The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) rural and (b) urban areas designated enterprise zones in the most recent round of bidding.
Greg Hands
The full list of successful Enterprise Zones, which is available to view online, was published by the Department of Communities and Local Government following the Spending Review announcement.
www.gov.uk/government/news/the-new-enterprise-zones
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-12-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what conditionality is attached to disbursements from the Joint Security Fund; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
The Spending Review set out the allocation of the Joint Security Fund for the Ministry of Defence and the Intelligence Agencies totalling £3.5bn over 5 years.
The Joint Security Fund will be used to deliver the investments set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The allocation of funding is conditional on annual spending limits that were agreed at the Spending Review. As with all public expenditure, Managing Public Money sets out how public funds must be spent, including the principles of regularity and propriety.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprenticeships were available in the (a) food and (b) tourism sectors in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2015.
Nick Boles
Apprenticeship starts by academic year and the framework of the apprenticeship is published at the FE data library (first link) as a supplementary table to a Statistical First Release (second link):
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress his Department is making on doubling the proportion of people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education by 2020.
Joseph Johnson
We have taken significant steps to widen participation in higher education. In particular, from 2015/16, we have removed the cap on student numbers, enabling more people than ever before to benefit from higher education. We have also established a stronger framework with increased responsibility placed on providers to widen access. The Director of Fair Access has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 containing an estimated £745m to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds – up from £404m in 2009/10.
The Green Paper Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, CM 9141 sets out additional steps the Government plans to take to increase the proportion of students from disadvantaged background entering higher education including through the new guidance that we plan to issue to the Director of Fair Access, and through the social mobility taskforce being set up by Universities UK.
We will work with the Higher Education Funding Council for England to target the Student Opportunity Fund in the most effective way and with the Director of Fair Access to ensure that universities take more responsibility for widening access, prioritising activities that demonstrate the greatest value for money.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the rationale is for setting the interest rate on the repayment of student loans under the new system at three per cent.
Joseph Johnson
Interest rates on student loans vary according to a number of factors, including a borrower’s level of earnings, and whether they remain in contact with the Student Loans Company to ensure they are repaying when they are eligible to do so.
The maximum interest rate for the post-2012 system is the Retail Price Index (RPI) figure plus 3%. The maximum rate applies whilst the borrower is studying; is the maximum interest rate for those borrowers earning £41,000 and over; and is the default interest rate for those borrowers who fail to keep in touch with the Student Loans Company.
Once a borrower is due to repay, a variable rate of interest will be charged, which is dependent upon income. Borrowers with an income of £21,000 or less will accrue interest at RPI. For a borrower with income greater than £21,000, a real rate of interest will be tapered in, reaching a maximum of RPI plus 3% at an income of £41,000 or more.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Stuart on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what trade missions to Latin America the Government has organised in the last 12 months; and what such trade missions are planned in the next 12 months.
Anna Soubry
In the last 12 months, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has organised the following trade missions to Latin America;
Multi-Sector Mission to Colombia and Peru – November 2014
Multi-Sector Mission to Mexico and Colombia – November/December 2014
Automotive Mission to Mexico – December 2014
Oil & Gas Mission to Colombia – March 2015
Trade Mission to Mexico – March 2015
Trade Mission to Brazil – March 2015
Global Sports Mission to Brazil – August 2015
Northern PowerHouse Mission to Mexico/Colombia – September/October 2015
Water Mission to Brazil (visiting FITABES Trade Show) – October 2015
MSB (Medium Size Business) to Brazil (led by Lord Maude) – November 2015
Broadcast Mission to Mexico – November 2015
Multi- Sector Mission to Colombia and Peru – November 2015
Information relating to planned missions from April 2016 onwards is not available at this time. UKTI is currently undertaking business planning for the period in question. The 2016-2017 Events Programme will be available by end of March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to the student opportunity fund on the number of people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education.
Joseph Johnson
We have taken significant steps to widen participation in higher education. In particular, from 2015/16, we have removed the cap on student numbers, enabling more people than ever before to benefit from higher education. We have also established a stronger framework with increased responsibility placed on providers to widen access. The Director of Fair Access has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 containing an estimated £745m to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds – up from £404m in 2009/10.
The Green Paper Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, CM 9141 sets out additional steps the Government plans to take to increase the proportion of students from disadvantaged background entering higher education including through the new guidance that we plan to issue to the Director of Fair Access, and through the social mobility taskforce being set up by Universities UK.
We will work with the Higher Education Funding Council for England to target the Student Opportunity Fund in the most effective way and with the Director of Fair Access to ensure that universities take more responsibility for widening access, prioritising activities that demonstrate the greatest value for money.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what timetable the Government plans to follow for the proposed sale of its share in NATS.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government is currently committed to exploring the sale of its 49% shareholding in NATS and maximise returns to the taxpayer.
We have not yet set a timetable for the sale.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on the motor vehicle emissions retesting programme.
Mr Patrick McLoughlin
The Secretary of State for Transport’s written statement of 10 Nov 2015 advised that the programme was underway and that he would keep the House informed of progress.
The Vehicle Certification Agency has tested 7 independently sourced vehicles at a commercial laboratory. Two more laboratories will increase the volume of tests in the New Year. We intend to test approximately 40 vehicles and a report will be published next spring.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the passenger compensation regime for train delays and cancellations.
Claire Perry
In our manifesto we committed to improve compensation for delayed rail passengers. We have already changed the system to get compensation paid in cash, not travel vouchers, and we are putting new compensation obligations like automatic delay/repay into franchise specifications.
We will negotiate hard with rail operators to get even better compensation arrangements for passengers but also focus on what we all want which is to have the trains run on time.