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Departmental Policies (Ribble Valley)

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Ribble Valley constituency, the effects on Ribble Valley of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [157848]

Mr. Caborn: This Department does not maintain statistical information at constituency level.

The people of Ribble Valley, like many others throughout Lancashire, have benefited from my Department's Employment Rights policies which include National Minimum Wage, Working Time Directive, Part Time Working Regulations and improved maternity leave.

In addition, five wards in Ribble Valley are eligible for Enterprise Grant Scheme funding.

In the North West region, my Department's policies have contributed to growth in employment by 107,000 and a fall in unemployment by 63,000; reductions in youth unemployment by 75 per cent. and long-term unemployment by 54 per cent.

Urban 2 Programme

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the progress of the bids under the Urban 2 Programme scheme. [157438]

10 Apr 2001 : Column: 515W

Mr. Caborn: The Government are still in negotiations with the European Commission about the number of projects which the Commission will accept from the United Kingdom under the new round of the Urban Community Initiative.

Industrial Property

Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advisory structure he proposes for intellectual property following the recent review of the Standing Advisory Committee on Industrial Property. [158293]

Dr. Howells: I propose to reform the Standing Advisory Committee on Industrial Property in line with the recommendations of the recent review of SACIP. The review identifies a need for the Patent Office and DTI Ministers to have access to independent, horizon-scanning advice on intellectual property in the round, which would allow us to view policy in its broad economic and social context. The committee's name will be changed to the IP Advisory Committee. It will have new terms of reference and its remit will include copyright as well as patents, trade marks and designs. Members will be appointed in accordance with the guidance from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Mox Fuel

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on UK-US collaboration on Mox fuel development. [156372]

Mr. Hain: I am not aware of any such collaboration.

Motor Vehicle Body Repairs

Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Director General of Fair Trading will include motor vehicle body repair in the inquiry into standards in the vehicle servicing and repair sector. [157125]

Dr. Howells: The Director General of Fair Trading completed his inquiry into the car servicing and repair industry and reported his conclusions in August last year. His inquiry concentrated on the provision of routine maintenance and the replacement, repair and adjustment of defective parts and components, as the majority of consumer complaints he received were about these subjects.

I understand that the Director General has no plans to conduct any further inquiries into the car repair sector at present.

Paypoint Terminals

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 2 April 2001, Official Report, column 4W, on paypoint terminals, what assessment he has made of the implications for competitiveness in convenient bill payment facilities of the Post Office's policy. [157631]

Mr. Alan Johnson: This issue was reviewed by the Office of Fair Trading in 1998 whose conclusion was that the Post Office policy in this regard neither created a significant issue for consumers nor constituted a barrier to competitors, such as PayPoint, except to a very marginal degree.

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The Performance and Innovation Unit also examined Post Office policy in this area and concluded in their June 2000 report "Counter Revolution Modernising the Post Office Network" that there were good network-sustaining reasons for such a policy.

Electricity Supplies

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regulations on interruptions to domestic electricity supplies will apply from April 2002; and what compensation will be available to residents whose supply is significantly interrupted after that date. [157583]

Mr. Hain: Regulations 17 and 23(1) of the Electricity Supply Regulations 1988, as amended, cover interruptions to domestic electricity supplies. Regulation 17 relates to the sufficiency of an electricity supplier's works and regulation 23(1) relates to the precautions, which a supplier has to take against supply failure. These requirements are to be carried forward in the draft Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2001. These draft regulations, which are currently at the public consultation stage, are expected to be in force by the end of this year.

Compensation payable to a resident if supply is not restored in a given time is covered by the Office of Gas and Electricity Market's (OFGEM's) Guaranteed Standards of performance. This is currently £50 plus £25 for each additional 12 hours if electricity supply is not restored within 18 hours of a fault. It is recognised, however, that changes to the Guaranteed Standards will be required from April 2002 but this is a matter that is currently under discussion. Also under consideration is a new Guaranteed Standard which covers the level of compensation payable to residents who have suffered more than a specified number of interruptions in a given period of time. That standard will apply from April 2002.

Hollis Industries

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he was advised that the inquiry into Hollis Industries had obtained evidence of an invoice of £200,000 payable to the hon. Member for Coventry, North-West (Mr. Robinson). [157165]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 6 April 2001]: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker), on 2 April 2001, Official Report, columns 5-6W. This makes it clear that, acting on the advice of my Permanent Secretary, I ruled myself out of the involvement in the inquiries into the companies associated with my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, North-West (Mr. Robinson), principally Hollis Industries plc. As a result I did not see or receive advice on any evidence obtained during these inquiries.

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 2 April 2001, Official Report, column 7W, on Hollis Industries, if he will place in the Library the advice to which he refers. [157167]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 6 April 2001]: As the right hon. Member is aware, the actual confidential minutes containing advice from officials to Ministers are not published. This has been the practice under successive administrations.

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However, the statement issued by the Department on 23 March 2001 made it clear that I received advice from the Permanent Secretary on 8 January 1999 that I should rule myself out of any inquiries into companies associated with my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, North-West (Mr. Robinson), or out of any decisions that needed to be taken but that this matter should be delegated to officials. I accepted this advice.

Grant-making Schemes

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list each grant-making scheme and initiative which has been launched by his Department since May 1997, together with funds available for distribution in 2001-02. [157162]

Dr. Howells: Information on the Department's schemes and initiatives together with planned expenditure for 2001-02 and outturns are available in the annual Expenditure Plans Reports, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

A list of main grant-making schemes and initiatives launched by the Department since May 1997 is as set out.

DTI grant-making schemes and initiatives launched since May 1997



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