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Poole Bay
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department is requiring Elf Exploration plc to carry out further drilling operations in Poole Bay. [74055]
Mr. Battle:
The Petroleum Licence covering block 98-12 in Poole Bay was awarded in 1991 with an obligation on the licensees to drill at least three exploration wells. The first of these was drilled in 1993, south east of the location of the well currently under discussion. This was unsuccessful and the licensees asked
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for all the outstanding work obligations to be waived. A waiver was granted in respect of one of the wells, but my Department took the view that the other should be drilled in order to fully explore the potential of the licensed area.
The current licence operator, Elf Exploration UK plc, has been preparing to seek consent to a further well to test a small structure which lies between the first well on the licence and the Wytch Farm oil field, but has now sought my Department's agreement to waive the outstanding commitments and relinquish the licence. This request is being considered and a response will be given as soon as possible.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if juvenile employees working part-time on paper rounds are subject to the holiday pay provisions of the working time regulations. [72024]
Mr. Ian McCartney
[holding answer 22 February 1999]: Newspaper delivery boys and girls are not entitled to paid annual leave under the regulations if they are below minimum school leaving age; anyone aged 16 or over who delivers newspapers is, like any other part time worker, entitled to paid annual leave but only pro rata according to the hours they normally work.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his Department's support for the UK photovoltaic industry. [73926]
Mr. Battle:
Last week I announced 3 major new PV initiatives:
The total value of these initiatives is expected to be £15 million, with £5 million coming from the DTI. In the case of the demonstration scheme the final go-ahead will have to await the outcome of the Renewables Review, on which I expect to issue a Consultation Paper shortly.
These new initiatives are in addition to the work on solar photovoltaics that my Department is already funding (under the DTI's New and Renewable Energy Programme, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council PV R&D programme, and the Foresight Scolar Programme), and will be taken forward in consultation with the PV and building industries.
Mr. Casale:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are currently employed in the generation of energy from renewable sources (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in other member states of the European Union. [73772]
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Mr. Battle:
There are over 500 companies involved in renewable energy in the UK, which are estimated to employ some 3,500 people directly. These companies include manufacturers, developers, consultants, and operators.
Statistics for European Countries are not generally available. In the EU White Paper--Energy For the Future: Renewable Sources of Energy--the Commission cites the example of the wind energy sector which it estimates has created 30,000 jobs in Europe. The White Paper also states that if the contribution of renewables to energy supply in Europe were to double from the current 6 per cent. to 12 per cent. by 2010 it would create at least 500,000 jobs.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has to regulate the use of genetic testing in relation to employment; and if he will make a statement. [74145]
Mr. Battle:
The Human Genetics Advisory Commission has set up a Working Group under the chairmanship of Mrs. Doris Littlejohn (President, Employment Tribunals (Scotland)) to consider the implications of genetic testing for employment. I look forward to receiving their advice later this year.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out the qualifications and areas of expertise of the members of the Human Genetics Advisory Commission. [74146]
Mr. Battle:
Affiliations and qualifications of members of the Human Genetics Advisory Commission are as follows:
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Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 10 February 1999, Official Report, column 224, what was the average award made to those canteen workers where cases have been settled. [73962]
Mr. Battle:
The British Coal Corporation tell me that the average settlement cost is around £1,300 per claim.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the international proliferation implications of MOX fuel shipments. [73212]
Mr. Battle:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett), to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor) on 2 December 1997, Official Report, column 122.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the accessibility of the plutonium in MOX fuel contained in BNFL shipments to Japan for the purposes of making nuclear weapons. [73211]
Mr. Battle:
The process by which MOX fuel is made combines the uranium and plutonium in such a way that separation by physical means is not possible. To recover plutonium from MOX fuel would require a chemical separation process requiring complex and highly specialised plant, equipment and skills. Very stringent physical protection and safeguards measures are applied to MOX fuel at all times to prevent its theft or diversion.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions have taken place between his Department and (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) the Ministry of Defence on the proposed shipments of plutonium to Japan by BNFL. [73210]
Mr. Battle:
Responsibility within Government for the security of MOX shipments rests with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Consultations between DTI and other Government Departments, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, have continued in the normal way.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the Japanese to take ownership and control of the materials involved in the proposed shipment of plutonium to Japan; and what agencies are involved in overseeing these shipments. [73209]
Mr. Battle:
The MOX fuel, which is already owned by the Japanese utilities, will come under the control of the Government of Japan on arrival at the port of entry. For the UK Government, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions deals with the safety of movements of nuclear materials carried out by the UK, while my Department handles security issues associated with these shipments.
Mr. Edwards:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons armed vessels with armed
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escorts are required to accompany shipments of MOX fuel and other nuclear material from BNFL to its overseas customers. [73562]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 26 February 1999]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 18 February 1999, Official Report, columns 364-65.
Mr. Edwards:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the extent to which the production and export of MOX fuel and other nuclear materials which will be returned to BNFL's overseas customers after reprocessing are consistent with the terms of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. [73561]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 26 February 1999]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the then Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche), to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor) on 9 December 1997, Official Report, column 528.
(a) a call for proposals for the development of PV components and systems, with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness of UK companies;
(b) a field trial for around 100 homes across the country to test a variety of actual PV installations under UK conditions;
(c) development of a scheme to demonstrate the use of PV in large-scale building applications.
Acting chair
Baroness O'Neill Principal, Newnham College, Cambridge; Chairman, Nuffield Foundation.
Members
Professor Cairns Aitken CBE Professor-emeritus of Rehabilitation Studies, University of Edinburgh; Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh; Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Dr. Micheala Aldred Director, Retinoblastoma Society; Trustee, Genetic Interest Group.
Professor Martin Bobrow CBE Professor of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge; Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians; Fellow of the Royal College of Pathology.
Mrs. Doris Littlejohn CBE President Employment Tribunals (Scotland).
Professor Norman Nevin Chairman, Gene Therapy Advisory Committee; Professor of Medical Genetics, Northern Ireland Regional Genetics Centre; Fellow of the Ulster Medical Society.
Reverend Dr. John Polkinghorne KBE Chairman, Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing. Member of the General Synod of the Church of England; Fellow of the Royal Society; Past President of Queens' College Cambridge.
Dr. George Poste CBE Chief Science and Technology Officer, SmithKline Beecham Plc; Fellow of the Royal Society.
Ms Moira Stuart Reporter/presenter, British Broadcasting Corporation.
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