are also encouraged by the director to monitor and evaluate the impact of their own financial support arrangements on access and, where necessary, student retention.
Higher Education: Community Development
Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what the (a) gender, (b) age and (c) ethnic composition was of students admitted to youth and community work degree courses offering Joint Negotiating Committee qualifications in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12; [103626]
(2) how many places were available on degree level youth and community work courses in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and how many places are available in 2012-13. [103627]
Mr Willetts: Information is not held centrally on the number and profile of students admitted to youth and community work degree courses and recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) as conferring professionally qualified status.
The National Youth Agency published on their website a list of 40 universities or colleges of HE who provide qualifications recognised by the JNC and this can be seen on the following:
http://nya.org.uk/dynamic_files/Current%20Courses%20-%20Aug%202011.pdf
These Higher Education qualifications reflect different occupational needs and have a wide range of course titles.
Higher Education: Standards
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he issues guidance to providers wishing to have higher education courses designated on due diligence; and if he will publish any such guidance. [105457]
Mr Willetts: BIS officials have recently started writing to new providers outlining the purpose of the due diligence checks and seeking further information from the providers to inform the checks. This information is currently being incorporated into the Specific Designation Application Pack which will be reissued shortly.
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Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what differences exist between Quality Assurance Agency audits of higher education institutions and his recently introduced due diligence checks on designated higher education providers. [105458]
Mr Willetts: The Quality Assurance Agency carries out institutional reviews of universities and other higher education institutions in England and Northern Ireland. The core aim of institutional reviews is to examine whether universities and higher education institutions provide higher education qualifications of an appropriate academic standard and a student experience of acceptable quality and whether they exercise their legal powers to award degrees (where relevant) in a proper manner. The reviews are focused on the education provision.
The due diligence checks undertaken on organisations applying for specific designation consider the management, governance, and medium term financial sustainability of the organisation. These specific checks do not consider the quality of the education provided as this is covered by other processes. The checks are important to ensure that both the student interest and potential public investment is protected.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider using Quality Assurance Agency checks in place of his recently introduced due diligence checks on designated higher education providers. [105459]
Mr Willetts: We set out in the Higher Education White Paper and the subsequent Technical Consultation document, our intention that all providers that access student support funding will, in future, be subject to the same standards for quality, dispute resolution, information, access (if charging above the basic tuition charge), financial sustainability, reformed student number controls and tuition charge caps.
Further details on how we plan to take forward our proposals will be published in due course.
Land: Registration
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2012, Official Report, columns 309-10W, on land registration, which five UK regions have the highest proportion of land that is unregistered; how much that proportion is in each case; and if he will make a statement. [104164]
Norman Lamb: Land Registry is responsible for land registration in England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own separate Registries. Land in England and Wales is registered by administrative county name and not by regions. The figures, which are approximate, include all freehold indexings where the freehold is classed as absolute, possessory, qualified or scheme title. Urban areas have a high level of registration and it is in rural areas where land tends to remain unregistered.
The information covering England and Wales has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
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Manufacturing Industries
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the findings of the report entitled Public perceptions of manufacturing and efforts to rebalance the UK economy by the Centre for Industry and Government and the University of Cambridge; if he will implement the publication's recommendations on the (a) image of manufacturing, (b) perception of the sector as low-wage and (c) Government's policy on picking winners; and if he will make a statement. [105141]
Mr Prisk: I have seen the report and welcome its findings. In addition to the Government's investment in UK manufacturing we believe it is important to celebrate the manufacturing success in this country, its capability and competitive standing. It is for this reason we launched Make it in Great Britain to challenge outdated perceptions of manufacturing, encourage young people to see manufacturing, engineering and design as worthwhile career paths and demonstrate the role manufacturing can play in the long-term growth of the UK economy.
The Government make decisions every day which affect the economy and individual sectors. They are committed to ensuring sustained, high-level communication between industry and Government to align activities and develop and secure agreement on long-term strategies. This sustained dialogue is necessary to generate stronger and more competitive supply chains, higher level skills, and a commercial environment in which strategic sectors remain competitive.
