House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 13 Nov 2001 (pt 2)

Employee Share Ownership Plans

Mr. Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of (a) mutual, (b) co-operative and (c) employee trust award companies would benefit if the present rules were changed to permit such organisations to participate in employee share ownership plans; what plans there are to expand ESOPs in this way; and if he will make a statement. [14464]

Ruth Kelly: Employees of registered industrial and provident societies which are co-operatives are already able to participate in the Share Incentive Plan introduced last year. Companies such as mutual organisations and trust-owned companies that do not issue shares are not able to participate.

We estimate that some 70,000 staff are employed by mutual organisations and around 60,000 are employed by trust owned businesses in the UK. We have not yet been able to devise a way in which the link between share ownership and company performance might be reflected in such corporate structures.

Mr. Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees in the different sectors of the economy (a) are benefiting from and (b) are entitled to receive money under the employee share ownership plans (i) in total and (ii) as a percentage of employees in that sector; what plans he has to extend ESOPs; and if he will make a statement. [14465]

Dawn Primarolo: Tax advantaged share plans are generally open to employees in all sectors of the economy. However, Enterprise Management Incentives are not open to companies engaged in certain trades considered to involve low financial risk. We estimate that some 2.5 million employees are benefiting from tax advantaged share and share option schemes. Up to March of this year, some 81,000 employees have benefited from the new

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Share Incentive Plan introduced last year. Figures are not available on a sectoral basis and the cost of obtaining the information would be disproportionate.

Female Employment (Statistics)

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the female population (a) is of working age, (b) is in work or seeking work and (c) is seeking work in each county. [14133]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 13 November 2001:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the proportions of the female population of working age, in work or seeking work, and seeking work in each county.(14133)

Estimates for counties and unitary authorities are available for mid-2000 of all women of working age as a proportion of the total female population. I have deposited a table showing these in the House of Commons library.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates of the economic activity status of people aged 16 years or over. The summer (June to August) 2001 estimates, for counties and unitary authorities where the survey sample size is large enough, of the proportions of women who are (i) in work or seeking work and (ii) seeking work are available on Nomis, which can be accessed by the House of Commons Library.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many (a) Protestant and (b) Roman Catholic applicants to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland were successful in being selected for the first batch of recruits; [11938]

(3) how many female applicants to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland were successful in being selected for the first batch of recruits; [11940]

(4) how many female applicants to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland were successful in being short listed to the final pool prior to the selection of the first batch of recruits; [11939]

(5) how many (a) Protestant and (b) Roman Catholic applicants to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland were successful in being short listed to the final pool prior to the selection of the first batch of recruits; [11937]

(6) how many serving members of the full-time RUC Reserve have applied to join the new Police Service of Northern Ireland and were successful in being short listed to the final pool prior to the selection of the first batch of recruits. [11941]

Jane Kennedy: Around 550 candidates have qualified for entry to the merit pool. Of these, approximately 150 have declared themselves Catholic and approximately

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400 have declared themselves Protestant or are non- determined; some 180 are female; and approximately 80 are serving members of the full-time Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve. Final figures will not be available for some time as a number of candidates are subject to outstanding issues, for example, medical appeals.

Of the first batch of 47 recruits, 24 have declared themselves Catholic and 23 have declared themselves protestant; 14 are female; and 10 are former full-time reserve officers.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND

THE REGIONS

Machinery Operators (EU Legislation)

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received regarding proposed EU legislation to prohibit machinery operators from driving plant and equipment for more than two hours per day; what assessment he has made of the cost of this legislation to the British construction industry; and if he will make a statement. [12615]

Dr. Whitehead: There is no proposed EU legislation to prohibit machinery operators from driving plant and equipment for more then two hours per day. The proposed Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive introduces a limit value for exposure to whole body vibration. The European Parliament has proposed an amendment to the common position on the Directive reducing this limit value. This reduced limit value could, in particular circumstances, have the effect of restricting the driving time by individuals of certain equipment to two or three hours.

The Government have received representations opposing this European Parliament amendment from several industry sectors, including agriculture, construction, mining and quarrying and engineering. We intend to defend the common position against the European Parliament amendment.

The Government have not costed the implications of the Directive on individual industry sectors. A Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Directive covering the costs to industry as a whole and the health benefits to workers has been submitted to the European Scrutiny Committee and is available in the Libraries of the House.

Consultation Documents

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many consultation documents were issued by his Department and its predecessors from (a) 15 October to 14 January, (b) 15 January to 14 April, (c) 15 April to 14 July and (d) 15 July to 14 October in each year from 1996. [12876]

Dr. Whitehead: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on Tuesday 23 October 2001, Official Report, column 198W, which is unfortunately incorrect. A more extensive search of Departmental records has revealed that the Department issued 33 consultation documents during the summer recess 2001.

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Records of consultation exercises have been kept centrally only since the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultation became effective on 1 January 2001. In this period, the Department issued 108 consultation documents broken down as follows:

1 January—14 April: 50

15 April—14 July: 16

15 July—14 October: 34

15 October to date: 8.

Affordable Housing

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he held talks about affordable housing on the Eaves Green site; and who was involved in the talks. [13003]

Ms Keeble: The public inquiry into the Chorley Local Plan 1991–2006 concluded on 1 October. Officials at the Government Office for the north-west commented on the original and revised deposit drafts of the plan, including its policy on affordable housing but no discussions took place regarding Eaves Green.

