New Enterprise Allowance
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many loans have been made through the New Enterprise Allowance scheme in each of the last three years; and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants have received such a loan; [164380]
(2) how many loans have been made through the New Enterprise Allowance scheme since the scheme was introduced; [164381]
(3) how many loans have been made through the New Enterprise Allowance scheme in each region of the UK in each of the last three years. [164382]
Mr Hoban:
The NEA scheme began in April 2011. The Get Britain Working programme last published official figures up to the end of November 2012. The
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number of new enterprise allowance scheme loans made during the period April 2011 to November 2012 was:
| Number of loans | |
| (1) MI not yet available | |
With regards to what proportion of jobseekers allowance claimants have received an NEA loan, this category of information is not collect by the Work programme.
Official statistics regarding the performance of the NEA, based upon official Get Britain Working measures, are available via the DWP website. Official statistics on the number of mentor and weekly allowance starts are available on:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-work-programme-support
Since the introduction of NEA in 2011, there have been 5,710 loans.
The number of loans made in each region between April 2011 and November 2012 are as following:
| Number of loans | ||
| Region | 2011 | 2012 |
| Note: 2013 – MI not yet available. | ||
Poverty
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) children, (b) pensioners and (c) households fell below 60 per cent of contemporary median equivalised income (i) before and (ii) after housing costs between (A) 2007-08 to 2009-10, (B) 2008-09 to 2010-11, (C) 2009-10 to 2011-12 and (D) 2010-11 and 2012-13. [163870]
Steve Webb: It is not possible to determine the change in the number or percentage of households below 60% of contemporary median equivalised income between 2010-11 and 2012-13, as data are not yet available for 2012-13. As such this part of this question cannot be answered.
Figures for volume and proportion of children and pensioners below 60% of contemporary median equivalised income before and after housing costs between 2007-08 and 2010-11 can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112
Relevant figures for children can be found in Table 4.1tr (on page 102) and Table 4.3tr (on page 104) and for pensioners can be found in Table 6.1tr (on page 206) and Table 6.3tr (on page 208).
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The data requested for households can be found in the following table:
| Number (millions) and percentage of households below 60% of contemporary median income, before and after housing costs | ||||
| Number (BHC) | Percentage (BHC) | Number (AHC) | Percentage (AHC) | |
| Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) covering 2007/-08 to 2011-12. These use disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost and an After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are. 4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 5. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year. 6. Numbers of households have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand households. 7. Proportions of households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 8. Figures may not sum due to rounding. | ||||
We want to develop better measures of child poverty which include, but go beyond income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty and drive the right action. Our consultation on how best to measure child poverty closed on 15 February. The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty so that we can ensure we properly tackle the causes. We will publish our response as soon as we can.
Poverty: Yorkshire and the Humber
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children in Yorkshire and the Humber were living in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty in each year since 1995-96. [163869]
Esther McVey: Three-year averages are used to report statistics by region and country, as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. Figures for relative and absolute low income for Yorkshire and the Humber since 1995-96 to 1997-98 up to 2009-10 to 2011-12 can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112
Relevant figures for relative low income can be found in Table 4.17ts (on page 136) and for absolute low income can be found in Table 4.23ts (on page 142).
The current income measures in isolation do not capture the reality of poverty in the UK today. The absolute child poverty threshold is not a direct assessment of a child's needs. These measures are sensitive to where the poverty line is drawn and the measure used to adjust
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the poverty line. For example, in 2010/-11 the relative measure fell by 300,000 children, this was mostly because the average incomes across the UK fell and not because these children saw any changes in their circumstances.
We want to develop better measures of child poverty which include, but go beyond income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty and drive the right action. Our consultation on how best to measure child poverty closed on 15 February. The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty, so that we can ensure we properly tackle the causes. We will publish our response as soon as we can.
Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assistance the Government make available to ensure that people with life-long mental health conditions are supported in making claims for benefits; [164306]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that the needs of those with a life-long mental health condition which prevents them working are met during the assessment process for benefits. [164307]
Mr Hoban: The DWP recognise that individuals with mental health conditions face certain challenges in the application and assessment process for benefits. Special provisions are therefore in place to support individuals with a mental health condition in making a claim.
