Tag: Chris White

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase participation in part-time higher education courses in STEM subjects.

Joseph Johnson

This year we relaxed the Equivalent and Lower Qualification (ELQ) rule for part time students taking engineering, technology and computer science courses. This means that students who already hold a degree will be able to access student support. At the Autumn Statement we announced a further relaxation to the eligibility rules so that students who already hold a degree can from 2017/18 access student support for part time study of other STEM subjects. These changes do not affect those undertaking full time study.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprentices.

Nick Boles

We are committed to reaching 3 million apprenticeship starts in 2020. In the 2014/15 Academic Year, there were 499,900 apprenticeship starts.

Our 2020 Vision for English Apprenticeships sets out how we will increase the number of apprentices and put employers in the driving seat. We are introducing new targets for public sector bodies and extending the successful Apprenticeship Grant for Employers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-01-08.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to (a) encourage greater use of email and (b) implement other measures to reduce costs in communication by government departments.

Matthew Hancock

The Government Digital Service (GDS) continues to support departments as they digitally transform their business operations, making government services easier and more efficient to use. There is a ‘digital first’ strategy across Government to save on time as well as paper and postage costs, including the use of email to achieve this aim.

The Government Communication Service (GCS) saved nearly £330m for taxpayers in 2014/15 compared to 2009/10 by making its campaigns more cost effective. The communications profession is also more streamlined, with headcount across Government reduced by a third since 2009/10. These reforms helped the Government reduce communications spending by a total of £1bn over the last Parliament. GCS continues to investigate new ways of reducing costs in Government communications.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-01-08.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses benefited from R&D tax credits in 2014-15; what the cost of R&D tax credits was to his Department in that year; and what the return on investment was of R&D tax credit expenditure for his Department.

Mr David Gauke

R&D tax credit statistics are published by HMRC each September, so the final figures for 2014-15 won’t be available until September 2016.

HMRC’s latest statistics for 2013-14 show that there were 20,100 claims to R&D tax credits in that year, and that the scheme cost £1.75bn.

In March 2015, HMRC published an evaluation of R&D tax credits. This evaluation estimates that for every pound spent by the government onR&Dtax credits, between £1.53 and £2.35 is additionally spent onR&Dby UK companies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-01-21.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses benefited from video games tax relief in 2014-15; what the cost of that relief was to his Department in that year; and what the return on investment was for the economy as a result of that relief.

Mr David Gauke

Video Games Tax Relief is forecast to cost the Exchequer £10m in 2014-15. The first Official Statistics on the number of claims and cost of Video Games Tax Relief will be published in Summer 2016, allowing sufficient time for claims to have been submitted for the 2014-15 tax year. No estimate of the benefit for the economy as a whole is available.

The forecast has been certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and is consistent with their latest forecast of Corporation Tax receipts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-02-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses accessed the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) in 2014-15; what the cost of SEIS was to his Department in that year; and what the return on investment was for the economy as a result of the SEIS.

Mr David Gauke

The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) is forecast to cost the Exchequer £180m in 2014-15. Outturn figures for 2014-15 are not yet available. Updated figures on the cost of the relief will be published in December 2016.

The first official statistics on the number of companies raising funds, number of subscriptions, and amounts raised for Seed Enterprise Investment Schemes for 2014-15 will be published in April 2016.

No results have been published on the return on investment from the SEIS.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures her Department has implemented to support children who are permanently excluded from school.

Edward Timpson

Exclusion from school is not the end of a pupil’s education. Where a pupil has been permanently excluded, the Local Authority must arrange suitable full-time education for them to begin no later than the sixth school day following the exclusion.

In the White Paper ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’ we announced reforms to the system of alternative provision which will strengthen the accountability of schools when permanently excluding pupils. Under these changes schools will remain accountable for the education of pupils in alternative provision and will be responsible for commissioning high quality provision. In addition to this, the reforms include a number of measures to raise the standards of alternative provision providers so that every child is given the best possible opportunity to fulfil their potential. The full text of the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/educational-excellence-everywhere.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the rollout of superfast broadband in (a) Warwick and (b) the Warwick and Leamington constituency.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Current estimates suggest that almost 90% of premises in the Warwick and Leamington constituency are subject to commercial rollout, and a further 5% of premises (2,369) now have coverage as a result of the Government’s Superfast Broadband programme.

Based on DCMS modelled estimates and current delivery plans, 96% of premises in the Warwick and Leamington constituency will have access to superfast broadband by December 2017. Early gainshare funding that BT will return in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved, could help extend coverage further.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the strength of diplomatic and economic relations between India and the UK.

Mr Hugo Swire

The UK and India have a broad and deep friendship symbolised by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit last month and Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom in November 2015. The UK is the largest G20 investor in India and Indian companies invest more in the UK than the rest of the EU combined.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policy on Yemen of the airstrike in Sanaa on 8 October 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I visited Riyadh on 13 October and met with Saudi Foreign Minister Al Jubeir to discuss the airstrike on a funeral hall and efforts to revive the stalled political process in Yemen. I welcome the release of the report by the Coalition’s Joint Incidents Assessment Team into the incident. This will be used to contribute to our overall view on the approach and attitude of Saudi Arabia to international humanitarian law.