1 1149 10 Biography information for Baroness Berridge 2 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 26 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. Unpaid Work Business, Innovation and Skills HL2219 2014-10-29T16:15:22.2220144Z Baroness Neville-Rolfe false 2014-10-29 Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe <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> 2014-10-20 House of Lords Baroness Berridge Business, Innovation and Skills false 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. Apprentices 2014-10-23 Business, Innovation and Skills Business, Innovation and Skills 26 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Biography information for Lord Smith of Clifton Lord Smith of Clifton 2014-10-29T17:05:23.7910885Z Baroness Neville-Rolfe false 2014-10-29 <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> 2 false HL2335 Business, Innovation and Skills HL6849 To ask Her Majesty's Government what is (1) the total sum, and (2) the percentage, of student loans that have been written off as bad debt. Biography information for Lord Barnett Business, Innovation and Skills false 2014-05-06 2 2014-05-14T12:00:00.00Z Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon false 2014-05-14 Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon <p>Information on the repayment status of student loans is available in the Student Loans Company (SLC) publication<em>‘Student Loans for Higher Education in England, Financial Year 2012-13'</em>.</p><p> </p><p>The Amount of Total Public Debt outstanding (including loans not yet due for repayment) at the start of Financial Year 2012-13 including interest was <strong>£40,271.5m</strong>, rising to <strong>£46,590.4m</strong> by the end of Financial Year 2012-13.</p><p> </p><p>The amount of debt written off or cancelled during the Financial Year 2012-13 was <strong>£27.0m</strong>. This figure is <strong>0.07%</strong> of the Total Public Debt outstanding at the start of Financial Year 2012-13 and <strong>0.06%</strong> of the Total Public Debt outstanding at the end of Financial Year 2012-13.</p><p> </p><p>Write offs occur for policy reasons; when borrowers die, become permanently disabled or when their loan reaches age thresholds. An estimate of ‘bad debt' has not been provided in the answer as there is no standard definition for this.</p><p> </p><p>Statistics referring to the Financial Year 2013-14 will be published in June 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> 26 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Lord Barnett Lord Barnett HL6850 2 2014-05-14T12:00:00.00Z Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon false 2014-05-14 <p>The total amount of pre-2012 income contingent repayment student loan debt that Government intends to sell has not yet been determined. However, over a five year period, as announced at Autumn Statement 2013, sales are expected to generate between £10 billion and £15 billion in revenues, with a central estimate of around £12 billion.</p> Business, Innovation and Skills 26 false Business, Innovation and Skills To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 9 April (WA 302), what is the amount of student loan debt still available for sale, including the first tranche referred to. 2014-05-06 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HL6851 Business, Innovation and Skills Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 2 To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 9 April (WA 302), what are the current terms of income contingent repayment loans. Lord Barnett 26 Business, Innovation and Skills false 2014-05-06 2014-05-14T12:00:00.00Z Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon false 2014-05-14 <p>The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations set out the terms and conditions of income contingent student loans. This is also set out in the booklet <em>Student Loans – a Guide to Terms and Conditions</em>, the latest copy of which can be accessed at http://www.sfengland.slc.co.uk/media/666045/sfe_t_c_guide_1415_d.pdf . Students are informed at the time of taking out their student loan that the regulations may change from time to time and this means that the terms of their loan may also change.</p> Lord Barnett Business, Innovation and Skills false 2014-05-06 HL6852 2014-05-14T12:00:00.00Z Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon false 2014-05-14 <p>The Mortgage Style loans offered for sale had a face value of around £890 million.</p><p>The sale of the Mortgage Style Loan Book was value for money as the purchase price exceeded the value of retention to Government.</p><p>The real value of the book is below the face value of the loans because of the subsidised nature of the loans and their age. These loans attract low interest rates and have an earnings threshold for repayment. The age-related write off combined with the earnings threshold means some borrowers never repay.</p><p> </p><p>The sale of Mortgage style Loans also allowed the Student Loans Company to focus on its core business of supplying income contingent loans (ICR) to current students and collecting repayments from those loans.</p><p> </p> Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 26 To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 March (HL Deb, col 528), what was the basis on which he described the sale of the student loan book for £160 million as "value for money for the taxpayer"; and what was the original value of the loans. Business, Innovation and Skills 2 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HL6857 26 To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women prisoners had GCSE C-grade or equivalent in English and maths on being imprisoned in (1) 2010, (2) 2011, and (3) 2012; and how many had such qualifications upon release. Biography information for Baroness Wheatcroft Business, Innovation and Skills 2 Business, Innovation and Skills 2014-05-06 Baroness Wheatcroft false 2014-05-14T12:00:00.00Z Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon false 2014-05-14 <p>We do not centrally hold information on the prior attainment of prisoners or their qualifications upon release.</p><p> </p><p> </p> HL6873 Business, Innovation and Skills 26 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Lord Adonis 2014-05-06 2014-05-14T12:00:00.00Z Viscount Younger of Leckie false 2014-05-14 Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie <p>The first meeting of the Industrial Strategy Council was on 14 May 2013. The agenda consisted of:</p><p>1. Role of the Council</p><p>2. September Conference</p><p>3. Supply chains</p><p>4. Witty Review</p><p> </p><p>The meeting was attended by:</p><p>Tera Allas, Keith Anderson, Gordon Ballard, Marcus Bryson, Vince Cable, Victor Chavez, John Cridland, Martin Donnelly, Warren East, Peter Hansford, Lord Hutton, Harry Keenan, Sir Richard Lambert, Janice Munday, Mark Turner, Robin Webb, Frances O'Grady, Michael Snyder, Keith Wiggins.</p><p> </p><p>The second meeting of the Industrial Strategy Council took place on 27<sup>th</sup> November 2013. The agenda consisted of:</p><p>1. Policy update</p><p>2. Progress update and next steps</p><p>3. Update on small businesses</p><p>4. Supply chains</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The meeting was attended by:</p><p>Keith Anderson, Gordon Ballard, Judith Batchelar, Marcus Bryson, Vince Cable, Neil</p><p> </p><p>Carson, John Cridland, Martin Donnelly, Warren East, Peter Hansford, Lord Hutton, Harry Keenan, Bernadette Kelly, Sir Richard Lambert, Janice Munday, Richard Parry-Jones.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The third meeting of the Industrial Strategy Council will take place on 19th May 2014.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> To ask Her Majesty's Government on what dates the Industrial Strategy Council has held meetings since it was set up; and, for each meeting, (1) who attended, and (2) what was the agenda. Biography information for Lord Adonis false 2 Business, Innovation and Skills 26 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Business, Innovation and Skills Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn Business, Innovation and Skills 2014-05-06 To ask Her Majesty's Government which official, with what job title, is responsible and accountable for departmental management information in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. false Lord Mendelsohn 2014-05-14T12:00:00.00Z Viscount Younger of Leckie false 2014-05-14 <p>The Cabinet Committee PEX(ER) agreed that all Departments appoint a Senior Civil Servant level Head of Management Information. In the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills this responsibility is held by The Director of Finance, Planning and Performance, Charu Gorasia.</p> 2 HL6891 Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth 26 2 Business, Innovation and Skills 2014-05-14T12:00:00.00Z Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon false 2014-05-14 <p>It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p> </p> 2014-05-06 Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth false To ask Her Majesty's Government how they have promoted Fair Trade Day. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HL6907 Business, Innovation and Skills 0