The Export Control Organisation in BIS is responsible for strategic export control legislation and for assessing export licences for strategic goods against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are responsible for the enforcement of strategic export controls and for conducting investigations where unlicensed exports may have occurred. Questions relating to unlicensed exports should properly be directed to HMRC.

Neither I, my BIS ministerial colleagues nor my officials have discussed with our EU counterparts the unlicensed export of Finfisher intrusion software from the UK. The Export Control Organisation in BIS is responsible for strategic export control legislation and for assessing export licences for strategic goods against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are responsible for the enforcement of strategic export controls and for conducting investigations where unlicensed exports may have occurred. Questions relating to unlicensed exports should properly be directed to HMRC.

Some construction types, including timber framed walls, are not always suitable for standard insulation measures and require specialist surveys to determine the correct course of action. This makes it impractical for the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to include recommendations for wall insulation for these sorts of property. However, the Department is exploring the scope for allowing insulation measures for timber framed homes to be recommended in Green Deal Advice Reports.

The Export Control Organisation within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has issued no such licence. HM Revenue and Customs is responsible for the enforcement of the UK’s export controls.

The Government provides substantial financial help through disabled students’ allowances (DSAs) for English-domiciled students with a disability or long-term health condition, including specific learning difficulties. DSAs are provided in respect of the extra costs a student may incur as a direct result of their

disability, so as to enable them to participate in higher education on an equal basis to their peers. DSAs cover a range of support, including assistive software.

In England, before receiving any support through DSA, eligible students are required to attend a DSA study needs assessment with an independent assessor who will consider and recommend any additional equipment and support that the student might need to enable them to study on their course. Students with specific learning difficulties may receive funding for appropriate software where they have an additional need for this in comparison with students on the same course.

I have no plans to estimate how many of the over 100,000,000 apps now available are aimed at children and feature in-app purchasing. Rather DCMS efforts are focused on discussion with industry about the steps they should be taking to ensure that parents are properly informed about in-app purchasing and have easy access to the tools to block it where they choose to do so.

My Department is committed to supporting the Government's ICT plans and is adopting the relevant key components of the common ICT infrastructure that includes the greater use of open source, as laid out in the April 2012 Cabinet Office policy document.

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/All_About_Open_Source_v2_0.pdf

In line with this, we are taking forward our applications roadmap and where appropriate we will recommend the use of open source products to replace our existing applications.

The new gov.uk website which DCLG uses is built on open source software. The single domain is built using ruby on rails

www.rubyonrails.org/

and the micro sites that sit beneath the main platform are based on Wordpress content management.

www.wordpress.org

Further information can be found at the following link:

http://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/2012/10/12/coding-in-the-open/

In my Department, we also utilise several free system administrator tools, including spice works and wall watcher.

In my department's publication “50 Ways to Save”, we have encouraged the use of open source software as a cost effective option for local authorities.

In November 2012, the Government published the ‘Building Information Modelling—Industrial Strategy’ which outlines a number of growth opportunities generated from the success of the Government's programme

to embed the use of Building Information Management (BIM) in all centrally procured public construction projects by 2016. The strategy underlines the need to put in place a clear approach to exploiting the UK's expertise on BIM to develop our international construction competitiveness. The strategy identifies ICT technology development and service provision as BIM-related opportunities for UK industry. BIS officials are working closely with the BIM Task Group and the BIM Technology Alliance to on how best to assist with new market opportunities; in liaison with UKTI—which sees BIM as a central part of the UK sustainable construction offer.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA)—and its successor body the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)—work closely with banks to ensure that their systems are operating correctly, to resolve any difficulties and to minimise disruption for customers. The FSA is working with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBSG) following the problems experienced last week.

In a programme as complex as universal credit, which includes new IT developments and changes to existing IT assets, both agile and waterfall methods may be appropriate at different times. As examples, initial development used agile techniques while, in its final stages of testing for the pathfinder from April 2013, the programme is using the waterfall approach—a standard DWP testing methodology.

Apprenticeships are central to our skills ambition. Starts on the IT, Software, Web and Telecoms professional apprenticeship have risen year on year since 2007/08. In 2010/11, 11,780 individuals commenced the apprenticeship, with a further 7,470 embarking on an IT user qualification. The framework can include key software capabilities, with the advanced apprenticeship specifically targeting software and web development.

Through the UK Commission for Education and Skills, BIS has supported a number of industry initiatives aiming to improve the pipeline of talent into IT and computing.

This includes funding to help establish key industry initiatives such as the Information Technology Management for Business degree (ITMB), the E-skills professional placement, development of fit for purpose apprentice frameworks, and the Computing for Girls initiative.

In addition significant funding has been made available to support projects such as Informed Choices which includes an ambition to develop a stimulating new IT curriculum for students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to develop both higher education and vocational pathways.

The training software produced by BRE first went live on 27 May 2012. Subsequent updates have been released throughout the year. The version of the software released on 5 December 2012 was approved by DECC for the creation of live Green Deal occupancy assessments.