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  • Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many officials of his Department are (a) responsible for external trade policy, (b) working on policy related to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and (c) worked on policy related to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

    Anna Soubry

    There are 41 civil servants in my Department primarily working on trade policy. Of these 10 are primarily working on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement was one of a number of trade negotiations being handled by a team of 5 BIS officials. They are assisted by officials in other Government Departments, notably the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as by other officials within my Department for whom trade policy is not their primary responsibility.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many assessments for disabled students’ allowance (DSA) were carried out by an independent needs assessor in each year since 2009-10; what the average such award was in each of those years; and who was contracted to carry out each of those assessments in each of those years.

    Joseph Johnson

    Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) are available to help pay the extra essential costs they may have whilst studying on an HE course as a direct result of their disability. The Government recently announced reforms to DSAs to ensure that the limited public funding available for DSAs is targeted in the best way and to achieve value for money, whilst ensuring those disabled students most in need continue to get the help they require. The changes also aim to ensure that Higher Education providers all properly adhere to their Equalities Act 2010 duties, for the benefit of all disabled students.

    All disabled higher education students who are eligible for DSAs are referred to an independent assessment centre so as to identify the type and level of support they require.

    Information in Table 1 sets out the number of study needs assessments carried out by independent assessment centres in England and Wales for English domiciled undergraduate and postgraduate higher education students applying for Student Finance England administered DSAs. Information for numbers of assessments carried out by each assessment centre is not held centrally. Information is not available at individual assessor level. Information for the period prior to 1 April 2011 is not held centrally.

    Table 2 sets out the average award of DSAs in each financial year. A list of currently accredited assessment centres is below.

    Government does not contract with assessment centres. Assessment centres who wish to work in this area are accredited through the DSA Quality Assurance Group, a not-for-profit membership organisation.

    Table 1 –

    Timeframe

    Number of assessments

    1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014

    34,355

    1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013

    32,410

    1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012

    35,073

    Source: DSA Quality Assurance Group management information. Information for the period 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015 will be available in April 2016.

    Table 2 –

    Average DSA payments to full-time English domiciled students

    Academic years 2009/10 to 2013/14

    Academic year

    Average payment (£)

    2009/10

    2,110

    2010/11

    2,300

    2011/12

    2,350

    2012/13

    2,250

    2013/14

    2,230

    Source: SLC, Student Support for Higher Education in England

    Note: 2013/14 final figures are the latest available

    List of assessment centres in England and Wales

    AbilityNet DSA Assessment Centre

    Access 1st Assessment Centre

    Access Birmingham Assessment Centre

    Access Bristol Assessment Centre

    Access Central Ltd

    Access Centre Coventry

    Access Centre Ealing

    Access Centre Hereford

    Access Independence Ltd

    Access South West

    Access SUMMIT

    Access West of England

    Access@SW15

    Action for Blind People Pan Disability Assessment Centre

    Aim Assessments

    Anglia Access Centre

    Assessment Centre Cardiff

    Assessment Centre Cardiff Metropolitan University

    Assessment Centre on Teesside

    ATOP Chester

    Bangor Access Centre

    Bradford Assessment Centre

    Bridgend Assessment Centre

    Broadbent & Co

    Cambridge Access Centre

    Carmarthenshire Access Centre

    Central London Assessment Services

    Cheltenham Assessment Centre

    Durham University Assessment Centre

    Exeter Access Centre

    Glyndwr University Assessment Centre

    Hertfordshire Access Centre

    Higher York Access Centre

    Hull Assessment Centre

    IONA – Kent and SE Assessment Centre

    Kent Assessors

    Kingston Assessment Services

    Lancaster University Assessment Centre

    Leeds Assessment Centre

    Leeds Metropolitan Disability Assessment Centre

    Leicester Assessment Centre

    Lincoln Assessment Centre

    Lincoln University Assessment Centre

    Loughborough Regional Assessment Centre

    Maritime Assessment Centre

    Midlands Assessment Centre

    Needs Assessment Centre

    Newport Assessment Centre

    North East Regional Assessment Centre

    North London Regional Assessment Centre

    Nottingham Trent University Access Centre

    Nottingham University Access Centre

    Open University Access Centre

    Oxford Access Centre

    Oxford University Assessment Centre

    Pennine Lancashire Access Centre

    Plymouth Assessment Centre

    Portsmouth Assessment Centre

    Reading Assessment Centre

    Regional Access Centre East London

    Sheffield Regional Assessment Centre

    South London Access Centre

    Southampton Assessment and Study Services

    Staffordshire Regional Access Centre

    Surrey Assessment Centre

    Sussex Regional Access Centre

    Swansea Assessment and Training Centre

    Taunton Assessment Centre

    Technical Assessment and Support Centre

    University Centre for Assessments Newcastle

    University of Derby Assessment Centre

    Wessex Needs Assessment Centre

    West London Assessment Centre

    Wolverhampton Assessment Centre

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with (i) arms manufacturers, (ii) tobacco manufacturers and (iii) representatives of the Israeli embassy since the period covered in the Cabinet Office’s most recent ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings data release.

