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61574

registered interest
date	12/06/2014
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	Postal Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with Royal Mail Group, Ofcom or officials or Ministers in other departments about invoking section 44(9) and section 44(10) of the Postal Services Act 2011 to ask Ofcom to report on the sustainability of the Universal Service Obligation.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	200467
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>None.</p><p> </p><p>Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament gave Ofcom the primary duty to secure the ongoing provision of the universal service and to this end Ofcom must also have regard for the provision of a universal service to be financially sustainable.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ofcom monitors market developments, including any impacts on Royal Mail's performance and operational efficiency, and has the regulatory powers and tools to intervene if the sustainability of the universal service is ever at risk.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As part of its monitoring regime, Ofcom publishes a report every year on Royal Mail's performance and the postal market, and this includes an update on the financial sustainability of the universal service. More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website (<a href="http://www.ofcom.org.uk/" target="_blank">www.ofcom.org.uk</a>).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 17/06/2014 16:45:26 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

61577

registered interest
date	12/06/2014
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	Exports: North East
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 UK Trade and Investment has taken to encourage exports from the north east to Brazil, Angola and Mozambique and other emerging lusophone markets.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	200358
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) North East trade team has developed a programme called “Access to Brazil in North East”, which is aimed at support companies in the North East to link with Brazil. It is managed for UKTI by the North East Chamber of Commerce. The programme is also supported by European Regional Development Fund funding. A key element of the programme, as part of a Olympics legacy, is about building a relationship with North East Brazil. When the UK's North East Brazil consul (Recife) was opened, a group of North East companies were part of the launch event. A number of market visits have taken place since then. The next visit by North East companies to Brazil is planned for October 2014, with an event involving the Consul from Recife on 10 July.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>UKTI North East have worked with 165 companies regarding opportunities in the Brazilian market.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For Angola and Mozambique UKTI has identified an increasing number of opportunities in Africa for North East companies, particularly in the oil and gas sectors. UKTI North East has worked with 25 Companies on opportunities in Angola and 10 companies in Mozambique.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>UKTI North East is working with the lead FCO Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, on a visit to North East in late July to promote opportunities in Africa. A programme is currently being prepared.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 17/06/2014 15:20:14 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

61578

registered interest
date	12/06/2014
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: Pay
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 increase the minimum rate of pay for apprentices from £2.68 per hour to £2.96 per hour.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	200564
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>This Government is fully committed to the National Minimum Wage set by the independent Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises the wages of the low paid without damaging their employment prospects by setting it too high.</p><p> </p><p>We ask the Low Pay Commission to consider the evidence and recommend the National Minimum Wage rates, to achieve this.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has accepted an above inflation increase in the NMW including an increase in the apprentice rate from £2.68 to £2.73. The increase will come into effect on 1 October 2014 and will provide low paid workers with the biggest cash increase in their pay packets since 2008.</p><p> </p><p>The Low Pay Commission has judged that a higher increase in the minimum wage would risk damaging employment prospects for the lowest paid.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 17/06/2014 16:23:19 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

61580

registered interest
date	12/06/2014
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	Comet Group
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much has been paid out by his Department in statutory entitlements following the collapse of Comet; how many people have been compensated to date; and what estimate he has made of the total cost to the Exchequer of meeting all arising liabilities in this case.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Diana Johnson
uin	200565
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Insolvency Service's Redundancy Payments Services have paid out a total of £18,482,220 in statutory entitlements to 4,838 former employees of Comet Group Plc.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It is not possible at present to estimate the total cost to the Exchequer of meeting all statutory entitlements. Further payments will depend on the findings of the Employment Tribunal regarding the employees covered by the protective award judgment of the 11<sup>th</sup> June 2014. Consideration of this matter is scheduled for 17<sup>th</sup> July 2014. There are also outstanding Tribunal applications in respect of statutory payments other than protective awards which are still to be determined.</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 constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 17/06/2014 15:25:39 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

61343

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department is giving to local authorities to implement changes to apprenticeship funding.
tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
tabling member printed	Graham Jones
uin	200172
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p>We are giving employers control of the funding for the training and assessment of the apprenticeships that they design. This will enable them to work directly with education and training providers to secure the most effective training for their apprentices. We will be testing a new funding model via apprenticeship starts in the 2014-15 academic year based on standards developed by our Trailblazer groups of employers. We will develop a comprehensive communication programme for employers (including local authorities) to help them understand the changes.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/06/2014 09:50:05 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

61344

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with training providers on changes to apprenticeship funding.
tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
tabling member printed	Graham Jones
uin	200173
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p>Discussions have been held with a wide range of training providers as well with the Association of Training Providers and Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) about our apprenticeship funding reforms. I spoke about this issue at the AELP's National Conference earlier this month.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/06/2014 09:53:05 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

61345

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reason the option of maintaining the current provider-funded model was dropped in his Department's second consultation on funding reform for apprenticeships.
tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
tabling member printed	Graham Jones
uin	200174
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p>The 2013 consultation on apprenticeship funding reforms sought evidence on the feasibility and impact of three different models for reforming apprenticeship funding. Following consideration of the responses to these, the second consultation sought views on two models—a PAYE model and an apprenticeship credit—that are consistent with an employer-driven apprenticeships system. A pure provider payment model was ruled out, as evidence from the first consultation indicated that this model was the least likely to deliver the intended aim of giving employers true purchasing power.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/06/2014 09:54:31 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

61377

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	Sector Skills Councils
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much (a) public and (b) private funding has been provided to each sector skills council (i) on average and (ii) in the East Midlands in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
uin	200188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>a-i) Over the 5 year period 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2014 on average each sector skills council received £11m of public funding from the UK Commission for Employment as follows:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="5"><p>Average funding per SSC</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>09/10</p></td><td><p>10-11</p></td><td><p>11-12</p></td><td><p>12-13</p></td><td><p>13-14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>National</p></td><td><p>2.9m</p></td><td><p>2.3m</p></td><td><p>2.3m</p></td><td><p>2.1m</p></td><td><p>1.8m</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>a-ii) Public funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is allocated to sector skills councils by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills at a national level for sector skills councils to decide how to best use the resources available to them including any specific support at a local level.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>b) The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold information on the amount of private funding provided to each sector skills council.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 16/06/2014 16:13:30 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero

61389

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	Local Enterprise Partnerships
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the extent to which there is a gender imbalance in the composition of Local Enterprise Partnership boards.
tabling member constituency	Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
tabling member printed	Tom Blenkinsop
uin	200232
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) board membership is a matter for LEPs themselves and they are best placed to ensure it meets the needs of their businesses and local people.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 16/06/2014 16:02:14 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	4037 label Biography information for Tom Blenkinsop

61410

registered interest
date	11/06/2014
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 130W, on minimum wage, if he will take steps to provide (a) clear and comprehensive guidance on the national minimum wage on gov.uk and (b) sector-specific guidance and case studies on the national minimum wage for the entertainment sector.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	200284
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Since May 2013, we have introduced clear and comprehensive guidance on gov.uk on the National Minimum Wage and more specifically on work experience and internships. This guidance can be found here: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage</a> and <a href="http://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-work-experience-and-internships" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-work-experience-and-internships</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This guidance on work experience contains case studies from a variety of sectors, including the entertainment sector.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Employers and workers with queries about the application of the National Minimum Wage are also able to access free and confidential advice through the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 16/06/2014 15:51:01 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion