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450619

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	Languages: Higher Education
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to encourage the Higher Education Funding Council for England to continue supporting language study, in particular by maintaining the Year Abroad subsidy.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL5920
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/02/2016 answer text <p>The Government will be writing to the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) shortly setting out its funding for the coming year. The HEFCE Board will make decisions on funding for universities and colleges in light of the Government’s letter. The Government continues to recognise the importance of language study and the value of studying abroad. Approximately 220,000 students have benefitted from the Erasmus Programme.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Evans of Bowes Park question first answered 29/02/2016 13:10:56 answering member 4329 label Biography information for Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

450649

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	Foreign Companies: Property
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to bring the rules regarding transparency in respect of overseas company ownership of UK property into line with those for UK registered companies' property ownership.
tabling member printed	Lord Rooker
uin	HL5950
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2016 answer text <p>As announced, the Government is considering measures to increase the transparency of beneficial ownership of assets by foreign companies</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 25/02/2016 14:58:10 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	302 label Biography information for Lord Rooker

450652

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	National Institute of Adult Continuing Education: Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the merger of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education and the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion.
tabling member printed	Baroness Rebuck
uin	HL5953
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/02/2016 answer text <p>No assessment has been made of the merger of these two independent organisations.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 17/02/2016 14:31:34 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	4332 label Biography information for Baroness Rebuck

450653

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	Literacy: Females
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of poor literacy skills on women relative to men.
tabling member printed	Baroness Rebuck
uin	HL5954
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2016 answer text <p>The Skills for Life Survey 2011 showed no notable difference between the levels of literacy of men and women:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="4"><p><strong>Literacy levels by gender (%)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Literacy Level</strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p><strong>Gender</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>All</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Male</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Female</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Entry Level 1 or below</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Entry Level 2</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Entry Level 3</p></td><td><p>/8</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Level 1</p></td><td><p>28</p></td><td><p>29</p></td><td><p>28</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Level 2 or above</p></td><td><p>57</p></td><td><p>54</p></td><td><p>59</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Unweighted base</p></td><td><p>5824</p></td><td><p>2520</p></td><td><p>3304</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>(Skills for Life Survey 2011)</p><p> </p><p>For both women and men, poor literacy is associated with higher rates of unemployment and poorer health and well-being. We do not have evidence to suggest that illiteracy affects women any more than men.</p><p> </p><p>This Government nevertheless understands the importance of English for all adults and has made this subject a priority for support within the adult skills system. An example of this is the Government-funded English and ESOL programmes, which include more female than male learners:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>English and maths participation figures 2014/15</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>English </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>ESOL</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total Learners</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>668,600</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>131,100</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Gender</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>379,700</p></td><td><p>88,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>289,000</p></td><td><p>43,100</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(Statistical First Release – first published January 2014)</p><p> </p><p>We are undertaking a range of research to better understand where Government investment in English and maths has the greatest impact and delivers value for money. This includes: using behavioural insights to identify how to motivate adults to improve their English and maths and encourage learners to keep studying once enrolled on a course, through our partnership with the Behavioural Research Centre for Adult Skills and Knowledge (ASK); longitudinal research into skills gain and skills atrophy of adult English and maths learners; and a comparison of the impact of blended and more traditional classroom learning.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 25/02/2016 14:12:36 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	4332 label Biography information for Baroness Rebuck

450654

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	Literacy: Young People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the UK economy of poor literacy skills on the part of 16–24 year-olds.
tabling member printed	Baroness Rebuck
uin	HL5955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2016 answer text <p>There are a number of ways in which the Government assesses the impact of poor literacy on the economy.</p><p> </p><p>On 28 January 2016, the OECD published its report <em>‘Building skills for all – a review of England’</em>. The report was commissioned by BIS following the publication of the OECD’s Survey of Adult Skills in 2013. Key findings from <em>Building Skills for All</em> are:</p><ul><li>Nine million adults in England have poor basic skills.</li><li>Overall, in terms of proportion, this is average for OECD countries, but England’s young people lag behind other countries.</li><li>A third of 16-19 year olds in England have poor basic skills – three times the proportion than in high performing countries.</li><li>Eliminating the tail of low achievement could increase long term productivity growth by around 0.5%.</li></ul><p>The BIS Research Paper 195 ‘Estimation of the labour market returns to qualifications gained in English Further Education’, published in December 2014, shows that there are higher returns to qualifications achieved at younger ages and that English (and maths) Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications provide an additional wage uplift for achievers of higher learning aims. Increased earnings and employment rates following training provide an indication of the positive impact on the economy of improving skills.</p><p> </p><p>In 2012, when the PIAAC carried out the survey fieldwork for both reports, only 70% of 16-19 year olds were participating in education and training that leads to a formal qualification; compared to almost universal participation in some other OECD countries. Since then the participation age in England has been increased to age 18 and action has been taken to improve GCSE qualifications and raise standards in post-16 education. These reforms have been welcomed by the OECD in its latest report. .</p><p> </p><p>Since changing the requirement for all learners who did not achieve a Level 2 in English and maths by the age of 16 to continue to study these subjects as part of their 16-19 study programme, we have seen a positive effect on participation and attainment. In 2014/15, 97% of 16 to 19 year olds without GCSE A*-C English and/or maths attending an FE institution continued their study of these subjects. In 2015, for 17-year-olds and over, entries for English rose by 23% (30% for maths). As a result, last year there were over 4,000 more GCSE passes at grades A*-C in English by students aged 17 and over (7,500 more maths passes).</p><p>On 5 February 2016 we published a new report on the impact of poor English and maths from the perspective of employers. Some key findings are:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The vast majority of employers surveyed reported no issues with the literacy of their employees.</li><li>Employers that do offer basic skills training reported positive impacts on aspects of work such as the number of errors (63%), better capacity to meet statutory requirements (58%), being able to introduce new processes (52%) and being able to produce higher quality products (51%).</li></ul><p> </p><p>The full report can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/poor-basic-literacy-and-numeracy-effect-on-employers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/poor-basic-literacy-and-numeracy-effect-on-employers</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 22/02/2016 12:31:09 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe attachment 1 file name BIS-impact-of-poor-basic-literacy-and-numeracy-on-employers.pdf title Literacy and Numeracy skills
tabling member	4332 label Biography information for Baroness Rebuck

