Tag: Liam Byrne

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2015 to Question 222138, which organisations are involved in the process of clearing home-owners’ applications to the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism; how many applicants have been rejected during that process; and what the involvement of the Israeli government is in assessing the security risks associated with each application.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The organisations involved in the process of clearing home-owners’ applications to the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) are the UN agencies doing the damage assessment, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Public Works and Housing and Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Government of Israel.

No individuals have been rejected to date, but a number of the assessments submitted require review ahead of further processing. These were mostly caused by repetition of names of individuals or where the assessments were recorded under the names of owners who are deceased for example. The GRM does not allow for the disqualification of individuals assessed for shelter repair on grounds of political association or geographic location in Gaza.

The Government of Israel, like all participants in the mechanism, is able to object to individuals participating in the GRM.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when his Department plans next to update the RAB charge on student loans.

Greg Clark

The next update of the RAB charge will happen when the Student Loans Company provides the Department with updated loans data. This typically takes place in early autumn each year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when (a) he and (b) officials in his Department first heard about allegations of misconduct at the Park View Educational Trust.

Mr Edward Timpson

The allegations made in relation to Park View Educational Trust in Birmingham are very serious and are being investigated. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, made a statement to the House on 9 June 2014 on the allegations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of levels of public expenditure on science on UK economic productivity figures.

Mr David Willetts

A number of academic studies find a positive link between research and development (R&D) investment and economic growth. Much of the relevant evidence was set out in a recent report for BIS "Insights from international benchmarking of the UK science and innovation system[1]" and the 2014 BIS Innovation Report[2].

A further recent UK report estimated that public investment in science yields a social rate of return of around 20%, through its impact on private sector productivity[3]. This means that for every £1 spent by Government on R&D, private sector output rises by 20 pence per year in perpetuity. This effect could be larger where additional public spending on R&D attracts additional private R&D spending. The same report and other studies have shown that there is a "crowding-in" effect of public investment on R&D. The effect is greater in industries that conduct significant R&D or collaborate with universities.

[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/science-and-innovation-system-international-benchmarking

[2]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/innovation-report-2014-innovation-research-and-growth

[3]http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/UKScienceBase.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average annual cost of training an apprentice aged 16 to 18 is; and what proportion of such costs is borne by (a) the public purse, (b) individuals and (c) employers.

Matthew Hancock

The cost of providing an Apprenticeship is highly variable.

In 2012, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) commissioned a report from The Institute for Employment Research entitled: “Employer Investment in Apprenticeships and Workplace Learning”

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32306/12-814-employer-investment-in-apprenticeships-fifth-net-benefits-study.pdf

The report gives details of the costs of Apprenticeships to employers in several sectors for 16-18 year olds and for 19-24 year olds. It also compares the contribution of employers to that of the state.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he has had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser in the last 12 months.

Andrea Leadsom

As was the case under previous administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average unit cost per year to train an apprentice aged 19 to 24 is; and what proportion of such costs is borne by (a) the public purse, (b) apprentices and (c) employers.

Matthew Hancock

The cost of providing an Apprenticeship is highly variable.

In 2012, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) commissioned a report from The Institute for Employment Research entitled: “Employer Investment in Apprenticeships and Workplace Learning”

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32306/12-814-employer-investment-in-apprenticeships-fifth-net-benefits-study.pdf

The report gives details of the costs of Apprenticeships to employers in several sectors for 16-18 year olds and for 19-24 year olds. It also compares the contribution of employers to that of the state.

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