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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Asbestos-related Diseases
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) victims and (b) relations of victims of asbestos-related diseases have (i) successfully sued their former employers and (ii) were refused compensation in the last 10 years. [34808]
Mr. Wilson: This information is not held by Government Departments.
Performance Targets
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the target has been in each of the last five years for efficiency savings as a percentage of total running costs for each of the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible; and if the target was met. [49646]
Ms Hewitt: Details of the performance against key targets by the Department's executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are published in the annual reports and annual accounts of individual NDPBs. Copies are available in the Library of the House.
EU Energy Tax
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had at EU level on the proposed EU energy tax; and if she will make a statement. [50444]
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Mr. Wilson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Paymaster General on 22 April 2002, Official Report, column 94W.
Research Council
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 18 March 2002, Official Report, column 86W, on the Research Council, what the Government's policy was on the Commission's proposed action plan for biotechnology and life sciences in Europe. [50994]
Ms Hewitt: The Government's position on the European Commission's Communication "Life Sciences and Biotechnology—A strategy for Europe" (COM(2002)27 final) was explained in Explanatory Memorandum 6415–02, which was placed in the Libraries of the House on 20 March 2002.
Business Volunteer Mentoring Association
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many businesses (a) from the Buckingham constituency and (b) in total have received mentoring support from the Business Volunteer Mentoring Association in each year since its inception; [51387]
- (2) how many volunteers (a) in total and (b) from the Buckingham constituency have signed up to the Business Volunteer Mentoring Association in each year since its inception; and how much funding her Department has provided to the association. [51386]
Nigel Griffiths: Since its inception in January 2000, the numbers of volunteers signed up to the Business Volunteer Mentoring Association were approximately 750 in 2000 and a further 250 in 2001 with approximately 2,350 and 3,550 clients receiving mentoring support in those years respectively. Approaching £2 million has currently been provided in support of the association. Information on a constituency basis is not available, however in 2000 and 2001, 11 and three volunteers respectively signed up from the Buckinghamshire area. Client information on an area basis can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Solar Panels
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government buildings owned by her Department have solar panels installed. [51196]
Ms Hewitt: My Department has investigated installing solar panels on its HQ building at 1 Victoria Street but this did not prove to be cost-effective. Another of its buildings in Wandsworth may be better suited to solar panels and this will be thoroughly examined when the roof to this building is renewed in the next year or two.
The Insolvency Service will be installing 20kWp of PV laminates in the atrium at its HQ building in Bloomsbury, part funded (45 per cent.) by a grant from the Large Scale Building Integrated Photo-Voltaic Field Trial. Installation is expected to be completed before the end of this calendar year. Companies House are also investigating using solar thermal systems to meet their hot water requirements.
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The Department also supports renewable electricity through sourcing 33 per cent. of supplies to its London HQ estate from green generation.
Coal Health Compensation Scheme
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many full and final offers were made as part of the Coal Health Compensation Scheme for respiratory disease for each region and nation in the UK for the first three months of 2002. [51539]
Mr. Wilson: The numbers of full and final offers, including denials and negative offers, for respiratory disease broken down by region for the first three months of 2002 are as follows:
| Full and final offers | January | February | March |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | |||
| South Wales | 679 | 656 | 996 |
| Other | 13 | 24 | 27 |
| Total | 692 | 680 | 1,023 |
| Scotland | 164 | 190 | 218 |
| England | |||
| Nottinghamshire | 206 | 241 | 300 |
| Yorkshire | 839 | 1,028 | 1,087 |
| North East | 252 | 471 | 476 |
| North West | 149 | 186 | 204 |
| Midlands | 233 | 285 | 384 |
| South | 68 | 108 | 95 |
| Other | 7 | 8 | 16 |
| Total | 2,610 | 3,197 | 3,803 |
Mobile Licences
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has for entering into a vendor financing deal with third generation mobile licence holders; and if she will make a statement. [51768]
Mr. Alexander: Vendor financing is a commercial matter for the companies themselves, not Government.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the names of the successful bidders and amounts bid in the auction of third generation mobile licences were; and if she will make a statement. [51766]
Mr. Alexander: The successful bidders in the 3G Auction and the amounts bid in the final round were announced by press notice on 27 April 2000 as:
| Bidder | Amount bid |
|---|---|
| TIW UMTS (UK) Limited(5) | 4,384,700,000 |
| Vodafone Limited | 5,964,000,000 |
| BT(3G) Limited | 4,030,100,000 |
| One2One Personal Communications Limited | 4,003,600,000 |
| Orange 3G Limited | 4,095,000,000 |
(5) Now named Hutchison 3G (UK) Limited
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money was raised by the auction of third generation mobile licences; and if she will make a statement. [51765]
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Mr. Alexander: The total raised by the auction of third generation mobile licences amounted to £22,477,400,000.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what form payment for the third generation mobile licences will take; what instalments are still to be paid; what the schedules for those instalments are; and if she will make a statement. [51767]
Mr. Alexander: Payment for each of the licence fees set by the 3G Auction of April 2000 were made in full before the issue of the operational licences.
Alternative Fuels
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what discussions her Department has had in the last 12 months with industry relating to the further development of the supply infrastructure for LPG. [51968]
- (2) what recent discussions her Department has had with the transport industry relating to the conversion of vehicles to alternative fuels. [51967]
Mr. Wilson: New sites are opening at a rate of more than one per day, with 1,106 sites as at 26 March 2002. The Boost initiative is specifically aimed at increasing product demand in areas where infrastructure needs to be developed further.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she is having with oil companies over targets set for energy production involving renewable energy; and which oil companies have been involved in the discussions. [51957]
Mr. Wilson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and I meet a number of companies with interests in renewable energy, including companies from the oil and gas sector, in the course of our duties.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans her Department has to review the effects of the Renewables Obligation on the renewable energy industry. [51969]
Mr. Wilson: Ofgem have undertaken to monitor the implementation of the Renewables Obligation, and will produce an annual, publicly available, report on compliance. The first such report will cover the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003.
The Department will also be carefully monitoring developments and we plan to conduct a substantive review of progress made in 2006–07. That report will also be publicly available.
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