Tag: Liam Byrne

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether recent increases in the estimated RAB rate for student loans go beyond his Department’s target impairment for student loans.

    Mr David Willetts

    This Department does not set a target for impairment of student loans. Our reforms were designed to put higher education on a sustainable footing. Universities are now well-funded and this is driving up the quality of the student experience and helping to stimulate economic growth, while keeping access to higher education free at the point of entry.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial effect on UK higher education institutions of the reduction in non-EU students in 2012-13.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes data on the sources of income for all higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK on an annual basis. This data shows that, despite a slight fall in student numbers, tuition fee income from non-EU students in 2012-13 was £3.5bn, an increase of 9.1% on 2011-12.

    The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) produces an annual report on the financial health of the publicly funded higher education sector in England. Their most recent report, published in March 2014, also states that income from non-EU students rose in 2012-13 and shows that HEIs are expecting tuition fee income from non-EU students to rise by 9.7% in real terms in 2013-14.

    The most recent HEFCE report can be found at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce/content/pubs/2014/201402/HEFCE2014_02.pdf

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  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many meetings he has had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser in the last 12 months.

    Mr David Willetts

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

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the effect on his Department’s total resource Departmental Expenditure Limits of the revised guidance on revaluation of student loan impairments in each of the next three years.

    Mr David Willetts

    Student Loan repayments are managed annually under government budgeting rules and any changes, for whatever reason, in forecast repayments, are considered as part of the Parliamentary Supply Process.

    Additional Supply was agreed between this Department and HM Treasury, and approved by Parliament as part of the 2013-14 Supplementary Estimates process.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 291W, on Royal Mail, for what reasons the underwriters’ discretionary fee has not been paid.

    Michael Fallon

    No decision has been made on the payment of this discretionary payment.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many meetings the Minister of State for (a) Business and Enterprise, (b) Universities, Science and Skills and (c) Skills and Enterprise has had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser in the last 12 months.

    Mr David Willetts

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

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish regular information on the level of his Department’s target impairment for student loans.

    Mr David Willetts

    This Department does not set a target for impairment of student loans. Our reforms were designed to put higher education on a sustainable footing. Universities are now well-funded and this is driving up the quality of the student experience and helping to stimulate economic growth, while keeping access to higher education free at the point of entry.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost was of the recent triennial review of the Research Councils.

    Mr David Willetts

    The cost of the review primarily relates to the salary costs of review team members, who undertook the review as a corporate objective alongside their existing responsibilities. On average, the review team spent around 10% of their weekly core work hours on the review across its duration. There were additional costs associated with the extensive stakeholder engagement and in year awards to review team members to recognise their personal contribution in completing the review. These awards are consistent with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ (BIS) In-Year Awards policy of recognising and rewarding contributions to business performance and demonstrating the BIS values.

    The estimated maximum total cost to BIS of the review team is £81,350, which represents 0.002% of total Research Council funding.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to increase the proportion of girls taking separate science at GCSE.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The number of girls taking separate science GCSEs increased between 2010 and 2013 from 53,000 to 74,800 (41%) in biology, from 51,400 to 73,600 (43%) in chemistry and from 50,700 to 73,200 (44%) in physics. Girls now make up approximately 49% of all those taking each of the separate sciences, compared to approximately 45% in 2010.

    The Government is committed to increasing take-up of separate science GCSEs, including increasing the proportion of girls as part of its commitment to improve overall take up of STEM subjects at A level and beyond.

    The “Your Life” Campaign, launched in May 2014, brings together business, educators, civil society and government to show how science and mathematics leads to exciting, successful careers. This will include a publicity campaign aimed at 14-16 year olds, which will aim to change the way they think about science-based subjects from boring, specialist and niche to empowering, exciting, enabling and for everyone.

    We are funding the Triple Science Support Programme to provide intensive support to schools with either no take-up or relatively low take-up of all three separate science GCSEs, and more general support to all other schools. We are also funding the Stimulating Physics Network to increase progression to physics A level, especially of girls. Much of the work the network does focuses on improving engagement and interest of pupils in physics at GCSE.

    Excellent teaching is vital and we are offering bursaries worth up to £20,000 and teacher training scholarships worth £25,000 to recruit more specialist science teachers. We are also funding up to 50 local science learning partnerships to provide CPD for existing science teachers.

    The Department for Business Innovation and Skills funds the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of over 27,000 volunteers from industry and academia, 40% of whom are women, who work with schools across the UK to raise awareness of the range of careers that STEM qualifications can offer.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, at what stage in the sell-off process student loans will be defined as currently subject to a sale for the purposes of revaluing impairments.

    Mr David Willetts

    Student loans are classified as Loans and Receivables and are carried in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts at amortised cost in accordance with International Accounting Standards (IAS 39). Student loans are reviewed annually at the balance sheet date for any objective evidence of impairment, and the value is adjusted as necessary. This is not impacted by the sale process. In accordance with the standard, the classification of student loans will not change following initial recognition. Any gain or loss on disposal will be reported in the annual accounts following sale completion.