29 Feb 2000 : Column: 185W
Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 29 February 2000
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Minimum Wage (Wales)
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary concerning estimates of the impact of the minimum wage in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [112020]
Mr. Alan Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had the opportunity to discuss the findings of the Low Pay Commission's report on the impact of the national minimum wage with the First Secretary. The report confirms that the introduction of the minimum wage has helped take over 1.5 million low-paid workers throughout the United Kingdom out of the trap of poverty wages. As in the other parts of the United Kingdom, many thousands of workers in Wales have benefited.
Renewable Energy
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to place a statutory obligation upon the utilities to purchase renewable energy; and what discussions he has had with those utilities to make sure that they purchase renewable energy at a realistic price. [111493]
Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 22 February 2000]: The Utilities Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons on 31 January 2000, contains provisions giving the Secretary of State powers to impose obligations on licensed electricity suppliers to secure the supply of renewables electricity. The Government's proposals for renewables electricity are the subject of extensive consultation with the industry.
Export Credits Guarantee Department
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the United Kingdom's total exports received ECGD cover in each of the last three years. [111010]
Mr. Caborn: The data required to answer this question accurately is not readily available.
In particular, whereas UK Export statistics relate to the year in which the goods were delivered or the work performed, ECGD business statistics relate to the year of guarantee issue. Deliveries of goods or performance of work under guaranteed contracts may continue for a period of several years thereafter.
In view of this lack of correlation it is not possible to provide the year-by-year analysis which you have requested. However, from data readily available, ECGD estimates that it may have covered some 2.3 per cent. of the total UK exports in this period.
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Ann Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on how many occasions the service on the Jubilee Line extension has been suspended since its opening; and what the reasons were in each case. [109834]
Mr. Hill:
Service has never been suspended over the whole line. However, on occasion, trains had to stop while the control computer was rebooted. This typically takes 10 to 15 minutes. There have also been signal-related problems at Stratford (the most complex area) sometimes resulting in suspension of service on the Stratford-North Greenwich section.
| Week commencing | Number of incidents 15 minutes or more |
|---|---|
| 20 November 1999 | 5 |
| 27 November 1999 | 7 |
| 4 December 1999 | 3 |
| 11 December 1999 | 14 |
| 18 December 1999 | 14 |
| 25 December 1999 | 6 |
| 1 January 2000 | 6 |
| 8 January 2000 | 6 |
| 15 January 2000 | 2 |
| 22 January 2000 | 6 |
| Total | 69 |
Road Accident Deaths
Mr. Ashdown:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of the total road accident fatalities in the United Kingdom since 1970 (a) in total and (b) for each year; and if he will make a statement. [110806]
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Mr. Hill:
The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Number of fatalities | |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 7,771 |
| 1971 | 8,003 |
| 1972 | 8,135 |
| 1973 | 7,741 |
| 1974 | 7,199 |
| 1975 | 6,679 |
| 1976 | 6,870 |
| 1977 | 6,969 |
| 1978 | 7,119 |
| 1979 | 6,645 |
| 1980 | 6,239 |
| 1981 | 6,069 |
| 1982 | 6,150 |
| 1983 | 5,618 |
| 1984 | 5,788 |
| 1985 | 5,342 |
| 1986 | 5,618 |
| 1987 | 5,339 |
| 1988 | 5,230 |
| 1989 | 5,554 |
| 1990 | 5,402 |
| 1991 | 4,753 |
| 1992 | 4,379 |
| 1993 | 3,957 |
| 1994 | 3,807 |
| 1995 | 3,765 |
| 1996 | 3,740 |
| 1997 | 3,743 |
| 1998 | 3,581 |
| Total | 167,205 |
Mr. Ashdown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the total of road accident fatalities in England for each year since 1990; what has been the total of road accident fatalities in each English county since 1990, expressed (a) in absolute terms and (b) in relation to the population of each such county; and if he will make a statement. [110805]
Mr. Hill: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 4,423 |
| 1991 | 3,854 |
| 1992 | 3,549 |
| 1993 | 3,228 |
| 1994 | 3,077 |
| 1995 | 2,995 |
| 1996 | 3,024 |
| 1997 | 3,001 |
| 1998 | 2,834 |
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| County | 1990-98 Total fatalities | 1990-98 Average rate per 100,000 population |
|---|---|---|
| Avon | 581 | 59.4 |
| Bedfordshire | 408 | 75.2 |
| Berkshire | 376 | 48.6 |
| Buckinghamshire | 493 | 74.9 |
| Cambridgeshire | 677 | 98.2 |
| Cheshire | 712 | 73.1 |
| Cleveland | 279 | 49.9 |
| Cornwall | 356 | 74.3 |
| Cumbria | 536 | 109.3 |
| Derbyshire | 634 | 66.4 |
| Devon | 515 | 48.9 |
| Dorset | 436 | 64.7 |
| Durham | 424 | 69.9 |
| East Sussex | 460 | 63.2 |
| Essex | 888 | 56.5 |
| Gloucestershire | 480 | 87.5 |
| Greater London | 2,616 | 37.4 |
| Greater Manchester | 1,222 | 47.5 |
| Hampshire | 945 | 54.5 |
| Hereford and Worceser | 569 | 81.9 |
| Hertfordshire | 576 | 57.2 |
| Humberside | 613 | 69.3 |
| Kent | 947 | 61.1 |
| Lancashire | 923 | 65.0 |
| Leicestershire | 747 | 81.8 |
| Lincolnshire | 738 | 121.8 |
| Merseyside | 630 | 44.0 |
| Norfolk | 725 | 94.2 |
| Northants | 505 | 84.6 |
| Northumberland | 297 | 96.6 |
| North Yorkshire | 796 | 109.4 |
| Nottinghamshire | 828 | 80.6 |
| Oxfordshire | 533 | 89.6 |
| Shropshire | 381 | 91.2 |
| Somerset | 459 | 96.1 |
| South Yorkshire | 664 | 50.9 |
| Staffordshire | 703 | 66.7 |
| Suffolk | 403 | 61.5 |
| Surrey | 629 | 60.3 |
| Tyne and Wear | 485 | 43.0 |
| Warwickshire | 464 | 93.5 |
| West Midlands | 1,133 | 43.1 |
| West Sussex | 484 | 66.6 |
| West Yorkshire | 1,202 | 57.2 |
| Wiltshire | 513 | 87.5 |
Public Transport Deaths
Mr. Ashdown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the total of public transport accident fatalities in the UK since 1970 (a) in total and (b) for each year; and if he will make a statement. [110807]
Mr. Hill: Between 1970 and 1998, 2,700 passengers and staff were killed in bus and rail accidents in Great Britain (including movement accidents, such as passengers alighting from a bus or train). Detailed annual data are attached. Data are not yet available for 1999.
(1) Includes movement accidents eg passengers alighting from a train or bus
(2) Passengers and railway staff
(3) Passengers and drivers
(4) Rail data cover 15 months to March 1992
(5) From 1992 rail data are for financial years
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