| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Disaster Planning
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance with disaster planning she provides to small businesses. [40115]
Nigel Griffiths: The Government have established the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) to improve the UK's resilience to disruptive challenges at every level through improved anticipation, preparation, prevention and resolution.
The SBS and its business link network can also advise companies on a number of disaster management issues. Companies should contact their local business link operator. The business link website: http://www.businesslink.org will put small firms in touch with their local provider.
Regional Development Agencies
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if she will make a statement on measures to improve public awareness of the roles of regional development agencies; [41903]
- (2) if she will make a statement on the costs of measures to raise public awareness of the roles of regional development agencies over the next three years. [41904]
Alan Johnson: Significant developments in the role of the regional development agencies have been and will continue to be publicised through departmental Press
13 Mar 2002 : Column 1080W
Notices. In addition the DTI maintains information on the RDAs on its website. Ministers will continue to raise public awareness of the role of RDAs through speeches and in other ways. There are no specific plans to hold additional events to raise public awareness.
It is for the RDAs to ensure that they maintain a sufficient public profile in their regions to fulfil their role as the champions of regional economic development, and to ensure public awareness of their activities. Press Notices, publication of their various strategies, their corporate plans and their annual reports, and maintaining websites are some of the ways in which they do this.
Debt Management Companies
Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to improve the capacity of clients of debt management companies to obtain compensation after receiving bad advice from such companies. [35796]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Director General of Fair Trading issued guidelines for debt management companies last December to ensure they deal fairly and openly with their customers. The guidelines require debt management companies to respond promptly and fairly to complaints about their services. They also require that a contract should set out the circumstances in which a consumer may withdraw and receive a refund and should not include any term which says or implies that there are no circumstances in which a consumer is entitled to a refund.
South West Regional Development Agency
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the administrative costs of each of the organisations which were merged into the South West Regional Development Agency in each of the final three years of their independent life. [41878]
Alan Johnson: These costs are not held centrally and it would incur disproportionate costs to assemble the information requested. The administrative budget of the South West Regional Development Agency in 1999–2000 was £7.086 million, but this reflected the total administration of the agency, not just the costs of the legacy organisations.
UK Coal Plc
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what state aid has been received by UK Coal plc in the last two years in the aggregate; and how this was apportioned to each colliery. [42221]
Mr. Wilson: UK Coal plc has received £75 million under the UK Coal Operating Aid Scheme in the last two years. These sums have been awarded in respect of four collieries, apportioned as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Harworth colliery | 14,722,100 |
| Maltby colliery | 13,559,700 |
| Rossington colliery | 3,207,200 |
| Selby complex | 43,511,000 |
| Total | 75,000,000 |
13 Mar 2002 : Column 1081W
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what communications she has had with UK Coal plc in relation to their decisions on shareholder dividends over the last two years. [42222]
Mr. Wilson: There have been no communications between my Department and UK Coal plc in relation to their decisions on shareholder dividends over the last two years.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what approaches have been made to her Department by UK Coal plc with a view to extending the state aid scheme of deep-mined coal subsidy beyond its present expiry date. [42220]
Mr. Wilson: I have received no formal request from UK Coal plc for an extension of the UK Coal Operating Aid Scheme, although the matter has been raised informally in meetings with officials.
Prince of Wales Colliery
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what communications she has had with UK Coal plc relating to the possibility of continued state aid for the Prince of Wales Colliery beyond the present expiry date for state aid; and what her estimate is of (a) accessible coal reserves at the Prince of Wales colliery and (b) the cost of accessing these reserves. [42223]
Mr. Wilson: No state aid has been paid in respect of the Prince of Wales Colliery, and I have received no request for such aid.
IMC Group Consulting Ltd undertook a detailed review of the Prince of Wales Colliery on behalf of the DTI in January. This examined the extent of reserves and the costs of their access in a number of possible development scenarios. It concluded that there were no areas that would sustain long-term viable production. The report is available on the DTI website on http://www2.dti.gov.uk/ energy/pow/pdf.
Company Law Review
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what conclusions she has drawn from the results of the company law review; and if she will make a statement. [42065]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare (Brian Cotter) on 15 October 2001, Official Report, column 982W.
Development Planning
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the role of councils in the planning process in the next five years. [41906]
Ms Keeble: I have been asked to reply.
The Government have set out in the Planning Green Paper "Planning: delivering a fundamental change" proposals to significantly simplify the arrangements under which County, District and Unitary councils are responsible for preparing and adopting development plans. We will put forward firm proposals once we have
13 Mar 2002 : Column 1082W
considered the responses to consultation, which finishes on 18 March. Thereafter implementation will depend on the making of necessary changes to primary legislation.
TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND
THE REGIONS
Mersey Basin Trust
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the future of the Mersey Basin Trust. [37115]
Ms Keeble: The Mersey Basin Trust is a registered charity and as such its future is a matter for its Trustees to determine in the first instance.
London Underground
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether (a) the conditions precedent, as referred to at http:// www.railways.dtlr.gov.uk/lunderground/factsheets/safety/ index.htm and as published by his Department on 11 February, are signed and (b) other conditions, which must be satisfied before the final contracts on the London Underground PPP, include the contractual safety cases for each infrastructure company. [40340]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 88W and 11 March 2002 Official Report, columns 735-36W.
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what percentage of deep sub-surface line mileage on Britain's roads is subject to speed restrictions; and by how much this has changed in the last five years. [41608]
Mr. Jamieson: I understand that the hon. Member is referring to deep and sub-surface lines on London Underground. This is an operational matter for London Underground who have provided the information in the table.
| Deep tube lines | Sub-surface lines | |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of Network subject to speed restrictions at 1996–97 year end | 0.1 | 6.2 |
| Percentage of Network subject to speed restrictions at 2001–02 year end | 0.3 | 3.5 |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |