| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Departmental Advertising
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list for (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000 and (e) 2000-01, (i) his Department's total spending on advertising campaigns, (ii) the cost of each individual advertising campaign and (iii) the criteria that were established to gauge the effectiveness of each campaign; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each campaign based on these criteria. [142709]
Dr. Howells: The DTI's expenditure on advertising through the Central Office of Information is set out in the tables. The criteria for assessing the effectiveness of each publicity initiative varies depending on the nature of the policy or service involved, and a judgment on the best means of getting messages to the target audiences. Specific advertising strategies form part of a wider range of activities to publicise individual policies or services, and it is sometimes difficult to untangle the impact of advertising from other actions. However, measures of success are incorporated into the planning for all campaign and advertising expenditure, and full account is taken of the guidance issued by the Cabinet Office on the use of public funds for this purpose.
18 Dec 2000 : Column: 32W
Minimum Wage
Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employers have been found to be in contravention of national minimum wage legislation since its inception. [142700]
Mr. Alan Johnson: During the period April 1999 to November 2000, as a result of their investigations, National Minimum Wage Compliance Officers found some 2,500 employers to be in contravention of national minimum wage legislation.
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if subpostmasters are covered by minimum wage regulations; and if he will make a statement. [143095]
Mr. Alan Johnson: The National Minimum Wage Act and Regulations apply to "workers" as defined in section 54 of the Act, plus agency workers and home workers as defined in sections 34 and 35. It is for
18 Dec 2000 : Column: 33W
employment tribunals to determine whether certain individuals do or do not count as workers, depending on the facts in each individual case. The contractual arrangements of subpostmasters may vary from case to case. Where there is a dispute about an individual's status for minimum wage purposes, section 28 of the Act puts the burden of proof on the alleged employer to prove that the individual is not a worker. If this cannot be proved, then the individual will be taken to be a worker.
Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many calls have been received by the Minimum Wage Hotline (a) nationally and (b) from Scotland to date. [142690]
Mr. Alan Johnson: During the period April 1999 to November 2000 over 170,000 calls in total were handled by the National Minimum Wage Helpline. In addition, a private sector helpline took 50,000 calls between January and March 1999. Therefore the total number of calls received up to the end of November 2000 is in excess of 220,000.
Information on the location of callers is not recorded by region or country. The vast majority of calls to the helpline are simply for information and advice and there is no need to take personal details.
Developing Countries
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the impact of the General Agreement on Trade in Services on developing countries. [142512]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 14 December 2000]: The General Agreement on Trade in Services was one of the agreements concluded at the end of the Uruguay round. It applies to all member countries of the World Trade Organisation (the majority of whom are developing countries) and includes specific provisions relating to flexibility for individual developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries.
The GATS provides for successive rounds of negotiations aimed at achieving progressive liberalisation of trade in services. Each member country, including developing countries, chooses for itself both which sectors they want to liberalise and the extent of that liberalisation by choosing the commitments they make (the "bottom-up" approach). They do not have to liberalise if they choose not to. In the current round, which began in January 2000, developing countries have sought to emphasise the importance of liberalisation in sectors of export interest to them, such as tourism services and movement of people. The Government support the GATS negotiations and believes that its results should bring benefits to all WTO members, including developing countries.
Fuel Prices
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the average retail price of petrol and diesel in each EU country indicating the percentage of the price which is accounted for by taxation. [142741]
18 Dec 2000 : Column: 34W
Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 14 December 2000]: The latest available information for premium unleaded petrol and diesel prices and taxes is for September 2000 and is shown in the table.
| Pump price | Tax and duty | Per cent. tax component | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU unleaded and petrol prices (4),(5) | |||
| Austria | 59.16 | 35.24 | 59.6 |
| Belgium | 68.54 | 42.96 | 62.7 |
| Denmark | 69.48 | 45.64 | 65.7 |
| Finland | 73.75 | 47.58 | 64.5 |
| France | 70.08 | 47.58 | 67.9 |
| Germany | 64.59 | 43.36 | 67.1 |
| Greece | 50.47 | 25.70 | 50.9 |
| Ireland | 58.72 | 33.39 | 56.9 |
| Italy | 68.58 | 43.30 | 63.1 |
| Luxembourg | 52.84 | 28.45 | 53.9 |
| Netherlands | 74.74 | 47.67 | 63.8 |
| Portugal | 54.38 | 25.62 | 47.1 |
| Spain | 51.22 | 29.83 | 58.2 |
| Sweden | 71.97 | 47.02 | 65.3 |
| UK | 80.17 | 60.76 | 75.8 |
| EU diesel prices(5) | |||
| Austria | 50.25 | 26.12 | 52.0 |
| Belgium | 56.68 | 27.60 | 48.7 |
| Denmark | 59.39 | 32.96 | 55.5 |
| Finland | 54.60 | 28.51 | 52.2 |
| France | 57.14 | 33.37 | 58.4 |
| Germany | 53.20 | 30.51 | 57.4 |
| Greece | 47.46 | 22.52 | 47.5 |
| Ireland | 52.03 | 29.25 | 56.2 |
| Italy | 56.88 | 32.86 | 57.8 |
| Luxembourg | 46.01 | 21.48 | 46.7 |
| Netherlands | 55.70 | 29.85 | 53.6 |
| Portugal | 38.19 | 20.61 | 54.0 |
| Spain | 43.99 | 22.60 | 51.4 |
| Sweden | 59.41 | 33.21 | 55.9 |
| UK | 82.31 | 61.08 | 74.2 |
(3) Prices converted to pounds sterling using mid September exchange rates
(4) Premium unleaded 95RON
(5) Prices as at mid September 2000
Source:
European Commission Oil Bulletin
Ultra-low Sulphur Petrol
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate how much ultra-low sulphur petrol was distributed by oil companies to garages in the UK in the last month. [142743]
Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 14 December 2000]: According to the latest data collected by HM Customs and Excise, 42 per cent. of deliveries released for consumption in the UK were ultra-low sulphur petrol.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |