Blog

  • Mark Menzies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mark Menzies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of higher apprenticeships in Lancashire.

    Matthew Hancock

    Higher apprenticeship starts in Lancashire Local Education Authority have increased from 40 in the 2009/10 academic year to 370 in 2012/13.

    The Budget announced £20 million over 2014-15 and 2015-16 for new support for employer investment in apprenticeships in England up to postgraduate level, which will provide apprentices with the technical skills that employers need. This will complement the £80 million funding over 2014-15 and 2015-16 for 20,000 more higher apprenticeships announced in the autumn statement – more than doubling current volumes.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will undertake an assessment of the effects that pay between assignment contracts have on agency workers’ pay.

    Jenny Willott

    The exact number of agency workers in the UK who are employed on pay between assignment contracts is not known. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills continues to monitor available evidence and is talking to relevant stakeholders to gather further information about the effects of pay between assignments contracts.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) Official Receivers and (b) all Insolvency Service officials who will receive training leading to a (i) personal insolvency partial licence and (ii) corporate insolvency partial licence.

    Jenny Willott

    The legislation relating to official receivers and Insolvency Service technical staff, does not require study to hold an Insolvency Practitioners’ Licence and, as such, no staff will receive training that will lead to either a personal insolvency partial licence or a corporate insolvency partial licence.

    Under S399(1) of the Insolvency Act 1986 “………the official receiver, in relation to any bankruptcy, winding up, individual voluntary arrangement, debt relief order or application for such an orderis any person who by virtue of the following provisions ………….is authorised to act as the official receiver ………..” and S399(2) “The Secretary of State may ……. appoint persons to the office of official receiver ……………….”.

    All technical staff are required to study for, and pass, a bespoke accredited training programme at Qualifications & Credit Framework Level 3 and are required to undertake a minimum of 5 days Continuous Professional Development per year.

    Incidentally, over 50% of Official Receivers hold a professional qualification e.g. ACCA.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what amount his Department spent on all apprenticeships in 2013-14.

    Matthew Hancock

    The funding available for adult further education and skills in 2013-14 financial year was £4.1bn of which £3.6bn was routed through the Skills Funding Agency to support the capacity for 3 million learners. More detailed data on spend in that financial year are not yet available.

    The funding available for apprenticeships in 2013-14 financial year was £1,566m of which £802m was provided by the Department for Education for those aged 16-18 and £764m was provided by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills for those aged 19 and over. More detailed data on spend in that financial year are not yet available.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what amount the Government spent on full-time students in technical colleges in 2013-14.

    Matthew Hancock

    The funding available for adult further education and skills in 2013-14 financial year was £4.1bn of which £3.6bn was routed through the Skills Funding Agency to support the capacity for 3 million learners. More detailed data on spend in that financial year are not yet available.

    The funding available for apprenticeships in 2013-14 financial year was £1,566m of which £802m was provided by the Department for Education for those aged 16-18 and £764m was provided by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills for those aged 19 and over. More detailed data on spend in that financial year are not yet available.

  • 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 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 291W, on Royal Mail, for what reasons the underwriters’ discretionary fee has not been paid.

    Michael Fallon

    No decision has been made on the payment of this discretionary payment.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will undertake a comparative assessment of Government spending on apprenticeships in the UK and Germany.

    Matthew Hancock

    A wide variety of public sources frequently make comparative assessment of international Apprenticeships systems.

  • 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 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial effect on UK higher education institutions of the reduction in non-EU students in 2012-13.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes data on the sources of income for all higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK on an annual basis. This data shows that, despite a slight fall in student numbers, tuition fee income from non-EU students in 2012-13 was £3.5bn, an increase of 9.1% on 2011-12.

    The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) produces an annual report on the financial health of the publicly funded higher education sector in England. Their most recent report, published in March 2014, also states that income from non-EU students rose in 2012-13 and shows that HEIs are expecting tuition fee income from non-EU students to rise by 9.7% in real terms in 2013-14.

    The most recent HEFCE report can be found at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce/content/pubs/2014/201402/HEFCE2014_02.pdf

    “

  • 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 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 204 of HM Treasury’s Central Government and Supply Estimates 2013-14, February 2014, HC 1006, if he will provide a breakdown of the £15.877 million supplementary estimate for the increase in costs of student loan debt sale.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Supplementary Estimate adjustment for the student loan debt sale relates to the Government subsidising the sale of student loans in 1998 and 1999. The adjustment reflects changes to the value of the Government liability following annual debt sale subsidy payments, including adjustments for cancelled loans.

    The subsidy will continue until all the loans are extinguished which is expected to be no earlier than 2028, which is the 30 year duration of the first debt sale agreement.

    Further details of the liability are available in the BIS Annual Report and Accounts.

  • Nick Raynsford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nick Raynsford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Raynsford on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to announce the final allocation of student number controls to alternative providers.

    Mr David Willetts

    Provisional student numbers for 2014/15 were issued on 20 February 2014. Since then we have considered applications for a higher number and adjusted numbers issued where appropriate on 2 May 2014. However, we cannot confirm final allocations until providers have been re-designated for student support purposes for the 2014/15 academic year.