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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Workplaces (Injury Insurance)

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on individual businesses of the transfer from Government onto individual businesses of the responsibility for insuring workplaces against injury. [148018]

Mr. Alan Johnson [holding answer 30 January 2001]: This Department has made no such assessment.

Employment Agencies

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2001 on recruitment company products; [156843]

(2) what assessment he has made of the impact of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2001 on (a) women returning to work, (b) ethnic minorities, (c) work experience students and (d) improving the skills of women in the workplace; [156847]

(3) how many recruitment companies and agencies made representations to the Department during the consultation on the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2001; [156842]

(4) what representations he has received from the Inland Revenue regarding the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2001; and if he will place these in the Library; [156846]

(5) how many requests for a meeting he received from recruitment companies regarding the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2001; [156844]

(6) what discussions he has had with (a) women's groups, (b) representatives of ethnic minority groups and (c) student groups regarding the implications of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2001; [156848]

(7) if he will list those recruitment agencies and companies that he has met regarding the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2001, indicating (a) those companies which requested the meeting and (b) those which he invited to a meeting without a request; [156845]

(8) what discussions he had with (a) the Inland Revenue and (b) the Better Regulation Task Force regarding the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2001; and if he will make a statement. [156849]

Mr. Alan Johnson: A summary of responses to consultation on revisions to the Regulations, which includes a list of respondents, has been placed in the Library of the House. I have had meetings with a number of these, though most contacts have been with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and other trade bodies rather than with individual agencies.

3 Apr 2001 : Column: 104W

There have been discussions with both the Inland Revenue and the Cabinet Office's Regulatory Impact Unit about the draft Regulations, and consultees include members of the Better Regulation Task Force. Correspondence within Government on policy issues is not normally made public.

The Regulations are designed to benefit recruitment agencies, their clients and those employed through them. They will remove unnecessary restrictions on agencies' operations and the services they can offer, while protecting the interests of work-seekers and vulnerable groups such as the young and those receiving care. They recognise the important role that this sector plays in a flexible labour market and in helping many people back into work. They support the Government's policies on skills and employment, for example by requiring appropriate training and experience to be given, creating incentives to increase the skills of the workforce, and preventing unjustified restrictions on temporary to permanent transfer. A draft Regulatory Impact Assessment has been placed on my Department's website, and a final version will be published when the draft Regulations are laid before Parliament.

Political Parties, Elections and

Referendums Act

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if charities and political think-tanks are considered political organisations for the purposes of Part IX of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. [157023]

Mr. Byers: Part XA of the Companies Act 1985 as inserted into that Act by Part IX of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 implements the recommendation by the Committee on Standards in Public Life that companies intending to make a donation to a political party or organisation should be required to have the prior authority of their shareholders. An organisation is to be considered "political" for the purposes of Part XA of the Companies Act if it carries on, or proposes to carry on, activities which are capable of being reasonably regarded as intended to affect public support for a political party or to influence voters in a referendum.

The Government considered the definition carefully, and continue to believe that a test based on an organisation's intent to affect support for a political party or to influence the outcome of a referendum is both appropriate and proportionate. At the same time, the Government are concerned that the definition should not be interpreted so widely as to affect the funding of organisations which could not reasonably be regarded to show such intent. The Government do not believe, for example, that charities which campaign on issues of general public interest or political think-tanks whose publications and events are aimed at informing public opinion generally are likely to be caught by the definition if their activities would not appear, on any reasonable assessment, to be aimed at promoting a political party or to form an active part of a referendum campaign.

Radiocommunications Agency

Mr. Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set his Department's Radiocommunications Agency for 2001-02. [157021]

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Ms Hewitt: I have set the Radiocommunications Agency the following quality of service targets for 2001-02 in respect of its licensing and enforcement activities, and correspondence. These are in addition to achieving on overall efficiency improvement of 3 per cent. over 2000-01.

Licensing Targets

Category A

Licences that involve no frequency assignment, site clearance or international co-ordination: 100 per cent. of applications for new or varied services to be awarded or rejected (with explanation) within five working days.

Category B

Licences that involve frequency assignment but no site clearance or international co-ordination: 90 per cent. of applications for new or varied services to be awarded or rejected (with explanation) within 15 working days; the remainder to be awarded or rejected within 25 working days or an explanation of the delay to be given.

