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Hawk Jets
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Indian Government concerning the BAE Systems bid to supply Hawk jets; and if she will make a statement. [28302]
Mr. Wilson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has had no discussions with the Indian Government concerning the BAE Systems bid to supply Hawk jets.
Landscape Industry
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she supports the aims of the British Association of Landscape Industries to get their registration of landscape operatives affiliated to the Construction Industry Certification Scheme. [28012]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 18 January 2002]: The question of possible affiliation between the two schemes is one for the Board of the Construction Skills
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Certification Scheme Ltd. to consider, together with managers of the British Association of Landscape Industries' scheme.
However, given my ministerial responsibility for construction, I do welcome all efforts aimed at achieving greater collaboration in the industry with a view to improving standards of health and safety, and training standards generally. I am also keen that, wherever possible, the industry improves its working practices to allow greater flexibility for those that move between different sectors in the industry.
I understand that discussions are taking place between the Chairman of CSCS Ltd., Anthony W. Merricks CBE, and the Vice Chair of BALI, David Spencer. If a satisfactory solution can be reached, and I understand that discussions are proceeding in a positive way, this would be welcomed.
Sub-post Offices
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress made on the roll-out of "Your Guide" to sub-post offices. [28679]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 18 January 2002]: My Department has provided £25 million funding for the pilot of "Your Guide" currently operating in Leicestershire and Rutland. The pilot was fully up and running by the end of August last year and will finish on 1 March this year. The results of the pilot will be fully evaluated and decisions on national roll-out will be based on the findings of the evaluation and on further work on funding and service design. Among other things the evaluation and associated work will establish the costs of implementing a "Your Guide" scheme nationally and will compare these with the benefits. Work on evaluating the pilot has already begun and a full evaluation should be completed by the end of June. Work on funding and the design of a national service will be progressed as far as possible in parallel with evaluation of the pilot so that firm decisions on a national scheme can be taken next autumn.
Oil and Gas Directorate Posts
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of her Department's Oil and Gas Directorate posts were in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Glasgow, (c) London and (d) elsewhere, in 2001. [29478]
Mr. Wilson: The number of Oil and Gas Directorate posts located in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Glasgow, (c) London and (d) elsewhere, in 2001 is as follows:
- 2001
- Aberdeen—84.5
- Glasgow—0
- London—96.6
- Elsewhere—0.
This represents an increase of 12.2 posts in Aberdeen, and a decrease of 7.2 posts in London compared with the previous year.
Overhead Transmission Lines
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent changes she has made to her policy on overhead transmission lines. [29576]
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Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she has taken to ensure that contractors working on the Lackenby to Shipton overhead transmission line will comply with legal and safety requirements. [29492]
Mr. Wilson: The relevant local planning authority is responsible for seeing that planning conditions are complied with. The enforcement of other statutory requirements falls to the relevant agencies.
Electromagnetic Fields
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the World Health Organisation's policy of prudent avoidance to exposure to electromagnetic fields; and if she will make a statement. [29256]
Mr. Wilson: The World Health Organisation, in its publication "Electromagnetic Fields and Public Health—Extremely low frequency fields and cancer", Fact Sheet No. 263, October 2001, refers to certain precautionary measures that can be taken by Government, industry and individuals. Several of these measures are already in place in the UK.
Regional Development Agencies (Partnership)
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-regional partnerships of regional development agencies are being established; and how many are business led. [29300]
Alan Johnson: Sixty-one sub-regional economic partnerships are either already in existence or are currently being established with the help of the regional development agencies. The RDAs will be working closely with the partnerships to deliver the regions' economic strategies. The majority are chaired by business people or have substantial business involvement in their boards, but all are expected to be fully representative of the public and private sectors.
Energy Sources
Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's targets are for (a) the proportion of the national energy portfolio that will be met by renewable sources by 2010 and (b) the proportion of nationally generated renewable energy sources that will be derived from onshore wind power generation by the same date. [29287]
Mr. Wilson: Our target is that, by 2010, 10 per cent. of UK electricity sales by licensed suppliers will come from sources eligible for the Renewables Obligation. This is subject to the cost to consumers being acceptable.
While wind energy at both onshore and offshore installation can be expected to contribute significantly to the achievement of this overall target, the Government do not set targets for growth in each type of renewable energy generation. How each type will contribute to overall targets for renewable energy will be a matter for the market.
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Your Guide Scheme
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the expected time scale is for implementing the "Your Guide" scheme throughout the post office and sub-post office network; what the cost will be of implementing the scheme throughout the network; and what the average cost to each sub-post office business of introducing terminals to the "Your Guide" system will be. [28430]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 21 January 2002]: My Department has provided £25 million funding for the pilot of "Your Guide" currently operating in Leicestershire and Rutland. The pilot was fully up and running by the end of August last year and is not due to finish until 1 March this year. The results of the pilot will be fully evaluated and decisions on national roll-out will be based on the findings of the evaluation and on further work on funding and service design. Among other things the evaluation and associated work will establish the costs of implementing a "Your Guide" scheme nationally and will compare these with the benefits. Until work on the design of a national service is further advanced it will not be possible to estimate the cost of providing the necessary equipment to individual sub-post offices.
A full evaluation of the pilot should be completed by the end of June. Work on funding and the design of a national service will be progressed alongside evaluation of the pilot so that firm decisions on a national scheme can be taken next autumn.
Environmental Appraisals
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many officials from her Department have attended the Environmental Appraisal and Integration into Policy training course run by the Civil Service College. [28998]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 21 January 2002]: None.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many environmental appraisals have been published by her Department since 1 January 2001; and if she will list the last four. [28994]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 21 January 2002]: None. The last four self-standing environmental appraisals published by DTI are as follows:
- Enterprise, Skills and Innovation White Paper (February 2001)
UK Coal Operating Aid Scheme (December 2000)
Modernising the Framework of Utility Regulation (January and April 2000)
The New Electricity Trading Arrangements (October 1999).
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 21 January 2002]: DTI's aim is to mainstream the environment—within the wider context of promoting sustainable development—into the Department's operational management and policy-making.
To this end, DTI's Estates and Management Facilities Directorate run an Environmental Managements System accredited to ISO 14001 covering DTI's HQ buildings.
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This incorporates monitoring, control and regular audits to ensure the continued effectiveness of the system and to track progress towards targets.
The effectiveness of DTI's procedures for environmental screening and appraisal of policies were reviewed last year by a member of the Foresight Environmental Appraisal Task Force and the Department's Internal Audit. Revised guidelines are being finalised which will be published on DTI's website.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the last occasion was on which she requested an environmental appraisal before making a policy decision. [28995]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 21 January 2002]: Where environmental considerations are relevant they form an integral part of policy advice to Ministers.
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