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Trawlermen (Compensation)
Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the oral statement by the Parliamentary Secretary (Commons) to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of 8 March 1999, Official Report, columns 151-54, on claims for compensation by deep sea trawlermen, if he will (a) agree a date to meet the trawlermen and their representatives and (b) set out a timetable for the resolution of the claim. [76927]
Mr. Byers [holding answer 15 March 1999]: As my hon. Friend indicated during this debate, the obligations of the Department of Trade and Industry, and formerly the Employment Department, relate to the former trawlermen's redundancy entitlement under the statutory redundancy payments scheme. These obligations were fully met under ex-gratia arrangements operated by the Redundancy Payments Service between 1993 and 1995. My officials remain ready to consider late claims under those arrangements in appropriate cases. I have received no requests from the former trawlermen or their representatives for a further meeting to discuss their redundancy entitlement.
The former trawlermen's campaign for a more general scheme of Government compensation for the decline in their industry, going beyond their redundancy entitlement,
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is principally a matter for my hon. Friend to consider, as policy responsibility for the fishing industry lies with the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Mr. Eric Clarke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he will take to ensure that claims for damages for miners' bronchitis and emphysema in respect of exposure to coal dust underground before 1954 from mines in Scotland will not be treated as subject to the provisions of the Limitations Act 1954. [77077]
Mr. Battle:
The Limitations Act 1954 does not apply in Scotland. However, although the Department accepts liability for claims for damages for miners' emphysema and chronic bronchitis in respect of exposure to mine dust underground in mines in Scotland, the extent of that liability has not been established in the Scottish Courts. The litigation to date covers only England and Wales. The effect of Scottish law on claims from ex-British Coal miners claiming damages for respiratory diseases caused by exposure to dust in Scottish mines will be discussed with solicitors representing Scottish miners once we have agreed the handling arrangements for claims in England and Wales. We expect such agreement to be reached shortly.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make arrangements in the Review of Electricity Trading Arrangements for transparency of prices in trading contracts. [76580]
Mr. Battle
[holding answer 15 March 1999]: I have asked the Director General of Electricity Supply to ensure that, in developing new trading arrangements, there is adequate price transparency including in the contracts market.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 2 March 1999, Official Report, column 690, on the photovoltaic industry, what is his Department's budget in respect of photovoltaics; and what photovoltaic projects it plans to sponsor in developing countries in 1999-2000. [77073]
Mr. Battle:
My Department is already committed to projects worth around £1 million for 1999-2000. Other projects, including the three initiatives I detailed in my previous answer (worth a total of £15 million, with £5 million coming from the DTI), will boost that figure significantly.
UK aid to developing countries is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department of International Development (DFID). However, my Department, with DFID, is currently considering work through the International Energy Agency which could increase the rate of deployment of PV in Developing Countries and result in valuable business for UK based companies.
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Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the total cost of incorporation, including professional fees, incurred by a business with profits of under £50,000 per annum. [76788]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 16 March 1999]: The prescribed fee charged by the Registrar of Companies for incorporating any company is £20 for the normal five day service. A "premium", same day, service is also available for £100.
Many people choose to use the services of a formation agent or other professional intermediary to carry out the incorporation for them. In such cases the total cost can vary considerably depending on the intermediary used and the nature of the service provided. Such additional costs are subject to normal market force.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will require all employers to provide their workers with a statement about the national minimum wage on commencement of employment. [76045]
Mr. Byers
[holding answer 16 March 1999]: There is no need to require employers to provide their workers with a national minimum wage statement. The Government have begun major campaigns in the press, and on television and radio, to make sure everyone knows about the minimum wage. We have also produced both a detailed guide to the national minimum wage, and short guides for employers and workers. In addition national minimum wage telephone helplines have been established to answer questions and issue the guidance booklets.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what cross-departmental initiatives have been introduced to track arms sales by United Kingdom companies. [75385]
Dr. Howells:
Further to the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche) to the hon. Member on 25 March 1998, Official Report, column 142, further details on progress improving the arrangements for the sharing of export licensing information were set out in the Department of Trade and Industry's Supplementary Memorandum to the Trade and Industry Committee's inquiry on Strategic Export Controls (HC65, pages 75-76). As noted in the memorandum, in addition to sharing information on licence applications, there is also a need to share information on licences issued and applications refused, and DTI's Export Control Organisation is working with HMC&E to examine the feasibility of making such information available electronically to Customs officials who have responsibility for enforcing export controls at the point of export. While the Export Control Organisation maintains records of licence applications, it does not compile records of licensed exports.
The new electronic application form described in the Memorandum was launched on 1 March 1999.
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Mr. Trend:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 23 February 1999, Official Report, column 230, if he will publish the correspondence between his office and Pauline Green MEP prior to the European Parliament's vote on the censure motion on 14 January. [75717]
The Prime Minister:
The right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) wrote to me on 3 March 1999. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will reply in due course.
Sir Peter Tapsell:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 17 March. [76770]
The Prime Minister:
This morning I had meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I will have further such meetings later today.
15. Mr. Derek Twigg:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what action he is taking to ensure that public services are more responsive to complaints from members of the public. [75371]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
As part of the launch of the Service First programme last year, we issued guidance on the handling of complaints. We have also been working with the British Standards Institution to develop a national standard on complaints handling, which will be published in May. More recently, we have set up links from the Service First website to all of the main government complaints procedures that are available on the Internet and we are encouraging all those departments and agencies who have not yet done so to put their complaints procedures on the net.
16. Dr. Ladyman:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will seek to extend the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration to non-Governmental public bodies; [75372]
23. Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to increase the number of public bodies within the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration. [75381]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike) earlier today, Official Report, column 1114.
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