Overseas Trade: Caribbean
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the statement of 25 January 2012, Official Report, column 17WS, on Brazil and the Caribbean (Foreign Secretary visit), what plans his Department has to engage with the Caribbean business community in the UK who export to and import from the Caribbean; and if he will make a statement. [104824]
Mr Prisk: Government support and advice for companies pursuing international trade is provided through UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), an organ of both the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. UKTI’s teams based in the Caribbean, and in the parts of the UK with significant Caribbean diaspora, regularly provide services to the Caribbean business community in the UK in order to help them develop their international business. Moreover, UKTI has excellent working relations with stakeholder bodies such as the Caribbean Council and counterpart organisations such as the Caribbean Export Development Agency through which business opportunities in both markets are promoted. It was with the latter that UKTI recently organised “Break Point”, a Dragons' Den style competition for Caribbean companies for which the prize is a trip to the UK to develop their export strategies.
The Government agreed at the UK-Caribbean Ministerial Forum in January to explore all avenues, including the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), to improve access for Caribbean
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exports of goods and services, via policy frameworks. These include taking concrete steps, inter alia, to attain international standards, reduce bureaucracy, facilitate business travel, and increase levels of innovation, all of which will improve the prospects of UK Caribbean businesses operating in the region. This work cuts across Government, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Overseas Trade: Surveys
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will respond to the findings of the British Chambers of Commerce's survey Exporting is Good For Britain and Exporters Need Skills. [104300]
Mr Hayes: The Government welcomes the British Chambers of Commerce's (BCC) survey “Exporting is Good for Britain and Exporters Need Skills”. The Government's ambition is to have a world-class skills base that provides a consistent source of global competitive advantage returning the economy to sustainable growth.
Businesses are in the best position to understand what skills, including those for exporting, are required for their sector or industry. So we are making sure that the skills system is not led by Government, but by employers and individuals themselves. As a Government, we are empowering them with the support and information they need to make confident decisions and shape the system to deliver.
Through UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), Government helps UK based companies gain the skills needed to succeed in the global economy through a range of programmes, under their Helping Your Business Grow Internationally trade development product.
Excellent leadership and management skills lie at the heart of outstanding business performance, so we have prioritised funding for these skills for SMEs who demonstrate the potential for growth. Building their capability and confidence to move and expand into the export market. Aligned with Leadership and Management support, Business Coaching for Growth will provide strategic advice, coaching mentoring and access to knowledge networks to help them achieve their growth potential.
Postgraduate Education
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to postgraduate fees on levels of participation in higher education. [104934]
Mr Willetts: Postgraduate fee levels are determined locally by higher education institutions. No assessment has been made of the potential effect of changes to postgraduate fees on levels of participation in higher education.
There have been arrangements made to monitor developments in the postgraduate market as a result of changes in undergraduate tuition fees. We have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to review participation in postgraduate study, as part of a longer term assessment and evaluation of
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the impact of funding changes. Until the findings from this become clear, we have asked HEFCE, through the grant letter, to take steps as far as possible to support postgraduate provision. As a first step in 2012/13 HEFCE are providing additional funding for taught postgraduate students of £39 million. HEFCE are currently consulting on the future support for postgraduate teaching, as part of their consultation on the future of grant funding from 2013/14 onwards.
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has undertaken to evaluate the anticipated effect on postgraduate numbers, undertaking both postgraduate taught degrees and research degrees arising from changes in student visa regulations. [105313]
Mr Willetts: It is too early to tell whether the reforms to the student visa regulations will affect the numbers of international students undertaking postgraduate degrees. There is no centralised body equivalent to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) through which we can monitor applications for postgraduate courses. Information on postgraduate enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions for the 2011/12 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2013.
The purpose of the new student visa route is to address past abuses of the visa system by creating controls that make study applications less attractive to those who are not genuine students, while welcoming genuine students to the UK. Therefore, international students studying postgraduate taught courses and research degrees will continue to be welcomed under the student route.
Postgraduate Education: Finance
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for funding of postgraduate education. [105523]
Mr Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills provides funding to the Research Councils and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to support postgraduate education.
The Research Councils support around 19,000 doctoral students around the UK and plan to invest around £340 million in postgraduate education during 2012-13.
HEFCE provides funding to higher education institutions (HEIs) in England. This funding contributes to meet some of the costs incurred by HEIs through providing taught postgraduate courses and for supervising students in the first three years of a postgraduate research degree programme. HEFCE is increasing provision for research degree programme supervision costs in 2012-13 to £240 million (from £205 million in 2011-12). HEFCE allocation in relation to taught postgraduate provision in 2012-13 is being maintained at similar levels to 2011-12, and estimated at £135 million for 2012-13.
Postgraduate Education: Overseas Students
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) EU national and (b) international postgraduate students there have been on (i) taught and (ii) research degrees in each subject in each academic year since 2009-10. [105312]
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Mr Willetts: The latest available information on postgraduate enrolments at UK higher education institutions by domicile, level of study and subject area for the academic years 2009/10 and 2010/11 will be placed in the Libraries of the House. Information on postgraduate enrolments at UK higher education institutions for the 2011/12 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2013.
Procurement: Human Rights
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions representatives of his Department have had with the devolved Assemblies on human rights and procurement. [104434]
Mr Maude: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
Responsibility for public procurement is devolved to the national Administrations but responsibility for overall UK public procurement policy rests with the Cabinet Office. My officials meet regularly with those from the relevant Departments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to discuss a range of matters related to public procurement. The Cabinet Office has no record of meetings that specifically discussed procurement and human rights.
Regional Growth Fund
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what methodology the Independent Advisory Panel on the Regional Growth Fund uses to assess how bidders to the Fund meet the six criteria specified in the Fund's application form. [105702]
Mr Prisk: In line with principles set out in the Green Book, Regional Growth Fund bids were assessed on a standardised basis. Metrics related to project location, employment impact and private sector leverage were considered alongside qualitative factors such as wider strategic fit.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the total cost of the due diligence process on successful bidders from the first two rounds of the Regional Growth Fund. [105704]
Mr Prisk: On the basis of the due diligence reports that have been completed to date, it is estimated that the total cost of due diligence carried out with respect to the first two rounds of the Regional Growth Fund will be in the range of £10 million to £20 million.
Students: Finance
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the take-up of career development loans has been by postgraduate students undertaking postgraduate taught and research degrees in each academic year since 2009-10; how many applications have been received; how many students were granted a loan; what the average loan provided was; and whether his Department has conducted any equality impact assessment of the outcomes of such loans. [105311]
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Mr Willetts: The Skills Funding Agency holds financial year management information on professional and career development loans (PCDL), which replaced career development loans in July 2009.
| FY 2009-10 | FY 2010-11 | |
|
Approximate number of PCDLs taken up for postgraduate study (rounded) |
||
Complete data for the 2011-12 financial year is not yet available.
The Department for Education and Skills published a skills strategy equality impact assessment in 2007 which included a section on career development loans. This can be found at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/corporate/migratedd/publications/s/sseqiafull.pdf
A review of professional and career development loans will take place following the introduction of Government-backed fee loans in further education.
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to bring forward regulations on the cancellation period for student debt. [105525]
Mr Willetts: Regulations implementing the 30 year cancellation period for student loans issued to new students commencing their studies in September 2012 or later, will be laid in spring this year.
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the use of fee waivers in place of increased student bursaries as a support mechanism for students. [105527]
Mr Willetts: Institutions charging above the basic fee level must agree access agreements with the Director of Fair Access to Higher Education. In access agreements, institutions set out the financial support they will offer to disadvantaged students, including bursaries and fee waivers; the additional outreach activities they will undertake; and the measures of achievement that they have set themselves.
In our guidance to the Director of Fair Access about access agreements issued February 2011 we suggested that the Director would want to seek to ensure that institutions themselves do not require students to take out higher loans which the institution then re-cycles into poorly targeted bursary schemes. We suggested that the Director of Fair Access might encourage the use of financial waivers that might have the effect of reducing borrowing to both the public purse and the student. In his latest guidance to institutions (19 April 2012) the Director of Fair Access has clarified his expectation that institutions, where possible, take an evidence-based approach in deciding financial support and direct their expenditure according to what has been shown to work well.
