Business, Innovation and Skills

Debate between Lord Willetts and Andrew Miller

Monday 28th March 2011 Ministerial Corrections

[Andrew Miller]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings he has had with representatives of Pfizer (a) before and (b) after its decision to close its research and development site in Kent.

[Official Report, 4 February 2011, Vol. 522, c. 976W.]

Letter of correction from Mr David Willetts:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Andrew Miller) on 4 February 2011.

The full answer given was as follows:

[Mr Willetts]

The Prime Minister met Jeff Kindler, CEO of Pfizer Inc, on October 21 and they spoke on the telephone in December 2010. I met Ian Read, Jeff Kindler's successor, on 24 January 2011 at 10 Downing street and officials have since held several discussions with the senior management of Pfizer UK.

The correct answer should have been:

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Willetts and Andrew Miller

Thursday 18th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Willetts]

My hon. Friend has campaigned effectively for Daresbury, and I can tell the House today that we have agreed that the public sector bodies can sign the joint venture agreement with their preferred private sector partner. That means that Daresbury now has excellent prospects as a national science and innovation campus, and I look forward to visiting in the new year.

[Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)]

If the science budget is to be protected in the way the Minister describes, it is important that the right people are taking the right decisions. Since 1993, the post of the director general responsible for the science budget has been occupied by a senior scientist. Lord Krebs and I, in our respective roles as Chairs of the two Science and Technology Select Committees, have written to the Secretary of State asking for a guarantee that that will be maintained. Will the Minister give that guarantee now?

Higher Education Funding

Debate between Lord Willetts and Andrew Miller

Wednesday 3rd November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Willetts]

It clearly will be important to uprate that figure periodically on the basis that my hon. Friend suggests, and we will consider that. He is absolutely right that one of the most progressive features of these proposals is the fact that the repayment threshold, which is currently £15,000, will increase to £21,000— different from a graduate tax, which would have meant people making higher payments as soon as their incomes went above £6,500.

[Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)]

What analysis has been undertaken to consider the differential impact on different universities, different types of universities and different faculties? Will the Minister publish any such analysis, because it is quite clear from discussions with some vice-chancellors that some institutes are at risk as a result of the proposals?

[Mr Willetts]

The crucial decisions will be taken by students. It will be the universities that win the students that also win the funding that comes with the students. It is right that we must expect a diversity of responses from universities. When it comes to individual departments, universities will wish to consider whether they have a single charge at an agreed rate across all their departments or whether they want to propose different charges for different departments. That will be a decision for them.