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Mixed Oxide Fuel
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list (a) the number of industrial contracts secured by BNFL for the Sellafield MOX plant, together with their country of origin, (b) the value of these contracts and (c) the percentage of the Sellafield MOX plant reference case represented by these contracts. [25413]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 9 January 2002]: Contracts for the supply of MOX fuel are a commercial matter for BNFL and its customers.
BNFL's MOX supply prospects were considered in detail by the independent consultants, AD Little, in their review of BNFL's economic case for operation of Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP). A public domain version of AD Little's report (from which commercially confidential information was excluded) was published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Health in July 2001 and is attached to the decision document on MOX justification published on 3 October 2001.
It can be noted that in a press release of 3 October 2001 BNFL stated that,
- "SMP already has contracted/reserved business for the 40 per cent. "break even" sales and ADL [AD Little] stated that they have evidence of customer commitment for 99 per cent. of the SMP reference business case".
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 9 January 2002]: BNFL began the first stage of active plutonium commissioning of the Sellafield MOX plant on 21 December 2001.
Miners' Compensation
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the number of Miners' Health Compensation Scheme claims for respiratory diseases settled in full in (a) Wales and (b) the rest of the United Kingdom. [26869]
Mr. Wilson: IRISC, the Department's claims handlers, have registered 33,661 claims in respect of respiratory disease in Wales. Taken together with Scotland and England, the total number of claims for respiratory disease is 173,824.
Progress in Wales comparatively has been good. To date, the Department has settled 2,358 claims and paid 11,272 interim payments in Wales worth £63.6 million. In total across the UK, 14,780 claims have been settled in full and 43,904 interim payments have been made, totalling £241 million.
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Nationally, during November, nearly 7,000 offers worth £47.7 million were made, under both schemes, with a further 5,385 offers worth £42 million in December.
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if extra staff and resources will be appointed to accelerate the processing of Miners' Health Compensation Scheme claims in Wales. [26873]
Mr. Wilson: The Department and its contractors continuously monitor the level of resources spread geographically across the Scheme as a whole. In Wales, it was decided between the Department and the Claimants' Solicitors that an office would be opened to process Welsh claims. The office was up and running in a very short time frame and opened on 2 April 2001. The number of staff at this office has increased from 11 to 70 by the end of 2001 and will be increased by a further 20 staff by March this year.
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average duration was between assessment and a full and final settlement for former miners with regard to (a) vibration white finger and (b) respiratory diseases in (i) Wales, (ii) the rest of the United Kingdom and (iii) the Cynon Valley in the last 12 months. [26875]
Mr. Wilson: In respect of vibration white finger (VWF) the average duration between medical assessment and date of offer is as follows:
| Region | Duration |
|---|---|
| (i) Wales | 5 months, 4 days |
| (ii) United Kingdom | 6 months, 5 days |
| (iii) Cynon Valley | 6 months, 15 days |
With regards to respiratory disease, the average time between medical assessment and date of offer is as follows:
| Region | Duration |
|---|---|
| (i) Wales | 6 months |
| (ii) United Kingdom | 5 months, 14 days |
| (iii) Cynon Valley | 6 months, 16 days |
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are being taken to speed up the processing of miners' compensation claims in the Cynon Valley. [26874]
Mr. Wilson: With regards to vibration white finger, there are 1,847 claims registered in the constituency of Cynon Valley. To date, 809 individual payments have been made, totalling £5.0 million.
In relation to respiratory disease, 3,238 claims have been initiated in the above constituency. 1,140 individual payments have been made worth £5.4 million.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her to question No. 26873, above, regarding measures to speed up the process in Wales.
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Contracts (Tanzania)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) defence and (b) non- defence contracts have been placed by UK companies with the Tanzanian Government since 1997. [25954]
Mr. Wilson: No records are kept of non-defence contracts placed by UK companies with the Tanzanian Government. Defence contracts are a matter for the Ministry of Defence.
Public-Private Partnerships
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the public-private partnerships that have started in Greater London in the last five years. [25903]
Alan Johnson: My Department has one PPP project that has started in the last five years in the Greater London area—the redevelopment of the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington. Details of projects sponsored by other Departments, public bodies and local authorities are not held by my Department.
