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101683

	registered interest
	date	29/10/2014
	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	EU Grants and Loans
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government which United Kingdom organisations have received European Union funding in the last year from structural, cohesion or other funds.
	tabling member printed	Lord Vinson
	uin	HL2505
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The United Kingdom receives an allocation for the Structural Funds (the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund) but not the Cohesion Fund.</p><p> </p><p>A large number of United Kingdom organisations received European Funding under Structural Funds programmes in the last year. As these are too numerous to set down here, I have provided below details of websites which contain lists of beneficiary organisations.</p><p> </p><p>The links to the Structural Funds programmes are:</p><p> </p><p>ERDF Programmes in England: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/erdf-programmes-progress-and-achievements" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/erdf-programmes-progress-and-achievements</a>.</p><p> </p><p>ESF England and Gibraltar: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/european-social-fund-2007-to-2013" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/european-social-fund-2007-to-2013</a></p><p> </p><p>Devolved Administrations (ERDF &amp; ESF)</p><p> </p><p>Northern Ireland: <a href="http://www.dfpni.gov.uk/index/finance/european-funding.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dfpni.gov.uk/index/finance/european-funding.htm</a></p><p> </p><p>Scotland: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/17404/StructuralFunds2007-2013" target="_blank">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/17404/StructuralFunds2007-2013</a></p><p> </p><p>Wales: <a href="http://wefo.wales.gov.uk/programmes/progress/searchprojects/?lang=en" target="_blank">http://wefo.wales.gov.uk/programmes/progress/searchprojects/?lang=en</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In terms of other sources of EU funding that BIS is responsible for, this includes the Framework Programme 7 for Research &amp; Innovation with numerous participants from Higher Education, Research Organisations, Private Sector and Public bodies. Project information is not set out on the Commission website in such a way as to make it easy to identify UK recipients of EU funding in a calendar year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Another source of EU funding that BIS was responsible for was the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP) under the Competitiveness of Innovation and Enterprises (CIP). The latest beneficiaries report is the 2012 version. The following link will provide more information about the recipients of the programme, <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/cip/files/cip/docs/beneficiaries-report-october-2012_en.pdf" target="_blank">Beneficiaries Report October 2012 Final Version</a> – <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/cip/files/cip/docs/beneficiaries-report-october-2012.en.pdf" target="_blank">http://ec.europa.eu/cip/files/cip/docs/beneficiaries-report-october-2012.en.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 05/11/2014 14:00:24 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	1807 label Biography information for Lord Vinson

106184

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2014
	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	Productivity
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livingston of Parkhead on 13 October (HL1890), what they consider to be the reasons for the differences between the output per worker per hour in the United Kingdom and those of the other G7 countries, as reported by the Office for National Statistics in its statistical bulletin <i>International Comparisons of Productivity—Final Estimates 2012</i>; and what plans they have to improve the United Kingdom’s relative position.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL2655
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>The most up to date productivity data for 2012 are in the table.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Current Price Productivity, 2012, G7 countries, Index UK=100</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Japan</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Germany</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Canada</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Italy</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>France</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>US</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>UK</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>G7 excl. UK</em></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>GDP per worker</strong></p></td><td><p>90</p></td><td><p>108</p></td><td><p>104</p></td><td><p>116</p></td><td><p>115</p></td><td><p>140</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>120</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>GDP per hour worked</strong></p></td><td><p>85</p></td><td><p>129</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>109</p></td><td><p>128</p></td><td><p>130</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>117</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: International Comparisons of Productivity, First Estimates for 2013, ONS (Oct 2014)</p><p> </p><p>http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/icp/international-comparisons-of-productivity/2013---first-estimates/index.html</p><p> </p><p>Analysis undertaken by BIS (2012) to support Lord Heseltine’s Review of UK Competitiveness examined UK productivity in comparison to France, Germany and the USA. An analysis of productivity across all G7 countries has not yet been completed. The full analysis can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/34647/12-1207-benchmarking-uk-competitiveness-in-the-global-economy.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> but the main findings were:</p><p> </p><p>The analysis decomposed the productivity gap (measured by output per hour worked) into two components:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Sector productivity effect – the share of the gap arising due to productivity in a given sector being higher in another country than in the UK.</li><li>Sector mix effect – the share of the gap arising due to employment in another country being more concentrated in high productivity sectors than in the UK.</li></ul><p> </p><p>When UK productivity is compared to France, Germany and the USA, the sector productivity effect in each of the comparator countries fully explains the gap. As such, higher productivity across almost all sectors in each of these economies accounts for the entirety of their lead over the UK. In fact, the UK’s favourable sector mix went some way towards reducing the gap, particularly against France.</p><p> </p><p>Naturally, the factors driving the gap vary by country. However, at the aggregate level, the UK tends to have lower capital per head than France and Germany and a less efficient use of inputs in production (Total Factor Productivity) than the USA (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32101/10-1213-economic-growth.pdf" target="_blank">BIS, 2010</a>). There is also a (smaller) gap between the UK and its major competitors in terms of skills. This is generally characterised as a gap in intermediate skills with France and Germany, and a gap in higher level skills relative to the USA.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Plans to Improve UK Productivity</strong></p><p> </p><p>Government policy focuses on delivering growth which in turn depends on productivity in the longer term. In this sense, the majority of longer run Government economic policy is ultimately about raising productivity.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s industrial strategy and ‘The Plan for Growth’ are creating the right environment for businesses to invest and grow. This will continue to support UK long-term productivity growth.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Data Revisions</strong></p><p> </p><p>Recent changes to national accounts methodology have slightly reduced the productivity gap between the UK and other leading G7 economies. Data for 2012 were revised and are provided in the table above. In case it is of interest, the most recent data for 2013 is also included in the table below. A full decomposition of the productivity gap has not yet been undertaken using the revised data.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Current Price Productivity, 2013, G7 countries, Index UK=100</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Japan</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Germany</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Canada</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Italy</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>France</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>US</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>UK</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>G7 excl. UK</em></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>GDP per worker</strong></p></td><td><p>88</p></td><td><p>107</p></td><td><p>103</p></td><td><p>115</p></td><td><p>114</p></td><td><p>139</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>119</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>GDP per hour worked</strong></p></td><td><p>85</p></td><td><p>129</p></td><td><p>101</p></td><td><p>109</p></td><td><p>128</p></td><td><p>130</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>117</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: International Comparisons of Productivity, First Estimates for 2013, ONS (Oct 2014)</p><p> </p><p>http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/icp/international-comparisons-of-productivity/2013---first-estimates/index.html</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>References</p><p> </p><p>BIS (2010) Economic Growth, BIS Economics Paper No. 9</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32101/10-1213-economic-growth.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32101/10-1213-economic-growth.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>BIS (2012) Benchmarking UK Competitiveness in the Global Economy, BIS Economics Paper No. 19</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/34647/12-1207-benchmarking-uk-competitiveness-in-the-global-economy.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/34647/12-1207-benchmarking-uk-competitiveness-in-the-global-economy.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 17/11/2014 12:31:53 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

