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58276

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Shipping: Minimum Wage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent (a) correspondence and (b) discussions he has had with individual employers in the maritime industry about pay rates below the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for seafarers subject to UK National Insurance employed on vessels working from UK ports; and if he will take steps to enforce in the maritime sector his Department's policy on enforcement, prosecutions and naming employers who break the law on the NMW.
tabling member constituency	Hayes and Harlington
tabling member printed	John McDonnell
uin	199360
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Department is beginning engagement with a range of stakeholders from the maritime industry to fully understand issues surrounding payment of the minimum wage. To date we have met with officials in other jurisdictions as this policy area is affected by legislation outside the UK. We will go on to engage with individual maritime employers and their associations. We will be discussing recruitment models and pay structures as part of this engagement. Following these investigations, we will consider whether further enforcement activity is needed in this sector.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This Government remains committed to the minimum wage and the protection it provides to low paid workers. That is why we have strengthened the enforcement regime by cutting back the criteria for naming and shaming non-compliant employers and have increased the penalty from 50% to 100% of arrears up to £20,000. We are also taking primary legislation to apply a penalty per underpaid worker rather than per non-compliant employer.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Where employers in the maritime industry are found to not be paying the National Minimum Wage that workers are entitled to, we will not hesitate to take action, including recovering arrears owed to workers and penalising employers financially and their reputation by naming and shaming where appropriate.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Workers in the maritime industry who think they have not been paid the correct National Minimum Wage should contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott grouped question UIN 199356 question first answered 12/06/2014 16:12:07 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	178 label Biography information for John McDonnell

58277

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Shipping: Minimum Wage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) UK Chamber of Shipping and (b) European Community Shipowners Association on pay rates for seafarers subject to UK National Insurance employed on vessels working from UK ports who are paid hourly rates below the National Minimum Wage; and if he will request data on such pay rates from maritime employers' associations.
tabling member constituency	Hayes and Harlington
tabling member printed	John McDonnell
uin	199356
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Department is beginning engagement with a range of stakeholders from the maritime industry to fully understand issues surrounding payment of the minimum wage. To date we have met with officials in other jurisdictions as this policy area is affected by legislation outside the UK. We will go on to engage with individual maritime employers and their associations. We will be discussing recruitment models and pay structures as part of this engagement. Following these investigations, we will consider whether further enforcement activity is needed in this sector.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This Government remains committed to the minimum wage and the protection it provides to low paid workers. That is why we have strengthened the enforcement regime by cutting back the criteria for naming and shaming non-compliant employers and have increased the penalty from 50% to 100% of arrears up to £20,000. We are also taking primary legislation to apply a penalty per underpaid worker rather than per non-compliant employer.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Where employers in the maritime industry are found to not be paying the National Minimum Wage that workers are entitled to, we will not hesitate to take action, including recovering arrears owed to workers and penalising employers financially and their reputation by naming and shaming where appropriate.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Workers in the maritime industry who think they have not been paid the correct National Minimum Wage should contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott grouped question UIN 199360 question first answered 12/06/2014 16:12:07 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	178 label Biography information for John McDonnell

58335

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Space Technology
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has invited representatives of the devolved administrations to join the ad hoc ministerial-led steering group on the implementation of his Department's national space security policy.
tabling member constituency	Bury South
tabling member printed	Mr Ivan Lewis
uin	199367
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The UK Space Agency and the Ministry of Defence are jointly leading work to co-ordinate an implementation plan for the National Space Security Policy that should be agreed between Ministers in the four lead Government Departments by the end of the calendar year. This plan will include the governance arrangements to oversee its successful implementation. Although Defence and National Security are not devolved matters, Devolved Administrations will be consulted where it is necessary or appropriate to do so.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Mr David Willetts question first answered 12/06/2014 16:31:44 answering member 53 label Biography information for Lord Willetts
tabling member	441 label Biography information for Mr Ivan Lewis

58336

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Space Technology: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that industry and academia in Northern Ireland are able to benefit from opportunities in support of national space security interests.
tabling member constituency	Bury South
tabling member printed	Mr Ivan Lewis
uin	199368
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>As part of the Northern Ireland pact published last year, the UK Space Agency is currently setting the business case for an investment in a satellite propulsion test facility near Belfast. This capability could be used for satellites employed in commercial and security uses.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Mr David Willetts question first answered 12/06/2014 16:29:22 answering member 53 label Biography information for Lord Willetts
tabling member	441 label Biography information for Mr Ivan Lewis

58337

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Post Codes: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether public sector organisations in Northern Ireland will be eligible for the terms of use for postcode address finder from 1 April 2015.
tabling member constituency	Bury South
tabling member printed	Mr Ivan Lewis
uin	199370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Northern Ireland public sector organisations will be not eligible for the Postcode Address File (PAF) Public Sector Licence agreed between the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS) and Royal Mail. The PAF Public Sector Licence covers public sector bodies in England and Wales and will come into full force on 1 April 2015. Bodies whose remit is mainly or wholly within Northern Ireland, Scotland, and other Crown dependencies or foreign territories are excluded from the agreement between BIS and Royal Mail.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Royal Mail discussed the creation of an equivalent to the PAF Public Sector Licence with the Northern Ireland Land &amp; Property Services. The view was that most of Northern Ireland's Government Departments were only interested in addresses within Northern Ireland and that there was no need for a central agreement.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 12/06/2014 16:19:44 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	441 label Biography information for Mr Ivan Lewis

58338

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Space Technology: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions officials in his Department had with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive before publication of the National Space Security Policy.
tabling member constituency	Bury South
tabling member printed	Mr Ivan Lewis
uin	199371
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Prior to the publication of the National Space Security Policy, committee clearance was requested via the National Security Committee by me which was confirmed on 12 December 2014. Although Defence and National Security are not devolved matters, Devolved Administrations will be consulted where it is necessary or appropriate to do so.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Mr David Willetts question first answered 12/06/2014 16:24:01 answering member 53 label Biography information for Lord Willetts
tabling member	441 label Biography information for Mr Ivan Lewis

58349

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Adult Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding was available through the Skills Funding Agency for (a) adult learning courses to support return-to-work programmes and (b) English as a Second Language courses in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Moor View
tabling member printed	Alison Seabeck
uin	199410
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The funding available for Adult Skills is outlined in the Skills Funding Statement. The statement sets out the Government's priorities for the budget and it is for providers to decide how they use their adult skills funding to reflect those priorities and meet the needs of learners and employers in their local area. The Skills Funding Statements 2012-15 and 2013-16 also show in the Data Annex what learning the available funding has supported over the last three years:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-funding-statement-2013-to-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-funding-statement-2013-to-2016</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-funding-statement-2012-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-funding-statement-2012-2015</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 12/06/2014 16:26:04 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1552 label Biography information for Alison Seabeck

58399

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Adult Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to educate adults in literacy, numeracy and ICT skills.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	199220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Skills policy is devolved so this answer refers to policy in England only.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>One of the Government's priorities is to ensure that all adults have the level of English, maths and digital skills to help them find and sustain employment, as well as achieving other positive outcomes such as improved health and well-being.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are implementing a major programme of reform to raise the quality and standards of these vital subjects in adult education which will improve the quality of the teaching workforce, reward the best providers and ensure learners are stretched to achieve the best they can.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are investing £30m this year and next to attract the best graduates to teach in further education (FE) and to provide opportunities for existing teachers to improve their skills. As part of a £15m bursary scheme between 2013-15 we are offering up to £20,000 to the best and brightest graduates to teach in FE. In January 2014 we announced further measures to improve the workforce including; a golden-hello scheme offering a bonus of £7,500 to maths graduates in their second year of teaching; a recruitment incentive scheme offering £20,000 to providers for taking on a specialist maths graduate teacher; and a subject knowledge enhancement scheme to enable highly qualified graduates who have the skills and aptitude to teach but need to develop some specific maths skills before they start teacher training.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have put English and maths at the heart of all our major programmes. From 2014/15 all intermediate Apprentices will be required to work towards achieving a level 2 in English and maths and young people undertaking a traineeship will be required to study English and maths unless they already have a level 2 qualification in English and maths.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We fully fund all adults to achieve their first English and maths GCSE as well as other qualifications which help them get to that level. Our reforms to English and maths GCSEs will make them more rigorous and help ensure that young people and adults develop the skills most relevant to employers. The reformed GCSEs will be available for first teaching from September 2015 and our ambition is for them to become the gold-standard measuring achievement at level 2 for all ages and ability levels.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We encourage and support a wide range of different and flexible types of provision so that adults can learn in a way that suits them, for example, learning in the workplace, Community Learning including Family English, Maths and Language (FEML) provision, through traditional college courses and using technology and online learning.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are making sure jobseekers on benefits have the best chance of finding employment by helping them improve their literacy and numeracy skills. From April 2014, those with poor spoken English which is preventing them from finding work have been expected to train in English, with the possibility of losing their benefit if they choose not to participate. In December 2014, we will launch the 18-21 Work Skills pilot which will test different approaches to teaching and learning and the outcomes of mandating new 18-21 year-old Jobseekers' Allowance claimants with English and maths below Level 2 to English and maths training for up to 16 hours per week, alongside their jobsearch.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have a substantial programme of research to identify the most effective approaches to teaching and learning. In April, I announced the launch of a new research centre with the Behavioural Rights Insight Team to bring the latest findings from behavioural science to bear on the challenges of improving adult literacy and numeracy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Basic digital skills are now seen to be as vital as literacy and numeracy, not just for employment but for all aspects of life. The Government's recent Digital Inclusion Strategy set what actions we will take to ensure everyone has these skills. The Strategy can be found at:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy/government-digital-inclusion-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy/government-digital-inclusion-strategy</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For its part, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has committed over £30m over the last 5 years to UK online centres to help more people develop the basic digital skills needed to use a computer, and to get online safely and securely. This has so far helped over 1.25 million people, most of whom were adults, get online. A £1m extension to the current programme will help another 43,000 people to get online. This is aimed at hard to reach groups, many who are socially excluded. We are currently in the process of tendering a new programme with the aim to get another 1million people online in the next 3-5 years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 12/06/2014 16:27:52 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

