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Minimum Wage
Mr. Pond: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list in domestic currency the statutory national minimum wage, or the lowest minimum wage established on the basis of legally binding sectoral or industry agreements, in each European Union state and in the United States of America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada; and if she will list the equivalent of each of these amounts as an hourly rate in pounds sterling (a) on the basis of current exchange rages and (b) at purchasing power parity exchange rates. [12214]
Mr. Ian McCartney: The information requested about wages is not routinely collected by my Department; all the latest figures available to me are set out in the table below.
| Hourly rate(50) in Sterling at | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Minimum wage in national currency | Current exchange rate(48) | PPP exchange rate(49) |
| Belgium | 44165 BFr Monthly | 4.20 | 4.76 |
| Canada | C$5 Hourly | 2.17 | 2.75 |
| France | 6406 FFr Monthly | 3.75 | 3.94 |
| Greece | 5746 Dr Daily | 1.52 | 2.19 |
| Japan | Y 4969 Daily | 3.19 | 2.43 |
| Luxembourg | 46275 LFr Monthly | 4.25 | 4.53 |
| Netherlands | 2244 FI Monthly | 3.96 | 4.44 |
| New Zealand | NZ$6.25 Hourly | 2.45 | 2.78 |
| Portugal | 58883 Es Monthly | 1.09 | 1.80 |
| Spain | 2279 Pta Daily | 1.19 | 1.62 |
| USA | $4.75 Hourly | 2.85 | 3.19 |
(48) Current Rates as at 25 July 1996.
(49) PPP exchange rates for 1996 from OECD Main Economic Indicators July 1997.
(50) Converted to hourly rates using results from the European Labour Force Survey 1995 published by Eurostat, except Japan were results from ILO "Conditions of Work Digest" are used.
Employees' Rights
Mr. Stunell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures she proposes to transfer the legal responsibility enforcing terms and conditions of employment from employees to employers; and if she will make a statement. [11092]
Mr. Ian McCartney: Generally, terms and conditions of employment are a matter for agreement between employer and employee. Where one party breaches the contract, it is for the other party to seek enforcement.
Direct Rail Services
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the trial train service being run by BNFL's Direct Rail Services subsidiary from Penrith to Cricklewood receives public subsidy. [11783]
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 641
Mr. Battle:
This service does not receive any public subsidy. Operational details are a matter for Direct Rail Services.
Ann Clwyd:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how information given to her officials by manufacturers and suppliers of military, security and police equipment is (a) verified and (b) evaluated; and if she will place copies of the evaluation and verification procedures in the Library. [12203]
Mrs. Roche:
The way in which officials verify and evaluate such information depends on the nature of the information requested. In some circumstances, we do verify information provided by applicants for export licences, for example the intended end-user, but in others we do not, for example where a company states that it has not produced a particular item of equipment and there is no reason to doubt that statement.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps her Department has taken to investigate claims that the British Government failed to return confiscated funds deposited by victims of the holocaust in British banks; and if she will make a statement. [11284]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
The Government take very seriously the concerns expressed in the Israeli Knesset and in the media about the confiscation of property from nationals and residents of enemy countries during the second world war. The DTI is working closely with the FCO to identify the relevant papers--many of which are already at the Public Record Office. The results of that work will be made public when it is completed. Both Departments are also co-operating with the Holocaust Educational Trust and other interested individuals and organisations.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many beneficiaries of the national concessionary fuel agreement there are, broken down by those in receipt of (a) coal, (b) smokeless fuel and (c) cash in lieu of fuel. [11988]
Mr. Battle:
At June 1997, the breakdown of national concessionary fuel agreement beneficiaries--that is, not including British Association of Colliery Management beneficiaries--under my Department's liability was as follows: (a) 14,477 in receipt of coal; (b) 88,977 in receipt of smokeless fuel; (c) 63,242 in receipt of cash in lieu of fuel.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many concessionary fuel beneficiaries have a statutory entitlement which pre-dates the national concessionary fuel agreement. [11989]
Mr. Battle:
At 7 July 1997, there were 793 beneficiaries receiving concessionary fuel under statutory entitlement--that is, under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946.
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 642
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total United Kingdom coal production for the last complete year for which figures are available; and how much was (a) opencast coal and (b) deep-mined coal. [11986]
Mr. Battle:
Coal production in the United Kingdom in 1996 is set out in the table.
| Thousand tonnes | |
|---|---|
| Total production(51) | 50,197 |
| Of which: | |
| Deep-mined | 32,223 |
| Opencast | 16,315 |
Note:
(51) Total production for 1996 comprises deep-mined, opencast and other production. Other production of 1,658,000 tonnes is an estimate for slurry and so on recovered from dumps, ponds, rivers.
Source:
Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics.
Opencast Coal
Mr. Clapham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of opencast coal mined in the United Kingdom for the last complete year in which figures are available was (a) used for sweetening purposes and (b) went to the power station market. [11987]
Mr. Battle: Of 16,315,000 tonnes of total opencast production in 1996, over half went to the power stations market. The proportion of opencast coal used in the United Kingdom for sweetening purposes is not available.
Radio Advertising (Wealth Warnings)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will remove the requirement for wealth warnings on radio advertising. [11621]
Mrs. Beckett: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) on 29 July 1997, Official Report, column 223.
Information Society
Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to monitor and assess the United Kingdom's progress towards the information society relative to other countries. [12467]
Mrs. Roche:
The Department of Trade and Industry commissioned Spectrum Strategy Consultants, as part of the information society initiative, to undertake primary research to assess the UK's progress towards the information society. The aims of the research were to measure levels of ownership and usage of information technology, electronics and communications products by both companies and consumers in the UK, US, Germany, France and Japan. In addition, the study compares attitudes and levels of awareness, and analyses drivers and barriers to change. This builds on a pilot benchmarking study undertaken for DTI in 1996, the publication of which was announced on 25 October 1996 in a written answer to the hon. Member for Bournmouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) Official Report, column 16.
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 643
The latest study, entitled "Moving into the Information Society--An International Benchmarking Study" will be published on 4 August and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House. Further copies are available by calling the ISI business infoline on 0345 15 2000, by e-mailing info@isi.gov.uk, or through the ISI website at http://www.isi.gov.uk/isi/mitis.htm.
Mr. Flight:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade pursuant to her answer to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) of 24 July, Official Report, column 733, if she has placed any restrictions on her Department's Ministers having outside advisers additional to those listed in her answer. [12251]
Mrs. Beckett:
Additional special advisers to DTI Ministers would need my agreement and that of the Prime Minister.
Mr. Hammond:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to her answer of 24 July, Official Report, column 733, on advisers, which director of Copywatch has now been appointed an adviser to the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs; and if she will make a statement. [12212]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
I am not aware of such claims.
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