Pedestrian Protection

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the results were of the European new car assessment pedestrian tests based on EEVC Working Group 10 tests. [13419]

Mr. Jamieson: Since the European new car assessment programme was established in 1997, three cars have obtained a three-star rating for pedestrian protection using tests based on the EEVC WG10 proposals; 65 have obtained two stars and 14 have obtained one star.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will publish the advice available to him from the Transport Research Laboratory on the effects of Phase One of the draft negotiated agreement on pedestrian protection of comparative (a) the bumper test on disabling knee injuries, (b) the head impact test and the proportion of the bonnet area untested or unprotected, (c) the absence of a bonnet leading edge test and femur or pelvic fractures and (d) the influence on car design and effective protection for pedestrians; [13392]

Mr. Jamieson: TRL has given only informal advice to my Department on these issues, other than its letter formally responding to our recent consultation exercise on pedestrian protection. A summary of this, and other responses received, has been placed in the House Library. Copies of the full responses can be seen at the DTLR Library. Our understanding of TRL's views, both formal and informal, are as follows:

Bumper test: It is likely that, for some struck pedestrians, the proposed 21 degree bending angle for phase one might encourage technical designs that would cause permanent disabling injuries rather than injuries that

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will heal without disablement. The TRL view is that, because the whole package, including phase two, will result in considerable overall benefits, the opportunity to have pedestrian protection on vehicles should not be put at risk over this issue.

Head impact test: In the Negotiated Agreement two thirds of the bonnet area would have to meet a HIC limit of 1000; the head protection level normally associated with occupant protection. The other one third could have a HIC limit of 2000. This carries a higher risk of injury. However, it is likely that a combination of manufacturers aiming for better standards in production, and the impossibility of designing a bonnet in practice that has a step change such that it only just met the higher level over the whole one third, means that the average level in that zone would probably be midway between a HIC of 1000 and a HIC of 2000.

In phase one, the adult area will be tested with a child headform. Despite this, the additional protection would still be of benefits to adults in many accidents. However, in some adult accidents the bonnet will be too soft, with a risk of pushing it down on to immovable underlying components.

Bonnet leading edge test: There has been a long term trend towards more streamlined vehicles which has helped reduce femur and pelvic injuries, and this is the lowest priority of the EEVC tests. However, there is a possibility that manufacturers may raise or stiffen the bonnet leading edge to help gain better performance in the legform test; this would increase the risk of femur and pelvis injuries. The current inclusion of the test with performance targets in phase one of the negotiated agreement would allow such a trend to be monitored if it were to occur.

The influence of car design: The effect of the long term change in style towards more streamlined shapes is mentioned above. Also, in TRL's view, designing the bonnet area that is likely to be hit by the adult head using the phase one headform will not help the development of design solutions to meet the adult head requirements of phase two.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if active pedestrian protection measures offered by car manufacturers are compatible with each of the choices of passive measures under consideration by COREPER and the Council of Ministers. [13387]

Mr. Jamieson: Active protection measures are intended to help reduce the likelihood of accidents whereas secondary safety measures reduce the consequences. There is no fundamental incompatibility; indeed, both approaches contribute to improvements in road safety today.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in what year the experimental safety vehicle of the Transport Research Laboratory demonstrated the feasibility of meeting the EEVC Working Group 10 pedestrian sub-system test requirements; and who funded this research. [13388]

Mr. Jamieson: The experimental safety vehicle, a Metro with modifications funded by the Department, was shown at a conference in 1985. However, this car was

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produced before Working Group 10 existed, and its effectiveness was tested using child and adult pedestrian dummies rather than the WG 10 sub-system tests.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in what year in-depth pedestrian accident research work started at the Transport Research Laboratory in contributing to the research EEVC pedestrian protection work; and who funded this research. [13389]

Mr. Jamieson: The Transport Research Laboratory has been contributing to the European pedestrian protection considerations since the 1970s. This early work was funded by the Department of Transport.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the Government first proposed to the European Commission that a directive on safer car fronts for pedestrians and cyclists should be introduced. [13418]

Mr. Jamieson: Formal requests to make car fronts safer for pedestrians were made in 1991 through the UK's involvement in the EEVC.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the ability of the European car industry to achieve working group 17 pedestrian tests requirements at an early date. [13421]

Mr. Jamieson: We have not made a specific assessment of this. However, it is clear that industry continues to see difficulty in meeting the full EEVC criteria as a universal requirement for cars at an early date.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will estimate the pedestrian fatality reduction potential of the Phase 1 tests in the draft negotiated agreement as a percentage of the potential in the EEVC Working Group 17; and what assessment he has made of the ability of the draft negotiated agreement to meet the level of protection in the harmonisation process required by the Treaty of European Union. [13390]

Mr. Jamieson: It is estimated that Phase 1 would deliver a benefit of around 25 per cent. for fatal injuries and 60 per cent. for serious injuries, relative to the Phase 2 levels associated with the EEVC WG 17 requirements. The negotiated agreement is likely to start delivering two years earlier than a directive, which would itself be likely to be phased.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how it is intended that the car industry will work to agreed longer-term targets for pedestrian protection if Phase 2 of the draft negotiated agreement is not specified with Phase 1. [13420]

Mr. Jamieson: Phase 1 and Phase 2 are both specified in the negotiated agreement.

I am satisfied that the technical requirements of the first phase will be operated in a flexible manner, which will allow manufacturers to deliver cars in Phase 1 which incorporate techniques more appropriate for meeting the Phase 2 levels. This will address one of the concerns raised by TRL and others about the headform test in Phase 1.

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