here - United Kingdom Parliament

831W
Written Answers
1 DECEMBER 2010
Written Answers
832W
(2) how much funding his Department has provided
to non-governmental organisations located in the
Palestinian authorities of the West Bank and Gaza in
each financial year since 2003; and for what purposes
such payments were made. [25737]
Alistair Burt: Between 2003-04 and 2009-10 financial
years, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
has provided £2,420,960 to non-governmental organisations
within the West Bank and Gaza. The breakdown is as
follows:
2003-04 1
—
2004-05 122,000
2005-06 104,482
2006-07 542,328
2007-08 484,113
2008-09 604,824
2009-10 563,213
1
No allocation
The list of organisations and project funding for
2010-11 is an indicative list, as funding cannot be confirmed
at this point of the financial year.
The FCO utilises a number of funding programmes
with the purpose of (a) strengthening the bilateral
relationship (b) helping to manage or mitigate conflicts
and (c) developing the capacity of non-state actors in
the West Bank and Gaza to provide oversight of the
Executive and its actions including monitoring of human
rights, access to justice and social welfare.
Piracy
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign
and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he
has had with his NATO counterparts on the development
of policy to counter international piracy. [27107]
Mr Lidington: There have been no recent meetings at
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) at ministerial
level specifically to discuss counter piracy. But, in the
communiqué of its recent Lisbon summit, NATO renewed
its commitment to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden
and Indian Ocean through its Operation Ocean Shield.
NATO works closely alongside the EU’s Operation
Atalanta and the Combined Maritime Forces so as to
respond effectively and coherently to the threat of piracy,
including on allocation of assets to the large area of
operations. NATO is also a key partner in the Contact
Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, working
comprehensively to address operational, legal and regional
capacity concerns to ensure that piracy is tackled on a
sustainable basis, including at its roots.
The UK continues to support the operation, which
has recently has had its mandate extended until 2012.
The Royal Navy currently has a frigate and auxiliary
vessel allocated to Operation Ocean Shield.
BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS
Agriculture: Training
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business,
Innovation and Skills (1) how much funding from the
public purse will be available for (a) apprenticeship
schemes and (b) vocational courses in the agricultural
£
sector (i) nationally and (ii) in Central Suffolk and
North Ipswich constituency in 2011-12. [26866]
(2) how many places will be available for (a)
apprenticeship schemes and (b) vocational courses in
the agricultural sector (i) nationally and (ii) in the
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency in
2011-12. [26867]
Mr Hayes: “Investing Skills for Sustainable Growth”
was published on 16 November. In the 2011-12 financial
year, we plan to invest £3.9 billion in FE skills for post
19 learners. This includes £3.7 billion for over three
million adult training places funded through the Skills
Funding Agency. In the 2011-12 financial year, £605 million
is earmarked for adult apprenticeships. Spend on adult
apprenticeships will increase by up to £250 million,
relative to the previous Government, by the end of the
spending review period, supporting an additional 75,000
people to start an apprenticeship by 2014-15.
In support of the coalition Government’s principle
of greater freedom, “Skills for Sustainable Growth and
Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth” set out the
abolition of central targets and increased freedom and
flexibility for further education colleges and training
organisations to respond effectively to the needs of
employers, learners and their communities. It will be for
individual colleges and training organisations, working
directly with their local partners, to determine the offer
that best meets the needs of their communities.
From the 2011/12 academic year, there will be a single
adult skills budget, with earmarked delivery for
apprenticeships. As part of its allocations process later
this year, the Skills Funding Agency will set out a
minimum expectation of apprenticeships delivery. Further
Education colleges and training organisations will be
able to use their single adult skills budget allocation to
expand apprenticeships. However, any diversion of funding
away from apprenticeships is to be agreed with the
Agency.
Information on learner participation and achievement
in further education is published in a quarterly statistical
first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 16
November and can be viewed at:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/
statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
Credit: Regulation
Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business,
Innovation and Skills whether his Department has made
an estimate of the numbers of UK residents who have
been refused access to credit through banks and building
societies in the last 10 years. [26472]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 30 November 2010]: The
Government do not collect data on the number of UK
residents refused credit by banks and building societies.
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills
commissions a quarterly survey (carried out by YouGov),
which monitors the latest consumer credit and debt
trends. The following table has been produced from this
survey, showing the proportion of the population who
have applied for credit (broken down by credit type) in
the last six months and the outcome of this application.