For example, during the application process for both employment and support allowance and personal independence payment, claimants with mental, intellectual and cognitive impairments who do not return their claim form are referred directly to the assessment provider for a face-to-face consultation, rather than ending their claim. Information sent to the claimant before the face-to-face consultation also specifies that they may bring a relative, carer or friend to the assessment.
All health professionals carrying out disability assessments receive specific training in assessing mental health conditions. In addition, Mental Function Champions spread best practice and also provide support in more complex cases to their health professional colleagues.
As a result to recent changes to the WCA it is now more accurately assessing people with a mental health condition. Shortly after ESA was introduced, 33% of people claiming with mental health condition received the benefit. Latest published figures show that is now 43%.
State Retirement Pensions
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of women who will benefit from the introduction of the single-tier state pension in 2016. [162802]
Steve Webb: It is estimated that over 700,000 women who reach state pension age in the first 10 years after the single-tier pension is introduced will receive an average of £9 per week more in state pension than they would have done under the current pension system, due to the single-tier valuation of their national insurance record.
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Unemployed People
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on refunding the cost of travel by jobseekers to jobcentres since May 2010. [164433]
Mr Hoban: From May 2010 to June 2013, the Department spent £6.4 million refunding the cost of travel by jobseekers to jobcentres.
Work Programme
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make it his policy to permit individuals who volunteer for the Work programme to leave before the end of the mandatory two year period if they are dissatisfied with the Work programme; how it is communicated to people who volunteer for the Work programme that they will be on the programme for two years and not permitted to leave if they are not satisfied, change benefit or move into employment; and if he will make a statement; [164259]
(2) for what reason people on the Work programme who have moved into employment must remain with the Work programme provider for two years from the date they joined; what payments are received by the provider in such circumstances; what figures on the number of people in this position he requires Work programme providers to provide; and if he will make a statement. [164260]
Mr Hoban: It is not Government policy that individuals who are dissatisfied with their Work programme provider should be able to leave the Work programme.
When a claimant volunteers for early access to the Work programme, they will have a Work programme referral interview with their Jobcentre Plus adviser, who will set out all the circumstances around their referral of which they need to be aware.
In order to incentivise sustained employment outcomes, it is necessary that the claimant spends a sustained period with the Work programme provider. Therefore, once a claimant is attached to the Work programme, they remain with their provider for two years, or until all sustainment outcomes have been achieved, or the claimant is referred to specialist disability support through Work Choice. Where claimants move off benefit and into work, their provider is not able to require them to participate in any activity—however, if this claimant returns to work within their two year allotted period on the programme, then they will continue to be supported by their Work programme provider.
While a claimant is attached to the Work programme, the conditionality to which they are subject is dependent on the level of conditionality that is applied more generally to claimants on that benefit. This is true of volunteers and those who are referred on a mandatory basis; therefore, some volunteers, such as those in the ESA Support Group, are not required to participate in activity while they are on the programme, while others, such as JSA early access volunteers, are required to participate.
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Details of the Work programme fee structure and the number of payments were published in the Work programme Official Statistics on 27 June 2013, and can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-programme-statistical-summary-june-2013
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of work programme participants who have obtained job outcomes since June 2011 had been unemployed for more than (a) 12, (b) 24 and (c) 36 months. [164383]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many referrals he estimates will be made to the Work programme in each claimant group in each of the next six months. [164384]
Mr Hoban: The latest forecasts of annual attachment volumes for each payment group that are in the public domain were produced in December 2012 and are accessible at the following link:
http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2013-0317/WorkprogrammeattachmentprofilesDec12.pdf
New forecasts are due to be shared with providers and put into the public domain during the summer.
