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Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer the question tabled for answer on 4 May from the hon. Member for Ludlow (ref. 121293). [122838]
Yvette Cooper: I replied to the hon. Member's question tabled on 4 May today.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Bilateral Debt
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the steps she is taking to (a) reduce and (b) cancel the bilateral debt of poor countries. [122587]
Mr. Foulkes: We have already cancelled our aid debts for all of the poorest countries, not just for countries who qualify for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Their remaining bilateral debts to the UK are owed to the Export Credits Guarantee Department. These are being reduced under the enhanced HIPC Initiative. However, last December, it was announced that the UK will go further and provide 100 per cent. debt relief on all bilateral export credits for qualifying HIPC countries. This action will free up more resources in HIPC countries for investment in poverty reduction programmes.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Vaccine Damage Compensation
Mr. Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Government will review the recommendation of the 1978 Royal Commission on Civil Liability and Compensation for Personal Injury on making a change in the law of tort so that parents of children who suffer brain damage following vaccination can take action for compensation on a balance of probabilities. [122912]
Mr. Lock: The Royal Commission recommended that the Government, or the local authority concerned, should be strictly liable in tort for severe damages suffered by anyone (adult or child) as a result of vaccination which has been recommended in the interests of the community. Following the work of the Commission, the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme, which is administered by the Department of Social Security, was established in 1978. Under the scheme, one-off payments of £40,000 are made to people severely disabled by vaccination against certain diseases. The Government have no plans to make changes to the liability rules that apply to compensation claims through the courts for these cases.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Parental Leave
Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the estimate of the gross cost to the Exchequer on an annual steady rate basis of paying parental leave at (a) full earnings, (b) 90 per cent., (c) 50 per cent.
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and (d) 30 per cent. of earnings replacement value assuming that the take up of (i) fathers is 100 per cent., and mothers is 100 per cent. and (ii) fathers is 50 per cent., and mothers is 90 per cent. [120393]
Mr. Alan Johnson: Estimates of the annual costs to the Exchequer of paid parental leave for each of these options are set out in the table.
| £ million | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case (i) | Case (ii) | |
| Mothers 100% | Mothers 90% | |
| Assume rate of payment | Fathers 100% | Fathers 50% |
| Full earnings replacement | 3,440 | 2,050 |
| 90 per cent.(1) | 3,095 | 1,845 |
| 50 per cent.(1) | 1,720 | 1,025 |
| 30 per cent.(1) | 1,035 | 615 |
(1) Earnings replacement
The assumptions on which these calculations have been made are:
1. That the Exchequer meets the full costs of the paid parental leave.
2. That the 13 weeks of parental leave are spread evenly over the first five years of the child's life.
3. That every parent has only one child in the age group.
4. That no qualifying periods by length of service are taken into account.
Part-time Employees Regulations
Mr. Derek Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he intends to reply to the Third report from the Education and Employment Committee, Session 1999-2000, HC297, the Draft Part-time Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000. [122478]
Mr. Alan Johnson [holding answer 16 May 2000]: The Government's response was sent to the Clerk of the Committee on 18 May 2000.
Statutory Paid Holiday
Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the cost of increasing the statutory paid holiday from three weeks to four weeks; and how many workers have benefited. [122604]
Mr. Alan Johnson [holding answer 18 May 2000]: The estimated cost of the increase in the paid annual leave entitlement to four weeks, on 23 November 1999 as required by the Working Time Directive, was £0.4 billion per annum. It is further estimated that the rise benefited 3.1 million employees. A full Regulatory Impact Assessment is held in the Library of the House.
Open Government
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for information he received under the Open Government: Code of Practice on Access to Government Information in the last parliamentary session; and how many were granted. [121847]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 18 May 2000]: I refer to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 18 May 2000, Official Report, columns 216-17W.
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Environmental Technology
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the POST report number 136, published in April, entitled "Cleaning Up? Stimulating Innovation in Environmental Technology", and what use his Department's Joint Environmental Market Unit plans to make of the report. [122815]
Ms Hewitt: I believe that the report provides a good and balanced review of the issues surrounding the importance of stimulating innovation in the field of environmental technologies. As it has only just been published, my Department, including the Joint Environmental Markets Unit, has not yet been able to discuss with others how best to take forward the recommendations in the report, but it will do so.
Wilton Research and Technical Centre
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans his Department has to provide help and support to Wilton Research and Technical Centre on Teesside. [122985]
Ms Hewitt: The Department of Trade and Industry is aware of the importance of the Wilton Centre as an integral part of the chemical cluster in the North-East. We look forward to seeing the outcome of the current consideration by the Regional Development Agency and others of its future development. My hon. Friend the Minister for Competitiveness plans to visit the Wilton Centre during a tour of Teesside on 15 June to hear more about these plans and the scope for DTI involvement.
Technology Clusters
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the progress made by his Ministerial Group to promote technology clusters. [122986]
Ms Hewitt: Since the Government announced its intention to review clusters policy in November 1999, it has commissioned a mapping study, to be completed by June, of existing cluster activity to inform the work of a new Clusters Policy Steering Group (CPSG) chaired by my noble Friend the Minister for Science. Membership of this group includes other Ministers, RDAs, the private sector, the CBI, TUC, academia, local government and cluster experts. The Group has an open remit to look at all aspects of cluster-related activity and recommended to Cabinet new policy initiatives intended to remove any barriers to the growth and the development of clusters. The Group will look at all cluster activity and will not concern itself exclusively with technology clusters. It will nevertheless take due account of the recommendations made by my noble Friend the Minister for Science's separate group which looked at bio-technology clusters and reported in August 1999.
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PRIME MINISTER
Ministerial Code
Mr. Loughton: To ask the Prime Minister what mechanism exists for Parliament to hold to account Ministers who have breached the Ministerial Code. [120641]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 4 May 2000]: As the Ministerial Code makes clear, Ministers are accountable to Parliament for their decisions and actions. It is for Parliament to determine how it holds Ministers to account.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his responsibilities for ensuring the compliance of Ministers with the Ministerial Code of Conduct. [121273]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 8 May 2000]: The Ministerial Code itself sets out the responsibilities of individual Ministers and of the Prime Minister.
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