114515

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2014
	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	UK Membership of EU
	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 conclusions of <i>Where's the Insider Advantage</i>? <i>A review of the evidence that withdrawal from the EU would not harm the UK’s exports or foreign investment in the UK</i>, published by Civitas.
	tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
	uin	HL2689
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2014 answer text <p>The Civitas report aims to identify whether there are advantages to the UK of being an ‘EU insider’ in terms of setting the rules of the Single Market. The report focuses on growth in UK exports as the measure of this benefit. It does not account for the broader positive impacts of the Single Market on the UK, including enhanced competition and innovation at home.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The report refers to Switzerland as an example of a county that has negotiated Free trade Agreements (FTA) as a non-member of the EU. The impact on the UK’s exports of withdrawal from the EU would depend on whether the UK could negotiate similar trade agreements’ to those it currently has as a member of the EU. It would also depend on the FTA that it could negotiate with the EU itself. Switzerland has to pay to be part of the EU single market and to negotiate sector by sector, but does not determine the rules.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 19/11/2014 14:58:58 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

142586

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2014
	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	Minimum Wage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 29 October (HL 2219), whether they have any plans to amend the minimum wage legislation to include interns and others not currently covered by it including those subject to the terms of the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jopling
	uin	HL2696
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2014 answer text <p>Many interns are already entitled to the National Minimum Wage. The term “intern” is not defined in any legislation: entitlement to the minimum wage depends on whether or not an individual is a worker for minimum wage purposes.</p><p> </p><p>The National Minimum Wage applies to all workers unless a specific exemption applies. If an intern is a worker they will be entitled to the minimum wage. An applicable exemption would be students in further or higher education performing work-experience for a period not exceeding 12 months which is part of their studies. It can be legitimate for employers to offer unpaid or ‘expenses-only’ opportunities in some circumstances – in particular where the individual is acting as a volunteer.</p><p> </p><p>Given this dependency on employment status, it is vital that employers and workers understand how this is determined. This is why last month, the Business Secretary announced a review of employment status, looking at how the system could be clarified, providing transparency for both individuals and employers. This is an internal review and findings will be presented to ministers early next year.</p><p> </p><p>There are currently no plans to specifically consider individuals covered by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 20/11/2014 16:01:07 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	883 label Biography information for Lord Jopling

147349

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	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	Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the investor-state dispute settlement system in the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will not be dealt with by United Kingdom courts.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
	uin	HL2753
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2014 answer text The Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership (TTIP) will be an agreement with 28 EU countries and the US. In the case of the UK, it has over 90 existing bilateral investment treaties with other countries across the world, UK domestic courts and the UK legal system remain the main route for resolving the overwhelming majority of disputes that foreign investors may have with the actions of the UK Government. Investment protection provisions and Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses in trade and investment treaties are nonetheless valued by investors for providing certainty and protection from discriminatory action by host governments. Well-formulated investment protection and ISDS provisions have the potential to encourage investment while placing effective safeguards on the Government’s ability to regulate in the public interest. The Government believes it is in the UK's interest to create modern investment provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to both encourage investment and create a potential model for future trade and investment agreements with other countries. As such, we would want the ISDS mechanism in TTIP to be in line with best practice, including the new The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Rules on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration. answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 19/11/2014 12:33:40 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	4297 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

147352

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	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	Copyright
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their reasons for proposing an extended three-year transition period from April 2015 for the implementation of section 74 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, in the light of the current extent of counterfeiting.
	tabling member printed	Lord Clement-Jones
	uin	HL2756
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2014 answer text The Government’s reasons for proposing a three-year transition period for implementing s74 Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 are set out in its recent consultation which concluded on 27 October 2014 (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transitional-provisions-for-the-repeal-of-section-52-of-the-cdpa). This does not represent an extended transition period but the Government’s provisional judgement as to the shortest reasonable period, taking into account the needs of both right owners and those using the current law to trade lawfully. The Government is considering the evidence it received and will make its decision on transitional provisions in the light of this. Current items made under the aegis of s52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 would not be considered counterfeits. Counterfeit products (i.e. goods which falsely carry the trade mark of a genuine brand without permission) are already subject to legal sanction under separate trade mark legislation. answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 21/11/2014 13:06:54 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3396 label Biography information for Lord Clement-Jones

147375

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	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	European Union
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 24 October (HL2132), whether there are any similar investment protection treaties between the European Union and other countries.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ashcroft
	uin	HL2779
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>A large number of EU treaties offer some level of protection to investors or investment. All of these are publically available and can be found on the EUR-lex database of law at <a href="http://eur-lex.europa.eu/" target="_blank">http://eur-lex.europa.eu</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 24/11/2014 13:31:16 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	2568 label Biography information for Lord Ashcroft

155366

	registered interest
	date	11/11/2014
	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	Leasehold
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend that residential leases are to be considered consumer contracts and therefore covered by the Consumer Rights Bill.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
	uin	HL2824
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>Chapter 4 of Part 1 of the Consumer Rights Bill applies to contracts between a trader and a consumer, for the trader to supply a service to a consumer. A residential lease itself is not considered a service, as it is an “interest in land”, and, as such, chapter 4 of the Consumer Rights Bill does not apply. Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the Consumer Rights Bill applies to contracts between a trader and a consumer, for the trader to supply goods to a consumer. Goods are defined as “tangible moveable items”, so do not include land which is immoveable property.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Rights and protections specific to long residential leases are provided through landlord and tenant legislation, including the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, and the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Leases are also contractual arrangements between a landlord and tenant or leaseholder which defines each party’s interests, rights and obligations in respect of the leasehold and, as such, Part 2 of the Consumer Rights Bill on Unfair Terms would apply where the landlord is a “trader” and the leaseholder a “consumer”.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Part 1 and Part 2 of the Consumer Rights Bill will apply to contracts between a trader and a consumer entered into after the Bill comes into force.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 24/11/2014 17:40:47 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4159 label Biography information for Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town

155663

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2014
	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	Overseas Students
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to encourage foreign students to enrol in United Kingdom universities.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ashcroft
	uin	HL2847
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p>The International Education Strategy recognised the huge contribution that overseas students make to the UK and all genuine overseas students are welcome to study in the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government and the higher education sector are taking every opportunity to promote the UK’s offer and the warm welcome the UK extends to international students, including through using the ‘Britain is GREAT’ campaign. For example, the High Commission in Delhi began work last year (with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK Trade and Investment and the British Council) to promote UK education at outreach events, exhibitions and road shows in some of India’s biggest cities. The ‘Britain is GREAT’ campaign is also promoting UK education across a range of other countries.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 27/11/2014 12:28:29 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	2568 label Biography information for Lord Ashcroft

155664

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2014
	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	Overseas Students
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the export earnings which derive from foreign students attending United Kingdom universities.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ashcroft
	uin	HL2848
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2014 answer text In the Government’s International Education Strategy, published in July 2013, the value of international higher education students to the UK was valued at £9.7bn. The international education strategy can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-global-growth-and-prosperity More recent data for the 2012/13 academic year is now available. Based on this, BIS estimates that UK exports attributable to international higher education students were £10.4bn. answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 26/11/2014 13:04:45 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	2568 label Biography information for Lord Ashcroft

155706

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2014
	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	Overseas Trade: Cuba
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the level of trade between Cuba and the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hutton of Furness
	uin	HL2890
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">Sources are:</del></p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">Data on trade in goods with Cuba is available from HMRC and trade in services from the ONS. Services data on the most recent basis are not available before 2007. The goods and services data are on a different basis as figures on the same basis are not available. This information has not been adjusted for inflation.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The data we have is as below. Please see notes for further explanation.</ins></p><p>Value of UK Trade (exports plus imports) with Cuba: current prices (£ million)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Goods</p></td><td><p>Services</p></td><td><p>Goods + Services</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004</p></td><td><p>24</p></td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>2005</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>2006</p></td><td><p>29</p></td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>2007</p></td><td><p>23</p></td><td><p>149</p></td><td><p>172</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td><p>155</p></td><td><p>180</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>19</p></td><td><p>171</p></td><td><p>190</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>21</p></td><td><p>196</p></td><td><p>217</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>69</p></td><td><p>145</p></td><td><p>214</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>62</p></td><td><p>188</p></td><td><p>250</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>138</p></td><td><p>213</p></td><td><p>351</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sources are:</p><p>Goods: HMRC, Overseas Trade Statistics (OTS) database, figures are on a border basis, not seasonally adjusted.</p><p> </p><p>Services: ONS, special request from the ONS, figures are on a balance of payments (BPM6) basis, seasonally adjusted.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Data on trade in goods with Cuba is available from HMRC and trade in services from the ONS. Services data on the most recent basis (new balance of payments method) are not available before 2007. The goods and services data are on a different basis as figures on the same basis are not available. This information has not been adjusted for inflation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 24/11/2014 14:31:48 question first ministerially corrected 24/11/2014 16:42:00 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead previous answer version 29429 answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	494 label Biography information for Lord Hutton of Furness

156476

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	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	Apprentices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are putting in place to increase the proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises which take on apprentices.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL2918
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers provides £1,500 to help smaller employers recruit a new apprentice aged 16 to 24. We have made £170m additional funding available over 2014-16 financial years to fund over 100,000 additional incentive payments. Provisional figures show that between Feb 2012 and July 2014 there were 95,200 apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the AGE Grant. A further 8,200 were in the pipeline (started but not yet paid).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Apprenticeship reforms are putting employers in the lead of designing apprenticeships, making it easier and more attractive for them to offer more in the future. Funding reforms will also provide a financial incentive to support smaller businesses taking on an apprentice.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 01/12/2014 12:03:03 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

156561

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2014
	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	Quindell
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are investigating Quindell plc and its board of directors and financial advisers; and if not, whether they plan to do so.
	tabling member printed	Lord Myners
	uin	HL2984
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>Quindell plc is Alternative Investment Market (AIM) listed which is controlled by London Stock Exchange and any enquiry relating to possible market abuse sits within the remit of the Financial Conduct Authority.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Insolvency Service has discretionary powers under the Companies Acts to conduct enquiries on behalf of the Secretary of State where it appears that there has been misconduct in relation to the affairs of any company, including those not subject to formal insolvency.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For the investigation process to be effective it is essential to maintain confidentiality at all stages and there is also a need to protect the commercial interest of companies against the danger of damage from malicious complaints. For these reasons there are legal restrictions on disclosing information obtained during an enquiry and The Service does not confirm or deny whether an investigation of a particular company is taking place.</p><p> </p><p>Where other regulators and investigating agencies are involved, the Insolvency Service would liaise closely to ensure public money is not wasted duplicating resources.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 01/12/2014 12:09:55 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

156578

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2014
	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	Artificial Sweeteners: Imports
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total amount of artificial sweeteners imported into the United Kingdom in 2013.
	tabling member printed	The Countess of Mar
	uin	HL3001
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>According to HMRC, UK import figures for ‘artificial sweeteners’ are contained within HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics database code HS 21069092 (‘food preparations’, see full definition below). This captures a range of food preparations; it is not possible to split the data to show the amount (value or volume) of UK imports of artificial sweeteners in 2013 separately. The HMRC data shows that the UK imported £326.8 million (76,388,773 kilograms) worth of ‘food preparations’ in 2013.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>Note: definition of HS 21069092</em></p><p> </p><p><em>HS 21069092 - Food preparations, n.e.s., not containing milkfats, sucrose, isoglucose starch or glucose or containing, by weight, &lt; 1,5% milkfat, &lt; 5% sucrose or isoglucose, &lt; 5% glucose or &lt; 5% starch</em></p><p> </p><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 01/12/2014 12:11:31 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	1861 label Biography information for The Countess of Mar

157097

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2014
	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	Further Education: Teachers
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of teachers in further education colleges are employed on zero hours contracts.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL3042
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Business Innovation and Skills does not collect information about the terms and conditions of employment of individuals working in the further education sector. Further education colleges are independent organisations responsible for determining the terms and conditions of their employees.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 01/12/2014 12:10:25 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

157098

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2014
	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	Directors: LGBT+ People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the action they have taken on gender and race, what efforts they are making to improve the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on corporate boards in the United Kingdom.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Madingley
	uin	HL3043
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>Following Lord Davies’s Review on Women on Boards in 2011, we are now at 22.8% women on FTSE 100 boards (October 2014), from a starting point of 12.5% in 2011.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State for Business innovation and Skills has also recently asked Trevor Phillips to start a new private sector led campaign which will look to address the lack of ethnic diversity in boardrooms, based in part on research that indicates the proportion of Black &amp; Ethnic Minority people in leadership positions is lower than expected compared to the wider population (estimated at 5.1% and 14% respectively).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Recruitment, appointment and promotion should always be on merit, irrespective or gender, race, disability or sexual orientation. We believe it is in the best interests of business to tap into the widest talent pool and that by definition means a diverse and representative leadership team.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We expect that through the progress made on gender and the planned work on ethnic diversity, the momentum will help to improve diversity on corporate boards for all people from different backgrounds, including those from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 03/12/2014 16:07:22 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	2172 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Madingley

164223

	registered interest
	date	21/11/2014
	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	EU Internal Trade
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livingston of Parkhead on 19 November (HL2689), what evidence they have of the United Kingdom enjoying benefits which are derived from enhanced competition and innovation as members of the Single Market which it would not have enjoyed had it not been in that Market.
	tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
	uin	HL3053
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>The Single Market encourages competition by removing barriers to trade between EU members. An increase in competition can be expected to reduce prices and increase choice for consumers, encourage firms to innovate, reallocate resources to more productive means, and boost macroeconomic performance. The European Commission have estimated that the competition and innovation impacts of the Internal Market Programme have boosted EU GDP by over 2%<sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup>.</p><p> </p><br /><p>[1] European Commission <em>Steps Towards a Deeper Integration: The Internal Market in the 21<sup>st</sup> Century</em>, 2007</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 01/12/2014 12:28:58 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

164232

	registered interest
	date	21/11/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, when assessing the Disabled Student's Allowance, previously diagnosed lifetime conditions will be considered sufficient criteria for qualification without a requirement for further assessment.
	tabling member printed	Lord Addington
	uin	HL3062
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>Student Finance England will continue to consider medical evidence submitted by the student when assessing whether they are eligible for DSA.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 03/12/2014 11:50:37 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

164233

	registered interest
	date	21/11/2014
	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	Counterfeit Manufacturing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to stop the sale of counterfeit goods online in the United Kingdom.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL3063
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>This Government takes Intellectual property (IP) crime very seriously and is working closely with law enforcers and rights holders to tackle criminality, including the sale of counterfeit goods online. We recently announced an additional £3 million investment in the police IP crime unit (PIPCU), securing its future until 2017. PIPCU is an operationally independent law enforcement unit dedicated to tackling serious and organized IP crime affecting physical and digital goods.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition to this, the Intellectual Property Office continues its coordinating role to ensure that industry, Government and law enforcement share intelligence, and that collaborative operations result in arrests. All this activity is supported by a range of education programmes and a government/private industry partnership to provide IP training to enforcement officers and brand representatives to help them tackle issues arising from counterfeit products.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 03/12/2014 16:03:29 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

164523

	registered interest
	date	24/11/2014
	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	Package Holidays: EU Action
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the Package Travel Directive and what is their definition of Assisted Travel Arrangements.
	tabling member printed	Lord Harrison
	uin	HL3116
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p>Negotiations in the European Council are nearing completion. The proposal was discussed at the Competitiveness Council of Ministers on 4 December and a General Approach was agreed by Member States’ Ministers. We expect final agreement to be achieved in the New Year following the completion of the next stage in the negotiation; discussions between the Presidency of the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The definition of Assisted Travel Arrangements in the text agreed at Council is:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>'assisted travel arrangement' means at least two different types of travel services purchased for the purpose of the same trip or holiday, not constituting a package within the meaning of paragraph 2(b), resulting in the conclusion of separate contracts with the individual travel service providers, if a trader facilitates:</p><p> </p><p>(a) on the occasion of a single visit or contact with its point of sale, the separate selection and separate payment of each travel service by travellers, or</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>(b) in a targeted manner, the procurement of additional travel services from other traders where contracts with such other traders are concluded not more than 48 hours after the confirmation of the first travel service.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong><br> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 08/12/2014 16:42:09 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	2488 label Biography information for Lord Harrison

164530

	registered interest
	date	24/11/2014
	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	Poland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment for the last full year of the balance of trade between the United Kingdom and Poland.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL3123
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p>In 2013 the UK had a trade deficit with Poland of £4.3 billion. This consists of UK exports to Poland of £5.2 billion and UK imports from Poland of £9.5 billion in 2013. These data are taken from The United Kingdom Balance of Payments 2014 (The Pink Book).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HMG is actively seeking to encourage more exports to Poland, including through six UKTI regional strategic campaigns in key sectors designed to match Polish opportunities with UK capabilities. There is also a new British Business Centre run by the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw, which provides a broader range of support to small and medium sized companies wanting to export to Poland.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 08/12/2014 14:15:15 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

166095

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	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	Sign Language: Interpreters
	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 effectiveness of the market for British Sign Language interpreters to meet the needs of the deaf community.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
	uin	HL3153
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Business Innovation and Skills supports British Sign Language (BSL) provision in England through the Adult Skills Budget (ASB). Colleges and providers have the freedom and flexibility to use the ASB as best fits the needs of their local learners and businesses. This includes BSL qualifications, for those wishing to learn for their own use or to become an interpreter.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Skills provision in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and the assessment and adequacy of BSL provision is the responsibility of the devolved administrations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe grouped question UIN HL3154 question first answered 03/12/2014 16:16:06 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

