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Plutonium
Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what procedures are in place to ensure that weapons-grade plutonium from magnox reactors is not used for military purposes. [140982]
Dr. Howells: All the magnox reactors in the United Kingdom, with the exception of those at Chapelcross, are subject to Euratom safeguards and to the terms of the UK/Euratom/IAEA safeguards agreement. These safeguards arrangements are designed to detect the diversion of nuclear material from its declared civil uses. The announcement of the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) in July 1998 included a commitment that all planned future reprocessing would be carried out under safeguards. All such reprocessing of irradiated magnox fuel, including that from Chapelcross, is therefore subject to the safeguards arrangements described above.
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Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what quantity of weapons-grade plutonium has originated in the UK's civil magnox reactors in each of the last 20 years. [140981]
Mr. Byers: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason his Department has ceased publication of full records of plutonium production in civil reactors. [140983]
Mr. Byers: I refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to my hon. Friend the Member for Kirkcaldy (Dr. Moonie), on 2 June 1998, Official Report, column 162W, and my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 24 June 1998, Official Report, column 499W.
Beer Industry
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment he has made of the competitive impact of the growth of pub-owning chains in the United Kingdom beer market; [139940]
- (2) when he will announce the findings of the six-month review of the beer orders conducted by the Office of Fair Trading; [139941]
(3) what assessment his Department has made of the pattern of ownership in the tenanted UK pub estate. [139942]
Dr. Howells: The Office of Fair Trading's review of the 1989 Beer Orders addresses a number of issues in the pub and brewing industries, including structural changes in the pub retailing sector. We are currently considering the Office's report carefully, and will make a statement shortly.
Gas Prices
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his assessment is of the consequences of the recent doubling of the price of gas; and if he will make a statement. [140868]
Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Energy and Competitiveness in Europe on 6 November 2000, Official Report, column 13W.
Supermarkets
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made following his request to the Director General of Fair Trading to draw up a code of practice on relations between supermarkets and their suppliers following the publication of the Competition Commission's report "Supermarkets: A report on the supply of groceries from multiple stores in the United Kingdom" (Cm 4842). [141156]
Dr. Howells: The Director General of Fair Trading's discussions with the major supermarkets on a Code of Practice are continuing. He hopes to make a draft available to representatives of suppliers for comment, as requested by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in early January. My right hon.
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Friend asked the Director General of Fair Trading to report back to him in three months' time (ie by the middle of January).
Biscuit Industry
Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received concerning the impact on jobs and investment of the recent mergers and takeovers in the British biscuit industry. [139541]
Ms Hewitt: It is not our policy to disclose the identity or content of representations on cases so that interested parties may comment freely without any concern that their comments might then be disclosed.
Oil and Gas Directorate
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of his Department's oil and gas directorate posts were in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Glasgow, (c) London and (d) elsewhere in each of the last three years. [137335]
Mrs. Liddell: The number of Oil and Gas Directorate posts located in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Glasgow, (c) London and (d) elsewhere in each of the last three years are as follows:
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 56.3 | 60.3 | 72.3 |
| Glasgow | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| London | 102.3 | 99.3 | 103.8 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Accurate figures are difficult to provide in view of the transfer in 1999 of 14 Aberdeen DTI Oil and Gas Directorate staff working on Royalties to the Inland Revenue in Aberdeen. In addition this year has seen the transfer of 22.5 DTI Infrastructure and Energy Project staff to the Oil and Gas Directorate following the merger of Infrastructure and Energy Projects Directorate with British Trade International. Of the posts transferred 19.5 are based in Aberdeen and 3.5 in London.
Electricity Consumption
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect on UK domestic and electricity consumption of putting forward the clocks by one extra hour; and if he will make a statement. [140132]
Mr. Byers: The 1989 Green Paper "Summertime: A Consultation Document" (CM722) concluded that the impact of putting the clocks forward by one extra hour was marginal in terms of energy consumption.
Coal Miners' Compensation Scheme
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the average length of time taken to process a claim for compensation on behalf of coal miners' suffering from (a) emphysema and (b) chronic bronchitis; and what steps he is taking to speed up payments. [140449]
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Mr. Byers: This information is not available in the form requested.
As to speeding up the process, we are working with the solicitors representing the claimants and our contractors to streamline the complex procedures where ever possible. At the High Court hearing in Sheffield two weeks ago Mr. Justice Turner, the High Court judge with responsibility for the British Coal respiratory litigation, praised the efforts and commitment of all concerned to improve the progress on what is the largest personal injury litigation ever in the UK, while recognising that significant improvements still needed to be made. He also went on to say that the complexity of the procedures is a necessary part of ensuring that claimants get in full the fair compensation due to them.
With compensation for vibration disease, over £270 million has been paid out in coal health compensation so far. Last week compensation payments were totalling £1 million a day.
Mobile Phone Transmission Equipment
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential for mobile phone transmission equipment to interfere at close range with other businesses using electrical equipment. [140462]
Ms Hewitt: Virtually all electrical and electronic equipment that is liable to cause interference or be affected by it is subject to European Directive 89/336/EEC on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). In addition radio equipment is subject to the new Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive. These directives are designed to ensure that radio, electronic and electrical equipment can co-exist in the electromagnetic environment. Details of these directives can be found on the Department's Radiocommunications Agency's website www.radio.gov.uk.
Diesel Prices
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce a regulatory regime to stabilise the pump price of diesel in the United Kingdom at the November 1999 price. [141001]
Mr. Byers: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a number of changes in fuel duty rates in his pre-Budget statement which would lead to a reduction in the pump price of ultra low sulphur diesel.
Rural Petrol Stations
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will assess a review of the factors affecting the number of petrol stations in rural areas which have closed during the past six months; and if he will make a statement; [140835]
- (2) if he will introduce a scheme to subsidise petrol stations in rural areas. [140841]
Mr. Byers: The Government in our recently published White Paper "Our Countryside: The Future--a Fair Deal for Rural England" announced our intention to consult on
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a wide range of measures to secure access to vital services in rural areas. These include a proposal for rate relief for garages offering community benefits.
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