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170297

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Scottish Power
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he received reports from the MacDonald Partnership in relation to mis-sold Scottish Power Power Plan warranties; what the titles of such reports were; and when he plans to respond to those reports.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
	tabling member printed	Steve Rotheram
	uin	218595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The initial report from Mr MacDonald was received on 17 July 2014 for review by the Insolvency Service. Further information including another more detailed report was received from him during September and October 2014, and these again have been reviewed by the Insolvency Service. The reports are confidential.</p><p> </p><p>The reports themselves do not require a direct response but I can confirm that the Insolvency Service has completed its review of this material and is in communication with Mr MacDonald.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 17/12/2014 11:11:20 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4035 label Biography information for Steve Rotheram

479497

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Zika Virus: Research
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to help support research into the Zika virus.
	tabling member constituency	Wells
	tabling member printed	James Heappey
	uin	31598
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2016 answer text <p>In February we allocated £1 million from the Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund to help urgently tackle the Zika virus; the Medical Research Council (MRC) received over 100 applications for support through its Rapid Response Initiative. To meet this demand, in March we committed up to an additional £2 million, with a further £1 million from the Wellcome Trust, bringing the total that was available up to a maximum of £4 million of funding.</p><p>Today, the MRC has announced that it has allocated c. £3.2 million of this funding to tackle the emerging and unknown threats of this virus. Our commitment to protect the science budget in real terms to the end of the Parliament means we can react quickly to help tackle these life-threatening global challenges.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Joseph Johnson question first answered 21/03/2016 11:26:37 answering member 4039 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Marylebone
	tabling member	4528 label Biography information for James Heappey

179062

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2015
	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	Zero Hours Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what definition the Government uses for classifying a zero hours contract.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral South
	tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
	uin	223955
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2015 answer text <p>There is no legal definition of a zero hours contract in UK domestic employment law. In general terms a zero hours contract is an arrangement under which an employer does not guarantee the individual any work, and the individual is not obliged to accept any work offered.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The ONS in their Labour Force Survey describe a zero hours contract as a contract ‘where a person is not contracted to work a set number of hours, and is only paid for the number of hours that they actually work’.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 24/02/2015 11:48:33 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

179263

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2015
	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	Zero Hours Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that employees working on zero-hours contracts, who are in practice working regular hours over an extended period, have the right to a fixed-term contract.
	tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent South
	tabling member printed	Robert Flello
	uin	907603
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2015 answer text <p>All employees on zero hours contracts can already, after 26 weeks, request a move to fixed hours contracts under flexible working legislation, brought in on 30 June 2014. We are also currently banning exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts and the employment status review currently taking place is looking further at the employment rights zero hours workers have.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 12/02/2015 16:28:53 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	1569 label Biography information for Robert Flello

114569

	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	Young People: Training
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that EU and UK funding programmes aimed at increasing young people's skills prioritise interpersonal skills known to be highly valued by employers.
	tabling member constituency	Belfast North
	tabling member printed	Mr Nigel Dodds
	uin	213502
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>Our mainstream vocational education programmes in England are designed to equip people with the wide range of vocational and generic skills that employers need:</p><p> </p><p>• Employers are in the driving seat of new apprenticeships – by designing frameworks and standards so that they contain the elements, and young people are equipped with the skills, that employers need.</p><p> </p><p>• Work experience and employability skills are key elements of traineeships which are designed for those who are motivated to work but lack the necessary skills, behaviours and experience.</p><p> </p><p>• Projects under the Employer Ownership Pilot cover a wide range of training provision led by employers. Many of these training areas will cover interpersonal skills as it is ultimately for employers to decide which areas of training they value and are of most importance.</p><p> </p><p>• Ofsted inspection of vocational education provision includes consideration of employability skills.</p><p> </p><p>One of the main priorities of the new European Social Fund (ESF) programme for 2014-2020 is to develop the skills of the potential and existing workforce, with special emphasis on helping young people. There will be particular focus on reducing the relatively high proportion of people with low levels of qualifications/skills and developing those skills, including interpersonal skills which have been identified by employers as meeting their needs.</p><p> </p><p>Young people are being given better support to get ready for employment through the Department for Education’s 16-19 Study Programmes. These focus on exactly the areas that employers say matter, such as employability skills and work experience, and under which schools and colleges could chose to prioritise activity which relates to inter-personal skills.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 17/11/2014 11:53:30 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	1388 label Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn

421195

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2015
	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	Young People: Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to improve rates of pay for people aged under 25.
	tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
	tabling member printed	Owen Smith
	uin	11768
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2015 answer text <p>The priority for younger workers is to gain skills and experience and to secure work. This is already reflected in the National Minimum Wage rate structure, where the youth rate is currently £1.40 lower than the adult rate. This reflects that wages tend to increase through the early 20s, as workers gain more experience. Youth unemployment is higher compared to those over 25.</p><p>The wages of younger workers will continue to be underpinned by the National Minimum Wage as recommended by the Low Pay Commission at the highest possible level without affecting employment.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 22/10/2015 14:12:31 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