166096

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	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	Sign Language: Interpreters
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there are enough fully qualified British Sign Language interpreters to support the needs of the deaf community.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
	uin	HL3154
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Business Innovation and Skills supports British Sign Language (BSL) provision in England through the Adult Skills Budget (ASB). Colleges and providers have the freedom and flexibility to use the ASB as best fits the needs of their local learners and businesses. This includes BSL qualifications, for those wishing to learn for their own use or to become an interpreter.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Skills provision in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and the assessment and adequacy of BSL provision is the responsibility of the devolved administrations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe grouped question UIN HL3153 question first answered 03/12/2014 16:16:06 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

166107

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	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	UK Trade with EU
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total trade deficit or surplus with the European Union in goods and services between 2010 and 2013; and what is their estimate of any deficit in 2014 to date.
	tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
	uin	HL3165
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p>UK’s trade deficit with the European Union was £28.5bn in 2010, £21.7bn in 2011, £39.5bn in 2012 and £56.2bn in 2013.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Currently, UK trade balance figures cover the period up to the second quarter of 2014. In the first half of 2014, UK’s trade deficit with the European Union was £25.5bn.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Source: ONS UK Economic Accounts 2014Q2</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 02/12/2014 12:28:47 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

166120

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	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	Higher Education: Northern Ireland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government which department in which administration based where is responsible for all aspects of the funding and operations of the two universities in Northern Ireland.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL3178
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning has responsibility for higher education in Northern Ireland, including providing institutional funding for research.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, as the UK operates a dual support system for funding research in universities, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, through Research Councils UK, competitively provides grants for individual research projects and programmes across the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 08/12/2014 17:53:57 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

166197

	registered interest
	date	26/11/2014
	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	Apprentices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to change the eligibility criteria for young people who wish to undertake apprenticeships, but have prior academic qualifications such as A-levels.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL3181
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>Having prior academic qualifications does not preclude a young person being eligible to do an apprenticeship. There are therefore no plans to change the eligibility criteria.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Full details of the funding rules can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-rules" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-rules</a> and cover both the current apprenticeship programme and for the Trailblazer Apprenticeship Standards</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 03/12/2014 16:11:28 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

166200

	registered interest
	date	26/11/2014
	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	Students: Sponsorship
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase the sponsorship of students by employers.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL3184
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government's view is that the best way to produce more employable graduates, with the particular ‘skill-sets’ required for the workplace, is for employers, either individually or jointly, to work directly with universities and colleges. They can and should help with course design and delivery, provide work placements, and, where appropriate, offer sponsorship for students. The Government is also promoting and making more funding available for higher apprenticeships which enables apprentices working with an employer to achieve up to degree and masters level as an in work progression route combining theoretical and applied skills.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 09/12/2014 13:06:44 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

166630

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2014
	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 Offices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many post offices and sub-post offices have closed in the United Kingdom since 2005.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL3221
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p>In November 2010, this Government published its policy statement “Securing the Post Office network in the digital age”, which made a clear commitment that this Government would end the programmes of closure of the previous administration, and instead invest in the Post Office to secure a network of at least 11,500 branches with a sustainable long-term future.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Since 2010, this Government has committed nearly £2 billion to maintain, modernise and protect the Post Office network, and this is clearly reflected in the network figures that show the size of the network is now stabilised. It is important to note that within a network of over 11,500 branches that is overwhelmingly operated by independent agents, there will be fluctuations in the number of open branches as subpostmasters leave the network for a number of reasons, such as retirement. Where a replacement is not immediately available, the Post Office works hard to restore access to services in the community.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Post Office makes details of the size of its network available to Parliament on a regular basis. These show that at on 31 March 2005, there were 14,609 post offices. The comparative figure at the end of the 2013-14 reporting year showed there were 11,697 branches. The following table sets out changes to the network size for the years between 2005 and 2014:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Reporting date</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Post Office network size</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2005</p></td><td><p>14,609</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2006</p></td><td><p>14,376</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2007</p></td><td><p>14,219</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2008</p></td><td><p>13,567</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2009</p></td><td><p>11,952</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2010</p></td><td><p>11,905</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2011</p></td><td><p>11,820</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2012</p></td><td><p>11,818</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2013</p></td><td><p>11,780</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2014</p></td><td><p>11,697</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 08/12/2014 15:39:37 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

166636

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2014
	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	Higher Education
	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 massive open online courses on traditional higher education.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL3227
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government has not conducted a formal assessment of the impact of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 11/12/2014 12:49:11 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

167251

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2014
	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	Sri Lanka
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the European Union decision in 2010 to remove trade concessions from Sri Lanka pending the government of that country improving its human rights record has created a precedent for other countries.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL3352
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2014 answer text <p>In 2010 some trade preferences, known as GSP+, were removed from Sri Lanka by the European Union following investigations and reports which found significant shortcomings in respect of Sri Lanka’s implementation of three human rights conventions. Sri Lanka continues to receive beneficial but less generous trade preferences from the EU under the ‘standard’ GSP scheme.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As was the case for Sri Lanka, any decision for the EU to remove GSP+ preferences from a country is based on the objective criteria and following the process established in the GSP Regulation as agreed by European Member States and the European Parliament.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 15/12/2014 17:51:12 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

167253

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2014
	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	Minimum Wage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent steps they have taken to improve enforcement of the national minimum wage.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	uin	HL3354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>HM Revenue and Customs enforces the National Minimum Wage for all workers and investigates every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights helpline. In addition, HMRC conducts pro-active enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not getting paid the legal minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is taking a tough approach towards employers that do not comply with the National Minimum Wage (NMW) law, including through making their non-compliance public. 55 employers have been named so far and between them they owed workers a total of over £139,000 in arrears.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also increased the financial penalty percentage that employers pay for breaking minimum wage law from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the unpaid arrears owed to workers and the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. This came into effect on 7 March 2014. We are introducing primary legislation so that the penalty can be calculated on a per worker basis.</p><p> </p><p>Any worker who thinks they are not being paid what they are legally entitled to can call the Pay and Work Right Helpline on 0800 917 2368. Employers can also call the helpline for free advice if they are unsure of their obligations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 11/12/2014 14:21:53 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