Category C

Licences that require frequency assignment and site clearance and/or international co-ordination: 90 per cent. of applications for new or varied services to be awarded or rejected (with explanation) within 40 working days; the remainder to be awarded or rejected within 60 working days or an explanation of the delay to be given.

Enforcement

100 per cent. of safety of life services reports of interference to be investigated within 24 hours.

98 per cent. of business customers reports of interference to be investigated within five working days; the remainder within a further five days.

98 per cent. of domestic customers reports of interference to be investigated within one month; the remainder within a further month.

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90 per cent. of complainants to be sent a formal case update within 10 working days after the start of an investigation, the remainder within a further 10 days.

Correspondence

I also expect all correspondence from hon. Members delegated to the Chief Executive by Ministers or otherwise for reply, and all written complaints addressed to him about Agency services, to be answered within 10 working days of receipt; the Agency's inquiry point to respond to 95 per cent. of calls within 30 seconds; and 100 per cent. of valid invoices to be paid within 30 days of receipt (or as agreed with the supplier).

Tom Bower

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what sum has been set aside by his Department to cover his legal expenses in respect of his claim for libel against Mr. Tom Bower and Associated Newspapers; [156741]

(2) when he issued his claim for libel against Tom Bower and Associated Newspapers in respect of the publication of extracts of Mr. Bower's book. [156740]

Mr. Byers: I refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker), 2 April 2001, Official Report, column 7W.

Lucy Crone

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employment tribunal hearings were chaired by Lucy Crone between 30 August and 31 December 2000; and if he will list the date, location and names of the parties in each such hearing. [156790]

Mr. Alan Johnson: Lucy Crone chaired 23 cases between 30 August and 31 December 2000. The details requested for these cases are set out in the tables.

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Glasgow

Date of hearing	Case number	Applicant	Respondent
November 2000
6 and 7	S/102120/2000	Mr. J. Burns	The Royal Bank of Scotland
8	S/100197/2000	Mr. D. Bryson	Leithcrest Ltd.
9	S/102361/2000	Mr. R. McCambley	William Grant and Sons Ltd.
16	S/102561/2000	Mrs. L. Wynne	Michael Curran
16	S/102534/2000	Mrs. I. Kerr	Chungwa Pictures Tubes UK Ltd.
22	S/100623/2000	Mr. D. Walker	Douglas Guest t/a Douglas Guest Associates
22	S/103957/2000	Mr. D. Duncan	Mick MacKenzie
23	S/100854/2000	Mr. S. Strang	Duncan and Co. (Scotland) Ltd.--in liquidation
24	S/103024/2000	Mr. D. Cunningham	Stone 3 Ltd.
24	S/102961/2000	Mr. S. Patterson	SCI Communications
27	S/102499/2000	Mr. J. Taylor	A. E. Transport
29 and 30	S/102798/2000	Mr. S. Morgan	Iceland Frozen Foods Ltd.
December 2000
4 and 5	S/102896/2000	Mr. G. White	Blackbaud Europe Ltd.
6	S/101487/2000	Mr. D. Tagg	Mrs. Mary Eeles t/a Express Packaging Supplies
11	S/101473/2000	Mr. D. Jess	West of Scotland Water
12	S/102258/2000	Mr. N. C. Bannerman	Guardion Security
14	S/103212/2000	Mr. S. Varney	Stan Lavelle
18	S/103341/2000	Mr. Y. Masih	Mr. Rehmat Ali and Family
19	S/103111/2000	Ms L. England	D. O. Stevenson Ltd. (t/a Nova Bathrooms)

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Dundee

Date of hearing	Case number	Applicant	Respondent
December 2000
7	S/300260/1998	Mr. D. J. Gahan	Greenfield Homes (Scotland) Ltd.
7	S/300026/2000	Mrs. F. Gillespie	Envirosafe (Scotland)
20	S/300620/2000	Mrs. C. Bennett	Frasers Studio
22	S/300468/2000	Mrs. A. Brown	Mr. and Mrs. P. Nimmo t/a Peacehaven Residential Care Home

3 Apr 2001 : Column: 107W

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