58405

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Holiday Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 87W, on holiday leave, what assessment his Department has made of the conclusions of the Citizen's Advice Bureau's Report entitled Give us a Break on the lack of awareness and denial of paid holiday entitlement to UK workers.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne East
tabling member printed	Mr Nicholas Brown
uin	199434
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Citizen's Advice Bureau's Report, Give us a Break, was a formal submission to the Ministerial Review of Workplace Rights, Compliance and Enforcement and therefore this Department assessed the report along with other submissions to the review. The written Ministerial Statement following the review was laid in parliament on 10<sup>th</sup> July 2012. We continually review a broad range of evidence. As outlined in reply of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 87W, the right to paid annual leave is an important right, and we would urge workers who feel they are not receiving it to contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800 917 2368) or Acas (www.acas.org.uk) for free and confidential advice.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 11/06/2014 15:21:26 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	523 label Biography information for Mr Nicholas Brown

58501

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Disabled Students' Allowances: Brighton
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students received disabled students' allowance in Brighton and Hove local authority area in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	199423
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Information on students awarded and paid Disabled Students' Allowance is published annually by Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘<em>Student Support for Higher Education England</em>'. The latest statistics are available at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.slc.co.uk/media/694170/slcsfr052013.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.slc.co.uk/media/694170/slcsfr052013.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A further breakdown for Brighton and Hove local authority has been provided in the table. Equivalent figures for the academic year 2013/14 will be available from November 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Students in receipt of Disabled Students Allowance from Brighton and Hove Local Authority</strong></p><p> </p><p>Academic Year 2012/13</p><p> </p><p>Effective date: 13/11/2013</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p><strong>Academic Year</strong></p></td><td colspan="3"> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td colspan="2"> </td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Application Type</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number Paid DSA</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"> </td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Full-Time Application</p></td><td><p>450</p></td><td colspan="2"> </td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Part-Time Application</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td colspan="2"> </td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Post Graduate DSA</p></td><td><p>80</p></td><td colspan="2"> </td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>530</p></td><td colspan="2"> </td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td colspan="2"> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td colspan="2"> </td></tr><tr><td><p>Notes:</p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td colspan="2"> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="5"><p>[1] Disabled Student Allowance may be paid to the Student or to a Supplier on the student's behalf.</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p>[2] Figures are derived from the Post Code of the applicant's home address.</p></td><td colspan="3"> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="5"><p>[3] The effective date is that of the November 2013 Awards Statistical First Release. The figures are therefore provisional and do not include students who were awarded DSA after November 2013.</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p>[4] DSA Payments may be made at any point during the Academic Year or after the end of the Academic Year.</p></td><td colspan="3"> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="5"><p>[5] Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add to the sum of the components due to rounding.</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Mr David Willetts question first answered 12/06/2014 16:22:01 answering member 53 label Biography information for Lord Willetts
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas