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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Departmental Policies

(Staffordshire, Moorlands)

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Staffordshire, Moorlands constituency, the effects on Staffordshire, Moorlands of his Department's policies and actions (a) since 2 May 1997 and (b) in the 12 months ending on 1 May 1997. [149191]

Mr. Byers: In the periods in question, the following amounts of grant were offered to businesses in the Staffordshire, Moorlands local authority district:

(a) since 2 May 1997: £44,639 under the Smart (innovation grant) scheme;

(b) in the 12 months ending 1 May 1997: £28,080 under the Smart scheme.

These were to assist small businesses to develop new products and processes. It is not possible to state the impact they would have had on the economy of the area. From 1 March 2000 businesses in the area have also been eligible for Enterprise Grants.

In addition, I announced a number of measures in August 2000 to benefit the area, including £1.6 million funding for the Ceramics Industry Forum.

Latest Office for National Statistics estimates show that, since the introduction of the national minimum wage in April 1999, there has been a direct and beneficial

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impact on the pay of the lowest paid workers in the west Midlands. The minimum wage benefits some 130,000 workers and their families in the west Midlands. No estimates are available for parliamentary constituencies. The latest data also show that it has helped close the gap between the highest and lowest earners and helped reduce the differential between men's and women's pay. This has been achieved without any discernible adverse impact on the economy.

Since November 1998, 3.1 million workers across the UK have benefited from the entitlement to four weeks' paid annual leave. No estimates are available for parliamentary constituency or region.

We estimate that 38,000 female employees in the west Midlands give birth each year. All of these who have been employed for longer than six months with their current employer will now benefit from enhanced maternity leave, as introduced on 15 December 1999. There are no estimates available for Parliamentary constituencies.

Nissan

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assurances have been sought from Nissan, in agreeing future industrial assistance, about the UK content of cars produced at Sunderland. [149602]

Mr. Alan Johnson: The offer of an RSA grant to Nissan did not require any assurances on future sourcing of components. This is a matter for the company and its suppliers.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the percentage UK content of cars produced by Nissan at Sunderland is; and what the UK content will be following the group of industrial assistance. [149601]

Mr. Alan Johnson: Nissan confirm that there is 70 per cent. UK content in the cars produced in Sunderland. It is not yet known what the UK content will be following the approval of the RSA grant.

Premium Rate Phone Lines

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has to give ICSTIS further powers to regulate the establishment and prices charged for premium rate phone lines. [149886]

Ms Hewitt: The regulation of Premium Rate Services (PRS) lines is a matter for the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) and The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS). ICSTIS effectively supervises and enforces Codes of Practice which concern the establishment and running of PRS including provisions relating to pricing information. The provisions of the Code in relation to live conversation services are underpinned by a condition in network operators' licences which is enforceable by Oftel. Following consultation in 1999-2000, Oftel drew up a statement proposing measures to strengthen the regulatory regime through statutory underpinning of a Code applying to most PRS, not just live services.

Mirror Group Newspapers

Mr. David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the

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progress of the inquiry into Mirror Group Newspapers; when the report of the inquiry is due to be published; and what is the inquiry's total cost to date. [149699]

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will (1) estimate the cost to public funds to date of the inquiry into Mirror Group Newspapers plc; [149927]

(2) make a statement on the progress of the inquiry set up in 1992 into the affairs and membership of Mirror Group Newspapers plc. [149928]

Mr. Byers: The inspectors have made substantial progress towards completing their inquiries and I am hopeful that they will be submitting their report to me shortly. A decision on whether to publish the report will only be made following its receipt. The cost of the inspection to date (excluding Value Added Tax) is £8,205,446.

Tobacco

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will meet representatives of British American Tobacco prior to 24 February. [149883]

Ms Hewitt: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is currently considering a number of requests for meetings about the draft EU Directive on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products including one from British American Tobacco.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what studies he has made on the economic impact of the European Directive on Tobacco Control. [149882]

Ms Hewitt: None. However, the European Commission has undertaken such a study.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received regarding the European Directive on Tobacco Control; and if he will make a statement. [149881]

Ms Hewitt: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has received a number of representations from MPs, MEPs, firms, trade union representatives and individuals about aspects of the draft EU Directive on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the impact on employment of the European Directive on Tobacco Control. [149884]

Ms Hewitt: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry understands the concerns that have been raised about the possible impact on employment of certain aspects of the draft EU Directive on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products. However, he does not accept that job losses and factory closures are inevitable if the directive is passed as currently worded.

Transtec

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the inquiry into the collapse of Transtec plc to be published. [149926]

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Mr. Byers: I hope to be able to publish the report in the near future.

Corus

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the UK steel market is controlled by Corus. [149357]

Mr. Byers: The UK steel market is open and competitive and not subject to control by individual companies. Corus does not release figures showing its share of the UK market but in the year 2000 UK demand for steel mill products was 13.8 million tonnes of which 53 per cent. (7.3 million tonnes) was supplied from UK steel mills. We estimate that 90 per cent. of this was produced by Corus.

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advance information Corus provided to his Department prior to its closure and redundancy announcement. [149360]

Mr. Byers: Since early December when Corus announced a fundamental review of operations my Department was in frequent contact with Corus. The company refused to discuss details of their overall plan. The detailed information broken down by numbers of jobs proposed to be lost and at which plant was provided at 8.00 am on 1 February.

Workplace Bullying

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his Department's estimate is of the (a) number of working days per year lost as a result of workplace bullying and (b) annual cost to industry of working days so lost. [149991]

Mr. Alan Johnson: This information is not available. There are no official estimates of either days lost per year as a result of workplace bullying, or, consequently, of annual costs to industry of days lost.

Universal Bank

Miss Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Universal Bank will be available to people who hold a bank account. [149658]

Mr. Alan Johnson: Universal Banking Services has two elements. Under the first element the banks will make their basic bank accounts accessible at post offices. The second element of the proposition is a service for people who are unable or unwilling to open even a basic bank account. This account, available only through post offices will allow benefits claimants to access their benefits in cash at a post office using a Post Office based card instead of an order book or giro. Both basic bank accounts and the Post Office card accounts will be available to people with an existing bank account. The Post Office card account will, however, be available only to persons in receipt of pensions, benefits or tax credits. Beyond that there are no plans for there to be any other eligibility restrictions.

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if people who (a) have and (b) do not have a bank account will be able to open the new Post Office-based Universal Bank service account. [149847]

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Mr. Alan Johnson: The Post Office card account will only be available to persons in receipt of pensions, benefits and tax credits. Beyond that there are no plans for there to be any other eligibility restrictions.

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