DWP produce estimates of the number of attachments or each payment group for each year of the programme. DWP does not produce estimates of the number of referrals for each group on a monthly basis.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Work programme participants have been placed on apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement. [164385]
Mr Hoban: Information on how many Work programme participants have been placed on apprenticeships is not held by the Department.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for Work programme participants who secured job outcomes in each three month period since the Work programme started, what average number of sustainable payments have been made subsequently to their Work programme provider. [164391]
Mr Hoban: The information requested from September 2011 to March 2013 is given in the following table:
| Average number of sustainment payments made to Work programme providers in each month, 1 September 2011 to 31 March 2013 | |
| Job outcome month | Median |
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| Notes: 1. The latest data available for analysis are at 31 March 2013. Therefore the final period only contains one month’s data. 2. Sustainment payments: Providers can only claim a sustainment payment where: A Job Outcome has been reported. Four continuous weeks in employment have elapsed between the Job Outcome payment date and the sustainment payment date, or between the previous sustainment payment date and the current sustainment payment date. A participant has been in employment and off benefit each week (a week is defined as a seven day period) in the four week period; and 15 working days have passed since the last date of the period being claimed. Following a break in employment after the 104 weeks allotted time providers will no longer be eligible to receive a sustainment payment (a break is defined as when a participant leaves employment for two days or more, even if they remain off benefit). 3. A Job Outcome payment can be claimed when there has been a either continuous or cumulative period of employment of at least 13 weeks. It is not possible for any provider to have received a sustainment payment in the first three months of the programme. These months have therefore not been shown in the table above. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate (IGS) | |
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to ensure appropriate health and safety provisions are made for all work undertaken as part of the mandatory work activity programme. [164434]
Mr Hoban: Under the terms of their contracts with DWP, providers are required to ensure that all participants involved in any way with DWP provision, train and work in a healthy and safe environment with due regard to their welfare. Under Health and Safety Law participants are regarded employees, whether they are paid or not. Providers must, therefore, comply with their Duty of Care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Act's associated regulations. Providers must ensure that participants receive health and safety induction, training and supervision which are appropriate to the provision being delivered, and that systems are in place for checking this, both within their own organisation and at any sub-contractors.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on the Work programme are working to identify households eligible for the Energy Company Obligation. [164435]
Mr Hoban: The Department does not hold information on whether Work programme providers are working to identify households eligible for the Energy Company Obligation.
Youth Work
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding his Department allocated for youth work in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [164089]
Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions does not fund youth work.
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Deputy Prime Minister
Duchy of Cornwall
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to amend the rights of succession to enable a female to accede to the title of Duchess of Cornwall. [164281]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government have no plans to amend the rights of succession outside of the provisions of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Business
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's communications with small businesses; what discussions he has had with small businesses and small businesses' organisations on the effectiveness of his Department's communications with small businesses; and what steps he plans to take to improve the effectiveness of his Department's communications with small businesses. [163752]
Michael Fallon: The Department and its Ministers have regular discussions with small businesses and their representative bodies and listens to their feedback on the support Government offer to small businesses. I also chair quarterly meetings of the small business forum.
In June this year, the Government pledged further backing to small firms. At an event at 10 Downing street to celebrate the contribution small businesses make to the economy, the Prime Minister announced that all the recommendations made in a recent report by his Enterprise Advisor, my noble Friend Lord Young of Graffham, had been accepted. Lord Young's report focused on the barriers small businesses face when they want to grow and how Government can help businesses overcome these barriers.
The event at Downing Street also marked the launch of:
www.greatbusiness.gov.uk
Government recognise that more needs to be done to make it easier for small businesses to find out about relevant and useful support to help them start up and grow, and this new website brings together the schemes that will help them access the right kind of support. BIS will publish a strategy in the autumn that will make it easier to access the right support, and to improve the way the Government communicate with firms.
Conditions of Employment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of zero hours contracts on (a) staff morale and (b) staff turnover. [163966]
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Jo Swinson: No assessment of the effects of zero hours contracts on staff morale or staff turnover has been made by this Department.
Officials are currently speaking to a variety of stakeholders, including trade unions and industry bodies who represent sectors where these contracts are used, to gather more information on the use of zero hours contracts.
Construction: Vetting
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Construction 2025 Industrial Strategy: government and industry in partnership, published on 2 July 2013, for what reasons the issue of blacklisting in the construction sector was not included in the strategy; and if he will ensure that this issue is considered in any further discussions between government and industry on the future shape of the construction sector labour market. [163836]
Michael Fallon: The position on blacklisting is clear. The practice was outlawed in the Blacklisting Regulations 2010.
Since the opposition debate on blacklisting on 23 January 2013, Official Report, column 330, no new evidence has been presented to Government to show that blacklisting is ongoing. There have been a lot of accusations, but we have not yet received any firm evidence that blacklisting continues, in the construction industry or elsewhere. We continue to urge anyone who has such information to get in touch with the appropriate authorities.
Similarly I am not aware of any evidence that the Blacklists Regulations are not effective.
