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Internet
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have access from (a) home to the internet and (b) their workplace to the Internet; and if he will make a statement. [116050]
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Ms Hewitt:
The most recent official figures show that 62 per cent. of businesses in the UK are connected to the internet 1 and 10 per cent. of households have access to the internet 2 .
Achieving universal access to the internet is a priority for Government, and the Prime Minister has announced a target for achieving it by 2005. Meeting this target is vital if we are to create a successful, inclusive knowledge- based economy.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the role of the Small Business Service. [115862]
Ms Hewitt:
The Small Business Service, which will come into being on 3 April 2000, will provide a strong voice for small business at the heart of Government, improve the quality and coherence of support for small businesses and help small firms on regulation.
The SBS will deliver a number of services nationally and establish a network of franchises to deliver high quality business support for small firms at a local level. David Irwin, the Chief Executive will have the right to be consulted on all new Government legislation presented to Parliament that is likely to affect small businesses. This includes monitoring and commenting on regulatory impact assessments from the perspective of small businesses.
Shona McIsaac:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications there have been for the construction of new gas-fired power stations since the imposition of the moratorium; how many have been given approval; and how many are outstanding. [114157]
Mrs. Liddell:
Since the October 1998 White Paper, 19 applications for the construction of new gas-fired power stations have been received. Forty-eight applications were under consideration at the time of the White Paper, of which four were subsequently withdrawn. Eighteen proposals have been approved since October 1998, mainly for combined heat and power projects. Fifteen proposals have been deferred and a further 30 proposals are at various stages of consideration.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many special safety inspection visits have been paid to (a) Sellafield and (b) Dounreay by environmental safety experts from the Euratom Agency in each year since 1990; and if he will place copies of reports in the Library. [115359]
Mrs. Liddell:
The Euratom Treaty does not give the European Commission any responsibility for carrying out safety inspections of nuclear installations. However, Article 35 of the Treaty gives the Commission a right of access to facilities necessary for continuous monitoring of the level of radioactivity in the air, water and soil. Commission visits to verify the operation and efficiency
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of such facilities were made to Caithness (Dounreay) in May 1993 and March 1999 and to Cumbria (Sellafield) in December 1993. Copies of the reports of the two visits made in 1993 have already been placed in the Library of the House. The report on the 1999 visit to Caithness (Dounreay) has still to be finalised by the Commission.
Mr. Livsey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the capacity of the work force of the electricity supply companies to maintain supplies to consumers following severe weather conditions. [115385]
Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 23 March 2000]: The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) establishes distribution price controls based on levels of service, which incorporate the frequency and duration of interruptions, including those due to all but the most severe storms. In addition, OFGEM has asked companies to prepare storm strategies and has stressed the importance of maintenance of supplies under all conditions in future. It is for the management of companies to determine the most appropriate strategies in response to these incentives and concerns.
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Mr. Livsey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will refer the Electricity Distribution Price Review to the scrutiny of the Health and Safety Executive; and if he will make a statement. [115386]
Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 23 March 2000]: Safety is of paramount importance in the electricity distribution industry and an issue which transcends price controls. Companies have statutory obligations, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as well as the Electricity Supply Regulations 1988, which is the responsibility of the Engineering Inspectorate in my Department. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, in proposing price controls, takes account of these obligations and companies, in accepting the price controls, accept their obligations to operate safe networks with the revenues provided.
Mr. Livsey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the consultant's report to the Regulator of OFFGEM on the Electricity Distribution Price Review. [115426]
Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 23 March 2000]: A summary of the consultant's reports to the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) has already been placed in OFGEM's library.
Sources:
1 International Benchmarking Study 1999, DTI
2 Family Expenditure Survey 1999, ONS