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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

EC Energy and Environment Programmes

Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what communications he has received from the European Commission concerning staffing levels on EC energy and environment programmes; what percentage of manpower reductions proposed by the EC in its communication entitled "Matching the European Commission activities with its human resources" will affect energy environment programmes; what assessment he has made of the impact of these reductions on the SAVE energy efficiency programme and the ALTENER renewable energy programmes with particular reference to energy advice agencies; and when he expects these manpower reductions to come into effect. [139709]

Mrs. Liddell: I have not been consulted on the question of Commission staffing for the SAVE and ALTENER programmes which do not expire until 2002. Questions concerning the redeployment of staff are a matter for the Commission. In due course I expect the Commission to come forward with new proposals for these programmes for the period post 2002 and would need to be assured that the Commission has the resources to manage any new programmes it proposes.

Minimum Wage

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what impact a minimum wage of £5.10 would have on closing the gender pay gap. [140216]

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Mr. Alan Johnson: There are insufficient data and too many variables to enable such a calculation to be carried out. The independent Low Pay Commission is monitoring the impact of the national minimum wage on the labour market and the economy and is currently gathering evidence. They will be making recommendations in their next report on any increase to the minimum wage rate, and the gender gap is an issue that they will examine in coming to their conclusions.

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the enforcement procedures for the (a) minimum wage and (b) Working Time Directive indicating the number of prosecutions secured to date. [140091]

Mr. Alan Johnson: (a) The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 provides both civil and criminal powers of enforcement. Inland Revenue officers enforce the national minimum wage issuing notices against employers as appropriate and representing workers at employment tribunals where necessary. There have been no criminal prosecutions for underpayment of the national minimum wage. Officers have issued 308 enforcement notices, 41 penalty notices and taken 24 cases to tribunals since April 1999. They have also recovered almost £3 million in back pay for workers. In addition, under the provisions of the 1998 Act, workers are able to take their own cases of underpayment to an employment tribunal or to a civil court.

(b) The health and safety enforcing authorities (the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities) enforce the provisions of the Working Time Regulations (WTR), related to working time limits, limits on night-working and health assessments for night-workers. The entitlements to rest and leave are enforced through employment tribunals; 3,408 applications to tribunals were made in the financial year 1999-2000 where the primary complaint related to breach of WTR entitlements.

Enforcement of the limits is in line with the Health and Safety Commission's Enforcement Policy Statement: that is, proportionate to any risk to health and safety, targeted at those in control, transparent in what is required and consistent in approach. In practice this means that the WTR are enforced in response to complaints. The HSE have handled 416 such complaints and served 13 Improvement Notices. The HSE have not initiated any prosecutions to date. There are currently no central records of local authority enforcement, but at least one case brought by a local authority has led to a prosecution for breach of the provisions on health assessment for night-workers.

Fireworks

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation restricting the sale of all fireworks (a) to persons over the age of 16 years and (b) during a limited period of time around 5 November; and if he will make a statement. [140084]

Dr. Howells: The Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997 prohibit the supply of most fireworks to persons under the age of 18 years. The exceptions to this prohibition are low hazard fireworks, ie caps, cracker snaps, novelty matches, party poppers, serpents and throwdowns, which, under the Explosives Act 1875, can be sold only to persons over the age of 16 years.

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I have no plans to introduce further legislation to control the period of sale.

Trawlermen's Compensation Scheme

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the compensation scheme for former Icelandic waters trawlermen will take into account periods of absence caused by (a) service in the Royal Naval Reserves and (b) studying for mates' and skippers' qualifications. [139817]

Mr. Alan Johnson: Yes.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Bereavement Allowance

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what response he has made to claims for Bereavement Allowance by widowers whose wives died before 2 October; and if he will make a statement. [140022]

Angela Eagle: Men are not entitled to a benefit payable as a result of bereavement under current legislation. We are replacing the existing Widows Benefits scheme with Bereavement Benefits which will be available equally to men and women from 9 April 2001.

Winter Fuel Payments

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what preparations had been made for the delivery of Winter Fuel Payments on the assumption that the rate of payment would be £150; and what administrative costs arose from the timing of the decision that the rate of payment would be £200. [140305]

Mr. Rooker: The system for delivering Winter Fuel Payments is sufficiently flexible to enable changes to the level of the benefit to be readily accommodated. The first of the increased payments went out during week commencing 13 November, the week after my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's announcement. Work is on-going to assess the administration costs of the change.

