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Tag: Iain Wright

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, whether his Department is on course to run at least two professional and business services dedicated trade missions each year; and what such missions have taken place since the Strategy was published.

    Michael Fallon

    UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is developing professional and business services dedicated trade missions to North America, South America, South East Asia and India this year. These missions will complement other planned trade missions open to this sector, for example the business delegations which accompany the Lord Mayor of London’s overseas visits.

    UKTI delivered a professional services event in Russia with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment and the Royal Society of Chartered Surveyors in November 2013.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how many times the Leadership Council has met; and what the items for discussion were at each meeting.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Agri-Tech Leadership Council has met four times. The items discussed are set out below:

    Date

    Subjects discussed

    23rd September 2013

    1. Launch of the Agri-Tech Strategy and future implications for the Leadership Council

    2. Funding position

    3. Leadership Council – general principles and roles, skills and knowledge

    4. Communications – general principles and ways of working

    5. Catalyst process and timetable

    6. Marketplace Networking Events for the Centres for Agricultural Innovation

    26th November 2013

    1. Centres for Agricultural Innovation – reflections and next steps

    2. Leadership Council – Outcomes, Metrics, Management

    3. Information and Project Plan

    4. Evaluation of the Agri-Tech Strategy

    5. UKTI approach on exports and inward investment

    6. Communications

    7. International funding

    8. Skills and knowledge transfer

    16th January 2013

    1. Agri-Tech Strategy small and medium size enterprise perspective

    2. Update on Catalyst bids and the Agri-Informatics Centre

    3. Potential private sector investment in Centres for Agricultural Innovation

    4. UKTI Programme on agri-tech inward investment and exports

    5. Skills

    6. Communications

    2nd April 2014

    1. Agri-Engineering

    2. Updates on the first successful Catalyst projects and discussions with the private sector on Centres for Agricultural Innovation.

    3. Next steps in establishing the Centres

    4. Skills – update on next steps

    5. Priorities for the Leadership Council in next 12 months

    In addition, the Leadership Council held a telephone conference on 24th February 2014 which discussed the proposed timetable and actions for commissioning the Centre for Agri-Informatics and Metrics of Sustainability, and arrangements for evaluating the Agri-Tech Strategy.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, whether UK Trade & Investment has produced the marketing plan and collateral.

    Michael Fallon

    UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has developed a professional and business services marketing plan in support of the strategy, setting out marketing messaging which will be used to promote the sector at high profile events such as the Liverpool International Festival of Business in July 2014 and the Global Law Summit in 2015. UKTI has produced images for use in marketing material under the GREAT campaign, is producing a promotional film and is developing a toolkit for reference and use by UKTI in the UK and overseas as an aid to promoting and supporting the sector. UKTI is working to identify case studies and develop messaging for use by stakeholders in their marketing activities.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to A UK strategy for agricultural technologies, what progress has been made in mapping and evaluating private and government funding available for research, translation and innovation.

    Mr David Willetts

    The UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies contains a number of actions for Industry, Government and the science base.

    Action No 1 commits the Leadership Council, working alongside others, to conduct a comprehensive mapping and evaluation of private and Government funding available for research, translation and innovation.

    Work to deliver this action started at the end of March this year, led by the Agri-Tech Leadership Council. We expect the findings to be presented by the end of 2014.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Written Statement of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 47WS, on UK Green Investment Bank, whether the UK Green Investment Bank will be able to invest in green projects overseas.

    Michael Fallon

    The proposal is that the Green Investment Bank might help to invest funds allocated to the International Climate Fund in green projects in developing economies overseas. The £3.8bn that has been allocated to GIB remains available solely for investment within the UK.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how much of the £90 million to establish centres for agricultural innovation has been allocated; and how many such centres have been established.

    Mr David Willetts

    Following the launch of the Strategy we prioritised the Agri-Tech Catalyst, to encourage collaboration between industry and academia. We have been engaging further with industry to ensure the Centres are developed as true partnerships. The process to establish the Centre for Agricultural Informatics and Metrics of Sustainability will be launched this Spring. Therefore, to date, no centres have been fully established or money allocated.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Written Statement of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 47WS, on UK Green Investment Bank, when he expects the assessment and feasibility stage to be finished; and when he expects to make a further statement on the Bank.

    Michael Fallon

    This business planning phase of work is expected to take a number of months. I hope to be able to provide an update in the autumn.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how much of the £10 million provided by her Department to support the transfer of technology and new products to developing countries has been spent; and if she will make a statement.

    Lynne Featherstone

    No DFID funds have been spent as part of the Agri-Tech Catalyst. The selection of the projects from the first round of the Catalyst competition is on-going. The second round of the competition closes on11th June 2014.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Written Statement of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 47WS, on UK Green Investment Bank, whether funds additional to the £3.87 billion allocated to the UK International Climate Fund will be provided to the (a) Bank and (b) Fund.

    Michael Fallon

    No. The total amount of funding allocated to the International Climate Fund remains unchanged. The proposal being explored is that the Green Investment Bank would help the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to invest a limited amount of those funds.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, what progress his Department has made in establishing the effect of school reporting metrics on the prestige of higher apprenticeships as a destination.

    Matthew Hancock

    These questions ask about a number of actions related to skills development from “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services”, published in July 2013 as part of Government’s industrial strategy. The strategy was developed in collaboration with the professional and business services sector, focusing on the industry’s agenda for long term growth. It is led by the Professional and Business Services Council.

    The strategy reflects two key business priorities in skills development. First, to expand recruitment routes into the sector, in particular higher apprenticeships, to access a wider, more diverse talent pool. Second, to help businesses engage with the education system to raise aspirations and promote work readiness. A business-led skills taskforce for professional and business services has been established. It is developing approaches to implement the strategy and will report progress at the end of this year.

    The skills taskforce is leading work to help towards the strategy’s ambitious target to treble the number of higher apprenticeship starts across professional and business services to 10,000 over five years; and to follow progress in the interim, so that the numbers of these apprenticeships can be monitored. As a first step, the taskforce is supporting the London Professional Apprenticeship scheme, which was launched in December 2013, and is now recruiting apprentices and employers to take part. The scheme will pilot the proposal for a “clearing house” to help small firms access higher apprenticeships in professional and business services. In addition, the taskforce is backing new ‘trailblazer’ initiatives, announced in March 2014, to develop employer-driven standards for apprenticeships in several professional and business services occupations.

    The skills taskforce is currently researching the metrics for schools’ reporting and their effect on the prestige of higher apprenticeships as initial career destinations. It will consider if more could be done to ensure higher apprenticeships have parity of esteem with higher education.

    The taskforce is also mapping current school engagement activity involving professional and business services firms with a view to identifying and sharing good practice.

    The new emphasis on wider use of higher apprenticeships across professional and business services should contribute towards a greater diversity of routes into these careers in the years to come; potentially offering opportunities to a wider pool of talent.

    The skills taskforce intends to consider how the employability of young people can be supported within the national curriculum, but believes that greater engagement between employers and young people is the best way of improving employability skills.

    My noble friend Lord Lingfield has set up the independent Institution for Further Education to take forward work on a new chartered status quality schemeand is considering the application and assessment process for Further Education providers.

    The skills taskforce is exploring how web-based services can support engagement between firms and the education sector, including a planned digital “inspiration” tool being developed by this Department to encourage business-schools engagement.

    Further information on the implementation of “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services” is included in a progress report on industrial strategy, published on 23 April 2014: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-strategy-early-successes-and-future-priorities.

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