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Minimum Wage

Mr. Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the number of workers in Scotland who have benefited from the introduction of the statutory minimum wage, broken down by employment sector. [155777]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Douglas Alexander, dated 28 March 2001:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of people in Scotland who have benefited from the National Minimum Wage (NMW) by employment sector (155777).
The Office for National Statistics has published estimates of the number of jobs paid at less than NMW rates for 1998, 1999 and 2000. These estimates are based on an improved methodology using data from the New Earnings Survey (NES) and Labour Force Survey (LFS). This methodology provides the best estimates for the number of jobs in the UK paid below low hourly rate thresholds. Estimates for the United Kingdom and Government Office Regions, including Scotland, are posted on the National Statistics website at: www.statistics.gov.uk/nsbase/ themes/labour market/nmw lowpay tables.asp
The new methodology has been developed to overcome the deficiencies inherent in the two surveys, the NFS and LFS, in measuring low pay. Estimates based on this methodology are not available for the number of jobs paid below NMW rates in Scotland broken down by employment sector.

28 Mar 2001 : Column: 647W

Red Diesel

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual savings to the (a) quarry, (b) aviation, (c) farming, (d) manufacturing and (e) other industries arising from the rebated rates of duty on red diesel. [154699]

Mr. Timms: Data on payments of duty on rebated gas oil do not indicate the end-use; therefore no estimate has been made of the annual savings to different industries resulting from the rebated rates of duty on red diesel.

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual savings to industry from using red diesel instead of ultra low sulphur diesel. [154700]

Mr. Timms: Rebated gas oil, also known as red diesel, is liable for duty at the rate of 3.13 pence per litre and is used in excepted vehicles and as a heating and industrial fuel. Assuming the current level of use, raising the rate of duty on gas oil to the rate applying to Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel would raise additional duty revenues of around £3 billion. In practice the additional revenue would be significantly less than this because a fourteenfold increase in the duty rate would reduce the demand for rebated gas oil.

Business Costs (Wales)

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much the Treasury estimates that small and medium enterprises in Wales will have to pay under the climate change levy; [154554]

(2) by how much he estimates that costs to small and medium enterprises in Wales will decrease as a consequence of the reduction in employers' National Insurance Contributions. [154556]

Mr. Timms: The climate change levy will be revenue neutral overall, and broadly neutral between services and manufacturing. The levy will raise an estimated £1 billion in its first year, all of which will be recycled back to business via a 0.3 percentage point cut in employers' National Insurance Contributions and through support for business energy efficiency. The effect on any specific business sector or area will depend on a number of factors, including their future energy consumption, their levels of employment, eligibility for discounts, use of exempt renewable energy or combined heat and power, and the extent to which they take up energy efficiency advice and the enhanced capital allowances for energy saving investments.

Banks

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken in the year since the publication of the Cruickshank report to reduce the excess profits being earned by the leading clearing banks identified by the report. [155594]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Government's response to the Cruickshank report, which was published on the 4 August 2000, and to Chapter Three of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report, which was published on 7 March 2001.

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Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change has taken place in the share of the four leading clearing banks in the current account market since the publication of the Cruickshank report. [155597]

Miss Melanie Johnson: As I told the Treasury Select Committee on 30 January (ref: para. 452) the share of the four leading clearing banks in the current account market when the Cruickshank report was published was around 68 per cent. It is now around 70 per cent.

Performance Information

Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on the recommendation in the Performance and Innovation Unit report "Wiring it Up" to develop a strategy for performance information. [156221]

Mr. Andrew Smith: A strategy for performance information "Improving Performance Information"--setting out the initiatives the Government have put in place to improve performance information--was published today.

As part of the strategy a guide to performance information: "Choosing the right FABRIC: a Framework for Performance Information" has also been published.

This document is published jointly by the Treasury, the Cabinet Office, the National Audit Office, the Audit Commission, and the Office for National Statistics and contains principles behind performance information.

I am placing a copy of both documents in the Libraries of both Houses. The documents can also be found on the Treasury website at www.hm-treasury.gsi.gov.uk/ perform info.

Economic and Monetary Union

Mr. Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the outcome was of the most recent meeting of the Standing Committee on preparations for EMU. [156222]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The most recent meeting of the Standing Committee took place on 22 January 2001. I have arranged for copies of the minutes to be placed in the Library of the House.

Smuggling

Mr. Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has made of the extent of excise duty lost in the smuggling of fuel; and what targets he has set for the reduction of smuggling of tobacco, alcohol and fuel. [155944]

Dawn Primarolo: Customs have made no estimates relating specifically to excise duty lost from the smuggling of fuel into the UK.

Customs' targets for reducing tobacco smuggling and cross-Channel alcohol smuggling are set out in the "Tackling Tobacco Smuggling" document published on 22 March 2000, a copy of which is available in the Library. There is no specific target for fuel.

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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Bell Canada (Madagascar)

Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what investigations (a) he and (b) Oftel have carried out into incidences of a UK-licensed telecommunications operator short-terminating calls in the UK between Bell Canada customers and Madagascar. [155835]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 27 March 2001]: Neither the Government nor Oftel have received any representations about the short termination of calls between Bell Canada customers and Madagascar, and no investigations have been carried out. Oftel will investigate any complaints made to them that an operator licensed under the Telecommunications Act might be acting in breach of its licence.

Nuclear Power

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from British Energy regarding the future of new nuclear power plant development in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK. [155848]

Mr. Hain [holding answer 27 March 2001]: None.

Strategic Export Controls

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what provision will be made for parliamentary scrutiny of lists of acceptable destinations for exports under the framework agreement concerning measures to facilitate the restructuring and operation of the European defence industry; [155487]

(2) if exports with significant United Kingdom participation, agreed under the framework agreement concerning measures to facilitate the restructuring and operation of the European defence industry, and exported from and licensed by another of the parties to the agreement, will be included in the United Kingdom annual report on strategic export controls; [155489]

(3) what process will be used to draw up a list of acceptable destinations for exports under the framework agreement concerning measures to facilitate the restructuring and operation of the European defence industry; and what role industry will play in this process; [155486]

(4) if the (a) range, (b) quantity of items and (c) eventual end-users covered by a global project licence will be clearly identified in the annual report on strategic export controls under the framework agreement concerning measures to facilitate the restructuring and operation of the European defence industry. [155488]

Dr. Howells: The annual report on strategic export controls will provide details of all export licences issued by the UK relating to framework agreement projects in a similar way to current reporting.

The process to draw up lists of acceptable destinations or White Lists is set out in Article 13(3) of the framework agreement. The Ministry of Defence, with support from both DTI and FCO is continuing discussions with other participating countries on the modalities of the operation

28 Mar 2001 : Column: 650W

and maintenance of the White Lists. Industry will continue to be consulted on these discussions as proposals are developed. These White Lists will represent declarations of interest in potential export opportunities by the company involved and as such are commercially sensitive. It would not therefore be appropriate to publish these lists. The lists themselves will not function as export licences and exporters will still have to apply for export licences from the country from which the final export will take place. The UK will continue to apply high levels of transparency through our annual reports on strategic export controls to such licensing decisions and will encourage other countries, including other participating countries, who are all signatories to the EU Code of Conduct, to be equally open.

The publication of this information will mean there will be no reduction in the level of Parliamentary scrutiny of these export licensing decisions.

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