| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Power Pre-payment Meters
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households in (a) England and Wales and (b) the Buckingham constituency have (i) electricity and (ii) gas pre-payment meters. [32185]
Mr. Wilson: Provisional estimates for the year 2001 (as at the end of September 2001) show there were 3.7 million electricity prepayment meter customers and 1.8 million gas prepayment meter customers in Great Britain. Of these, just under 3.2 million electricity prepayment meter customers and just over 1.6 million gas prepayment meter customers are in England and Wales.
The town of Buckingham falls in the east Midlands distribution network for electricity. There were 0.28 million electricity prepayment meter customers in this area as at September 2001. The town of Buckingham falls in the southern local distribution zone for gas. There were 0.09 million gas prepayment meter customers in this area as at September 2001.
The number of customers on gas and electricity prepayment meters in the Buckingham constituency will make up a small proportion of those on prepayment meters in the east midlands distribution network for electricity and the southern local distribution zone for gas. Data are not available to produce the numbers of customers on gas and electricity customers on prepayment meters in the Buckingham constituency.
Fuel Poverty
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of (a) people and (b) households in the Buckingham constituency that are in fuel poverty. [32183]
Mr. Wilson: Based on changes in incomes and fuel prices it is estimated that in 2000 there were 2.8 million households in fuel poverty in England (based on income including housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest), or 3.9 million households (based on income excluding housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest), representing falls of 15 per cent. and 13 per cent. respectively compared to 1998.
The following table presents estimates of the number of people and the number of households in England in fuel poverty in 1998, the latest year for which estimates of the number of people in fuel poverty are available. Figures are presented under both definitions of fuel poverty as set out in the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy, published on 21 November 2001.
| People | Households | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel poverty defined using income including housing benefit and ISMI(2) | 6.2 | 3.3 |
| Fuel poverty defined using income excluding housing benefit and ISMI(3) | 8.7 | 4.5 |
(2) Fuel poverty defined as when a household needs to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income (including housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest) on fuel in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime.
(3) Fuel poverty defined as when a household needs to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income (excluding housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest) on fuel in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime.
Source:
1998 Energy Follow Up Survey to the English House Condition Survey.
7 Feb 2002 : Column 1066W
In 1998, it was estimated that 268,000 households in the region covered by the Government office for the south-east were in fuel poverty (based on income including housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest). This represents 8.3 per cent. of households in the south-east region and 8.2 per cent of all households in fuel poverty in England.
When income excluding housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest is considered, 406,000 households in the region covered by the Government office for the south-east were in fuel poverty (based on income including housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest). This represents 12.6 per cent. of households in the south-east region and 9.1 per cent. of all households in fuel poverty in England.
The numbers in fuel poverty in Buckingham will make up a small proportion of those in fuel poverty in the south-east Government office region. Data are not available centrally to produce estimates of fuel poverty in the Buckingham constituency.
Universal Bank
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what agreement has been reached with commercial banks on the charges to be levied on failed direct debits on basic bank accounts under the Universal bank. [32554]
Mr. Alexander [holding answer 1 February 2002]: The banks have agreed to make their basic bank accounts accessible through post offices as part of universal banking services. Implementation of that agreement is now a commercial matter between Post Office Ltd. and the banks. The detailed features of these accounts are not part of the agreement on universal banking services. However, the Government have announced their intention to establish a benchmark CAT standard—covering charges, access and terms—for a basic bank account, and are still in discussion with the banks about these.
Miners' Compensation Scheme
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been spent via the Miners' Compensation Scheme in every parliamentary constituency in Wales in each of the last seven months. [32848]
Mr. Wilson: The Department is not able to provide a constituency breakdown for each of the last seven months in the time available.
A breakdown of headline statistics for each constituency, as at the end of December 2001, is available on the Department's Coal Health Claims website www.dti.gov.uk/coalhealth. These figures are updated on a monthly basis.
7 Feb 2002 : Column 1067W
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been spent via the Miners' Compensation Scheme in Wales in each of the last six months. [32850]
Mr. Wilson: As at 27 January 2002 the Department has paid out £121.6 million in Wales—£66.8 million on respiratory disease and £54.8 million on vibration white finger.
The breakdown for the previous six months is as follows:
| Respiratory disease | VWF | Total damages paid in Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| During January 2002 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 7.2 |
| During December 2001 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 4.4 |
| During November 2001 | 6 | 2.4 | 8.4 |
| During October 2001 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 8.3 |
| During September 2001 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 5.8 |
| During August 2001 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 5.2 |
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money in the Miners' Compensation Scheme, allocated to be paid to successful applicants in Wales, was outstanding in each parliamentary constituency in Wales (a) this month and (b) in each of the previous six months. [32849]
Mr. Wilson: The coal compensation schemes do not have specific funds allocated to them. The Government have previously confirmed that they will meet the full cost no matter what the amount.
The Department expects the total cost of the liabilities for respiratory disease and vibration white finger, assumed from British Coal in January 1998, to be about £6 billion.
Employment Tribunal
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce a fee for employees wishing to take their employers to an employment tribunal. [33005]
Alan Johnson: We have no plans to introduce such a fee. The Government Response to the "Routes to Resolution" consultation sets out the reasons for not taking forward the proposal to introduce a charging regime for employment tribunals. A copy of the Government Response has been lodged with the Libraries of the House.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the meetings she and her ministerial colleagues held with (a) Hugh Collum and (b) Norman Askew in 2001. [32237]
Mr. Wilson: Our records show that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry met Hugh Collum and Norman Askew on 13 March 2001, and Hugh Collum on 19 July 2001.
7 Feb 2002 : Column 1068W
I met Hugh Collum and Norman Askew on the following dates in 2001:
- Tuesday 13 March—Hugh Collum and Norman Askew
Wednesday 20 June—Hugh Collum and Norman Askew
Wednesday 18 July—Norman Askew only
Thursday 19 July—Norman Askew only
Tuesday 25 September—Hugh Collum and Norman Askew
Wednesday 31 October—Hugh Collum and Norman Askew
Thursday 15 November—Hugh Collum and Norman Askew
Tuesday 11 December—Hugh Collum and Norman Askew.
BNFL
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 15 January 2002, Official Report, column 153W, on BNFL, when officials in her Department first acquired information that BNFL was insolvent. [32796]
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |