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  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether apprenticeship levy funds will be usable to pay for qualifications embedded within apprenticeship standards.

    Nick Boles

    Employers will be able to use their levy funding (up to a maximum which will depend upon the standard or framework that is being trained against) to cover the costs of an apprentice’s training, assessment and certification. Apprenticeship training can either be on an apprenticeship standard, or on an apprenticeship framework.

    Where a qualification is a requirement for achieving the standard or framework employers will be able to use levy funds to pay for the qualification. Levy funding cannot be used to fund other qualifications.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how the Access to Higher Education Diploma will be funded from academic year 2016-17 onwards.

    Nick Boles

    From 1 August 2016, funding for learners to study an Access to HE Diploma will be as follows:

    • learners aged 19 or over who already have a full level 3 qualification will be able to access an Advanced Learner Loan;

    • for those aged 19 to 23 who do not currently have a first full level 3 the Skills Funding Agency will provide full funding as the individual will be exercising their level 3 entitlement.

      Learners with an Advanced Learner Loan for their Access to HE Diploma course, who then go on to complete a course of Higher Education, will have the outstanding balance of their Advanced Learner Loan written off. Advanced Learner Loans for Access to HE Diploma courses continue to be accessed in good numbers.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of the earnings from UK arms exports in each of the last three years was derived from the export of arms to Saudi Arabia.

    Anna Soubry

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold data on earnings from UK arms exports. However, we publish official statistics on the value of defence exports, which includes data for the Middle East. Further details can be found on the GOV.UK website.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the average time it will take to process an application for temporary disabled students’ allowance after changes to that allowance; and whose responsibility it will be to assist applicants with such applications.

    Joseph Johnson

    We are working with higher education institutions to encourage the speedy resolution of disputes between a student and their institution as to whether support should be provided as a reasonable adjustment. The Student Loans Company will consider providing interim support in the form of Disabled Students’ Allowances through a new Exceptional Case Process where a resolution is not achieved prior to the student starting their course. This will ensure eligible disabled students are not left without support during this period.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much EU (a) 7th Framework Programme and (b) Horizon 2020 funding has been provided to (i) universities, (ii) other research institutions and (iii) small businesses in the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

    Joseph Johnson

    The figures for organisations in the West Midlands are set out below. These reflect the full value of grant agreements signed in each calendar year, not the money received in that year.

    Higher and Secondary Education Organisations (HES) agreed funding (€):

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    FP7

    34,512,638

    65,197,543

    62,376,751

    23,703,605

    Horizon 2020

    10,025,431

    64,947,891

    Non-profit Research organisations (REC) agreed funding (€):

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    FP7

    459,795

    1,873,085

    946,077

    2,102,799

    Horizon 2020

    819,340

    2,297,233

    All Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME) agreed funding (€):

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    FP7

    7,861,934

    11,503,709

    11,193,539

    2,773,696

    Horizon 2020

    3,471,182

    14,249,221

    Please note that the SME figures may include some HES or REC organisations.

    The variation in the figures across the years in part reflects the fact that calls are competitively bid for and vary in the amount of funding available; and in part the fact that the FP7 budget was back-loaded, with increasing amounts of money available to award as grants in the final two years of the programme (2012-2013). In contrast, relatively few grants were awarded in the first year of Horizon 2020 (2014), which thereafter is due to run with annual budgets larger than those available to FP7.

    Overall, the UK was the second biggest recipient of EU research funding under FP7, and remains so under Horizon 2020.

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 30709, when he expects his Department’s response to the call for evidence on tips, gratuities, service and cover charges to be published.

    Nick Boles

    The Government is analysing the responses to the Call for Evidence on tips, gratuities, service and cover charges, with a view to announcing its next steps shortly.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value of exports from the West Midlands to other EU countries was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    Data on the value of exports of goods from the West Midlands to EU countries are available from the Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ Regional Trade Statistics database.

    Data on the value of exports of services from the West Midlands to EU countries are not available.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the costs or savings to his Department of (a) none, (b) 25 per cent, (c) 50 per cent, (d) 75 per cent and (e) 100 per cent of the staff based at the St Paul’s Place office leaving his Department as a result of the closure of that office.

    Joseph Johnson

    If the proposal to close the BIS HQ office at St Paul’s Place goes ahead the Department would undertake to offer another round of voluntary exit proposals to staff based in Sheffield, as well as the other smaller numbers in other locations who are affected. We would also expect in such a scenario that a number of staff would find roles elsewhere, and that some members of staff might retire, as well as the possibility that redundancies might be required in some cases. Actual costs would depend on these variables. As regards any estimate of savings to the Department I refer the hon Member to my answer to his related question number UIN 33959.

    “

  • Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to set out a timetable for the review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

    Anna Soubry

    The Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 requires the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to review the performance of the GCA every three years. The first review will cover the period up to 31 March 2016 and we will shortly be launching a public consultation as part of this.

    The full details of the review, including the terms of reference and timings, are still under consideration. We will announce all of this shortly.

  • Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the rollout of superfast broadband (a) in Cheltenham and (b) across the South West.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Herefordshire and Gloucestershire local broadband project team are currently not operating in the Cheltenham constituency. Based on DCMS modelled estimates and current delivery plans, it is estimated that 94% of premises in the Cheltenham constituency will have access to superfast broadband as a result of commercial coverage. In addition all premises which cannot currently get 2Mbps will be able take advantage of a subsidised satellite broadband service which can deliver speeds of 10Mbps or more.

    DCMS has also placed estimates of superfast coverage at constituency level at the end of the current broadband programme in the House of Commons library, reference DEP2015-0163:

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2015-02-01&td=2015-04-01&house=1&search_term=Department+for+Culture%2c+Media+and+Sport&itemId=122028#toggle-163

    “