The Scottish Affairs Select Committee is continuing its own investigation into blacklisting and Government will be looking carefully at its final report as well as any other evidence submitted. Where there is evidence that blacklisting is currently being used in any sector of the economy, the appropriate authorities will be asked to carry out a full and thorough investigation.
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), met with the Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, at the beginning of April 2013 to make sure that he is ready and able to investigate any new evidence and to use the new powers given to the Commissioner in April 2010. These include a penalty of up to £500,000 for serious misuse of personal data.
We are also aware that there are some ongoing cases currently before the courts, and will be interested to see the outcome of these.
Higher Education: Admissions
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications for undergraduate study were made to (a) the University of York, (b) York St John University and (c) all English universities in each year since 2008-09. [163904]
Mr Willetts:
The latest information is given in the table. UCAS has not released any data on applications to individual institutions for the 2013 application cycle, but the latest figures for total applicants to all UK
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institutions (published by UCAS on July 9) show that they have risen by 3.1%, compared to the same point in 2012.
| UCAS main scheme applications to university of York, York St John university and England, 2008 to 2012—Full-time undergraduate courses | |||||
| Year of entry | |||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| Notes: 1. Each applicant can submit up to five applications. 2. Figures cover applicants who applied during the main UCAS application scheme which closes on June 30. Applicants who subsequently applied during clearing are not included. Source: UCAS | |||||
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals from (a) London and (b) England excluding London progress to (i) any university and (ii) a Russell Group university. [163994]
Mr Willetts: The estimated proportions of maintained schools pupils with free school meals who progressed to higher education and to Russell Group institutions by age 19 are shown in the table:
| Estimated proportions of maintained schools pupils with free school meals at age 15, who progressed to higher education and to Russell Group institutions by age 19 in 2009/10 | ||
| Percentage in HE(1) | Percentage in Russell Group | |
| (1) UK higher education institutions and English further education colleges Source: Matched data from the DFE National Pupil Database, the HESA Student Record and the SFA ILR | ||
Information on progression of pupils to higher education is available from the BIS Widening Participation statistical release of August 2012:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/widening-participation-in-higher-education-august-2012
Higher Education: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding per (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate student the Higher Education Funding Council for England allocated to (i) the University of York and (ii) York St John University in each year since 1995-96. [163901]
Mr Willetts:
The following tables show the amount of grant distributed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for teaching and research per full-time equivalent student for each of the years requested. There have been changes in HEFCE's funding methodology over this period, so the following tables
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do not provide like for like yearly comparisons. In particular, the data prior to 1998-99 are not available in a similar format to that for later years.
| Teaching funding | ||||
| £ per academic year | ||||
| York St John university | University of York | |||
| Study level | UG (including PGT) | PGR | UG (including PGT) | PGR |
| £per academic year | ||||||
| York St John university | University of York | |||||
| Study level | UG | PGT | PGR | UG | PGT | PGR |
| Key: UG—Undergraduate PGT—Postgraduate taught PGR—Postgraduate research | ||||||
In addition, the following average tuition fee loan payments (per student), were made to those universities by the Student Loan Company on behalf of full-time English domiciled and EU domiciled students from 2006/07 to 2011/12. Data are not yet available for 2012/13.
| Average tuition fee loans paid | ||
| £, per student | ||
| Academic year | York St John university | University of York |
| Notes: (1 )Figures represent the combined average of those paid variable and contribution fee loans. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. | ||
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much capital funding the Government allocated to (a) York College, (b) the University of York and (c) York St John University in each year since 1995-96. [163903]
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Mr Willetts: The amount of Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) capital funding allocated to York college, the university of York and the university of York St John in each year between 1992 and 2000, is not readily available. However, the HEFCE capital allocations for each of the institutions named since 2000/01 is included in the following table. The amount of capital funding allocated to York college in that period by the Skills Funding Agency and its predecessor, the Learning and Skills Council, is also included.
| York College | University of York | York St John university | ||
| SFA funding | HEFCE funding | HEFCE funding | HEFCE funding | |
| (1) These figures are not final. | ||||
I regret that in response to the hon. Member's previous question on this subject answered 14 July 2011, Official Report, column 501W, some wrong figures were provided as a result of administrative error.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many young people from York Central constituency (a) applied for and (b) started a degree course in each year since 2008-09; [163905]
(2) how many young people from the City of York started a degree course in each year since 2008-09. [163906]
Mr Willetts: The latest information on applicants provided by UCAS is shown in Table 1. Changes in the number of applicants can be affected by changes in population numbers and for this reason UCAS' preferred method of analysing trends in applications is to look at application rates (i. e. the percentage of the relevant population who applied). The latest UCAS analysis of application rates at national level was published in January and is available from their website at:
http://www.ucas.com/news-events/news/2013/ucas-reports-35-increase-applications-higher-education
UCAS have not calculated application rates by parliamentary constituency.
