Tag: Baroness Burt of Solihull

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-02-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on exports of the decision to reduce the budget of UK Trade and Investment.

Lord Maude of Horsham

Savings will be broadly delivered through implementing a new digital infrastructure to provide cost-effective access to export services; contractual efficiencies; and prioritising market and sector opportunities that will add most value to UK exports. This is about being more efficient and delivering for UK businesses, including through enhancing direct support and developing the private sector market.

HM Treasury has recognised the importance of the exports agenda by agreeing that £175m of further proposed savings between 2016-17 and 2019-20 should be reinvested in priority areas. The Government is committed to driving a step-change in UK exports and the reinvestment secured to refocus UK Trade & Investment will help us deliver this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-06-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average duration of employment for civil servants within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in each of the last five years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The length of service for employees of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ, in each of the last five years, is shown in the table below.

The data above relates to the total length of their employment within the Civil Service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees in the UK engineering sector are from other EU member states, and what is their total contribution to (1) UK Gross Domestic Product, and (2) UK Gross Value Added.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

It is not possible to answer the question as there is no agreed statistical definition of what is meant by the term “engineering sector”.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-06-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have (1) been made redundant, and (2) taken voluntary redundancy, in each of the last five years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The number of employees of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ who have (1) exited via a Compulsory Redundancy scheme, and (2) exited via a voluntary redundancy scheme, in each of the last five financial years (April to March) are shown in the table below.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees in the UK engineering sector are from other countries outside the EU, and what is their total contribution to (1) UK Gross Domestic Product, and (2) UK Gross Value Added.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

It is not possible to answer the question as there is no agreed statistical definition of what is meant by the term “engineering sector”.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-07-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in each month since May 2005, (1) what was the total size of the Post Office network, and (2) how many post office closures took place.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

I am pleased to say that branches open an extra 200,000 hours a week since the start of the Post Office’s transformation programme and customer satisfaction with the network is high.

Management and provision of the Post Office network is the operational responsibility of the Post Office. I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the noble Baroness on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a full list of the subjects for which the equivalent or lower qualifications rule will be relaxed, as announced in the 2015 Spending Review and Autumn Statement.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

Part time students studying for a second degree in subjects allied to medicine; biological sciences; veterinary sciences, agriculture and related subjects; physical sciences; and mathematical sciences will be eligible for a tuition fee loan from the 2017/18 academic year. These are in addition to the exemption for part time technology, computer science and engineering degrees introduced in 2015/16. Subject lists below these broad headings are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency at https://www.hesa.ac.uk/component/content/article?id=1787

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness of the Postgraduate Loans Scheme in 2016–17 and 2017–18.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

The Student Loans Company has produced a suite of information and guidance materials for institutions and prospective students and this is available from SLC’s website, The Student Room and Gov.UK. Additionally, BIS and the SLC are working together with a number of organisations, including Universities UK, to ensure that information and guidance is also disseminated through their own channels. Plans for 2017-18 will be drawn up later this year once the loan has been launched

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much is being spent on promoting the Postgraduate Loans Scheme in 2016–17 and 2017–18.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

The Department is working alongside its delivery partner The Student Loans Company and stakeholders such as Universities UK and Prospects to ensure the correct information and guidance is readily available. The Student Loans Company produces information and guidance materials for institutions and prospective students and expenditure for the financial year 2016-17 is expected to be in the region of £57,000. Budget for 2017-18 has not yet been allocated.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2015-11-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding will be provided to assist with the delivery of their commitment to double the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education by 2020.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

We will be issuing a grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England early in the New Year outlining the Government’s priorities for expenditure through the teaching grant, including on widening access. This will take account of the announcements made in the Spending Review on. The Director of Fair Access has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 containing an estimated £745m to support the access and success of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, up from £404m in 2009/10.