167284

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2014
	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	Postgraduate Education
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to Master’s degree funding opportunities.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL3385
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>At Autumn Statement 2014 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the Government’s intention to introduce an income contingent postgraduate loan of up to £10,000 for those students aged under 30 studying for a 1 year full-time, or 2 year part-time, Master's course. BIS will launch a public consultation in the New Year on the loan terms and eligibility criteria, before finalising the design of the scheme.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/12/2014 17:08:34 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

167619

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2014
	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	Apprentices: Northern Ireland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about encouraging businesses to offer apprenticeships to young people.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	uin	HL3393
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>Apprenticeship policy is a devolved matter. It is for the devolved administration of Northern Ireland to determine how they manage their apprenticeship programme including engagement with employers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The devolved administrations were consulted during the apprenticeship review in England and we have engaged with them since to consider any implications to their own apprenticeship programme.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 17/12/2014 14:12:39 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

167636

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2014
	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	Arms Trade: Israel
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livingston of Parkhead on 18 August (HL1576) on British military exports to Israel, whether they will clarify the uses of components for combat aircraft, drones, targeting equipment, military radar, weapon night sights, anti-armour ammunition, sniper rifles and high powered radio frequency weapons systems; and whether those components constitute a particular weapon or system being used for internal repression or external aggression as specified in the Export Control Act 2002.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL3408
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government’s review of extant export licences for Israel, the results of which were announced on 12 August, found that the vast majority of licences are not for items that could be used by Israeli forces in operations in Gaza. However the review did identify 12 licences for components which could be part of equipment used by Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza. These licences include components for combat aircraft, components for military radars, and components for targeting equipment. The Government will suspend these licences in the event of a resumption of significant hostilities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The majority of the remaining licences are for components to be incorporated into other equipment for onward supply to third countries, for test or demonstration purposes, or for hunting and sports shooting.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government is currently conducting a further review of licences for Israel. The outcome of the review will be announced in due course.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 17/12/2014 16:51:50 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

167912

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2014
	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	Postgraduate Education
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the repayment terms for the proposed postgraduate student loan system will be.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL3436
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>Repayment terms for taught postgraduate loans announced at Autumn Statement have not been finalised. The Government will launch a consultation early in the New Year to inform the design and terms of the loan before final decisions are taken.</p><p> </p><p>Postgraduate taught loans will be designed so that most individuals will repay in full, in recognition of the high private return to individuals, but they will beat commercial rates. One way of doing this is to charge an interest rate of RPI+3%, with repayments of 9% of income above a threshold of £21,000, frozen for 5 years, repaid concurrently with undergraduate loans.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/12/2014 17:10:35 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

167917

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2014
	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: Assistive Technology
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of Disabled Students' Allowance is provided for (1) computers and assistive technology, and (2) training to use that technology.
	tabling member printed	Lord Addington
	uin	HL3441
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>Information on Disabled Students’ Allowance expenditure is not available at the level requested.</p><p> </p><p>A breakdown of Disabled Students’ Allowance expenditure by allowance type was presented in<em> ‘Disabled Students’ Allowance: Equality Analysis’, </em>which was published in October 2014.” The publication can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364182/bis-14-1108-higher-education-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364182/bis-14-1108-higher-education-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/12/2014 17:24:47 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

167918

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the Disabled Students' Allowance is provided as one-to-one support for students.
	tabling member printed	Lord Addington
	uin	HL3442
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>Information on Disabled Students’ Allowance expenditure is not available at the level requested.</p><p> </p><p>A breakdown of Disabled Students’ Allowance expenditure by allowance type was presented in<em> ‘Disabled Students’ Allowance: Equality Analysis’, </em>which was published in October 2014.” The publication can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364182/bis-14-1108-higher-education-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364182/bis-14-1108-higher-education-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/12/2014 17:20:43 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

168127

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2014
	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	Parcels
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action are they taking to ensure people are aware of their rights when they receive poor service from parcel delivery firms.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL3469
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2014 answer text <p>On 31 July this year the UK Statement of Principles on Parcel Deliveries, developed through collaboration between Citizens Advice and the British Retail Consortium, was published. The Principles set out best practice for businesses, such as parcel delivery firms, on how they can ensure fair delivery prices, consumers can obtain delivery cost information upfront and get clear directions to the terms and conditions. This will help consumers to be better informed about online retailers’ pricing policies in particular with regard to delivering to consumers in remote communities. The Statement of Principles is available on the Citizens Advice website: <a href="http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/scotland/news/whats_new_sep14_statement_of_principles_for_parcel_deliveries_now_covers_the_uk.htm" target="_blank">http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/scotland/news/whats_new_sep14_statement_of_principles_for_parcel_deliveries_now_covers_the_uk.htm</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>If a consumer has a problem with a parcel delivery firm they can contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06 or through their website (<a href="https://www.adviceguide.org.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.adviceguide.org.uk</a>) which offers a free service on how consumers can proceed with their complaints.</p><p> </p><p>Currently, Citizens Advice is giving Christmas shopping tips, with guidance on what consumers can do if they suffer delivery problems when buying Christmas gifts. This advice can be found on their website: <a href="http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/news/whats_new_dec14_christmas_shopping_tips.htm" target="_blank">http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/news/whats_new_dec14_christmas_shopping_tips.htm</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Consumer Rights Bill which is currently before Parliament, will clarify and enhance consumer rights and remedies when contracting with traders for the provision of services, such as parcel delivery firms. This will make it clear for the first time that if traders breach the rights set out in the Bill, the trader is required to re-perform the service to bring it up to scratch or failing that offers a reduction in price. We have been working closely with consumer groups, including Citizens Advice, to develop an effective publicity campaign, including the use of social media to raise consumers’ awareness of these new rights. The Citizens Advice website will be updated by 1 <strong>October 2015</strong> when the Bill is anticipated to come into force.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 15/12/2014 13:02:28 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

168442

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2014
	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	Summertime
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 1968–71 experiment of continuous British Summer Time (GMT+1) will be repeated to obtain updated statistics in order to select the best clock time for daylight saving during the winter months.
	tabling member printed	Lord Tanlaw
	uin	HL3472
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2014 answer text <p>We will not be repeating the 1968-71 experiment of continuous British Summer Time (GMT+1), as there is no consensus across the whole of the UK for this experiment to take place. There are both negative and positive effects, but until a UK wide consensus is confirmed we have no plans to change the clocks.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 15/12/2014 14:09:29 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3200 label Biography information for Lord Tanlaw

168491

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2014
	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	Medicine: Postgraduate Education
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) Masters students, and (2) PhD students were supported via the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in nursing or allied care disciplines in each of the last three years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Willis of Knaresborough
	uin	HL3521
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department supports postgraduate study in nursing and allied care disciplines through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), except where courses are sponsored directly by National Health Service (NHS) bodies.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HEFCE funding is provided via two different routes:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>i) Taught Programmes, which are typically Masters qualifications such as Masters of Arts or Masters of Sciences, but also include courses such as postgraduate diplomas;</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>ii) Research Programmes, which are typically Doctorates in Philosophy (PhDs), but can include some Masters programmes such as Masters of Philosophy or Masters of Research courses. Research programmes are funded through ‘Quality-Related (QR) Research Degree Programme (RDP) supervision funding’.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Information on the number of full-time equivalents funded on each of these programmes is provided in the tables.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br></p><p>Funding for Postgraduate Taught Programmes</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Students funded by HEFCE on Taught Programmes in nursing and subjects allied to medicine<sup>1</sup></strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2010/11</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2011/12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012/13</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Taught Masters Programmes<strong><sup>2</sup></strong></p></td><td><p>2,685</p></td><td><p>3,170</p></td><td><p>2,910</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other Taught Post-Graduate Programmes</p></td><td><p>1,045</p></td><td><p>1,160</p></td><td><p>1,360</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 students.</p><p> </p><p>1. Figures are based on the ‘Subjects allied to medicine’ principal subject area, defined by the Joint Academic Coding System, and exclude those studying ‘Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology’ and ‘Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy’.</p><p> </p><p>2. Taught Masters Programmes are defined by HESA course aims E00, M00, M01, M02, M10, M11, M16 and M50. The full definitions for these course aims are published at <a href="http://www.hesa.ac.uk/" target="_blank">www.hesa.ac.uk</a></p><p> </p><p>3. Source of data: HESA/ILR data for the period 2010-11 to 2012-13.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Funding for Postgraduate Research Programmes</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Students counting towards HEFCE’s Quality Related Research Degree Programme supervision funding<sup>1, 2</sup></strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2010/11</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2011/12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012/13</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Nursing and Midwifery</p></td><td><p>355</p></td><td><p>375</p></td><td><p>375</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Allied Health Professions and Studies</p></td><td><p>955</p></td><td><p>995</p></td><td><p>1,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>1,310</p></td><td><p>1,365</p></td><td><p>1,370</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 students.</p><p> </p><p>1 Eligible UK- and EU-domiciled postgraduate research students are counted in this allocation.</p><p> </p><p>2 Research Students include both those studying towards PhDs and those studying towards a research masters (such as an MRes or MPhil).</p><p> </p><p>3 Nursing and allied care studies have been defined in this table on the basis of Units of Assessment used in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.</p><p> </p><p>4 FTE Figures on QR RDP supervision funding are based on Post-Graduate Research Data reported to HESA for the years shown.</p><p> </p><p>5 Funding is confined to those Higher Education Provider Departments that attained a rating of at least a 2* in the 2008 RAE.</p><p><br></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 22/12/2014 14:52:23 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
	tabling member	4151 label Biography information for Lord Willis of Knaresborough

168494

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2014
	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	Apprentices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total number of apprenticeship frameworks started in England in academic years 2012–13 and 2013–14 by young adults aged (1) 19–21, and (b) 22–24.
	tabling member printed	Lord Willis of Knaresborough
	uin	HL3524
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts in England for age groups 19-21 and 22-24 in 2012/13 and 2013/14.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Apprenticeship Starts by Age, 2012/13 to 2013/14</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Age group</p></td><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>2013/14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>19-21</p></td><td><p>99,900</p></td><td><p>101,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>22-24</p></td><td><p>65,400</p></td><td><p>58,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>19-24 total</p></td><td><p>165,400</p></td><td><p>159,100</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: Individualised Learner Record</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p> </p><p>1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100.</p><p> </p><p>2) Age is calculated based on age at the start of the programme.</p><p> </p><p>3) Volumes are a count of the number of starts at any point in the year. Learners starting more than one apprenticeship will appear more than once.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 17/12/2014 14:34:20 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4151 label Biography information for Lord Willis of Knaresborough

168496

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to remove the automatic eligibility for any disabled student to the Disabled Students' Allowance.
	tabling member printed	Lord Addington
	uin	HL3526
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>There is no automatic eligibility for Disabled Students Allowances. Students must satisfy certain personal and course eligibility conditions and must also provide evidence that they have a disability in order to be eligible for Disabled Students Allowances. That will continue.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/12/2014 17:28:14 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

169064

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2014
	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	Private Equity
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to introduce any further transparency requirements for companies owned or substantially owned by private equity funds.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3554
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2014 answer text <p>Measures to create a central, public register of people with significant control over UK companies are contained within the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill. Where a private equity fund owns more than 25% of a UK company’s shares or voting rights – or otherwise exercises significant control over that company - the company will need to disclose information on the control of the fund in line with the requirements in Schedule 3 of the Bill.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government does not have any plans to introduce any further transparency requirements on such companies.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 22/12/2014 14:52:51 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

169066

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2014
	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	Counterfeit Manufacturing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the performance of Trading Standards in the United Kingdom in securing convictions for (1) the production, (2) the sale, (3) the distribution, and (4) the importation of counterfeit goods.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3556
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>Trading Standards services, including tackling counterfeit goods, are provided by local authorities. Local authorities operate independently from central government and are accountable to their own electorate, allocating resources according to local priorities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Local authorities do not report regulatory outputs to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Therefore, the Department does not hold this information.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 19/12/2014 13:13:17 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