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With student finance changes coming into force from autumn 2012, the Director will closely monitor the impact of fee waivers and bursaries and plans to conduct research and analysis to see if one method of financial support is more effective than another in supporting and promoting fair access.
Student Loans
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on levels of customer satisfaction with the Student Loans Company. [104935]
Mr Willetts: The total number of ministerial correspondence cases received by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills since 2010 in relation to the Student Loans Company (SLC) is provided in the following table.
To accurately determine how many of these correspondence cases relate to positive customer satisfaction with services received from the SLC, a detailed examination of all of the correspondence would be necessary and entail a disproportionate cost. The Department monitors customer satisfaction levels as part of regular performance reviews of the SLC.
| Correspondence received by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and its predecessors in relation to the Student Loans Company (SLC) | |
| Number of cases | |
Trading Standards
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the responsibilities of the new National Trading Standards Board will be; how many staff it will have; what its budget will be; and if he will make a statement. [104170]
Norman Lamb: On 11 April I wrote to the Chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, the Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Noble Lord the Shadow Spokesperson on Consumer Affairs in the House of Lords setting out the details of the Government's response to the consultation on Consumer Empowerment and Protection, published that day. Copies of those letters were placed in the Library of the House.
The National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) will be responsible for:
an integrated national intelligence system;
the co-ordination of Trading Standards enforcement activity across local authority boundaries and nationally including management of enforcement databases;
the analysis of intelligence and setting of priorities for cross-boundary enforcement;
funding and supervision of Trading Standards teams in England and Wales and a small number of national centres of excellence;
the maintenance and use of a national indemnity fund to support local authorities bringing large or risky cases in the national interest;
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the tasking of problematic supra-local enforcement cases within the Trading Standards network;
the collection of better data on Trading Standards activity and the evaluation of impact; and
reporting to BIS, and where necessary to the Local Government Association and to Parliament, on Trading Standards activity which crosses local authority boundaries and the use of central Government funding.
The NTSB will have a part-time Chair and small Secretariat. The detail of these posts is yet to be decided. The Chair will participate in the Strategic Intelligence, Prevention and Enforcement partnership alongside the Competition and Markets Authority, Trading Standards, the Regulated Industries Unit and the Citizens Advice service from April 2013. This will share intelligence to inform the activities of each of the partners and provide accountability for the national consumer protection system.
In 2012/13, BIS has provided the NTSB with £9.679 million to build on local expertise and strengthen mechanisms for cross-boundary working—making it easier to catch unscrupulous traders.
UK Trade & Investment: Human Rights
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what human rights training UK Trade & Investment officials receive prior to posting. [103343]
Mr Prisk: All UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) staff (UK based and locally employed) who attend UKTI's corporate induction training programme are given a briefing by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) the Department responsible for business and human rights policy. In addition they are given a hard copy of the business and human rights toolkit which contains guidance from UKTI, the FCO, Department for International Development (DFID) and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on human rights issues.
Young People: Greater London
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley have expressed an interest in supporting the Youth Contract scheme. [104456]
Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
The specific information requested is not available.
Employers engage with us in a variety of ways and we are maximising every contact to promote the Youth Contract to ensure that we can provide close to half-a-million new opportunities for young people.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of women imprisoned for alleged crimes of zina in Afghanistan in each year from 2005 to 2011; and if he will make a statement. [104936]
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Alistair Burt: We do not have national statistics on the numbers and sentences of women imprisoned in Afghanistan.
We are aware of eight women currently in detention in Helmand provincial prison. Two of the eight women have been convicted for zina-related offences. To correct the answer given to question 103666, Official Report, column 376W. They have been sentenced to four years and thirteen (not three) months respectively.
We do not hold annual breakdowns of Helmand statistics.
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 17 April 2012, Official Report, column 155, on Afghanistan, what steps he will take in advance of the NATO summit in Chicago to ensure that full consideration is given at the summit to maintaining security for women in Afghanistan. [105021]
Alistair Burt: Officials in Kabul are in contact with their Finnish and other international and Afghan counterparts, including the Afghan Women's Network, National Democratic Institute and UN Women, on preparations for a pre-Chicago event in Kabul, which will focus on NATO implementation on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security within ISAF. This event is being led by the Finnish delegation who work alongside the Afghan Government to take forward UNSCR 1325 among international donors in Afghanistan.
This will provide an opportunity for Afghan women and civil society representatives to share their concerns and recommendations with Afghan security ministries in advance of the NATO Chicago summit.
In addition, Ministers continue to have ongoing discussions with NATO partners, including most recently at the NATO Foreign and Defence Ministers' meeting in Brussels on 18-19 April, on the sustainability of the Afghan national security forces so that they will be able to continue to provide security for all Afghans. We are working to ensure that discussions at Chicago on NATO's long-term role confirm its continuing support for the rights of women and the implementation of UNSCR 1325.
Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 April 2012, Official Report, column 155, on Afghanistan, with which women's organisations in Afghanistan the British embassy is working to ensure women's full participation in forthcoming elections. [105508]
Alistair Burt: The UK works with a wide range of organisations in Afghanistan to ensure women's full participation in forthcoming elections. This includes both dialogue with women's organisations such as the Afghan Women's Network and the Humanitarian Assistance for Women and Children, as well as providing funding to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to work with women's civil society groups to promote female participation in future elections at a local and national level. This funding also supports mainstreaming gender activities in the IEC.
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Bahrain
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the security situation in Bahrain. [105097]
Alistair Burt: Demonstrations and protests continue in Bahrain. Most are peaceful and conducted with the agreement of the Government but some of them are violent. We are advising British nationals through our travel advice that we cannot confirm where or when any such activity or resulting disruption will take place, and to maintain a high level of security awareness, exercise caution, particularly in public places and on the roads, and to avoid large crowds and demonstrations.
We will continue to make clear to the Government of Bahrain that the civil rights of peaceful protestors and the rights of freedoms of expression and assembly must be respected, and to urge all sides to ensure that demonstrations are peaceful.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the treatment of political prisoners by the Bahraini authorities. [105098]
Alistair Burt: The Government remains concerned about the Human Rights situation in Bahrain and has urged the Bahraini authorities to meet its commitments to uphold international standards in all cases. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), spoke with the Foreign Minister of Bahrain on 21 April to express the United Kingdom's concerns about the continuing unrest. We were disappointed that the court review of a group of prisoners was postponed on 23 April, and urge the authorities to bring these cases to a conclusion quickly and transparently.
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Bahrain on reports of human rights abuses against Government protestors. [105376]
Alistair Burt: We regularly raise our concerns with the Government of Bahrain and, most recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed these with the Foreign Minister of Bahrain on 21 April. I also raised this issue with Sheikh Ahmed bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa, the Bahraini Minister for Follow Up at the Royal Court, on 5 April during his visit to the UK. Our ambassador consistently raises this with his interlocutors at all levels across the Government, most recently with the Justice Minister.
We will continue to make clear to the Government of Bahrain that the civil rights of peaceful opposition figures and the rights of freedoms of expression and assembly must be respected, and to urge all sides to ensure that demonstrations are peaceful. The UK will continue to encourage the Government to implement reform and urge all sides to enter in to an inclusive, constructive and realistic dialogue in order to achieve long-term sustainable stability and prosperity for Bahrain.
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Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of unrest between Sunni and Shi'ite populations in Bahrain. [105377]
Alistair Burt: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made clear on 21 April, we are concerned about violence in Bahrain and call for all parties to act with restraint and air their grievances in a legitimate and peaceful manner.
The British Government supports the reform process already under way in Bahrain and we want to help promote that reform. In particular, we encourage the Bahraini Government to take further urgent steps to implement in full the recommendations of the Independent Commission of Inquiry published in November 2011, which includes recommendations to increase the integration of people from all communities in Bahrain into the security forces. Inter-community unrest must be addressed through an inclusive and constructive political, dialogue; we urge all sides to enter into this process in order to achieve long term stability for Bahrain.