347295

	registered interest
	date	28/05/2015
	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	York College
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding from the public purse was allocated to York College in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	448
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 March 2015 to Question UIN <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-03-18/228227/" target="_blank">228227</a> regarding further education funding.</p><p>The Department provides funding for adult further education and higher education. Adult skills funding allocations to further education providers are published on the Skills Funding Agency website:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2014-to-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2014-to-2015</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2005-to-2013" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2005-to-2013</a></p><p>For higher education, Table 1 shows the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) funding to York College between financial years 2005-06 and 2014-15.</p><p>Funding to further education providers for learners aged 16-18 is provided by the Department for Education.</p><p><strong>Table 1: HEFCE funding to York College, 2005-06 to 2014-15</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Funding (thousands)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005-06</p></td><td><p>£1,175</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006-07</p></td><td><p>£1,086</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007-08</p></td><td><p>£1,153</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>£1,338</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>£1,753</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>£1,750</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>£1,764</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>£1,380</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>£848</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>£415</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 04/06/2015 15:12:27 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

347296

	registered interest
	date	28/05/2015
	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	York College
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the number of pupils at York College in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	449
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2015 answer text <p>Table 1 shows the number of government funded further education learners participating at York College between academic years 2004/05 and 2013/14.</p><p><strong>Table 1: Further education and skills participation by academic year for York College, 2004/05 to 2013/14</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Academic year</strong></td><td><strong>Learners</strong></td></tr><tr><td>2004/05</td><td>13,470</td></tr><tr><td>2005/06</td><td>9,190</td></tr><tr><td>2006/07</td><td>8,100</td></tr><tr><td>2007/08</td><td>8,440</td></tr><tr><td>2008/09</td><td>8,650</td></tr><tr><td>2009/10</td><td>7,940</td></tr><tr><td>2010/11</td><td>6,260</td></tr><tr><td>2011/12</td><td>6,180</td></tr><tr><td>2012/13</td><td>7,030</td></tr><tr><td>2013/14</td><td>6,480</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p>1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten.</p><p>2) Full-year numbers are a count of the number of learners that participated at any point during the year.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 04/06/2015 14:24:14 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

170286

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems his Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	218770
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/01/2015 answer text <p>No financial estimate of savings has been made since the introduction of the Q&amp;A system. However, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has seen a reduction in paper usage and BIS staff no longer have to physically deliver PQ answers to hon. Members and the House authorities. These obvious savings will continue.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BIS changed its IT platform for managing PQs to eCase last summer. This would have happened regardless of the introduction of the Q&amp;A system.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 02/01/2015 11:52:42 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

176545

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2015
	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	Wormwood Scrubs Prison
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the budget of the education department for HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs was in each year from 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Darlington
	tabling member printed	Jenny Chapman
	uin	222424
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text <p>Learning and skills at HMP Wormwood Scrubs has been delivered by a number of providers, through contracts let by the Skills Funding Agency, during this period. For the academic years 2010/11 and 2011/12, the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) contract for London was held by Kensington and Chelsea College. For the academic years 2012/13, 2013/14 and the first part of 2014/15, the OLASS contract was held by A4e Ltd. From 2 February 2015, The Manchester College has held the OLASS contract for London.</p><p>The Skills Funding Agency introduced funding changes that base payment to providers on learner achievement when new prison education contracts (OLASS4) commenced in August 2012. Prior to this, providers were paid on the basis of the teaching hours they were programmed to deliver. Direct comparisons between OLASS funding prior to the 2012/13 academic year and now cannot be made.</p><p>The table below sets out OLASS initial contract values for HMP Wormwood Scrubs from the 2012/13 academic year.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Academic Year</p></td><td><p>OLASS initial contract values for HMP Wormwood Scrubs</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>£1,112,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>£1,581,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>£1,360,600</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p> </p><p>1) Figures rounded to nearest 000s</p><p> </p><p>2) In 2012/13 the Agency did not include details of prison level allocations within its contract documentation. The figure given is representative of the proportion of funding available for use at the prison for adult OLASS programme.</p><p> </p><p>3) In 2013/14 the Agency included details of prison level allocations within its contract documentation. This sets out the value expected to be used for delivery of adult OLASS programme at the prison.</p><p> </p><p>4) In 2014/15 the Agency has held 2 contracts for delivery of adult OLASS. The first contract was for the period 1 August 2014 to 31 January 2015. The second is for the period 1 February 2015 to 31 July 2015. The figure given is for the adult OLASS programme elements of these contracts for use at the prison.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The overall value of the OLASS contract for HMP Wormwood Scrubs changed, during the 2013/14 academic year and after January 2014, as set out in the table below.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Initial contract for 2013/14 for HMP Wormwood Scrubs</p></td><td><p>£1,581,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Variation 1</p></td><td><p>£1,852,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Variation 2</p></td><td><p>£979,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p> </p><p>1) Figures rounded to nearest 000s</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Art, Design and Media Studies were taught at HMP Wormwood Scrubs as part of the OLASS learning offer during the first part of the 1014/15 academic year: there was no art, design and media department at the prison. Following an Ofsted inspection and a curriculum review, a local decision was taken to withdraw provision for art, design and media studies and to focus delivery more on maths and English. We do not hold prison-level learner enrolment information centrally.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles grouped question UIN 222425 222426 question first answered 05/02/2015 10:45:18 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	3972 label Biography information for Baroness Chapman of Darlington