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4 Feb 2002 : Column 639W

Written Answers to Questions

Monday 4 February 2002

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Women's Unit

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Minister for Women what budgetary provision has been made for the cost of the Women's Unit in the first financial year of its existence. [33057]

Ms Hewitt: The Women's Unit was created in 1998. Its budget for the first financial year of its existence (1998–99) was £1,111,897. The unit was renamed the Women and Equality Unit following last year's general election in order to recognise its new policy responsibilities across the United Kingdom for gender equality, co-ordination of sexual orientation policy and its sponsorship of the Equal Opportunities commission.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Minister for Women if she will make a statement on how the responsibilities of the Women's Unit differ from the responsibilities of the departmental Ministers for Women. [33122]

Ms Hewitt: In my role as Minister for Women and supported by the Women and Equality Unit, I work closely with Cabinet colleagues, other Government Departments and Number 10 in order to ensure that the Government can bring about practical improvements to women's lives that benefit society as a whole. There are no Ministers for Women assigned to individual Government Departments.

Carers

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Minister for Women what plans she has to make representations to the Department for Work and Pensions to secure improved arrangements for carers. [30870]

Ms Hewitt: In autumn 2000 the Government announced a package of measures to enhance the current social security provision for carers, worth more than £500 million over a three year period. Two of the measures were implemented in April last year. The invalid care allowance (ICA) earnings limit was increased from £50 to £72 per week and the carer premium paid through the income related benefits was increased from £14.15 to £24.40.

On 17 December 2001, the Department for Work and Pensions laid a draft regulatory reform order before Parliament. If accepted, this will give those aged over 65 the right to claim invalid care allowance for the first time; will provide for the extension of entitlement to ICA for up to eight weeks after the death of the person being cared for; and will change the name of the benefit to carer's allowance.

I have no plans to make any representations for further change.

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Devolved Responsibilities

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Minister for Women which matters devolved to the Scottish Parliament her office has involvement in. [33119]

Ms Hewitt: The Women and Equality Unit supports the Ministers for Women in helping to deliver the Government's key priorities. Its aim is to bring about measurable improvements in the position of women which benefit society across the United Kingdom. It works on specific issues on a project basis alongside Number 10 and central Government Departments. Current priorities include helping women to balance their lives at home and work, closing the pay gap, developing policies which help women who want to return to work and the delivery of high quality health and education public services for women. It also has responsibility across the UK for policy and legislation on gender equality and sexual orientation and sponsors the Equal Opportunities Commission as well as ensuring the United Kingdom fulfils its international obligations and raises the profile of women's issues in the EU.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Empty Properties

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) her Department, (ii) her agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which she has had responsibility in each of the last four years. [30079]

Ms Hewitt: The Department of Trade and Industry and its agencies have not had any empty freehold properties in any of the last four years. However, the estimated annual costs and total value of empty freehold properties owned by DTI non-departmental public bodies and public corporations for the same period are shown in the tables:

Status/year	Empty freehold properties	Running costs (£)	Estimated market value (£)
NDPBs(1)
1998	59	54,461.78	2,583,366.00
1999	29	25,106.50	1,290,675.00
2000	24	50,874.52	2,338,000.00
2001	20	45,655.83	1,210,000.00
	Other public bodies
Consignia plc(2)	—	—	—
BNFL plc
1998	0	0	0
1999	2	35,000.00	1,100,000.00
2000	3	55,000.00	2,100,000.00
2001	3	55,000.00	2,100,000.00

⁽¹⁾ Regional development agencies (RDAs) are included under NDPBs. RDAs own significant property estates as part of its role as a regeneration agency. The land will be released and sold over a period of many years. RDAs do not own any other non-operational land and buildings.

⁽²⁾ Consignia do not maintain central records of the number and costs of empty properties for the last four years. To provide the information requested would be at disproportionate cost. However, as of September 2000 there was a total estate of 2,775 properties of which 3.38 per cent. was vacant by number, and 1.5 per cent. vacant by value. In December 2001 there was a total estate of 2,741 of which 2.44 per cent. was vacant by number, and 1.62 per cent. vacant by value.

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Departmental Expenditure (Publications)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the expenditure of her Department on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each of the last four years. [30092]

Ms Hewitt: My Department's expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals for the years requested was as follows:

	£
1997–98	518,700
1998–99	647,233
1999–2000	581,044
2000–01	626,862

This includes expenditure on national daily and Sunday newspapers, regional newspapers, mass circulation magazines and journals, and academic periodicals. It also

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includes expenditure on annual publications, in particular reference works that would not normally be considered as periodicals. It is not possible to exclude such annual publications from the figures, except at disproportionate cost.

MSP Exhibitions

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support has been provided by Trade Partners UK, or its predecessors, to assist military, security and police companies (a) to attend and (b) to exhibit at MSP exhibitions since 1 May 1997; and if she will list the (i) companies, (ii) exhibitions attended and (iii) sums of money involved. [32273]

Ms Hewitt: TPUK provided support to UK companies to attend and exhibit at police, fire and security exhibitions under the terms of the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad scheme (and its predecessor Trade Fair Support Scheme) at the following exhibitions during this period:

Date	Event	Town	Number of firms	Support (£)
September 1997	ASIS	St. Louis	7	21,310
September 1997	IDEF	Ankara	8	67,850
September 1997	Sitech Berlin	Berlin	8	16,110
November 1997	A+A	Dusseldorf	17	33,078
March 1998	Securex South Africa	Johannesburg	12	23,973
April 1998	MIPS	Moscow	14	48,049
April 1998	DSA	Kuala Lumpur	34	214,682
May 1998	CBW Protection	Stockholm	14	33,862
June 1998	Eurosatory	Paris	20	92,246
October 1998	Security Essen	Essen	38	46,926
November 1998	Fire Asia	Hong Kong	30	98,728
February 1999	Shot Show	Atlanta	16	38,325
March 1999	Securex South Africa	Johannesburg	10	17,627
March 1999	ISC Expo/Las Vegas	Las Vegas	8	31,650
March 1999	IDEX UAE	Abu Dhabi	35	240,792
March 1999	Securex Poland	Poznan	12	1,000
April 1999	LAD—Latin America Defentech	Rio de Janeiro	24	73,442
October 1999	Security Asia	Singapore	16	57,679
October 1999	Sitech Berlin	Berlin	8	14,574
November 1999	Exposec	Sa~o Paulo	7	30,648
November 1999	Milipol—France	Paris	15	31,935
January 2000	Intersec	Dubai	28	53,914
February 2000	Securex Poland	Poznan	10	25,651
March 2000	ISC Expo/Las Vegas	Las Vegas	7	18,400
June 2000	Securitex—Hong Kong	Hong Kong	12	39,084
June 2000	Eurosatory	Paris	25	45,189
June 2000	Interschutz	Augsburg	36	75,798
July 2000	Copex—Asia	Singapore	10	21,578
July 2000	ASE	Miami	7	17,294
October 2000	Security Essen	Essen	37	64,052
October 2000	Euronaval	Paris	26	54,870
November 2000	Expoprotection	Paris	32	52,347
November 2000	Exposec	Sa~o Paulo	7	30,167
January 2001	Intersec	Dubai	25	62,100
February 2001	Securex South Africa	Johannesburg	9	32,486
March 2001	IWA	Nuremberg	18	23,208
April 2001	MIPS	Moscow	6	17,751
April 2001	LAD—Latin America Defentech	Rio de Janeiro	18	61,466
May 2001	Imdex Asia	Singapore	38	78,896
June 2001	CBW Protection	Stockholm	14	36,684
July 2001	ASE	Miami	10	27,087
November 2001	Exposec	Sa~o Paulo	9	37,300
November 2001	Milipol—France	Paris	16	39,541
November 2001	Security Asia	Singapore	12	32,200
January 2002	Intersec	Dubai	25	62,100

The provisions of the Data Protection Act preclude the release of information about individual firms.

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