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Departmental Payroll
Mr. Todd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list each of the functions relating to the payroll for which her Department is responsible, indicating the management systems purchased, all sub-contractors involved in the work, co-operative arrangements with other Departments and the costs of the systems and processes in the last year for which figures are available.[10743]
Mr. Griffiths: The Department of Trade and Industry is responsible for all its payroll functions. In discharging these responsibilities the Department utilises a combination of an in-house pay operations unit for gross pay purposes and external contractors for net pay, Chessington Computer Services Limited, and accounting purposes--CSL Managed Services. The information on the costs of systems and processes would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Ethnic Minorities
Mr. Vaz: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many and what percentage of employees in her private office are (a) of Asian origin and (b) of Afro-Caribbean origin. [9580]
Mrs. Beckett: It is not normal practice in my Department to answer questions about small numbers of staff, in order to preserve personal confidentiality unless individuals are content for this information to be provided. Of the 12 staff in my private office two or 17 per cent. are of Asian origin and two or 17 per cent. are of Afro-Caribbean origin.
Industrial Tribunals
Mr. Welsh: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to change the system of industrial tribunals; and if she will make a statement. [10310]
Mr. Ian McCartney [holding answer 28 July 1997]: The Government are fully committed to the industrial tribunals system, which plays an important role in resolving employment rights disputes. It is important that, where we can, we take steps to improve both the services offered by the tribunals and the system of dispute resolution. To this end the Government are giving their full support to a Bill which Lord Archer of Sandwell introduced in the House of Lords on 9 July 1997. The Employment Rights (Dispute Resolution) Bill, which received its Second Reading on 25 July, will streamline certain tribunal procedures and will promote voluntary alternative forms of dispute resolution, such as arbitration. These changes, which have been the subject of full consultation, will improve the service offered by the tribunals and give those involved in employment rights disputes additional methods of resolving their disputes.
Information Society
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what studies have been commissioned, and
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what legislation is under consideration, by the European Commission concerning (a) social cohesion and social exclusion and (b) regional cohesion in respect of the information society; and if she will make a statement.[10199]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 22 July 1997]: Details of the European Commission's activities in these areas are set out in the Commission's Communications COM(96) 607 final "Europe at the Forefront of the Information Society: Rolling Action Plan", and COM (97) 7 final "Cohesion and the Information Society", as well as in its Green Paper COM(96) 389 final "Living and Working in the Information Society: People First", all of which have been placed in the Library of the House.
The Commission's High Level Expert Group on the Social and Societal Aspects of the Information Society has recently presented a report to the Commission entitled "Building a European Information Society for us all".
Before 1999, the Commission will propose revised regulations or amendments to regulations for structural and cohesion funds. Elements of the structural funds are used to support projects related to the information society.
Mrs. Browning:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her Department's policy towards new applications for (a) oil-fired, (b) solid fuel and (c) gas-fired power stations. [11097]
Mr. Battle:
When assessing applications made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 we will address local issues and ensure consistency with the wider objectives of secure, diverse and sustainable supplies of energy at competitive prices and meeting of environmental targets.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to increase the proportion of electricity in the United Kingdom generated by solar power. [11285]
Mr. Battle:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke on Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 10 June 1997, Official Report, column 417. We are currently reviewing policy in this area, including what would be necessary and practicable to achieve 10 per cent. of the UK's electricity needs from renewables by the year 2010. The Government's support for solar energy will be considered in the context of this review.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate she has made of the share of the global market in solar power held by British companies.[11229]
Mr. Battle:
The solar energy--photovoltaic--industry has estimated in its draft strategy, as part of the Government's foresight energy initiative, that UK-based companies currently have 9 per cent. of the world market across the wide variety of PV applications.
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Mr Illsley:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will bring forward legislation to implement the guidelines issued by the Director General of Fair Trading on non-status lending. [11183]
Mr. Griffiths:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmore Port and Neston (Mr. Miller) on 18 July 1997, Official Report, column 372.
Mr. Goggins:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if she will list those local authorities in England which fully disregard war pensions when calculating council tax benefits and housing benefit; [9141]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
I have been asked to reply.
We do routinely collect information on discretionary local schemes for housing and council tax benefits as any such scheme must be funded from an authority's own resources and, therefore, the decision to operate such a scheme is entirely for local authorities. The information requested is therefore not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of his Department; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings; [8059]
Mr. Ron Davies:
It is not my intention to hold or attend meetings solely for the purpose of discussing Members' interests and I therefore have no plans to introduce a register.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 9 July, Official Report, column 509, concerning the referendum on Welsh devolution, what steps his Department will take to ensure that blind and partially sighted voters are aware of the availability of postal votes before the proposed referendum. [9422]
Mr. Ron Davies:
My Department will liaise with the Royal National Institute for the Blind and will make information available via the various "talking newspapers" in Wales on the timetable for making applications for postal or proxy votes.
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Ms Perham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how often since 1992 his Department has been responsible for employment advertisements that contained age restrictions on those who could apply. [9498]
Mr. Alan Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if "A Voice for Wales" represented Government policy. [9881]
Mr. Ron Davies:
I published the White Paper, "A Voice for Wales", on 22 July 1997: it represents the proposals of Her Majesty's Government for a Welsh Assembly and reflects the clear manifesto pledge on which the Labour party in Wales won 34 out of 40 seats in the general election.
(2) if she will list those local authorities in England which do not fully disregard war pensions when calculating council tax benefit and housing benefit, indicating the level of disregard applied in each case. [9140]
(2) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have attended meetings with organisations representing (i) commercial and (ii) non-commercial interests organised by commercial lobbying firms; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings. [8060]
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