450658

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	Unpaid Work: Social Mobility
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 his Department is taking to inform businesses about the effect that (a) paid and (b) unpaid internships have on social mobility.
tabling member constituency	South West Wiltshire
tabling member printed	Dr Andrew Murrison
uin	25863
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2016 answer text <p>The Government believes in fair wages for fair work and opportunity for all. When an intern meets the legal definition of a worker they must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. We actively promote understanding of the importance of pay for interns through our Social Mobility Business Compact, which secures agreement from business to take measures to improve social mobility. In addition, the Common Best Practice Code for High Quality Internships secures collective commitment from leading employers to ensure internships are fairly paid. These initiatives help to ensure employers are fully aware of the types of standards and expectations that need to be in place in the intern-employer relationship.</p><p>Separately, we have made it simpler to name and shame employers that do not comply with national minimum wage regulations and complaints from interns are now fast-tracked by HMRC.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 12/02/2016 14:21:05 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison

450660

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	UK Commission for Employment and Skills: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he commissioned an independent evaluation of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills before deciding to withdraw funding from it; and if so, if he will publish it.
tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
tabling member printed	Gordon Marsden
uin	25899
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2016 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>No independent evaluation of UKCES was commissioned. The decision by Whitehall Departments to withdraw funding from UKCES during 2016-17 was taken as part of the spending review given the need to make savings in non-participation budgets to allow the core adult skills participation budgets to be protected in cash terms.</p><p> </p><p>The decision had regard to the range of priorities needing to be funded from non-participation budgets. BIS is working with UKCES and the users of its services, including the Devolved Administrations, to manage the implications of this decision.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 09/02/2016 17:20:56 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	465 label Biography information for Gordon Marsden

450661

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	UK Commission for Employment and Skills: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he consulted the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland before deciding to withdraw funding from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
tabling member printed	Gordon Marsden
uin	25900
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2016 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The decision by Whitehall Departments to withdraw funding from the UKCES during 2016-17 was taken as part of the spending review given the need to make savings in non-participation budgets to allow the core adult skills participation budgets to be protected in cash terms.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has subsequently been working with the Devolved Administrations on the future arrangements for working together on common issues within the context of our devolved skills systems.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 09/02/2016 17:19:29 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	465 label Biography information for Gordon Marsden

450662

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	UK Commission for Employment and Skills: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how he plans to secure comprehensive analyses of skills shortages in the UK economy after funding is withdrawn from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
tabling member printed	Gordon Marsden
uin	25901
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2016 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>In the context of needing to make savings in non-participation budgets to allow the core adult skills participation budgets to be protected in cash terms, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has consulted the Devolved Administrations and other users of labour market information on future research priorities.</p><p> </p><p>These discussions have identified the significance of the Employer Skills Survey, the Employer Perspectives Survey and the LMI (Labour Market Information) for All Portal. We are considering how these can best be delivered in future and will announce future arrangements as soon as final decisions are made.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 09/02/2016 17:18:02 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	465 label Biography information for Gordon Marsden

450663

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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	Institute for Apprenticeships
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons the responsibilities planned for the proposed Institute for Apprenticeships could not have been undertaken by the existing UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
tabling member printed	Gordon Marsden
uin	25902
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2016 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The role of the Institute for Apprenticeships (IFA) will be very different to the current role and remit of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).</p><p> </p><p>The IFA must be able to make decisions independently of Ministers and hold direct operational responsibility rather than act in an advisory capacity.</p><p> </p><p>This will require different governance arrangements, with a small Board led primarily by employers and business leaders to steer the processes and decisions that are made.</p><p>The IFA will assume functions that Government has so far undertaken in relation to apprenticeship standards and assessment plans and will operate in the context of achieving three million starts by 2020.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 09/02/2016 17:16:05 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	465 label Biography information for Gordon Marsden