Nicholas Brown

Across all our grant, loan and capital support for adult further education, we are making available over £3bn in 2015-16. Our funding mechanism is designed to allow providers the freedoms and flexibilities to decide how best to use their allocation to respond to local learner and employer demand and it would be for individual colleges to determine what provision to offer based on this demand.

There have been no recent discussions between the Department and manufacturers of anti-freeze on adding bittering agents to reduce ingestion by animals. Some animal welfare groups and individuals have called for bittering agents to be added to anti-freeze but Cats Protection (a leading cat welfare organisation) point to research carried out in the US that suggests that such additions would not necessarily make any difference. Antifreeze products are already required to carry appropriate safety warnings under classification and labelling (CLP) regulations.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) decided to commence an electoral review of Newcastle upon Tyne City Council after it identified significant levels of electoral inequality between wards in the city.

The Commission monitors levels of electoral inequality for all local authorities in England on an annual basis. Its programme of reviews for the financial year 2015/16 was based on electorate data published in councils’ electoral registers in February 2014. The data showed Ouseburn ward had an electoral variance of 34% thereby triggering one of the Commission’s intervention criteria.

The Commission defines significant levels of electoral inequality as a situation where more than 30% of wards in that authority have an electoral variance of more than 10% from the average for that council. The Commission will also consider conducting a review where one or more wards deviates from the average by more than 30%.

One of the principal aims of the subsequent electoral review is to correct electoral variances so that each councillor represents roughly the same number of electors.

The UK’s objectives for the 21^st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are to secure an ambitious and legally binding agreement that includes mitigation commitments from all countries to help reduce emissions globally, consistent with a path towards the 2°C goal. The UK also wants the Agreement to recognise the importance of, and encourage, support to those who need it, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable, to take climate action and develop climate resilience.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not issue guidance to UK higher and further institutions on student safety during trips abroad. Higher and further education institutions are autonomous bodies, and as such each institution is wholly responsible for their own risk assessment and guidance on student safety during trips abroad.

Article 32(1) of the Export Control Order 2008 (as amended) empowers my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to vary or revoke export licences at any time. The 2008 Order does not specify the grounds on which a licence may be revoked. In practice the reasons include:

(i) As a result of the imposition of EU or UN sanctions;

(ii) Where there has been a change in Government policy in respect of the export of certain goods, or the export of specified goods to a certain destination, and the proposed export is no longer consistent with the revised policy;

(iii) Where there has been a change in circumstances in the destination country or region such that the proposed export is no longer consistent with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria or with other relevant, announced, policies;

(iv) Where new information has come to light about a particular export which indicates that the proposed export is no longer consistent with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria or with other relevant, announced, policies;

(v) Where an exporter has failed to comply with the terms and conditions of the licence, or as a result of enforcement action by HMRC/UK Border Agency; and

(vi) For administrative reasons, such as a company ceasing to trade and therefore no longer being able to use the licence, or where the exporter requests an amendment to a licence and revoking and re-issuing it is simpler than making an amendment.

The Government is committed to protecting the privacy and data security rights of individuals, and does recognise that the potential exists for online personal information and data to be misused by organisations and agencies, including for discriminatory purposes. For this reason, stringent safeguards are in place to ensure personal data is protected and handled appropriately.

The Data Protection Act 1998 and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights impose clear legal limits on how organisations can record, store, alter, use or disclose personal data. In addition the Information Commissioners Office, the UK’s independent authority for upholding information rights, provides advice to citizens, rulings on eligible complaints and can take action when the law on data privacy is broken.

The Government is also currently working with the Information Economy Council, business groups, regulators, the third sector, and consumer bodies to develop a framework of trust and privacy principles for businesses. The framework will be in addition to existing data protection legislation and is being developed to help create greater public confidence in how companies use and re-use their personal data.

The Government is committed to the rapid implementation of Sir Ian Wood’s recommendations to maximise economic recovery from the UK Continental Shelf. Government has proposed a cIause in the Infrastructure Bill to establish the new principle of Maximising Economic Recovery of UK petroleum into law with an aim to secure and give rise to the maximum amount of economically recoverable petroleum from UK waters. The measure proposes a duty on my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State to produce a strategy for allowing this principle to be met, and obligations on him and all Petroleum Licence holders, Operators appointed under those licences and the owners of Upstream Petroleum Infrastructure to act in accordance with that strategy. Government has also proposed a clause to provide a levy-making power to fund a larger, more proactive regulator (to be called the Oil and Gas Authority).

Subsequent legislation will be required to implement the additional regulatory powers the Wood Review recommends and set up the new Authority.

A mapping exercise of the UK fabrication sector was recently undertaken and jointly funded between DECC and Oil and Gas UK. This report which contains comprehensive information on all major fabrication facilities in the UK has been distributed widely within the operator community in the UKCS and can be accessed at http://cld.bz/LEnmxPt.

The concept of alliance contracting is currently being studied to evaluate whether larger processing decks currently deemed too large for individual yards could be divided into a number of modules within existing yard capability.

The UK offshore oil and gas supply chain is among the best in the world, and the UK Government works closely with both licensees and the supply chain to ensure that there is clear visibility on both UK capability and the projects coming forward. To this end, DECC has published a study of the UK fabrication capability and also publicise all upcoming projects on the Pathfinder web tool.

An assessment of the feasibility of applying the alliance contract concept is currently being undertaken and is at the early stages of the process.

Government is working with Industry to ensure that companies with the capability and capacity are able to bid for forthcoming projects.

DECC Pathfinder web tool provides an overview of new projects together with contact information, thus giving the wider supply chain visibility of new opportunities as they arise.

