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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.

£ million

UKAEA nuclear decommissioning
1997–98162.2
1998–99256.9
1999–2000183.5
2000–01219.9
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 visitsNumber of respiratory disease domiciliary visits
(a) St. Helens South115
(b) Merseyside533
(c) North-west28173
(d) England2011,815
(e) Scotland48389
(f) Wales 63982

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:

RegionNumber
St. Helens, South46
Merseyside129
North-west591
England7,278
Scotland871
Wales3,400

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:

(a) Respiratory disease

Average waiting time in days
(i) North-west(ii) Scotland(iii) Wales
Live cases7648123
Deceased cases395652

(b) Vibration white finger

(i) North-west(ii) Scotland(iii) Wales
Average waiting time in days864753

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:

Regional breakdown of number of new claims for vibration white finger

2001 St. Helens, SouthMerseysideNorth-westEnglandScotlandWales
January18468124756
February310307232484
March814631,57439104
April2351321,763112128
May26311,3709189
June114501,32380108
July215641,3989395
August18371,2554976
September216591,06855103
October623711,544173195
November11371072,18313895
December822611,1089375

Regional breakdown of number of new claims for respiratory disease

2001 St. Helens, SouthMerseysideNorth-westEnglandScotlandWales
January14291153,783341906
February15491142,485271768
March15521873,6582171,280
April27621562,461188480
May21541522,972365659
June11331143,551245278
July14321453,088259274
August13341522,629183328
September14461463,074193409
October321033393,544184503
November501363432,379227279
December19631611,637151169

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:

RegionNumber of expedited paymentsAverage payment £
(a) St. Helens, South403,978
(b) Merseyside1464,464
(c) North-west6744,523
(d) England8,6614,117
(e) Scotland9434,424
(f) Wales1,2013,630

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, South330207
Merseyside790681
north-west3,2342,328
England37,05562,326
Scotland7,3264,069
Wales17,9458,814

(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

(£ million)

SolicitorTotal damages paid
Respiratory Disease
Thompsons62.2
Hugh James Ford Simey47.6
Union of Democratic Mineworkers16.1
Raleys27.4
Mark Gilbert Morse4.3
Browell Smith & Co20.9
Graysons10.1
Watson Burton7.2
Irwin Mitchells12.4
Randell Saunders3.3
Total211.3
Vibration White Finger
Thompsons70.1
Browell Smith & Co40.5
Union of Democratic Mineworkers43.8
Raleys28.5
Hugh James Ford Simey28.6
Graysons22.0
Moss14.2
Watson Burton23.1
AMS Law12.8
Towells16.6
Total300.4


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