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133W
Written Answers
26 OCTOBER 2009
Written Answers
134W
paying the fixed line levy and that is why we have
confirmed that those on social telephony schemes will
be exempt. The social telephony schemes are available
to those on Income support, Income-based job seeker’s
allowance, employment support allowance (income rated)
or guaranteed pensions credit and should be an accurate
indication of ability to pay.
Training: Finance
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding
his Department provided to employers for employerbased
training as classified by the Sector Skills Council
in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. [295584]
Kevin Brennan: The Department’s main support for
work-based adult skills training is provided through the
Train to Gain and Apprenticeships programmes. In
2006-07 the expenditure on both these programmes was
£457 million; in 2007-08 it rose to £585 million.
UK Innovation Investment Fund: Finance
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding
the Government will provide for the new UK
Innovation Investment Fund in the next three years;
and how much private sector investment he expects the
Fund to receive in that period. [294707]
Mr. Lammy: The Government are committing £150
million of tax payer’s investment to build a fund of up
to £1 billion over its 10-year life. The Government
expect that their investment of £150 million will leverage
significant investment from the private sector.
USA: Overseas Trade
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State,
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what
the monetary value of trade was between the UK and
the United States in each of the last five years. [293316]
Ian Lucas: The data requested are shown in the
following table
UK
exports
of goods
to USA
UK
exports
of
services
to USA
UK
imports
of goods
from
USA
UK
imports
of
services
from
USA
£ million
Total
UK-USA
trade
2004 28,794 25,790 22,525 15,357 92,466
2005 31,095 24,423 22,530 16,329 94,377
2006 32,287 29,226 25,830 16,792 104,135
2007 32,274 32,964 26,095 18,387 109,720
2008 35,351 36,173 25,848 19,703 117,075
Source:
UK Balance of Payments Pink Book, 2009 edition
Video Games
Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary
value of (a) video game exports and (b) video game
imports was in each year from 2001 to 2008. [293981]
Ian Lucas: Full figures are not separately identifiable
for trade in video games as a whole: royalties, licence
fees and trade in services associated with video games
are not separately identifiable; nor are trade in goods
figures for video games not for use with a television
receiver. The figures in the following table are for trade
in goods for video games for use with a television
receiver (Harmonised System code 950410) recorded in
the overseas trade statistics.
Exports
Imports
2001 71 216
2002 139 465
2003 104 387
2004 68 283
2005 86 285
2006 11 516
2007 182 1,026
2008 220 1,140
White Phosphorus
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State,
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what
information the Export Control Organisation requires
of companies seeking an export licence for munitions
containing white phosphorus. [294265]
Ian Lucas: Companies applying a standard individual
export licence (SIEL) to export any munitions, including
those containing white phosphorus, must provide the
Export Control Organisation with sufficient information
to allow an assessment against the Consolidated EU
and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and any
other relevant announced policies to be made.
This includes providing sufficient technical details to
allow the correct control list entry for the goods to be
identified; specific quantities and values; the name of
the end-user, consignee and any other parties involved
in the transaction; and information on what the munitions
will be used for. Companies also have to supply a signed
end-user undertaking from the end user, which is used
to corroborate information provided in the application
form.
Applications for open individual export licences (OIEL)
must include the same information, except specific quantities
and values and not normally required.
Work of Manufacturing Insight
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment
he has made of the work of Manufacturing Insight.
[295120]
Ian Lucas: Manufacturing Insight has not yet been
formally launched. Nick Hussey was appointed director
of Manufacturing Insight on 1 September 2009. The
Manufacturing Insight Board will closely monitor and
assess achievements over the short, medium and longer
term, against the agreed business plan. The business
plan is currently being agreed with the board and is
expected to be finalised autumn 2009.