The latest official figures for the second quarter of 2014 put manufacturing output at 2.1% above 2010 levels.

Food and drink output was 5.5% above 2010 levels and output in the manufacture of transport equipment sector (chiefly automotive and aerospace) was 30.6% above 2010 levels. Productivity (labour output per hour) within transport equipment has also increased by 28.4% since 2010.

Exports of manufactured goods are 10% higher than in 2010. Aerospace and automotive manufacturing performed very strongly with exports growing by just over 30% in real terms since 2010.

BIS collects subscriptions through our payroll service from the following organisations:

HMRC, C&E Sports, Pension PARL, PCS Union, Prospect, HASSRA Lottery, Benhealthcare, SimplyHealth,

DSRA Lottery, Charities Aid Foundation, Birmingham Hos Saturday Fund, Welsh Hospitals, Charities Trust,

Cash For Health, Westfield Health, CS Benevolent, British Health Care Ass, Scottish Ben Fund,

CS Sports Council, Civil Service Club, Sun Life Assurance, National Friendly, HSA Individual,

Sov Health Care, Healthshield, Healthsure Group, First Division Association, Leeds Hospital Fund,

Hospital Saturday Fund, AVC EQLIFE DB, Minerva SSA ( DTI Sports), Merseyside Health, AVC Equitable Life,

Pension Standard Life, Pension TUC PRU, AVC Scottish Widows, Pension Scottish Widow,

UK CS Benefit Society, AVC StandLife, DESO Ret Officer Ass.

I have approached the Chief Executives of the Department's Executive Agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to the Hon. Member directly.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) provides the facility for the following organisation subscriptions to be deducted from its payroll.

I have not reviewed, and have no plans to review, this Department's check-off arrangements.

I have not reviewed these arrangements, as I believe that Trade Unions have an important role to play in creating a positive employment relations climate from which all organisations can benefit. I also believe that the check-off system does not create a distinguishable burden on the administration of the HR function in this Department.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State did not share the views of my rt. hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on this issue.

He also noted advice from the Department that the Department is charged a fixed cost for payroll services based on the number of employees, so there would be no immediate cost saving to the taxpayer in removing the check-off agreement.

The Citizen's Advice Bureau's Report, Give us a Break, was a formal submission to the Ministerial Review of Workplace Rights, Compliance and Enforcement and therefore this Department assessed the report along with other submissions to the review. The written Ministerial Statement following the review was laid in parliament on 10^th July 2012. We continually review a broad range of evidence. As outlined in reply of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 87W, the right to paid annual leave is an important right, and we would urge workers who feel they are not receiving it to contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800 917 2368) or Acas (www.acas.org.uk) for free and confidential advice.

The criteria the Government will be using to assess Strategic Economic Plans and bids for the Local Growth Fund were published in July 2013 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/growth-deals-initial-guidance-for-local-enterprise-partnerships

133 bids were submitted to Round 5 of the Regional Growth Fund. Three of these bids withdrew and one was for less than the £1 million bidding threshold.

129 bids were therefore appraised, of which 98 were projects and 31 were programmes. Of these, 13 programmes and 37 projects were selected. Programmes may cover a number of Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) areas and some are national in scope so are not represented in the following table.

The following table shows the number of Round 5 project bids by LEP area with the number of bids that were selected for funding. Project bids originating from an area covered by more than one LEP are shown at the bottom of the table.

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have shown a high level of ambition in their proposals, and the Local Growth Fund (LGF) is between 3-4 times over-subscribed. The amount of private sector leverage put forward varies by LEP and by project, and this is part of the current discussions with LEPs.

In addition to the competitive element, the Local Growth Fund contains £170m of resource funding to match against skills and employability activity supported by EU Structural Investment Funds. The amount of LGF match made available will depend on EU funding allocation agreed with each LEP.

The Working Time Regulations entitle all workers in the UK to 5.6 weeks paid annual leave. This is an important right, and evidence suggests that the number of employees not taking it is very small. Labour Force Survey analysis shows that the vast majority of workers (95 per cent) report receiving their entitlement to paid leave. Similarly the 4^th Work Life Balance Employees survey indicates that 93 per cent of employees receive their full statutory annual leave entitlement.

Statutory holiday entitlement can be calculated online at www.gov.uk/calculate-your-holiday-entitlement

Workers who think they may not be receiving their full statutory entitlement should contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368, or ACAS (www.acas.org.uk) for free and confidential advice.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

This is matter that is delegated to individual Departments in the Civil Service.

This information is a matter for departments.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Detail on the payroll service arrangements of all departments is not held centrally.

In the last 12 months, the following organisations have collected subscriptions through my Department and its agencies payroll services:

Amicus

Beneden Healthcare Society

Charity for Civil Servants

Charities Aid Foundation

Charities Trust

Civil Service Club

Civil Service Sports Council

Forester Health

HAS Individual (Simply Health)

Leeds Hospital Fund

Medicash

PCS Union

Prospect Union

AXA Sun-Life

Smart meters are replacing traditional gas and electricity meters in Great Britain as part of an essential infrastructure upgrade to make the energy system more efficient and flexible, enabling the cost-effective delivery of net zero greenhouse gas emissions. The rollout is making good progress, with 24.2 million smart and advanced meters in homes and small business across Great Britain as of end March 2021.

Energy suppliers are currently required by licence conditions to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters in homes and small businesses. The Government has confirmed that a new four-year policy framework with fixed annual installation targets for energy suppliers will commence on 1 January 2022 to drive the consistent, long-term investment needed to achieve market-wide rollout.