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  • Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann McKechin on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to introduce customer service training in the apprenticeship programme.

    Matthew Hancock

    An apprenticeship is a job with an accompanying skills development programme designed by employers in the sector to meet the key requirements of the job role. In many cases this will include an aspect of customer service as many jobs recognise the importance of such skills and these will be reflected in the apprenticeship framework.

    More than 400 employers are involved in the development of new apprenticeship standards as part of our Trailblazers programme. Where they see customer service skills as crucial to an occupation, they will include these within the new employer-led standards.

    For individuals in jobs that are specific customer service roles there is a dedicated Customer Service Apprenticeship 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 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether any alternative learning providers have notified the Higher Education Funding Council for England of material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision.

    Mr David Willetts

    The requirement for providers to notify the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) of material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision is a new condition that providers are required to meet after they have successfully applied to have courses designated under the under the new specific course designation arrangements. All alternative providers must go through the new process during the 2013/14 academic year. Of those providers that have already successfully applied none has yet notified HEFCE of material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision.

  • 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 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what appeals process is in place for alternative providers which unsuccessfully applied to have courses designated under the new specific course designation arrangements; and whether any alternative providers have successfully so appealed.

    Mr David Willetts

    Applications for specific designation under the new specific designation arrangements are decided by the Secretary of State. There is no appeals process.

  • 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 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the Higher Education Funding Council for England plans to commence its annual monitoring exercise to collect information about the ongoing financial sustainability, quality of provision and changes to management and governance arrangements at alternative learning providers; and when that body plans to publish such information.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Department will publish guidance on the annual monitoring process and associated timetable in July 2014.

  • Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase agricultural exports as part of the export-led recovery.

    George Eustice

    Defra and UKTI with industry are working together to increase exports in the agri-food sector. We launched a refreshed Exports Action Plan last October. It commits us to deliver £500m of value to the UK economy by supporting 1,000 companies by October 2015. Food and drink exports in 2013 reached £18.9bn, against £18.2bn in 2012, and are now 50% higher than 10 years ago. UKTI has established a dedicated team with civil servants and industry experts to improve the value and volume of inward investment and exports in agricultural technology. This team is working with UKTI posts overseas to help UK based agri-technology companies succeed in international markets.

  • Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona O’Donnell on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of statutory maternity and paternity pay to parents of premature and sick babies.

    Jenny Willott

    The UK’s maternity leave provision is one of the most generous in the world; all employed women have a “day one” entitlement to 52 weeks of maternity leave. Mothers with 26 weeks qualifying service and meeting the earnings requirement are entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). Those mothers who do not qualify for SMP may be entitled to Maternity Allowance. This means that expectant mothers and mothers can take time off work to prepare for and recover from childbirth and bond with their babies, and to deal with unexpected eventualities including ill health, premature births and any complications associated with sick babies.

    Through the Children and Families Act 2014, the Government is introducing a new system of shared parental leave which will give parents much more flexibility in how to use their leave entitlement. This flexibility will be particularly valuable to parents who have to deal with difficult or unexpected circumstances and it will allow parents, for the first time, to take leave together in a way that suits them. The system will be available for working parents whose baby is due on or after 5 April 2015 (irrespective of when the baby is born), and will be introduced later this year so that it catches babies who are born early.

    The Government has committed to explicitly considering the issues facing families with babies admitted to neonatal care within the context of the review that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced it will undertake on the review of changes to employment law enacted by the Children and Families Act after 2018.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department plans to provide to areas affected by changes to the nuclear decommissioning programme following the award of a new contract on 31 March 2014.

    Michael Fallon

    This Department, together with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), is fully committed to helping to deliver the Nuclear Industrial Strategy, including through the Nuclear Industry Council, on which the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) also sits. The announcement of the preferred bidder in the NDA’s parent body competition for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Limited should not materially affect our support. The Cavendish Fluor Partnership brings a successful track record and extensive nuclear experience that will bring benefits to the decommissioning and clean-up programme. They are committed to developing the skills of the workforce and to meeting socio-economic responsibilities, as were all the bidders.

    This Department will continue to work with DECC, the NDA and the industry to ensure that decommissioning is achieved safely, to schedule, competitively and taking into account UK economic benefit.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Energy and Climate Change about the local socioeconomic effects of the Magnox nuclear sites before the award of the decommissioning contract on 31 March 2014; and if he will make a statement.

    Michael Fallon

    This Department has not had any discussion with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) about the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) competition to secure a new Parent Body Organisation for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd. The NDA ran the competition in strict accordance with UK and EU procurement regulations. Oversight and governance of the process was provided by the NDA’s Competition Programme Board. The Government is represented by the Shareholder Executive (on behalf of DECC), HM Treasury and Infrastructure UK.

  • 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 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the Higher Education Funding Council for England will run its annual monitoring exercise to collect information about the ongoing financial sustainability, quality of provision, and changes to management and governance arrangements at alternative learning providers; and when the Higher Education Funding Council for England will publish this information.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Department will publish guidance on the annual monitoring process and associated timetable in July 2014.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Attorney General, how much money subject to a Crown Prosecution Service restraining or confiscation order has been diverted to meet the costs of a private-sector receiver in each of the last three financial years; and what proportion that amount was of all assets subject to such orders.

    Oliver Heald

    The following table contains data from the last 3 financial years on the total amount restrained under restraint orders, the total fees paid to management receivers, and the percentage of receivership fees as a proportion of the restrained amount:

    Management Receiverships:

    Financial Year

    Fees Paid to Management

    Receivers

    *Total Amount Restrained Under

    Restraint Order Amount

    % of Receivership Fees as a Proportion

    of the Amount Restrained

    2011 – 2012

    £1,677,316.04

    £ 142,861,002.70

    1.17%

    2012 – 2013

    £ 995,667.35

    £ 142,878,474.31

    0.70%

    2013 – 2014

    £ 1,168,938.64

    £ 145,485,882.31

    0.80%

    It should be noted that the amount restrained is constantly fluctuating due to a number of factors including payment of reasonable living expenses from restrained funds and the changing values of real property. Accordingly, it is difficult to get an accurate value as to the amount restrained at any one time.

    *It should further be noted that the amount shown represents the entirety of restrained funds. However, in many cases, the receiver is appointed to manage carefully selected assets and not all of the funds restrained. Accordingly, the receiver’s fees as a proportion of the amount of restrained funds he manages could be considerably higher than the figures shown above.

    The following table contains data from the last 3 financial years on the total confiscation order amount (i.e. the sum of all assets included in confiscation orders), total fees paid to enforcement receivers, and the percentage of receivership fees as a proportion of the confiscation order amount:

    Enforcement Receivers:

    Financial Year

    Fees Paid to Enforcement

    Receivers

    *Total Confiscation Order Amount

    (including any variations)

    % of Receivership Fees as a Proportion

    of the Confiscation Order Amount

    2011 – 2012

    £2,716,436.53

    £109,684,469.49

    2.48%

    2012 – 2013

    £2,982,980.41

    £140,752,428.67

    2.12%

    2013 – 2014

    £1,413,235.87

    £138,249,651.38

    1.02%

    *It should further be noted that the amount shown represents the total sum of assets available for confiscation. However, in many cases, the receiver is appointed to realise carefully selected assets and not all assets listed in the confiscation order. Accordingly, the receiver’s fees as a proportion of the assets he is appointed to realise could be considerably higher than the figures shown above.