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will have discussions with the Bahraini authorities on the recent civil disturbances and their reaction to them. [106020]
Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Yorks (Mr Hague), spoke to the Bahraini Foreign Minister on 21 April and discussed the current situation in Bahrain. He made it clear we remain concerned about the violence in Bahrain and called for all parties to act with restraint and air their grievances in a legitimate and peaceful manner. Her Majesty's ambassador in Bahrain continues to have regular discussions with the authorities about the current situation.
The Government supports the reform process already under way in Bahrain and we want to help promote that reform. In particular, we encourage the Bahraini Government to take further urgent steps to implement in full the recommendations of the Independent Commission of Inquiry published in November 2011. This includes recommendations to increase the integration of people from all communities in Bahrain into the security forces. Inter-community unrest must be addressed through an inclusive and constructive political dialogue; we urge all sides to enter into this process in order to achieve long term stability for Bahrain.
Bangladesh
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with authorities in Bangladesh on the disappearance of Mr Md Ilias Ali. [105481]
Alistair Burt:
We are concerned about the disappearance of Mr Ilias Ali and the British high commission in Dhaka is in contact with the authorities in Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Senior officials in Dhaka have met with the Bangladeshi Prime Minister’s Defence and Security Advisor and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Director General. We are urging the
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Bangladeshi authorities to do all they can to locate Mr Ali and to investigate the circumstances of his disappearance.
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Bangladesh on the ending of the caretaker Government system before national elections. [105489]
Alistair Burt: Ministers and officials have had a number of conversations with Bangladeshi counterparts about democracy in Bangladesh, including the ending of the caretaker Government system.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), most recently discussed democracy in Bangladesh with the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, Dr Dipu Moni, on 16 April. The Government has consistently stated that it is for Bangladesh to decide how to manage its national elections, but it is essential that they are free, fair and peaceful.
Egypt
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Egyptian authorities on freedom of the press. [105096]
Alistair Burt: In a statement on 7 October 2011, I made clear the British Government's view that freedom of expression, including freedom of the media and the ability for citizens to debate issues and challenge their Governments, is fundamental to building a democratic society. Our embassy in Cairo has regular contact with the Egyptian Government on freedom of expression and human rights more broadly.
Media reform is one of the priority areas of the UK's Arab Partnership Programme in Egypt. During 2012 we will continue our support of improved standards in journalism, including investigative journalism, better access to impartial information on the political processes, and generating parliamentary and other support for a new regulatory environment for the media.
Israel: Palestinians
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons. [104720]
Alistair Burt: The latest information held by the British consulate-general in Jerusalem indicates that the Israeli authorities are currently holding 166 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons. All the children are boys; no girls are being held. Of these, 140 are in the age range 16-18 years, and 26 are under 16 years old.
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions officials in his Department have had with the Israeli Government on the imprisonment of Palestinian members of the Palestine Legislative Council; and if he will make a statement. [104721]
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Alistair Burt: Our embassy in Tel Aviv has raised the arrests of Palestinian Legislative Council Members with the Israeli authorities. Most recently, the British ambassador to Tel Aviv raised this issue with the Israeli Deputy Attorney General on 23 April. I raised our concerns regarding the arrests and the number of Palestinians currently being held under administrative detention with the Israeli ambassador to London on 23 February. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on current discussions between Israeli and Palestinian representatives. [104982]
Alistair Burt: The UK continues to make regular high level representations to the Government of Israel and to the Palestinians on the urgency of making progress towards a two-state solution. We welcome the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and a Palestinian delegation on 17 April.
We continue to urge both sides to show the political leadership and courage needed to achieve a negotiated solution.
Libya
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the Libyan government's relations with (a) the EU and (b) NATO. [104981]
Alistair Burt: The EU has established a mission in Tripoli and is providing support to the Libyan Transitional Government in a number of key areas including the media sector, civil society and border management. The EU and Libya have also agreed to hold a high level meeting after elections in Libya in the summer to discuss next steps in the relationship. The Libyan Transitional Government has also engaged with NATO. Libya was invited to—and attended—the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue Policy Advisory Group meeting in Rabat in March.
