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Directors' Pay

15. Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he plans to introduce to increase shareholders' power in respect of setting directors' pay. [124600]

Dr. Howells: The Department of Trade and Industry published a consultation paper on directors' remuneration last year which put forward a number of proposals for improving disclosure of directors' remuneration and the board's accountability to shareholders. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will make an announcement shortly on the Government's response to the consultation.

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Steel Industry

16. Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next intends to meet the directors of Corus to discuss rail production in Workington. [124601]

Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has met senior executives from Corus on several occasions to discuss a range of matters of interest to the steel industry. My Department maintains a regular dialogue with Corus and other companies as well as with other key organisations in the steel industry.

21. Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received on steel-making in the United Kingdom. [124608]

Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend regularly receives representations on steel-making in the United Kingdom from a variety of sources. He has also held discussions recently with senior executives from the Corus Group plc and representatives from the Steel and Metals Union (ISTC) to discuss a range of issues relating to steel-making.

Energy Policy

17. Mr. Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his policy is on electricity generation. [124603]

22. Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the Government's energy policy. [124609]

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his energy policy. [124606]

Mrs. Liddell: Our policy is to ensure secure, diverse and sustainable supplies of energy at competitive prices.

Ford

18. Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with Ford motor company concerning its future investment in the United Kingdom. [124604]

Mr. Byers: I have had frequent discussions with Ford over their recent review of European operations and its implications for the United Kingdom, particularly at Dagenham.

We shall maintain this close contact as their future investment plans for the United Kingdom develop.

Rover

20. Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with the west midlands regional development agency regarding the future of the Rover Longbridge plant. [124607]

Mr. Byers: The Rover Longbridge plant is in private ownership. I have had no recent discussions with the West Midlands Regional Development Agency about the future of the Longbridge plant.

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Regional Venture Capital Funds

25. Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements he has made for managing and distributing the funds for regional venture capital and innovation. [124612]

Mr. Byers: Arrangements are currently being put in place for the creation of Regional Venture Capital Funds with Government support based on bidding guidance published in December 1999. Lessons learned from this exercise will inform how the new money announced in the Budget will be managed in the English Regions.

National Minimum Wage

26. Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action has been taken against employers who pay below the national minimum wage. [124613]

Dr. Howells: The National Minimum Wage (NMW) Act 1998 contains a number of provisions relating to enforcement, both civil and criminal. To date, 155 enforcement notices have been issued which require employers to start paying the NMW and make good any past failure to pay the NMW. Two notices have so far required follow up action with a penalty notice fining the employer for each day of non-compliance with the enforcement notice.

It is also a criminal offence to refuse or wilfully neglect to pay the NMW. So far it has not been necessary to take a criminal prosecution, though enforcement officers will do so in appropriate circumstances.

British Trade International

27. Ms Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the merger between the Invest in Britain Bureau and British Trade International. [124614]

Mr. Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I gave to the House on 24 May 2000, Official Report, columns 522-23W.

Miners' Compensation

28. Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the number of compensation claims from retired miners that have been settled to date. [124615]

Mrs. Liddell: To date the Department has made payments in full or part settlement of claims totalling some £60.5 million to 21,500 respiratory disease claimants, and some £120 million to 25,300 Vibration White Finger claimants.

Manufacturing

29. Mr. Bill Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the performance of manufacturing industry in the Yorkshire region in the past 12 months. [124616]

Mr. Caborn: The performance of manufacturing industry in the Yorkshire and the Humber Region is regularly assessed by a number of organisations. Most

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recently a joint initiative has been launched by the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, and the CBI to gauge business activity in the region.

The Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber is in regular contact with local and regional partners about business matters in the region.

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will undertake an assessment of the performance of manufacturing industry in Lancashire and the North West region. [124611]

Mr. Byers: Manufacturing industry is important to Lancashire and the North West. It accounts for 129,000 or 26 per cent. of jobs in Lancashire. All business performance is being continually assessed by markets operating in conditions of free and fair competition. This Government's first priority is to create and maintain the conditions of economic stability, which allow companies to plan ahead with confidence.

Research and Development

30. Ms Rosie Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to promote research and development among UK companies. [124617]

Mr. Caborn: The Government are taking a number of significant steps to promote research and development among UK companies. Working closely with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, we have recently introduced an R&D tax credit for small and medium-sized companies which gives them 150 per cent. relief for the cost of staff and consumables used in R&D. The R&D tax credit will be supported by new Guidelines on R&D which will help companies of all sizes to benefit from Research and Development Allowances. We are also increasing the DTI Innovation Budget by some 20 per cent. over three years to nearly £230 million by 2001-02. This budget will fund a number of new and enlarged initiatives designed to drive forward a fundamental change in innovation performance in the UK. This includes for example the Smart scheme which supports R&D activities in private small and medium-sized companies and is being expanded and extended over the period 1999-2002, and the technology transfer scheme known as TCS, for which DTI is doubling its expenditure. Our aim is to improve the overall climate for investment in R&D and innovation. But the level of R&D investment by companies is for companies themselves to determine. DTI helps companies make an informed decision by providing a valuable source of information on UK and international R&D investment through the annual R&D Scoreboard.

Unsolicited Faxes

31. Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the arrangements for preventing unsolicited fax messages. [124618]

Dr. Howells: The arrangements for avoiding unsolicited direct marketing faxes are contained in the Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 1999. These ban the sending of unsolicited direct marketing faxes to individual subscribers, and introduce an "opt-out" scheme--the Fax Preference Service--for corporate subscribers.

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There is good evidence that the arrangements are delivering effective protection to subscribers from unwanted faxes. The number of complaints to Oftel about these faxes has fallen sharply since the Regulations came into force. Over the same period of time, the number of subscribers registered with the Fax Preference Service has risen from less than 15,000 to over 280,000.

The Data Protection Commissioner's Office are responsible for enforcing the Regulations and will take action against those that they feel have wilfully or negligently breached the Regulations. The Data Protection Commissioner has recently issued enforcement notices to two companies in relation to the sending of direct marketing faxes, and is considering enforcement actions against a number of others.

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