Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department are employed on a contract which is (a) full-time permanent, (b) part-time permanent, (c) for less than two years' duration, (d) on an agency basis and (e) zero-hours.
Answered by Margot James
As at 10/04/2017, The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) employed the following numbers on a contract:
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Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to respond to the letter of 24 January 2017 from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West on trades unions' political funds, reference ZA6413.
Answered by Margot James
I apologise to the hon. Member. The reply will be sent shortly.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 9 September 2016 on Companies House, reference ZA5077.
Answered by Margot James
A response was sent to the hon Member on 26 October.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Department for International Development on the UK's commitment to weather-indexed insurance.
Answered by Jesse Norman
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not had any discussions with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development on weather-indexed insurance in the last six months.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representation there will be on the board of the Institute for Apprenticeships from (a) business, (b) charities and (c) trades unions.
Answered by Nick Boles
The Chair and Board members will be appointed in accordance with the public appointments process. It is expected that the members of the Institute’s board will be comprised primarily of persons with a background as employers and business leaders. This is to ensure that employers continue to drive apprenticeship quality. Applications to join the Institute’s board are also open to representatives of other organisations, including the trade unions.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which bodies have made representations to the Government on the inclusion of administration costs, travel and wages in the funding for the Digital Apprenticeship System; and what proportion of bodies making such representations were in favour of the Government's proposals.
Answered by Nick Boles
My officials have been engaging employers throughout the policy development to gain their insight and advice. As part of the formal consultation last year, over 700 responses were received from employers. Opinions were evenly split as to whether levy funding should only be used to pay for the direct costs of apprenticeship training and assessment. Further information is available in the published Government response.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the funding caps for apprenticeship standards and frameworks will be in the new levy system.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In June 2016 we will be publishing provisional funding bands, which will set the maximum amount of funding which is available for each apprenticeship, as well as the provisional level of the government support that will be available towards the cost of apprenticeship training if you are not a levy paying employer, from April 2017. The final levels of funding and full, draft funding and eligibility rules will be published in October.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which body will have the responsibility for conducting reviews of the funding caps on apprenticeship standards and frameworks.
Answered by Nick Boles
The Institute for Apprenticeships will advise on funding rates for all newly developed apprenticeships and, where appropriate, the funding rate for standards and assessment plans when they are reviewed.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how frequently the funding caps on apprenticeship standards and frameworks will be reviewed.
Answered by Nick Boles
Provisional funding bands will be published in June 2016, and finalised in October 2016. The Institute for Apprenticeships will play a role in reviewing them once it is operational. The frequency of this will be agreed at that point.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answers of 25 February 2016 to Questions 27493 and 27494, and with reference to Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, what the evidential basis is for the Government's conclusion that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership does not automatically apply to British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Government’s position, set out in the answers to Questions 27493 and 27494, is based on the wording of the treaties (Article 52 of the Treaty on European Union, Article 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the 1972 Treaty of Accession of Denmark, Ireland and the UK to the European Economic Community) and the longstanding practice of the UK.
Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is not relevant to the status of British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. Article 29 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides that “Unless a different intention appears from the treaty or is otherwise established, a treaty is binding upon each party in respect of its entire territory.” The British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK, and the UK has consistently adopted the position that treaties made by the UK do not extend to British Overseas Territories or the Crown Dependencies, unless this is done expressly. The first expression of this position was set out in the “Bevin Despatch” (Foreign Office Circular 118, 16 October 1950).