| Table 1: Applicants aged under 21 from York Central constituency(1) to full-time undergraduate courses | |
| Year of entry | Applicants |
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| (1) York Central constituency was created in 2010. UCAS have derived a consistent time series by applying the postcodes for this constituency over previous years. Source: UCAS | |
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The numbers of young (under 21) entrants to UK HEIs who were domiciled in York Central constituency, City of York constituency and York local authority prior to their course have been provided in Table 2 for the academic years 2008/09 to 2011/12.
Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
There are differences in the coverage of UCAS and HESA: the UCAS figures cover applicants to higher education institutions, FE colleges, and other institutions in the UK; the HESA figures cover higher education institutions only, plus the University of Buckinghamshire. Not all applicants apply via UCAS: some apply directly to institutions. In addition, some applicants who obtain a place via UCAS opt to defer entry until the following year.
| Table 2: Entrants(1) aged under 21 to UK HEIs domiciled in the City of York constituency (2008/09 and 2009/10), York Central constituency (2010/11 and 2011/12) and York local authority(2) prior to their course—Academic years 2008/09 to 2011/12 | ||||
| Entrants | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 |
| (1) Covers all students in their first year of study. (2) A student's parliamentary constituency, local authority and area are derived from their home postcode. Data for 2010/11 and 2011/12 is based on the revised boundaries in the 2010 general election. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record | ||||
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK domiciled (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate students enrolled at the (i) University of York and (ii) University of York St John in each year since 2008-09. [163907]
Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The numbers of UK domiciled entrants to the university of York and the university of York St John have been provided in the table for the academic years 2008/09 to 2011/12, broken down by level of study.
Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
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| UK domiciled enrolments(1) at the university of York and York St John university by level of study: Academic years 2008/09 to 2011/12 | ||||
| University of York | York St John university | |||
| Academic year | Postgraduate | Undergraduate | Postgraduate | Undergraduate |
| (1) Enrolments are the total number of students regardless of their year of study. Figures cover enrolments on both full-time and part-time courses. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) | ||||
In my reply to the hon. Member on 12 September 2011, Official Report, column 1032W, it was necessary to provide statistics using the 1 December snapshot of student numbers rather than the final published totals. This is because a time series had been requested covering years prior to a change to the Standard Registration Population (SPR) of students.
Figures in the table are not comparable with the figures provided in September 2011. The snapshot numbers tend to be lower than the SRP statistics published by HESA which capture the full range of start dates across the academic year.
Innovation
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that the UK is in future classed as an Innovation Leader, as opposed to an Innovation Follower in the European Commission Innovation Union Scoreboard; and if he will make a statement. [163723]
Mr Willetts: While the UK has moved from the group of Innovation Leaders in 2009 to the group of Innovation Followers in 2010 on the European Innovation Scoreboard ranking, the more recent WIPO-INSEAD Global Innovation Index shows the UK going from 14th in the world in 2010 to fifth in 2012 and now third in 2013. Innovation performance cannot be understood by looking at a single measure, but, instead, it requires a nuanced look at the different elements and how they interact.
The UK Government's Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth, published in December 2011, set out how Government would strengthen the UK's innovative capability and encourage greater investment in innovation through support for research and innovation in business; provision of incentives for companies to invest in high-value business activities; creation of a more open and integrated innovation system; and removal of barriers to innovation.
We commissioned new economic analysis of innovation to input into the policy development process and published a separate paper—BIS Economics Paper No 15—that supported the wider strategy and set out the UK's innovation system and its impacts and incorporates comparative analysis of innovation performance in other countries.
The Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth set out a range of measures that will work to improve the UK's innovation performance. Key actions include:
The Government is investing over £200 million to establish a network of elite Catapult Centres to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas where there are large global market opportunities and a critical mass of UK capability to take advantage. The first six catapults—covering (High Value Manufacturing; Cell Therapy; Offshore Renewable Energy; Satellite Applications; Connected Digital Economy; and Future Cities—are already operational and the Transport Systems Catapult will be operational when the leadership team is complete by August 2013.
The Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth announced a £75 million package of funding for research-intensive and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and an expansion of the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) to help Government Departments to access innovative solutions for specific public sector challenges, while, at the same time, supporting innovative companies in developing new products and services. Budget 2013 announced that the SBRI programme would be further expanded in key Government Departments.
The R&D Tax Credit scheme allows all companies undertaking qualifying research and development expenditure to claim relief from corporation tax or, in the case of certain loss-making SMEs, payable credit. The strategy also announced that, from 1 April 2012, the rate of relief under the SME scheme would increase to 225% of qualifying expenditure, one of the most competitive rates in the world.
Government also introduced a new "Above The Line" (ATL) credit for large company R&D investment from April 2013. Budget 2013 announced that the headline rate of the ATL credit will be increased to 10% from the 9.1% rate proposed at Budget 2012. This will make the UK a more attractive location for large company R&D activity by further reducing the after tax cost of investment.
Government have also committed to invest in emerging technologies, including the eight great technologies, where the UK has the depth of research expertise and the business capability to develop, exploit and protect these, and where there are likely to be significant opportunities created by global markets for those worth over £10 billion per annum. Government announced investment of £600 million in their autumn statement of 2012 for facilities for technological R&D and Research Council infrastructure. This funding will support the development of innovative technologies and strengthen the UK's competitive advantage in areas such as big data, synthetic biology and advanced materials and support innovation infrastructure to take these technologies through to market.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), further announced a budget increase of £185 million for 2015/16 in the recent spending review for the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the prime channel through which Government incentivise business-led technology innovation. This will enable the TSB to make a more powerful impact on the role that it can play in generating UK economic growth by building on its existing support programmes for innovative UK businesses.
We are monitoring the UK's performance through the annual innovation report and the full effects of the strategy will be realised over the medium to long-term.
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Motor Vehicles: Insurance
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the operation of approved repairer schemes and vertical agreements by motor insurance companies; [164387]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effects of the European Commission's supplementary guidelines on vertical restraints in agreements for the sale and repair of motor vehicles on (a) the operation of vertical agreements and (b) competition practices in the UK motor insurance market. [164388]
Jo Swinson: The European Commission's supplementary guidelines on vertical restraints in agreements for the sale and repair of motor vehicles form part of the legal framework for the application of competition law to the motor vehicles sector, which the European Commission adopted in 2010. The adoption of the new rules followed an assessment of competition in the motor vehicles sector by the European Commission.
As such, the Government consider that the operation of the new block exemption regime for motor vehicles and any monitoring of how that is working is a matter for the European Commission.
I would also note that the Office for Fair Trading (OFT) in September 2012 referred the UK's private motor insurance market to the Competition Commission (CC) for further investigation amid concerns that the market is not working well for motorists.
The OFT had previously conducted a market study in which it provisionally found that the insurers of drivers responsible for an accident (“at-fault” drivers) appear to have little control over the way repairs and replacement vehicles are provided to the “not-at-fault” driver. This may enable the insurers of not-at-fault drivers, and others such as insurance brokers, credit hire organisations and repairers, to engage in practices which appear to result in the cost of replacement vehicles and vehicle repairs provided to not-at-fault drivers being higher than they might otherwise be.
The CC has up to two years from the date of the reference to report its findings. If it finds that features of a market are harming competition, it has powers to impose remedies to address the situation. On 5 July, the CC published a summary of its current thinking, in a document known as an annotated issues statement. This document can be found on the CC's website:
http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/assets/competitioncommission/docs/2012/private-motor-insurance-market-investigation/130705_annotated_issues_statement.pdf
Research: Finance
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to raise public spending on research and development to 0.7 per cent of GDP, in line with the current EU average, by 2020; and if he will make a statement. [163724]
Mr Willetts:
In difficult fiscal circumstances the Government have maintained the ring-fenced £4.6 billion science and research budget in the recent spending
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review; increased the Technology Strategy Board resource budget by £185 million in 2015-16; and increased the science capital budget in real terms to £1.1 billion in 2015-16, to rise in line with inflation to 2021.
Rather than focus on input targets, Government are focused on delivering the outcomes for the economy and society of a world-class science and research base.