    Joseph Johnson

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 February 2016 by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office to Question 27634.

    “

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what mechanisms (a) are available and (b) will be available from 2016-17 for applicants for disabled students’ allowance (DSA) who wish to appeal against an assessment by an independent needs assessor; how many students have appealed against such a DSA assessment in each year since 2009-10; and how many of those appeals have been found in favour of the appellant in each of those years.

    Joseph Johnson

    All disabled higher education students who are eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) are referred to an independent assessment centre so as to identify the type and level of support they require.

    A DSAs Needs Assessment Report, which sets out any recommendations for support, is agreed between the independent needs assessor and the student. The assessment report is not a decision about the type and amount of support to be provided.

    The assessment report is submitted to Student Finance England (SFE), who makes a decision about the type and amount of support they will fund.

    Student Finance England has an established appeals process which students can use if they do not agree with the final decision made by Student Finance England in relation to any aspect of their support.

    SFE appeals information is categorised by appeal issue type rather than by student support product type. Therefore information on appeals that specifically relate to DSAs is not produced.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many disabled students allowance awards were made by the Student Loans Company to students (a) studying at higher education institutions, (b) with a term-time residence and (c) with a vacation time residence in Hampstead and Kilburn constituency in the most recent academic year for which figures are available.

    Joseph Johnson

    Statistics showing the number of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) payments to English students are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’.

    http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx

    Data provided by the SLC indicates that there were: (a) 120 DSA recipients studying at an institution within the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency and (c) 168 DSA recipients who registered their home address as being in the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency in the academic year 2014/15.

    Information on DSA recipients with a term-time address in the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency is not available.

    “

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has to publish a national strategy for English for speakers of other languages for England.

    Nick Boles

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government work together to support the policy ambitions of state-funded ESOL: to enable unemployed people on benefits to get the skills they need to get into and stay in work; and to support the integration of long-standing migrant communities and particularly those individuals most at risk of isolation from services and wider society.

    There are no plans to publish a national strategy. We fund ESOL through the Adult Education Budget, and colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use this budget to meet the needs of their local communities. It is therefore their responsibility to plan which ESOL courses they deliver locally, within their resources.

  • Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department plans to take to extend the levels of support being given to the aluminium industry to the same level as that given to the steel industry.

    Anna Soubry

    The actions taken by the Government to support the steel sector, for example in respect of support for Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) with their energy costs, will also benefit the UK aluminium industry. We have paid nearly £2.8 million compensation to date to companies producing aluminium since the EU Emissions Trading System and Carbon Price Support schemes began.

    We look forward to the Aluminium Federation’s constructive involvement in establishing the Metals Council, which will work with Government to address opportunities and challenges facing the UK metals sectors. The Metals Council is an outcome from the Metals Strategy, to which both the Aluminium and Steel sectors provided key contributions.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on the (a) number of EU students in the UK university student body, (b) ability of UK universities to recruit EU staff into the academic workforce and (c) number of UK students participating in the European exchange programme.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Prime Minister has delivered on the commitment to renegotiate a better deal for the United Kingdom in Europe.

    Based on this deal the Government has reached a clear view: The UK will be safer, stronger and better off by remaining a member of a reformed European Union.

    I recently spoke about the important academic links between the UK and the rest of the EU. The speech is available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/making-britain-the-best-place-in-the-world-for-science.

    “

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26010, when his Department plans to establish the reading room for classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

    Anna Soubry

    The reading room for classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is not yet open. Members of both Houses will be informed of the process and details of how to access the room shortly, once these have been finalised.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the public sector exit cap proposed in the Enterprise Bill on employees of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

    Greg Hands

    An impact analysis was published within the exit payment cap consultation document which respondents had an opportunity to comment on. Further, the Government has been working with departments, including the Department of Energy and Climate Change, to inform the impact of a public sector exit payment cap set at £95,000 in different sectors and on different categories of workers. The exit payment cap consultation can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-a-public-sector-exit-payment-cap

    “