BNFL
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the proposed relationship between BNFL and the Liabilities Management Authority. [26787]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 14 January 2002]: The proposed relationship between BNFL and the Liabilities Management Authority was outlined in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's statement to the House on 28 November 2001, Official Report, column 990. The White Paper next spring will contain further details.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she was first informed that BNFL was insolvent. [25943]
Mr. Wilson: BNFL first informed my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 28 November 2001 that it had a deficit of net assets for accounting purposes.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 5 December 2001, Official Report, column 302W, what was the net increase in BNFL's liabilities resulting from the acquisition of Magnox Electric. [25925]
Mr. Wilson: The report and accounts of BNFL for the year ended 31 March 1998 stated that the group's nuclear liabilities increased by £7,956 million due to the acquisition of Magnox Electric plc.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what profit figures have been published by BNFL Inc. in the US since 1990. [25946]
Mr. Wilson: None. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 November 2001, Official Report, columns 163–64W.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial penalties have been imposed by the US Department of Energy on BNFL Inc. owing to its failure to meet contractual commitments at the Hanford River Protection project. [25945]
15 Jan 2002 : Column 152W
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Liabilities Management Authority will permit foreign companies to bid and run operations at the Sellafield site once BNFL's initial contract has expired. [25941]
Mr. Wilson: The Liabilities Management Authority will place contracts in accordance with national, EU and international requirements relating to public procurement and with a view to ensuring that public sector civil nuclear liabilities are managed as safely, efficiently and cost effectively as possible. Any contractor responsible for operating Sellafield will have to satisfy security and other regulatory requirements relevant to the site.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made of the security implications of an overseas company operating the Sellafield site. [25940]
Mr. Wilson: Any company responsible for operating the Sellafield or other licensed nuclear site would have to satisfy relevant security and other regulatory requirements. An assessment of the suitability of any company would be made at the time.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans there are for Sellafield employees to receive severance payments from BNFL if the company loses the contract to manage the site and employees transfer to a different contractor company. [25935]
Mr. Wilson: Any transfer of BNFL employees to another employer would be carried out in accordance with TUPE requirements.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 10 December 2001, Official Report, column 655W, on BNFL, what was the cost of the advice on BNFL's liabilities provided by (a) CSFB, (b) HSBC, (c) Slaughter and May, (d) Arthur Andersen, (e) Deloitte and Touche, (f) Lane, Clarke and Peacock and (g) Mercers. [25923]
Mr. Wilson: Since the announcement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 13 July 1999, payments made to this Department's external advisers are as follows:
| Adviser | Amount |
|---|---|
| CSFB | 6,041,000 |
| HSBC | 777,000 |
| Slaughter and May | 869,000 |
| Arthur Andersen | (6)8,641,000 |
| Deloitte and Touche | 1,620,500 |
| Lane, Clark and Peacock | 138,500 |
| Mercers | 170,000 |
| Total | 18,257,000 |
(6) These costs shared approximately 50/50 with BNFL
These amounts cover a wide range of advice, eg strategy and shareholder issues, acquisitions and disposals and the valuation and handling of nuclear liabilities.
It is not practicable to identify separately the costs of the above work in relation to liabilities alone.
15 Jan 2002 : Column 153W
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements will be made for employees at Sellafield to maintain their pension plans if the Liabilities Management Authority does not renew BNFL's contract to manage the site and its employees transfer to a different contractor company. [25936]
Mr. Wilson: Any transfer of BNFL employees to another employer would be carried out in accordance with TUPE requirements and on the basis that pension arrangements would be no less favourable.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of (a) the total cost at present day prices and (b) the cost, on the same basis, to each taxpayer of dismantling all nuclear power installations and making safe all nuclear material that are currently the responsibility of British Nuclear Fuels. [26435]
Mr. Wilson: BNFL's annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2001 estimated the group's total discounted gross nuclear liabilities to be £16.1 billion (of which £5.4 billion was recoverable from customers under commercial agreements). In her statement of 28 November 2001, Official Report, column 993, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry said that, in the light of a new strategy for processing its intermediate level waste, which its board had endorsed, BNFL estimated it needed an additional £1.9 billion to provide for its share of the discounted liabilities.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement regarding the safety record and future plans for privatisation of British Nuclear Fuels . [25252]
Mr. Wilson: BNFL publishes annually an Environment, Health and Safety Report, which sets out the company's performance in these areas for the year. A copy is in the Library of the House.
There are no plans for the privatisation of BNFL. However, in her statement to the House on 28 November 2001, Official Report, column 990, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry made clear that HMG will reconsider the scope for the introduction of a PPP into BNFL in 2004–05, in the light of the overall performance of BNFL's businesses, advice from the Liabilities Management Authority, and the views of the industry regulators.
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