Tag: Peter Kyle

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people were involved in the process of developing the care practitioner scheme which was being supported by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills; and what estimate his Department has made of how much that scheme would have cost to implement.

Nick Boles

Departments were not involved in any discussions about this scheme, as the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) was dealing directly and independently with the organisation that proposed the scheme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many Start-up loans the Government has issued in Brighton and Hove since that scheme started.

Anna Soubry

To date, 230 Start-Up loans have been issued in Brighton and Hove, totalling over £1.1million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of passenger rail franchises.

Claire Perry

The latest figures show that overall rail passenger satisfaction is up three percentage points since the last survey at 83 percent.

However we absolutely recognise that behind those national numbers are some routes and stations where customers are not getting the service they deserve including on his local route. That is why we are so committed to getting Network Rail and GTR to work together to minimise delays and drive up customer service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2015 to Question 16367, whether graduate schemes and internships will be supported by the apprenticeship levy.

Nick Boles

The levy will support apprenticeships at all levels, including degree level (Bachelors’ or Masters) apprenticeships. All apprenticeships must be paid jobs with on- and off-the-job training lasting at least a year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the technology used for the digital voucher system for accessing funds from the apprenticeship levy will allow companies to direct unused funds to smaller companies in their supply chains.

Nick Boles

In the first year of the levy, employers will be able to use funds in their levy account to pay for apprenticeship training and assessment of their own employees. We know that some employers will want to use funds in their digital account to pay for apprenticeship training of other employer’s apprentices, for example, someone in their supply chain. We will make an assessment of the pros and cons of any approach, including the trade-offs with other design choices, before providing further information in June.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Prime Minister, if she will appoint a new Apprenticeships Adviser.

Mrs Theresa May

The Department for Education is in charge of the apprenticeships policy. I will continue to make any appointments, as they are required, to deliver the government’s agenda.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has overall ministerial responsibility for meeting the objectives set out in Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm9098, published in July 2015.

Greg Hands

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills have overall responsibility for meeting the objectives set out in “Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation”.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and attended by Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, is ultimately responsible for tracking and driving forward these objectives.

Lord O’Neill, Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, has day to day responsibility for implementing the commitments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the current provision of skills required by the digital economy; and what steps he is taking to ensure that training delivered under the apprenticeship levy is geared towards high-value high-skilled jobs.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The digital sector contributes more than 7 per cent to the UK economy – it is one of our most innovative sectors, and needs a strong skills base to continue to grow and succeed. That is why this Government has implemented the new apprenticeship levy, and is consulting digital and technology employers to have a better understanding of their specific skills needs and assess the likely impacts of the levy on existing professional training programmes and initiatives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to the student opportunity fund on the number of people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education.

Joseph Johnson

We have taken significant steps to widen participation in higher education. In particular, from 2015/16, we have removed the cap on student numbers, enabling more people than ever before to benefit from higher education. We have also established a stronger framework with increased responsibility placed on providers to widen access. The Director of Fair Access has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 containing an estimated £745m to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds – up from £404m in 2009/10.

The Green Paper Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, CM 9141 sets out additional steps the Government plans to take to increase the proportion of students from disadvantaged background entering higher education including through the new guidance that we plan to issue to the Director of Fair Access, and through the social mobility taskforce being set up by Universities UK.

We will work with the Higher Education Funding Council for England to target the Student Opportunity Fund in the most effective way and with the Director of Fair Access to ensure that universities take more responsibility for widening access, prioritising activities that demonstrate the greatest value for money.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what modelling his Department has conducted on future growth of apprenticeship numbers in individual sectors of the UK economy.

Nick Boles

Apprenticeships are paid jobs and their availability is employer demand-led, so we do not publish future forecasts.