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had on increasing oil production in Libya in the last three months. [104983]
Alistair Burt: The British embassy in Tripoli has been in regular contact with the relevant Libyan ministries and interested companies. Libyan oil production has made a strong recovery since the end of the conflict. The Libyan National Oil Corporation has announced that production is now at 1.48 million barrels per day compared with 1.7 mb/d pre-conflict. Our assessment is that a return to pre-conflict levels of production will require the full return to Libya of international oil and service companies. A number of major companies are now evaluating that return and several are in discussion with the National Oil Corporation.
Malawi
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the appointment of a new high commissioner to Malawi. [105460]
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Mr Bellingham: I refer to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) to the House on 24 April 2012, Official Report, column 36WS.
Following the unwarranted decision to expel our high commissioner in April last year, the Secretary of State made it clear that a new high commissioner would not be appointed until he could be confident that he or she would be allowed to go about his or her business without hindrance or harassment.
We have monitored developments closely over the intervening period and welcome the formal rescinding of the expulsion order. Following the death of President Mutharika, positive discussions have taken place between myself and President Banda and I was encouraged by her commitment to address the serious challenges that Malawi faces. In view of these developments we have decided that a new high commissioner to Malawi should now be appointed. The Prime Minister has conveyed this decision to President Banda.
Middle East
Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to condemn all instances of religious persecution in the Middle East and to emphasise the importance of religious tolerance. [104733]
Alistair Burt: We are committed to promoting the rights of all religious groups in the middle east region. We will continue to highlight and condemn all instances of violence and discrimination against individuals and groups because of their beliefs wherever and whenever they occur.
The UK believes that no-one should be persecuted because of their religion or belief, and we condemn all instances of violence and discrimination against individuals and groups because of their faith or belief. We strongly support the right to freedom of religion or belief as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the full implementation of the 1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas missions have a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights in their host countries and regularly raise our concerns with host Governments, including freedom of religion or belief when appropriate. Where possible our embassies take action on individual cases where persecution or discrimination has occurred and lobby for changes in discriminatory practices and laws.
We believe that more open and inclusive societies in the middle east is the surest route to stability, and to ensuring the security for minorities in the long run. The UK is supporting this process through the Arab Partnership, by promoting the strengthening of the institutions crucial for more open and accountable societies—the judiciary, a free press and vibrant civil society.
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Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that minority religious groups such as Coptic Christians receive protection in Arab spring countries. [104736]
Alistair Burt: We are committed to promoting the rights of all religious groups, including Coptic Christians, in the middle east and North Africa region. We will continue to highlight and condemn instances of violence and discrimination against individuals and groups because of their beliefs wherever and whenever they occur.
In Egypt, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) condemned the loss of life following violent events in October 2011 and stressed that the ability to worship in peace is a vital component of a democratic society. He called the Egyptian Foreign Minister on 12 October 2012 to discuss the situation, and the action that the Egyptian Government was taking to address sectarian tension. We continue to urge the authorities to promote religious tolerance and ensure that the right for all to worship in peace is protected under the new constitution and in law.
In Syria, we continue to impress on the opposition the need to state their commitment to protecting minorities, including Christians. It is encouraging that the umbrella organisation, the Syria National Council, has made such a commitment in the strongest terms.
In Tunisia, we are working with partners to enhance the effectiveness of the Constitutional Assembly, responsible for drafting a new constitution based on democratic values and human rights.
We believe that more open and inclusive societies is the surest route to stability and to ensuring the security for minorities in the long run. The UK is supporting this process through the Arab Partnership, by strengthening political participation, the rule of law, public voice and sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Middle East and Africa
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which countries in the Middle East and Africa no UK Government officials are based. [105473]
Alistair Burt: We currently have no UK based officials in 17 out of 68 countries in the Middle East and Africa. All 17 countries are in Africa, and have an accredited ambassador or high commissioner resident in another location. This does not include posts where we have suspended operations—Iran, Syria and Bamako (decision to return by Ministers pending)—as we consider these to be temporary closures until security and other considerations allow our return. Following is the full list of countries, and their accredited ambassador/high commissioner.
| No presence | Accredited |
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