Royal Mail
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will outline the present timeline for the privatisation of the Royal Mail. [163973]
Michael Fallon: I laid a report in Parliament today that set out the Government's intention to sell shares in Royal Mail through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in this financial year.
Youth Work
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department allocated for youth work in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [164073]
Jo Swinson: The Department does not allocate funding specifically for ‘youth work’ and disproportionate costs would be incurred to attempt an analysis as no precise definition exists.
However, the Department's policy and delivery responsibilities have a number of direct interventions on ‘youth work’ to help counter youth unemployment, to deliver opportunities for young people to develop the skills for apprenticeships and sustained employment, to provide opportunity for training and to support and develop young entrepreneurs. Working in partnership with the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions, these activities offer significant support to young people and are a key aspect of cross Government policy. In addition, the Department's higher and further education policies help provide a robust framework in which young people can learn.
International Development
Children: Employment
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to review any respects in which World Trade Organisation rules hinder prohibitions or other measures preventing child labour. [163941]
Mr Duncan: World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements are based on the core principle of non-discrimination and are considered appropriate for regulating international trade. The International Labour Organisation is the correct forum to deal with labour standards and regularly collaborates with the WTO.
Incentives to tackle child labour are built into the trade agreements the UK is part of through sustainable development clauses, and in the conditions attached to
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the trade preferences provided to developing countries. As an incentive, additional trade preferences are provided to countries which sign up to and effectively implement good governance and human rights conventions.
Developing Countries: Corruption
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Government plan to address the endemic nature of corruption through use of the development budget in countries lacking transparency. [163656]
Justine Greening: DFID has stepped up efforts to reduce corruption in developing countries through support in areas such as management of public finances (taxation and procurement) and increased investigation and sanctioning of corruption cases. The measures also include steps to improve transparency and access to information, and support for civil society organisations and the media to monitor and hold government to account. In December 2012 DFID increased its funding for the units in the Metropolitan police and the City of London police helping tackle international bribery and corruption.
Developing Countries: Wildlife
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department has any plans to monitor wildlife or biodiversity outcomes from its bilateral or multilateral funding. [163991]
Lynne Featherstone: All DFID funded bilateral activities over £400 are screened for environmental risks and opportunities, including those relevant to wildlife and biodiversity. DFID programmes are also subject to rigorous monitoring and evaluation to ensure delivery against agreed programme objectives. Outcomes for wildlife and biodiversity are included in this assessment where they have been identified as an explicit component of the programme.
Multilateral development organisations such as the World Bank and UN Development Programme have their own internal processes in place to screen for environmental risks and opportunities. DFID works closely with these organisations to help make their monitoring processes as robust as possible to wildlife or including those that relate to biodiversity.
Senior Civil Servants
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many senior civil servants left her Department and public bodies under voluntary exit and received a severance payment in each of the last three years; and what the value of such payments was. [164405]
Mr Duncan: No senior civil servants have left DFID or its public bodies under voluntary exit terms in any of the last three financial years.
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Somalia
Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the contribution of diaspora remittances to enconomic growth and stability in Somaliland and Somalia. [164363]
Mr Duncan: Remittances have played a key role in both economic growth and stability, particularly in Somaliland but also more widely in Somalia over the last 20 years. Remittances are estimated to account for 50% of Somalia's gross national income and to support up to 40% of the population, or 3.8 million people. Exact figures cannot be determined due to the lack of supervision and regulation of the sector in Somalia, however, Somali "Money Transfer Organisations" (MTOs) are estimated to handle US$2 billion annually in remittances from worldwide sources. It is further estimated that $500 million of remittances are sent to Somaliland per year.
Remittances are therefore crucial to a large number of individuals' livelihoods and to the overall stability of the country. Studies have, however, also found that remittances in Somalia can discourage job-seeking as individuals have chosen to rely on remittances for their livelihoods, rather than work in local jobs. Due to commercial banks' recent decisions to close the majority of MTO accounts in the UK, DFID is working closely with Her Majesty's Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to assess the situation and facilitate dialogue between industry stakeholders to try to ensure transfers to Somalia and elsewhere remain possible.
Sudan and South Sudan
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent on which training programmes in Sudan and South Sudan in each of the last six years. [164248]
Mr Duncan: Training and capacity building is an important component of several UK development projects in Sudan and South Sudan. However we cannot provide a breakdown by year as we do not maintain a central record for all training activities across our programme. Examples include: