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Postal Services
Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what representations Her Majesty's Government made at the Lisbon Council concerning liberalisation of postal markets; [125563]
- (2) if it is his policy to support the timescale for liberalisation of postal markets proposed by the European Commission; and if he will make a statement; [125599]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effect the liberalisation of postal markets, agreed at the Lisbon Council, will have on the Universal Service Obligation. [125597]
Mr. Byers: The Government strongly supported the Lisbon agreement on the need to speed up liberalisation in areas such postal services. That is why we have made it a priority for the new postal regulator, the Postal Services Commission, to come forward with proposals for liberalisation in the context of maintaining the universal service. That is also why we have supported a process of phased liberalisation of the postal services market in Europe. The European Commission has now agreed and will shortly publish a new proposal proposing a framework for the scope and timing of the next phase of postal liberalisation. There can now be a substantive discussion, between the member states and the Commission, about the issues the proposal raises. In the
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UK, we have a commitment to consult with the Postal Services Commission and with other interested parties in reaching a view. Our key objective in considering this issue is to promote the interest of consumers and to ensure the maintenance of the universal service. We should oppose measures which put at risk the universal service.
Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if it is his policy to support a levy on postal service licence holders to create a fund to support the universal service obligation. [125596]
Synchrotron
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Technology Authority has made to the (a) Minister for Science and (b) the Office of Science and Technology on the siting of the synchrotron project. [124808]
Ms Hewitt: The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has made no representations on the issue of the siting of the new synchrotron project to either the Minister for Science or the Office of Science and Technology.
Research Council Spending
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much Research Council money was spent in each region in each of the last three years for which figures are available, broken down in each case between (a) universities and (b) other organisations. [124809]
Ms Hewitt: Details of the Research Councils' gross spend by region for the three years 1996-97 to 1998-99, analysed between universities and other organisations, mainly their institutes, is shown in the table.
| Universities | Other | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | ||
| England | 585,475 | 417,469 |
| Scotland | 88,874 | 51,229 |
| Wales | 18,238 | 5,245 |
| Northern Ireland | 6,881 | 326 |
| 1997-98 | ||
| England | 630,296 | 397,230 |
| Scotland | 88,200 | 45,888 |
| Wales | 21,739 | 6,998 |
| Northern Ireland | 6,204 | 350 |
| 1998-99 | ||
| England | 627,752 | 407,179 |
| Scotland | 86,730 | 46,673 |
| Wales | 22,243 | 5,022 |
| Northern Ireland | 5,982 | 515 |
Notes:
1. Figures are Councils' gross expenditure, financed from the Science Budget grant-in-aid and other sources.
2. 'Universities' includes both research grants and postgraduate studentships.
3. 'Other' is largely Research Council institutes.
4. Overseas expenditure, international subscriptions and central headquarters expenditure are excluded.
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Science Base
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the recent initiatives that have been introduced to expand the North West science base, indicating how they relate to the development and expansion of the regional economy. [124810]
Mr. Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, South (Ms Southworth) on 9 June 2000, Official Report, column 388W.
Razzaq v. Pala
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of the decision in the case of Razzaq v. Pala on his plans to establish a rescue culture for companies. [125762]
Mr. Byers: The decision in that case is a matter for some concern and I therefore propose to undertake an urgent consultation on the issues raised by that decision against the possibility of their being addressed in the context of the current proposed legislation on insolvency.
A consultation paper has been issued asking whether or not landlords should continue to be able to effect peaceable re-entry (without the leave of the court) while a company or an individual is the subject of a statutory moratorium in the context of an insolvency procedure. I have placed copies of that document in the Libraries of the House.
Opinion Research
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of the results of all market and opinion research carried out by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies since May 1997. [123815]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 25 May 2000]: This information is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate costs.
The Department's Executive Agencies and non-departmental public bodies have been asked to respond separately. Copies of the letters have been placed in the Library.
Regeneration
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 20 April 2000, Official Report, column 645W, on regeneration, where in his Department's annual report the information requested is given. [124410]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 5 June 2000]: Chapter 4 of the Department's Annual expenditure Plans provides details of regional economic development expenditure. Such expenditure contributes to regional and local regeneration.
Call Centres
Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on the level of service to residential telephone subscribers of the operation of call centres. [124813]
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Ms Hewitt [holding answer 7 June 2000]: The Department has not made an assessment of the quality or level of services provided by the very large number of call centres in the UK.
This is a matter for individual call centres businesses.
The call centre industry is a relatively new one. The Trade Association for this industry--the Call Centres Association--is working now with its members to establish standards of service and operation.
Employment Agencies
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he plans that the new regulations on employment agencies and businesses will come into force. [R] [125182]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 9 June 2000]: I expect the revised regulations to come in to force later this year or at the beginning of 2001, subject to Parliamentary approval.
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many complaints were made by end-users about the imposition of temporary to permanent fees by recruitment agencies in 1999; [R] [125183]
- (2) how many temporary workers suffered detriment because of the imposition of temporary to permanent fees by recruitment agencies in 1999. [R] [125184]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 9 June 2000]: Temporary to permanent fees, provided they are notified by bureaux to hirers before they enter into a contract, are not at present regulated and my Department does not therefore maintain any systematic record of the complaints it receives about their imposition. Representations about the adverse effects of transfer fees were received from end-users, agencies, various trade associations and others during the course of the consultation last year. My Department has reason to believe that a substantial number of hirers, who have not negotiated satisfactory terms with bureaux, are deterred from offering permanent work to temporary workers because of the inclusion of transfer fee clauses in bureaux' terms of business.
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment his Department has made of the impact on recruitment companies which place non-specialist manual workers in temporary contracts of the proposed four-week quarantine period included in his Department's current proposals for regulating temporary to permanent fees; and if he will make a statement; [125188]
- (2) for what reasons his Department has proposed to limit the proposed quarantine period for the regulation of temporary to permanent fees on recruitment companies to four weeks; and if he will make a statement; [125187]
(3) what assessment his Department has made of the impact on recruitment companies placing information technology contractors in temporary contracts of the
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- proposed four-week quarantine period included in his Department's current proposals for regulating temporary to permanent fees; and if he will make a statement; [125186]
(4) what assessment his Department has made of the case for regulations to ensure that recruitment agencies can protect themselves from end-users, or other agencies, poaching from their contractor base; and if he will make a statement. [125185]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 9 June 2000]: Our proposal to limit the period of quarantine that bureaux may impose, to a maximum of four weeks, seeks to protect the interests of those using bureaux, to secure the proper conduct of bureaux and to promote labour market flexibility. I do not have power under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 in relation to the conduct of hirers. Bureaux will be able to protect their interests by a variety of means, such as by settling satisfactory transfer terms with hirers or by offering attractive employment terms to workers. In sectors such as IT, bureaux will continue to be able to arrange fixed length contracts with hirers and workers so that they have certainty over the period during which they may recoup costs. Bureaux supplying non-specialist manual workers will continue to be able to negotiate terms that suit them and their clients such as, for example, by providing that no transfer fee is payable once a minimum number of weeks' hire have elapsed.
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