Child Support Agency

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will review the maximum compensation limit which the Child Support Agency is allowed to pay to clients; and if he will make a statement. [140286]

Angela Eagle: In accordance with this Department's policy on compensation and in line with other Departments', the Child Support Agency makes payments to cover financial loss in cases where maladministration has occurred. Each case is considered on its individual merits. In addition to payments for financial loss, consolatory payments may be considered in exceptional circumstances where an official error has adversely affected the life of the client.

The Child Support Agency has delegated powers to authorise compensation payments up to certain limits. But higher awards, which are not subject to any maximum, can be paid by the Agency with the authority of the Department.

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Special Advisers

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 5 June 2000, Official Report, column 97W, on Special Advisers, if he will list the destination and the total cost, including travel, accommodation and subsistence allowance, on each of the occasions when departmental or non-departmental special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity. [135253]

Mr. Rooker: During the period 31 March 1999 to 31 March 2000, Special Advisers in this Department travelled on official business to the United States of America and Brussels at a total cost of £2,444.64. The cost of these visits was accounted for in expenditure on Ministers' travel overseas published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 28 July 2000, Official Report, column 969W, which for 1999-2000 was £4.6 million compared to £7.9 million for the last year of the previous Administration.

Far East Prisoners of War

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects the detailed arrangements for claiming the Far East prisoners of war compensation to be published. [139527]

Mr. Bayley: The administration of the ex-gratia payment scheme for British groups who were held prisoner by the Japanese during the Second World War is a matter for the Chief Executive of the War Pensions Agency, Gordon Hextall. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Gordon Hextall to Mr. Paul Burstow, dated 22 November 2000:

I am responding to your question about when the detailed arrangements for claiming the Far East prisoners of war compensation will be published. I should explain that the payments which we are making on the government's behalf are known as ex-gratia payments rather than compensation.

I am pleased to advise you that the War Pensions Agency has already published information on the arrangements for claiming the ex-gratia payment for people who were held prisoner by the Japanese during the Second World War.

The Agency published a Press release prior to Remembrance weekend to be distributed to the media giving details of entitlement and how to claim. Many BBC local radio stations have, in the past week or so, publicised the scheme on air. In addition, the ex-Service organisations are using their widespread network of contacts to bring the scheme to the attention of those who may benefit. The Agency's War Pensioners' Welfare Service is also distributing information on the scheme to local media and other contacts. Overseas Departments of Veterans' Affairs (e.g. Australia and Canada) have also agreed to circulate information throughout their offices.

We have also published a claim form and a leaflet giving guidance on the Scheme. Copies of the claim form can be obtained by any of the following methods:

phoning the War Pensions Agency's Helpline on 0800 1692277

faxing the War Pensions Agency on 01253 332014

writing to the War Pensions Agency, Norcross, Blackpool FY5 3WP

by accessing the website www.dss.gov.uk/wpa/index.htm

sending an e-mail to [e-mail]

contacting the War Pensioners' Welfare Service--the local telephone directory gives the number to call

Copies of the claim form can also be obtained from The Royal British Legion by writing to: RBL, 48 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5JY or by phoning: Legionline 0845 7725 725

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There are five categories of person who are entitled to make a claim for this ex-gratia payment. These are:

(a) surviving former members of HM Armed Forces who were held as Japanese prisoners of war in the Far East during the Second World War;

(b) surviving former Service personnel who received payments after the Treaty of Peace with Japan in 1951. These were certain members of the then colonial forces, Indian Army and Burmese Armed Forces;

(c) surviving members of the Merchant Navy who were imprisoned by the Japanese in the Far East during the Second World War. For the purposes of the scheme, a member of the Merchant Navy is a person who has been employed, or engaged as, or for service as, a mariner in a British ship;

(d) surviving British civilians who were interned by the Japanese in the Far East during the Second World War; and

(e) the surviving widow or widower of a person who would otherwise have been entitled under category a), b), c) or d) above, providing they were still married at the time of death.

I hope this is helpful, if you need any further information, I will be happy to assist.

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