169317

	registered interest
	date	10/12/2014
	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	Construction: Recruitment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the levels of employment in the construction industry, what plans they have to enhance opportunities for school leavers intending to enter the construction industry.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL3603
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government is committed to driving up apprenticeship opportunities for young people in the construction sector. New industry designed apprenticeships and employer led training will give construction firms, both large and small, the power to develop the workforce they need. Significant funding and support is available to employers through the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE), through support from the Construction Industry Training Board, and from April 2016 employers will no longer be required to pay employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under the age of 25 on earnings up to the upper earnings limit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>On 10 December the Government announced the creation of a new careers and enterprise company for schools to transform the provision of careers education and advice for young people and inspire them about the opportunities offered by the world of work. Separately, the Construction Leadership Council is examining the image of the sector and looking at the barriers to providing young people with work experience and developing an understanding of the opportunities in the construction industry.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 29/12/2014 17:01:35 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

169346

	registered interest
	date	10/12/2014
	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	Foreign Investment in UK
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what success has thus far been achieved by the Regeneration Investment Organisation in securing investment from overseas investors for projects in (1) Greater London, and (2) parts of the United Kingdom outside Greater London that are not included in the National Investment Plan.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kinnock
	uin	HL3632
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>UKTI has been focused on securing investment in UK regeneration projects for three years. The Regeneration Investment Organisation was established within UKTI a year ago to strengthen this support for regeneration projects nationwide.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>RIO currently has more than ten active commercial dialogues between investors and regeneration projects following introductions.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Additionally, successes by RIO (or by UKTI preceding the establishment of RIO) include the following:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>1) Greater London: RIO worked in partnership with London &amp; Partners and the Greater London Authority to encourage investment from new participants in markets including China, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, USA, Canada. UKTI was involved in attracting international investment in to Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms alongside L&amp;P and the GLA.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2) Outside Greater London: UKTI, working with local partners, helped in the successful introduction of a Chinese investor to Manchester City Airport, an £800m scheme. It also secured investment for residential schemes in Manchester and Solihull. RIO is focused on ensuring that there is a very strong longer-term pipeline of investable projects outside London – currently 90% are outside the capital. RIO works with all parts of the UK, whether or not there are projects in that area that are included in the National Infrastructure Plan. Details remain confidential at this stage but RIO will shortly announce a major project outside of London.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 19/12/2014 13:41:45 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	693 label Biography information for Lord Kinnock

169347

	registered interest
	date	10/12/2014
	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	Regeneration Investment Organisation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for further development of the Regeneration Investment Organisation over (1) the next two years, (2) the next five years, and (3) the next 10 years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kinnock
	uin	HL3633
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>UKTI’s Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO) was established a year ago to help international investors identify and fund regeneration opportunities in the UK. RIO was established to address the delays and the fragmentation of the current offer for international investors, acting as a “one stop shop”.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In its first year, RIO has identified a pipeline of 41 ‘shovel ready’ projects requiring £33bn of investment and actively markets this pipeline to international investors. Over the next two years, this pipeline will be developed further and RIO will identify additional international investors to match to the pipeline of opportunities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Success for RIO over the next five to ten years will be to have established a track record of successful investment in regeneration projects, enabling sustainable jobs and growth across the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 19/12/2014 13:41:11 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	693 label Biography information for Lord Kinnock

169358

	registered interest
	date	10/12/2014
	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	Directors: Equality
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have in place to monitor the diversity of (1) Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and (2) LGBT, persons serving as directors of public companies.
	tabling member printed	Lord Tebbit
	uin	HL3644
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/12/2014 answer text <p>Under the Companies Act listed companies are required to report on diversity, including gender, in their annual reports. Company reporting is overseen by the Financial Reporting Council and companies are required to follow the UK Corporate Governance Code on a comply-or-explain basis.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In September 2014 FRC published an updated Code, including changes to the preface reinforcing the importance of diversity in all its forms on the board. This includes, but is not limited to, gender and race.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At the launch on 15<sup>th</sup> December 2014, the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills welcomed a new private sector-led campaign which will look to address the lack of ethnic diversity in boardrooms, based in part on research that indicates the proportion of Black &amp; Ethnic Minority people in leadership positions is lower than expected compared to the wider population (estimated at 5.1% and 14% respectively). Measuring progress is a key part of the campaign.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 29/12/2014 16:08:25 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	952 label Biography information for Lord Tebbit

169661

	registered interest
	date	11/12/2014
	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	Tickets: Fraud
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Neville-Rolfe during the Report Stage of the Consumer Rights Bill on 19 November that "there is fraud in the ticket market; we do not dispute the numbers quoted from the National Fraud Authority on this. In this case of ticket fraud, it reports £1.5 billion of losses" (HL Deb, col 489), whether they intend to take action in the Bill to address the scale of fraud on consumers, in particular sports, music, theatre and entertainment fans.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Heyhoe Flint
	uin	HL3648
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/12/2014 answer text <p>There is existing legislation in place to protect fans, as consumers, when they buy tickets. The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 ensure consumers are given key information before they buy from a trader.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>These Regulations exist alongside the Fraud Act 2006 which encompasses frauds involving tickets.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Whilst we do not believe that further legislation is required on the specific issue of ticket fraud, the Government is reflecting on the best way to respond to the debate on tickets during Lords Report Stage of the Consumer Rights Bill.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 24/12/2014 11:57:29 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4224 label Biography information for Baroness Heyhoe Flint

169663

	registered interest
	date	11/12/2014
	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	Sports: Tickets
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in the Consumer Rights Bill to ensure that sports fans buying tickets through secondary markets have a right to basic information about the seat and row they have on their ticket for a sporting event; whether they consider that fans should have a right to know the original face value of a ticket; and whether they consider that they should have an opportunity to ascertain whether the ticket is genuine by being able to review essential details on the ticket with the box office.
	tabling member printed	Lord Moynihan
	uin	HL3650
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>As the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and associated guidance make clear. The provision of certain information on tickets offered for sale to the public is an existing requirement for traders (including “<em>for a ticket associated with a particular reserved seat (e.g. Seat 1, Row A) the seat number</em>”).</p><p> </p><p>However, since Report Stage I have been discussing these issues with Ministerial colleagues and interested parties, and will continue to do so, in order to ensure the genuine concerns of fans and ticket sellers are addressed.</p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 19/12/2014 12:52:02 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	924 label Biography information for Lord Moynihan