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100004

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	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	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent proposal by the Child Poverty and Social Justice Commission that unpaid internships should be illegal.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Berridge
	uin	HL2219
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>This Government is absolutely clear: exploitation of interns is unacceptable and we don’t hesitate to act where we find that employment law has been broken and someone who is entitled to the minimum wage hasn’t been paid it.</p><p> </p><p>Complaints from interns about non-payment of the minimum wage are prioritised by HMRC for investigation and HMRC will investigate every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline.</p><p> </p><p>Research shows that internships and work experience programmes can be valuable opportunities for young people taking their first steps in the labour market. Our work on interns and the National Minimum Wage aims to achieve the right balance between ensuring that opportunities for young people are not cut off and minimising the risk of exploitation.</p><p> </p><p>Our concern, if we were to prohibit unpaid internships, is that this may lead to employers recruiting interns through informal and privileged networks with adverse effects on social mobility or have adverse consequences on the number of available opportunities.</p><p> </p><p>There is no definition of an internship in minimum wage legislation and interns are considered in the same way as everyone else with regards to whether the minimum wage is due. The key issue is whether or not they are workers as defined by minimum wage legislation. If they are, then they are eligible for the minimum wage unless a specific exemption applies. Volunteers are not workers and are not eligible for the minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 29/10/2014 16:15:22 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge

100604

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	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	Apprentices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) 16 year-olds, (2) 17 year-olds, and (3) 18 year-olds started apprenticeships in the academic years 2012–13 and 2013–14 in England.
	tabling member printed	Lord Smith of Clifton
	uin	HL2335
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts for 16, 17 and 18 year olds in 2012/13 and provisional full year apprenticeship starts for the same ages in 2013/14. Provisional data are subject to change and should not be directly compared with data from earlier academic years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Apprenticeship starts by age (2012/13 and 2013/14 provisional full year)</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012/13</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013/14</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Full year</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Age</p></td><td><p>Full year</p></td><td><p>(provisional)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>16</p></td><td><p>25,080</p></td><td><p>25,170</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>17</p></td><td><p>35,810</p></td><td><p>38,320</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>18</p></td><td><p>53,430</p></td><td><p>54,140</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Notes</p><p> </p><p>1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.</p><p> </p><p>2) Age is calculated based on age at start of the programme rather than based on 31 August.</p><p> </p><p>3) Provisional data are subject to change and should not be directly compared with data from earlier academic years.</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 29/10/2014 17:05:23 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3144 label Biography information for Lord Smith of Clifton

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

92755

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2014
	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	Disabled Students' Allowances
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of reforms of the disabled student allowance, there is a clear guide to the duties of higher education sectors towards disabled students.
	tabling member printed	Lord Addington
	uin	HL1991
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government has published draft guidance which sets out what Disabled Students Allowances will fund in the 2015/16 Academic Year. Institutions have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to provide reasonable adjustments. It is not the role of Government to set out what an institution should do to meet that legal duty.</p><p><br></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 29/10/2014 17:42:16 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

93689

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2014
	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	Higher Education: Finance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in view of the latest <i>Times Guide to Universities</i> ranking all United Kingdom universities in terms of performance, what plans they have to cut or reduce funding to the poorest performers.
	tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
	uin	HL2118
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The reforms this Government has introduced mean that funding now follows the decisions of students and that students can access better information, including about University performance, to support their choices. In September 2012 we introduced the Key Information Set to provide comparable information which students have said they find useful when choosing their higher education course. It includes on student satisfaction ratings, graduate salaries and employment outcomes, tuition fees and financial support, and the cost of accommodation.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 29/10/2014 17:38:58 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

99959

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	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	New Businesses: Northern Ireland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for the Start Up Loans scheme have been received from Northern Ireland; and what is the total value of such loans provided for new businesses in Northern Ireland since the scheme was introduced.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	uin	HL2174
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The Start Up Loan Company (SULCo) administers the Start Up Loan programme on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). As a commercially independent company, SULCo reports to BIS on the number of Start Up Loans.</p><p>The Start Up Loan programme was extended to include Northeren Ireland in June 2013.</p><p>Figures from 30/09/2014 show there have been 186 Start Up Loans with a value of £893,010 in Northeren Ireland</p><p> </p><p>in the UK, there have been over 21,000 Start Up Loans with a value of £113m issued since the programme began in June 2012.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To date there have been over 21,000 Start Up Loans with a value of £113m issued since the programme began in June 2012.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 03/11/2014 11:51:29 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

99961

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	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	Overseas Trade: Republic of Ireland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of jobs in the Republic of Ireland associated with direct trade with the United Kingdom.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	uin	HL2176
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>The most recent official figures available (calculated by the Irish government and estimating the figure at 198,000 jobs) are now 5 years old. We were unable to find an estimate more current than this.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In this case, we consider that the time and the associated costs involved in generating an estimate of the number of jobs would be disproportionate to the outcome.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Figure calculated by Cambridge Econometrics analysis based on Trade in Value-Added (TiVA) data. Source : British – Irish Relations - <a href="http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Publications/Publications_2013/Joint_Economic_Study_Vol1.pdf" target="_blank">Joint Economic Study</a> 2013 Vol.1 Evaluating the value of the economic relationship between the United Kingdom and Ireland (PA Consulting Group).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 30/10/2014 15:42:03 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

100844

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	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	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 the cost of paying a one-off payment to the staff of his Department in lieu of their entitlement to annual increments was.
	tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
	tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
	uin	211898
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The cost of paying a one-off payment to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills staff in lieu of their entitlement to annual increments was £3.2m. This cost is offset against a reduction in overall pay bill costs over the longer term.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The non-consolidated payments were staggered by grade in line with contractual step values.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>AA</p></td><td><p>£1008</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>AO</p></td><td><p>£1168</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>EO</p></td><td><p>£1360</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HEO</p></td><td><p>£1656</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SEO</p></td><td><p>£1880</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>G7</p></td><td><p>£2528</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>G6</p></td><td><p>£3060</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 03/11/2014 12:46:36 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

100845

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	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	Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress he has made on the recent round of discussions on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
	tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
	tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
	uin	211894
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>The seventh round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) took place between 29 September and 3 October in Chevy Chase, Maryland. As expected, negotiations were largely focused on regulatory issues. Discussions also covered energy, intellectual property, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and services.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There was good technical progress, particularly on regulatory coherence, for example in the automotive and pharmaceutical sectors. This progress is crucial and prepares the ground for an ambitious and comprehensive agreement.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 06/11/2014 13:58:22 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

100846

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	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	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 the payback period is in relation to the one-off payment to staff in his Department who have opted to forego their entitlement to annual increment payments.
	tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
	tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
	uin	211910
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The payback period in relation to the one-off payment to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills staff who opted to forego their entitlement to annual increment payment was estimated to be 6 years. This is based upon an assumption of 1% paybill increases year on year until 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 03/11/2014 11:40:24 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb