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Nuclear Clean-up
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what expenditure she incurred on the decommissioning, management and clean-up of nuclear materials, equipment and facilities in each year since 1997; and how much she expects to spend in this financial year. [37247]
Mr. Wilson: Expenditure on the Department's decommissioning and radioactive waste management programme is incurred by way of grant to the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
| UKAEA nuclear decommissioning | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 162.2 |
| 1998–99 | 256.9 |
| 1999–2000 | 183.5 |
| 2000–01 | 219.9 |
| 2001–02(78) | 262.5 |
(78) Planned
Note:
All figures in cash of year
25 Feb 2002 : Column 866W
Environmental Accounting Guidelines
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken to implement the EU recommendation on environmental accounting guidelines. [37290]
Mr. Wilson: The recommendation from the European Commission concerns specific environmental expenditure disclosures in company annual accounts. We have promoted it by asking the accountancy profession, business organisations (including the banking sector) and others to encourage their clients and member companies to take account of the recommendation in the preparation of their financial statements.
In addition, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister recently challenged the top 350 companies to produce Environmental Reports and the DTI/DEFRA also launched Guidelines on Environmental Reporting with the CBI last year.
Miners' Compensation
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many home visits for medical
25 Feb 2002 : Column 867W
assessment purposes to former miners have been conducted in (a) St. Helens, South, (b) Merseyside, (c) the north-west, (d) England, (e) Scotland and (f) Wales for (i) vibration white finger and (ii) respiratory diseases. [35586]
Mr. Wilson: The number of domiciliary visits undertaken in those regions is as follows:
| Number of vibration white finger domiciliary visits | Number of respiratory disease domiciliary visits | |
|---|---|---|
| (a) St. Helens South | 1 | 15 |
| (b) Merseyside | 5 | 33 |
| (c) North-west | 28 | 173 |
| (d) England | 201 | 1,815 |
| (e) Scotland | 48 | 389 |
| (f) Wales | 63 | 982 |
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many former miners' compensation claims for (a) respiratory disease and (b) vibration white finger have been prioritised in (i) St. Helens, South, (ii) Merseyside, (iii) the north-west, (iv) England, (v) Scotland and (vi) Wales. [35585]
Mr. Wilson: The number of high priority respiratory disease claimants who have been prioritised and medically assessed is as follows:
| Region | Number |
|---|---|
| St. Helens, South | 46 |
| Merseyside | 129 |
| North-west | 591 |
| England | 7,278 |
| Scotland | 871 |
| Wales | 3,400 |
The Department is unable, in the time given, to provide a breakdown of prioritised priority vibration white finger, VWF, claims. However, GB-wide, 346 claimants have been prioritised and received domiciliary visits.
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate the Government have made of the number of claims for (a) vibration white
25 Feb 2002 : Column 868W
finger and (b) respiratory diseases for (i) former miners, (ii) widows of former miners and (iii) other eligible estate claims for former miners in (A) St. Helens South, (B) Merseyside, (C) the north-west, (D) England, (E) Scotland and (F) Wales. [35590]
Mr. Wilson: The Department has received nationally 177,000 claims in respect of respiratory disease and 135,000 in relation to vibration white finger, VWF. The Department continues to receive over 600 new respiratory disease claims and over 360 new VWF claims per week. As such, the Department is unable to provide an estimate of the number of claims to be received on either scheme.
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average waiting time has been for former miners for an appointment for a medical assessment for (a) respiratory disease and (b) vibration white finger in (i) north-west England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales in the last 12 months. [35589]
Mr. Wilson: Claims are being processed according to priority as set out in the handling agreement. The average waiting time between completion of medical records recovery and an appointment to undergo a medical assessment is as follows:
| Average waiting time in days | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| (i) North-west | (ii) Scotland | (iii) Wales | |
| Live cases | 76 | 48 | 123 |
| Deceased cases | 39 | 56 | 52 |
| (i) North-west | (ii) Scotland | (iii) Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average waiting time in days | 86 | 47 | 53 |
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new claims were lodged by former miners for (a) vibration white finger and (b) respiratory diseases by month throughout 2001, in (i) St. Helens, South, (ii) Merseyside, (iii) the north-west, (iv) England, (v) Scotland and (vi) Wales. [35591]
Mr. Wilson: New claims were registered as follows:
| 2001 | St. Helens, South | Merseyside | North-west | England | Scotland | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1 | 8 | 46 | 812 | 47 | 56 |
| February | 3 | 10 | 30 | 723 | 24 | 84 |
| March | 8 | 14 | 63 | 1,574 | 39 | 104 |
| April | 2 | 35 | 132 | 1,763 | 112 | 128 |
| May | 2 | 6 | 31 | 1,370 | 91 | 89 |
| June | 1 | 14 | 50 | 1,323 | 80 | 108 |
| July | 2 | 15 | 64 | 1,398 | 93 | 95 |
| August | 1 | 8 | 37 | 1,255 | 49 | 76 |
| September | 2 | 16 | 59 | 1,068 | 55 | 103 |
| October | 6 | 23 | 71 | 1,544 | 173 | 195 |
| November | 11 | 37 | 107 | 2,183 | 138 | 95 |
| December | 8 | 22 | 61 | 1,108 | 93 | 75 |
25 Feb 2002 : Column 869W
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many expedited payments were made to former miners with respiratory diseases in (a) St. Helens, South, (b) Merseyside, (c) the north-west, (d) England, (e) Scotland and (f) Wales; and what the average expedited payment award was in each case. [35588]
Mr. Wilson: The number and average expedited payments were made in the above regions as follows:
| Region | Number of expedited payments | Average payment £ |
|---|---|---|
| (a) St. Helens, South | 40 | 3,978 |
| (b) Merseyside | 146 | 4,464 |
| (c) North-west | 674 | 4,523 |
| (d) England | 8,661 | 4,117 |
| (e) Scotland | 943 | 4,424 |
| (f) Wales | 1,201 | 3,630 |
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many former miners pursuing compensation claims have had a medical assessment for (a) respiratory diseases and (b) vibration white finger in (i) St. Helens, South (ii) Merseyside, (iii) the north-west, (iv) England, (v) Scotland and (vi) Wales. [35587]
Mr. Wilson: The number of miners who have attended an appointment to undergo the medical assessment is as follows:
| Number of miners(79) | Number of miners(80) | |
|---|---|---|
| St. Helens, South | 330 | 207 |
| Merseyside | 790 | 681 |
| north-west | 3,234 | 2,328 |
| England | 37,055 | 62,326 |
| Scotland | 7,326 | 4,069 |
| Wales | 17,945 | 8,814 |
(79) Who have attended a respiratory disease medical assessment
(80) Who have attended a Vibration White Finger medical assessment
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid to claimants through each of the top 10 claims handlers involved in the compensation claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger of former coalminers. [37424]
Mr. Wilson: The amount paid to claimants through each of the top 10 claims handlers for respiratory disease and Vibration White Finger is as follows.
25 Feb 2002 : Column 870W
| Solicitor | Total damages paid |
|---|---|
| Respiratory Disease | |
| Thompsons | 62.2 |
| Hugh James Ford Simey | 47.6 |
| Union of Democratic Mineworkers | 16.1 |
| Raleys | 27.4 |
| Mark Gilbert Morse | 4.3 |
| Browell Smith & Co | 20.9 |
| Graysons | 10.1 |
| Watson Burton | 7.2 |
| Irwin Mitchells | 12.4 |
| Randell Saunders | 3.3 |
| Total | 211.3 |
| Vibration White Finger | |
| Thompsons | 70.1 |
| Browell Smith & Co | 40.5 |
| Union of Democratic Mineworkers | 43.8 |
| Raleys | 28.5 |
| Hugh James Ford Simey | 28.6 |
| Graysons | 22.0 |
| Moss | 14.2 |
| Watson Burton | 23.1 |
| AMS Law | 12.8 |
| Towells | 16.6 |
| Total | 300.4 |
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