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Regional Industrial Policy
Mr. Caborn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total cost of regional industrial policy including (a) regional selective assistance and (b) other direct assistance to firms for the period 1990 to 1995. [6699]
Mr. Eggar: The information is available in the "Annual Report on the Industrial Development Act 1982".
Patent Office
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what methodology is in place to produce a benchmark in the Patent Office in respect of the contracting-out procedure; if the guidelines laid down by the National Audit Office will be adhered to; and if he will make a statement. [5840]
Mr. Ian Taylor: Benchmarking of in-house services will follow guidance issued by HM Treasury, the office of Public Service, and the Department of Trade and Industry. The calculation of any benchmark will be open to National Audit Office scrutiny and must follow any guidelines laid down by that office.
Mr. Carlile: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the dates over the last two years when he and other Ministers in his Department have met with elected trade union representatives at the Patent Office. [5842]
Mr. Ian Taylor: There have been no meetings between Ministers of the Department of Trade and Industry and Trade Union representatives in the last two years.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 866
Mr. Carlile: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make arrangements for elected trade union representatives to be included in staff/management meetings in connection with the contractorisation of the facilities' management services section at the Patent Office. [5837]
Mr. Ian Taylor: In any contracting out exercise, the Patent Office management will follow the terms of the 1989 DTI agreement on consultation on proposals for contracting out.
Business Links
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many business links have been established; what services they deliver; and if he will list the total costs of delivering these services and the total number of Department of Trade and Industry staff located in business links. [5841]
Mr. Page: A total of 171 business link outlets were operational on 15 December 1995. Seventy-three DTI staff are currently located in business links. A number of core services lie at the heart of business links. These include:
an enquiry and information service;
personal business advisers;
diagnostic services;
and help for start ups and micro businesses.
The cost of delivering services is different for each business link and is met from a number of sources including DTI funding, fee income from assisted businesses and contributions from business link partner organisations. The total cost of all business link services could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost. DTI's budget for 1995-96 is £38.5 million for pump-priming funding and £57.4 million for services.
Dr. Hampson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the business links that have been established in the Yorkshire and Humberside region and the scheduled opening dates for others. [6206]
| Dates | |
|---|---|
| Open Business Links | |
| Barnsley | Opened 3 May 1994 |
| Doncaster | Opened 18 April 1994 |
| Calderdale/Kirkless: | |
| Brighouse | Opened February 1995 |
| Huddersfield | Opened February 1995 |
| Batley | Opened February 1995 |
| Halifax | Opened March 1995 |
| Todmorden | Opened 29 November 1995 |
| Humberside: | |
| Hull | Opened 18 September 1995 |
| Leeds | Opened 2 October 1995 |
| Rotherham | Opened 19 April 1995 |
| Sheffield | Opened 19 September 1995 |
| Wakefield | Opened 16 October 1995 |
| Schedule Opening Dates | |
| Bradford | January 1996 |
| Humberside: | |
| Grimsby | January |
| Scunthorpe | March |
| Boothferry | April |
| East Yorkshire | April 1996 |
| North Yorkshire | May 1996 |
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 867
Retirement and Severance Schemes
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many voluntary schemes and early retirement schemes are currently operating in his Department and its agencies; and if he will list the United Kingdom offices which are currently running such schemes. [5838]
Mr. John M. Taylor: A voluntary early retirement and severance scheme is currently operating in all parts of the Department which fall within gross running cost control. This includes the Insolvency Service, the office of manpower economics, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and DTI staff in Government offices.
A retirement and severance scheme following the Department's senior management review is currently nearing completion.
Schemes are also running in the Patent Office, Companies House and Radiocommunications Agency covering selected grades to help restructure these agencies.
Mr. Davidson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many companies have failed to provide redundancy payments for their employees (a) due to company closure and (b) as a result of the employer failing to meet statutory obligations under the terms of current employment legislation for each from 1979 to 1995. [6270]
Mr. John M. Taylor:
The information requested is not available.
Mr. Davidson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many cases involving the recovery of employees' redundancy payments have been taken to industrial tribunals for each year from 1979 to 1995. [6253]
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 868
Mr. Taylor:
Information is not available in the precise form or for the full period requested. The number of applications relating to redundancy payments disposed of by industrial tribunals in Great Britain since 1986-87 is as follows:
Mr. Davidson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the total cost to the national insurance fund as a result of companies failing to meet their obligations to their work forces in respect of the non-payment of statutory redundancy payments for each year from 1979 to 1995. [6252]
Mr. Taylor:
The information is given in the table.
The total cost to the national insurance fund was as follows:
These figures include cases withdrawn or settled without recourse to a hearing.
1986-87: 5,389
1987-88: 3,403
1988-89: 3,223
1989-90: 3,837
1990-91: 5,022
1991-92: 5,234
1992-93: 7,084
1993-94: 8,567
1994-95: 7,478.
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1979-80 | 19.3 |
| 1980-81 | 42.0 |
| 1981-82 | 53.0 |
| 1982-83 | 72.2 |
| 1983-84 | 69.0 |
| 1984-85 | 57.1 |
| 1985-86 | 54.6 |
| 1986-87 | 50.2 |
| 1987-88 | 34.9 |
| 1988-89 | 32.4 |
| 1989-90 | 25.7 |
| 1990-91 | 67.6 |
| 1991-92 | 131.8 |
| 1992-93 | 161.9 |
| 1993-94 | 130.6 |
| 1994-95 | 89.5 |
| 1995-96 | (10)50.7 |
(10) April-November 1995.
Contracting Out
Mr. Harvey: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what areas of his Department are being considered for contracting out; and which offices and staff are involved; [5669]
(2) what agencies under the jurisdiction of his Department are being considered for contracting out; which offices and staff are involved; and if he will make a statement. [5670]
Mr. Lang: The activities within my Department and its agencies which are either being considered for contracting out or where work is underway to contract
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 869
out under the "Competing for Quality" programme are as follows. Where work is underway contracting out will be dependent on the Department or agency receiving bids which offer value for money compared with keeping the activity in-house.
(i) In the Department:
Principal Civil Service Pension Schemes (PCSPS) Administration
Financial administration functions of Overseas Promotions Support.
(ii) In Agencies:
Companies House:
London Office and English satellite offices
Edinburgh Office
Cardiff Office:
Customer Enquiry Unit
Postal Search & Search Account Service
Remittance processing
Office Services.
Patent Office:
Facilities Management Services (Newport)
Marketing & Information Directorate (Newport)
Information Technology Services (Newport)
London Front Office.
The Insolvency Service:
Case administration functions of Official Receivers in all Official Receivers' Offices.
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