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  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to improve skill levels in the construction industry.

    Michael Fallon

    Under the auspices of the Construction Leadership Council, the house building industry is developing an action plan to address three immediate priorities: improving the image of house building; attracting back experienced workers who left during the recession; and attracting other workers with relevant skills.

    More widely, the Government is making a number of reforms to the skills system to improve skills supply; putting employers in the driving seat and making providers more responsive to their needs.

    The Government is also currently undertaking a triennial review of the way the Construction Industry Training Board operates and challenging it on the service it delivers to the sector.

    In addition, the Government believes that a more robust and more visible government construction procurement pipeline is key to improving investment decisions in construction. We are working to enhance the pipeline to give construction businesses the confidence to upskill staff, to recruit, and to commit to apprenticeships.

  • Simon Danczuk – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Simon Danczuk – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Danczuk on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will request that the Office of Fair Trading investigates the level of competition in the car insurance industry.

    Jo Swinson

    The competition powers of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) passed to the new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on 1 April 2014. Like the OFT, the CMA is an independent authority, and therefore has complete discretion to investigate those cases, which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate.

    In the case of the private motor insurance industry, the CMA is already conducting a market investigation, and on 12 June set out for consultation its proposed changes to the market. These include a cap on the charges to the insurer of an at-fault driver in an accident for the cost of providing a replacement vehicle to the non-fault driver; better information for consumers; and a ban on price parity agreements between price comparison websites and insurers. Further details are available via this link to the CMA press release:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-sets-out-changes-for-private-motor-insurance

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  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, in how many meetings of the British-Irish Council he has taken part.

    Jo Swinson

    My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has not held any meetings with the British-Irish Council within the last year.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department has spent on funding for trade union representatives studying Trade Union Congress (TUC) learning aims in (a) each of the last five years and (b) 2014-15; and what his estimate is of funding in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) any future years for which budgets are available.

    Matthew Hancock

    I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities and Science (David Willetts), on 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 195W.

    Further education (FE) colleges and training organisations receive a post-19 funding allocation each academic year at the programme level (for example budgets for adult skills, adult safeguarded learning and/or offender learning and skills).

    As funding is not allocated at the learning aim level, the amount of money spent on TUC learning aims is not reported centrally by the Skills Funding Agency.

    From the 2011/12 academic year a single adult skills budget was introduced. This will provide FE colleges and training organisations with the flexibility to offer the range and balance of programmes, from basic skills to higher-level skills, in the mode of delivery that will best meet the needs of learners, employers and communities (classroom, workshop, online and in the workplace).

  • Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-06-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with Lloyds Bank on the effect of the proposed closure of its contact centre in Warrington on women workers who cannot re-locate because of (a) childcare or other caring responsibilities and (b) a lack of adequate public transport provision.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Lloyds Banking Group, is run on a commercial basis. The bank retains its own independent board and management team with responsibility for determining its own strategies and commercial policies including those which may relate to the location of business functions.

    The Government’s shareholding in Lloyds is managed on an arm’s length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI). As an engaged shareholder, UKFI works closely with the bank’s management to hold management rigorously to account for performance. UKFI’s role is to manage the investment and ensure that the bank’s strategy maximises value for money for the taxpayer. The Government does not get involved in any of the day to day decisions of Lloyds Bank.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what audit he has made of (a) ICL mainframes, (b) IBM mainframes and (c) other legacy ICT systems in Government departments and the availability of skills needed to maintain them; and when each relevant maintenance contract falls due.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Government Digital Service (GDS) has worked to identify legacy IT equipment, which includes a small number of important legacy IBM and ICL mainframes. To ensure these are effectively managed Government is creating a Crown Hosting Service, which is due to go live next year.

    In many cases departments are locked into contracts signed over 10 years ago, by the previous administration, which means they are dependent on suppliers to manage these systems.

    GDS is supporting departments to bring in new skilled officials to address a long-standing lack of digital skills.

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  • Rachel Reeves – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rachel Reeves – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the IT system being developed by his Department for universal credit will be fully operating.

    Esther McVey

    As part of the wider transformation in the development of digital services, the Department will further develop the work completed jointly with the Government Digital Service to test and implement an enhanced digital service. This enhanced digital service will integrate work and benefits activity allowing us to deliver the full scope of Universal Credit for all claimant types.

    Our single target operating model sets out how we will transform our approach and ways of working to ultimately make the Universal Credit service fully available online. Where it is both practical and operationally sensible to do so, we will integrate together the enhanced digital service with the existing Universal Credit service.

    We expect an early version of the digital service to be introduced to a limited number of claimants and staff by the end of 2014.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people working (a) at No. 10 Downing Street and (b) on the Prime Minister’s staff since May 2010 have not been required to undergo security vetting; how many such staff have undergone security vetting; and what the job titles and responsibilities are of all such staff.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Attendance at internal meetings is not normally disclosed.

    It has been the policy of successive governments not to comment about staff subject to national security vetting.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff working (a) at No. 10 Downing Street and (b) for the Prime Minister (i) have been allowed to attend National Security Council meetings and (ii) had access to Top Secret meetings or documents without being required to have had a security vetting, since May 2010.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Attendance at internal meetings is not normally disclosed.

    It has been the policy of successive governments not to comment about staff subject to national security vetting.

  • Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Griffiths on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the (a) total value of public service contracts that have been awarded to voluntary sector organisations in each year since 2008-09 and (b) proportion of overall public expenditure which was spent on public service contracts with voluntary sector organisations in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Since January 2011 Government departments have published information on the contracts they award on Contracts Finder: www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/

    Central government departments publish their expenditure with Voluntary and Community Sector organisations as part of their Quarterly Data Summaries (QDS): http://www.gist.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/oscar/

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