Tag: Lord Teverson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2016-06-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that the consumer energy storage market is properly regulated so that consumers are not miss-sold inappropriate systems, and to protect  responsible manufacturers in the sector.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

DECC has provided funding for the development of a Good Practice Guide on Electrical Energy Storage, which was published in December 2014. DECC officials are also involved in ongoing discussions led by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and by the British Standards Institution (BSI) on technical guidance and standards for electrical energy storage systems. Independent, professional bodies, such as the IET and BSI, are well-placed to lead development of relevant technical guidelines or standards.

The BRE Trust, a charity dedicated to research and education in the built environment, has published this year the “BRE Solar Storage Consumer Guide” which provides guidance for domestic and small commercial consumers considering a battery system to work alongside an existing or new solar PV system.

DECC aims to level the playing field for the storage market, removing policy and regulatory barriers in the first instance. We will be publishing a call for evidence on a smart systems routemap, including storage, in the near future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2016-06-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to increase international student numbers from India, in the light of the publication of Indian Student Mobility Report 2016 by M M Advisory Services. which points out that, despite the high growth in overseas students from India, the number of students coming to the UK has declined steeply in recent years and is likely to be overtaken by Germany.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

We welcome international students from all countries to study at our world-class universities. There is no cap on the number that can come here and the UK remains the second most popular destination for international students.

The Government is working closely with India to strengthen education ties with the UK. In November 2015, the Indian and UK Prime Ministers’ jointly announced the ‘2016 UK-India Year of Education, Research and Innovation’ and the following month my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Minister of State for Universities and Science led a delegation to India, accompanied by 28 vice-chancellors and college leaders to increase sector-to-sector partnerships.

We are funding major bilateral agreements, including: the UK India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI) which supports partnerships in education and research; the Newton-Bhabha Fund, bringing together science and innovation partners to tackle economic development challenges; and supporting the Generation UK-India programme which is increasing the number of UK students taking placements in India. We are also promoting recruitment to the UK through the Britain is GREAT marketing campaign.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2016-10-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the Environment Agency is taking to ensure that decisions relating to the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme receive director-level attention and remain adequately staffed.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Implementation of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme remains an Environment Agency priority and there has been no change to the amount of resource assigned to this or to the level of oversight within the Agency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2016-10-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the future of the Energy Technology List and the associated ability to claim Enhanced Capital Allowances.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Since its inception in 2001, the Energy Technology List has incentivised UK businesses to invest in highly efficient plant and machinery as part of the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme, which provides a cash-flow advantage for businesses. Going forward, the Government will work to ensure that the Energy Technology List continues to help deliver our business energy-efficiency policy ambitions effectively whilst providing good value for money for tax payers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which of the 34 current OECD countries include international students within their national immigration statistics, and which do not.

Lord Bates

The majority of our major competitors for the brightest and best students, including Australia, Canada and the USA, include international students in their national migration statistics.

The UK’s immigration statistics, published by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS), follow the internationally agreed United Nations definitions. These define a migrant as someone who changes their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants.

The categories of migrant included by other OECD countries in their statistical returns to the OECD is contained in the annex to the OECD International Migration Outlook at: http://www.oecd.org/migration/international-migration-outlook-1999124x.htm

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2016-10-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Home Office research indicating that only one per cent of foreign students fail to leave the country once they have completed their course, whether they intend to encourage more such students to study in the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

There remains no limit on the number of genuine international students who can come to study in the UK and visa applications from international students to study at British universities are up by 14% since 2010.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the current visa regime has had on international student numbers in the UK.

Lord Bates

The student migration system we inherited was too weak, and open to widespread abuse, damaging the UK’s reputation as a provider of world-class education.

We have clamped down on immigration abuse from poor quality institutions selling immigration rather than education, and since 2010 we have struck off more than 900 bogus colleges. Visa applications for the further education sector, where abuse has been most prevalent over recent years, are down 74 per cent compared with 2010.

At the same time, we have maintained a highly competitive offer for international students who would like to study at our world-class institutions. This is borne out by the figures: visa applications from international students to study at British universities are up by 17 per cent since 2010, whilst visa applications to our world-leading Russell Group institutions are up by 33 per cent since 2010.

We will continue to reform the student visa system to tackle abuse and deliver an effective immigration system that works in the national interest.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of halving the maximum visa refusal rate on the Highly Trusted Sponsor status given to higher education institutions in the UK.

Lord Bates

Highly Trusted Sponsor status was replaced with Tier 4 Sponsor status in April 2015.

The maximum permitted visa refusal rate for Tier 4 sponsors was reduced from 20% to 10% in November 2014 to make sure that the colleges and universities who directly benefit from student migration help prevent abuse, and to ensure that institutions are only offering places to genuine students with an appropriate level of English.

Since the new rate was introduced, visa applications from students wishing to study at the UK’s world-class universities have continued to rise. Latest figures show that visa applications from university students are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010, and visa applications to Russell Group universities are 33 per cent higher than in 2010.

We will continue to keep the visa refusal rate under review but we have no imminent plans to change the maximum permitted rate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering making further reductions in the maximum university visa refusal rate in relation to Highly Trusted Sponsor status.

Lord Bates

Highly Trusted Sponsor status was replaced with Tier 4 Sponsor status in April 2015.

The maximum permitted visa refusal rate for Tier 4 sponsors was reduced from 20% to 10% in November 2014 to make sure that the colleges and universities who directly benefit from student migration help prevent abuse, and to ensure that institutions are only offering places to genuine students with an appropriate level of English.

Since the new rate was introduced, visa applications from students wishing to study at the UK’s world-class universities have continued to rise. Latest figures show that visa applications from university students are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010, and visa applications to Russell Group universities are 33 per cent higher than in 2010.

We will continue to keep the visa refusal rate under review but we have no imminent plans to change the maximum permitted rate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which countries credibility interviews of potential international students were undertaken by UK Visas and Immigration in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.

Lord Bates

UK Visas and Immigration interviewed applicants resident in the following countries for Tier 4 Student visa applications:

2015: Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

2014: Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

2013: Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Bahrain, China and Bangladesh.