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Stephen Hammond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the implementation of the proposed General Data Protection Regulation; which non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and agencies overseen by his Department will be affected by that regulation; and what estimate he has made of the potential liability of his Department, its agencies and NDPBs in connection with that proposed regulation.

Joseph Johnson

Negotiations on the proposed General Data Protection Regulation are still continuing and our negotiating position has taken into account the likely impact on Government Departments, NDPBs and agencies. Once the outcome of trilogue negotiations between the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament and the Commission are complete, and the Regulation has been adopted, there will be a maximum implementation period of two years. Between now and then, Government departments who will be affected by the Regulation are closely involved in work led by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport to consider the implications of the text as it develops through the negotiating process.

01/12/2022
Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people completed more than one apprenticeship at the same qualification level between May 2010 and May 2015.

Nick Boles

Individuals who have successfully completed an Apprenticeship are not normally allowed to repeat an Apprenticeship at the same Level. A recent piece of research focusing on value added post learning shows that of the 280,000 people with a Level 2 Apprenticeship as their highest qualification held between 2004/2005 to 2010/2011, 8,000 (3 per cent) had previously achieved a Level 2 Apprenticeship in the same period. And of the 233,000 people with a Level 3 Apprenticeship as their highest qualification held between 2004/2005 to 2010/2011, 5,000 (2 per cent) had previously achieved a Level 3 Apprenticeship in the same period.

Funding for Apprenticeships is managed by the Skills Funding Agency through funding rules. These rules state that Apprentices who have successfully completed an Apprenticeship at any level are not expected to start a second Apprenticeship at the same or lower level. Apprentices will be expected to progress to a higher level.

In general, to receive funding for an Apprenticeship, the training provider and SFA must be satisfied that, for all Apprentices, this is the most appropriate learning programme and that they are carrying out a new job role or an existing job role where the individual needs significant new knowledge and skills. If an individual changes jobs, remaining in the same sector or changing sector, and fulfils these criteria, funding is available for an Apprenticeship.

In certain circumstances, Apprentices may need to be multi-skilled. In this case, the SFA will fund an Apprenticeship at the same or lower level if the Apprenticeship is supporting the Apprentice in an extended job role.

However, individuals who have a prior qualification at Level 4 or above are only eligible for funding for a Higher Apprenticeship at Level 5 or above. They are not eligible for funding for an Intermediate Level (Level 2), Advanced Level (Level 3) or Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, even if they change their job role or the sector they work in.

01/12/2022
Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, by what process the decision to appoint Professor Waterson as Chair of the Secondary Ticketing Market was made.

Nick Boles

The independent Review requires a suitable qualified and experienced Chair, who is demonstrably independent of Government and has no link to any particular interest group on secondary ticketing.

Professor Waterson was invited to be the independent Chair by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Business, Innovation and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport.

01/12/2022
Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who drafted the terms of reference for the Review of the Secondary Ticketing Market; and how those terms of reference were decided upon.

Nick Boles

The Terms of Reference were decided upon by Ministers and the Chair following input from major stakeholders.

01/12/2022
Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to publicise its call for evidence for the Review of the Secondary Ticketing Market.

Nick Boles

The “Review of Consumer Protection Measures in the Ticket Resale Market” commenced on 13 October 2015 with a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament.

The Call for Evidence was published on Gov.uk on 13 October and my officials have written to the main stakeholders to alert them to this and invite contributions.

01/12/2022
Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average length of a consultation period is in his Department.

Joseph Johnson

So far in this Parliament, the mean length of a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) consultation is 50 days, so just over 7 weeks. BIS consultations follow the Government’s consultation principles which can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255180/Consultation-Principles-Oct-2013.pdf

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01/12/2022
Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many times in the past 12 months (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have raised the issue of state aid clearance for the steel sector with the European Commission.

Anna Soubry

The state aid rules on giving rescue and restructuring aid to steel companies are clear and all such interventions are prohibited. Officials have been in regular communication with the Commission to progress our application for the broader support package for energy-intensive industries including steel, and the Secretary of State will be raising this with the Competition Commissioner at the earliest opportunity.

01/12/2022
Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the skills gap in Cumbria.

Nick Boles

It is not for central government to assess local skills needs. Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are working in collaboration with local authorities, colleges and providers in the area to jointly agree key local skill needs and develop a local skills offer that is responsive to local labour market conditions and contributes to improving our productivity.

Cumbria LEP and the Cumbria Employment and Skills Commission are currently refreshing the area skills strategy and this will be finalised in December 2015. It will include a review of the skills needs of the four key sectors denoted in the Cumbria Strategic Economic Plan: Nuclear and Energy; Advanced Manufacturing; Rural and Visitor Economy; and, Infrastructure Improvements. The Skills Commission has noted that the future skills needs of the nuclear sector and BAE Systems Submarine will create significant pressure for skilled labour, particularly in advanced manufacturing and engineering. This will create displacement challenges in other manufacturing businesses in the area.

In September the government announced a programme of area reviews, which will be locally led and will involve key stakeholders. They will be based on the best available evidence of skills requirements and establish a local post-16 education and training offer which is high quality and responsive to employer need. The reviews will support local involvement in the ongoing commissioning of provision, putting responsibility in the hands of people who are best placed to tailor provision to local economic needs. Cumbria will be included in the area review process, due to be completed by March 2017 and an announcement on the date for the review will be announced in due course.

01/12/2022
Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to increase enforcement rates for the national minimum wage.

Nick Boles

The Government is committed to cracking down on employers who break the National Minimum Wage (NMW) law. In 2014/15, HMRC conducted 2,204 investigations into potential NMW non-compliance, totalling £3,291,529 of arrears for 26,318 workers.

This is up from 1,455 investigations conducted in 2013/14, totalling £4,645,547

of arrears for 22,610 workers.

Building on our existing reforms, the Prime Minister announced on 1 September 2015 further measures to strengthen the enforcement of the NMW. These include:
- increasing penalties from 100% to 200% of the arrears employers owed.
- the setting up of a dedicated team in Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) focused on tackling the most serious cases of wilful non-compliance.
- increasing the enforcement budget in preparation for the National Minimum and Living Wage from April 2016.
- the creation of a statutory Director of Labour Market Enforcement and Exploitation.
01/12/2022

Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the costs awarded to the Crown Prosecution Service under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 in (a) each financial year since 2010 and (b) 2015-16 to date.

Robert Buckland

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain data on the value of costs awarded to the CPS but does have data on the value of costs recovered following the award of costs.

A table showing the value of costs recovered and paid to the CPS, following the award of costs under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, in (a) each financial year since 2010 and (b) 2015-16 to date is presented below.


	2015/16	2014/15	2013/14	2012/13	2011/12	2010/11	2009/10
	(Qtr 1)
Costs recovered (£M)	10.7	35.3	37.7	39.6	42.3	44.6	40.6

The value of costs recovered has reduced in total but has increased in terms of the average cost recovered per defendant since 2010/11. The total CPS caseload has also reduced since 2010. This reduction in CPS caseload is due, in part, to the transfer of prosecutions from the CPS to the police as part of the police led prosecution initiative.

Notes: The figures in the table are compiled from returns sent to the CPS by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. The amount reported for 2015/16 reflects the first quarter’s returns only. Returns for the second quarter are not yet available.

01/12/2022