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Small Businesses
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her target is for the current financial year for reducing the tax and regulatory compliance costs of small businesses. [6342]
Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service was established on 3 April 2000 as an Executive Agency. It has had a successful first year and the first Annual Report is available in the Library of the House.
The vision of the SBS is for the UK to be the best place in the world to start and grow a business. Its purpose is to build an enterprise society in which small businesses thrive and achieve their potential. The objectives of the SBS are to:
- Be a strong voice for small business at the heart of Government—ensuring that Government are aware of, and responsive to, the needs of all small businesses;
Strive for a regulatory framework which minimises the burdens on business;
Develop and maintain a world-class business support service to enhance businesses' competitiveness and profitability; and
Champion the importance of entrepreneurship across society, particularly in under-represented and disadvantaged groups.
- Put in place a set of actions for reforming the regulatory environment for small businesses by March 2002.
Icelandic Trawlermen (Compensation)
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will provide a breakdown by constituency of the number of (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful claims by former Icelandic waters trawlermen; and if she will make a statement. [5705]
Nigel Griffiths: Following are the number of compensation payments for each port at 13 July 2001. At the same date the total number of claims identified as unsuccessful was 3,344. I regret that there is not a breakdown of unsuccessful claims of figures for constituencies.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Hull | 854 |
| Grimsby | 216 |
| Fleetwood | 174 |
| Blackpool | 27 |
| Cleethorpes | 55 |
| Newcastle | 153 |
| West Yorkshire | 88 |
| Aberdeen | 19 |
| Others | 149 |
| Total | 1,735 |
All claims received have now been scrutinised and entered into the special computer system established to administer the scheme. Claims still undecided comprise categories subject to representations and those where further information is awaited, mainly from claimants themselves.
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Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many fishermen have received compensation from the Government's compensation scheme for former Icelandic trawlermen; how much money has been paid out; what the average payment was; how many claims are still outstanding; how many successful claimants went inshore mackerel fishing after fishing in Icelandic waters; how many of the claims outstanding are those where the fishermen went inshore mackerel fishing after fishing in Icelandic waters; and what estimate she has made of the time when all the claims will have been concluded. [5190]
Nigel Griffiths: At 13 July 2001, 1,735 former Icelandic water trawlermen or their families had received compensation under the scheme. The total compensation paid is £18,846,765, an average of £10,863 per claim. There are no statistics about claimants who went mackerel fishing. All claims received have now been scrutinised and entered into the computer system established for the scheme. Letters to unsuccessful applicants who have not yet been notified will be despatched within the next few days. There are 2,996 claims which cannot be decided at present, mainly because they are awaiting a decision on representations about those who continued fishing on former Icelandic water trawlers after 1979 or because further information is awaited from the applicants themselves.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information she has requested from Icelandic authorities to verify claims for compensation made by UK former Icelandic water trawlermen; and if she will make a statement. [5706]
Nigel Griffiths: The Icelandic authorities provided a list of fishing vessels permitted under certain conditions to fish within defined Icelandic waters from June 1976 to December 1976. The Department has checked a range of sources of information to identify Icelandic water trawlers.
UK Telecoms
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of third generation licensing costs on growth and employment in the UK telecoms sector. [6278]
Mr. Alexander: We believe that the medium and long-term prospects for the UK Telecoms sector remain strong. The current down-turn is part of a global phenomenon and not limited to countries in which there have been auctions of third generation mobile licences. UK mobile operators are continuing to work towards launch of third generation services as rapidly as is practicable, but they are constrained at present by the availability of handsets.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial assistance she has given to the expansion of the UK telecommunications network in each year since 1997; and what proportion of the UK broken down by nation and region, has access to (a) ISDN, (b) ADSL and (c) broadband connection. [6310]
Mr. Alexander: There have been no schemes of financial assistance directed specifically at the expansion of the UK telecommunications network in this period
20 Jul 2001 : Column: 600W
although telecommunications companies are able to receive funding from other, general business support schemes as appropriate.
We are collating the relevant information for the national and regional access to ISDN, ADSL and Broadband as part of the work announced in 'UK online: the broadband future' which was published alongside the White Paper.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library a map showing the geographical extent of access to (a) ISDN, (b) ADSL and (c) broadband; what steps she proposes to ensure increased access for small businesses in rural areas to these connections; and what proportion of businesses in each nation and region of the UK (i) have and (ii) do not have access to (A) ISDN, (B) ADSL and (C) broadband connections. [6311]
Mr. Alexander: The Government are committed to working to ensure that broadband access is available in all parts of the country. A map showing the predicted geographical extent of access for different broadband technologies for 2003 was published in 'UK online: the broadband future' a copy of which has been placed in the Library. As part of the ongoing work developing this strategy we are collating the relevant information for the geographical access to ISDN, ADSL and Broadband.
In May, my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced a major new project to determine how to speed up the roll-out of broadband services to individuals and businesses in rural and other areas that individual suppliers currently see as uncommercial. The project will establish how, by aggregating the public sector's demand for broadband services, we can best encourage telecommunications companies to roll out broadband infrastructure to these 'hard to reach' areas.
Renewable Energy
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the Generic Wave Energy Device, ETSU proposal number 254/1; and if she will make a statement. [5855]
Mr. Wilson: All proposals for DTI funding to support the development of renewable energy technologies are assessed under the same rigorous assessment process involving independent advisers with relevant professional background. The Generic Wave Energy Device proposal was so assessed and was not recommended for DTI support.
Comprehensive details of the assessment process are available to any interested party via DTI's website or, for those without easy access to the internet, a paper version can be obtained from DTI's programme manager.
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money her Department has allocated to the National Assembly for Wales since 1 July 1999 for the development of the renewable energy industry. [6399]
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My Department's research and development programme for renewable and sustainable energy is a UK-wide programme. Funds are assigned to projects in Wales but not to the National Assembly.
The Non Fossil Fuel Obligation supports projects across England and Wales, but again with no direct allocation to the National Assembly.
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with her colleagues in the National Assembly concerning the future development of the renewable energy industry in Wales. [6400]
Mr. Wilson: Consultations between Minister, including National Assembly Ministers, are currently under way on the terms of the Renewables Obligation, covering England and Wales, which is to be laid before Parliament in the autumn. The Obligation represents the key policy instrument towards the achievement of our renewable energy targets.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the proposals (a) received and (b) approved under the new and renewable energy programme number 354 water technologies, indicating how many did not use oscillating water columns. [5854]
Mr. Wilson: I have asked the DTI's Renewable and Sustainable Energy Programme Manager to provide the information requested including details of the types of technology requesting support.
A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
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