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Sound Insulation

Mrs. May: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent estimate he has made of the cost per household of improving sound insulation in houses affected by poor sound insulation. [60661]

Mr. McNulty: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not made an estimate of the cost of improving sound insulation for the existing housing stock. However, in a House of Lords ruling on two Appeal Court cases determined in 1999, it was estimated that the average cost of installing sound installation in the flats in question was £8,000 per flat. The cost in any particular case would depend on the nature and extent of the work required.

Electronic Services

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister of the central Government Departments and agencies required to meet the Prime Minister's target for electronically available services by 2005, what common problems have been revealed through the regular e-business strategy documents; and how they are being addressed. [55985]

Mr. Alexander: I have been asked to reply.

The latest e-business strategies were submitted to the e-envoy during summer 2001. An analysis of the strategies revealed several common issues.

There is a need for staff to gain necessary skills. Departments are tackling this in a number of ways with support from the centre. For example the office of the e-envoy has developed a skills map for e-government which identifies all the skills that might need to be considered when implementing e-services. In addition, the Centre for Management and Policy Studies ran a series of events where the leadership dimensions of successful e-government projects was addressed.


Additional resources are required to support IT-enabled change programmes—this is being addressed in part under the current spending review. In addition Departments may bid for funding from the Capital Modernisation Fund and Invest to Save Budget.


Departments need to update existing, or legacy, IT systems. This is a matter for Departments to address. Centrally, the Government Gateway infrastructure allows joined-up government services to be delivered electronically.


In order to more reliably assess the costs and benefits from e-government, the office of the e-envoy are considering with HM Treasury the case for developing additional guidance addressing the appraisal of risks involved in realising the benefits from e-delivery projects.


Internet-enabled 'intermediaries'—acting on behalf of their customers—can provide better access to e-government services for those without other means to benefit from online access. The office of the e-envoy has worked with intermediaries, including the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB) which has received funding to assist its advisers in 1,400 centres to deliver e-government services and advice to individuals who may not have direct internet access themselves.

Air Miles

Mr. Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many air miles he has been awarded from flights at public expense since 1 June 2001; [57837]

(2) how many (a) air miles and (b) other airline rewards members of his Department have been awarded in total since 1 June 2001. [57834]

Mr. Alexander: I have been asked to reply.

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All travel arrangements for Ministers are made in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Travel arrangements by officials are delegated to Departments in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code.

Travel by officials in my Department is subject to internal Cabinet Office guidelines, which state that benefits of frequent flying and similar schemes deriving from expenditure on official business should be used for official travel or forgone, as set out in the answer given by the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 15 March 1994, Official Report, column 646W.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Holiday Industry

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to create an independent regulator for the holiday industry; and if she will make a statement. [59097]

Miss Melanie Johnson: A considerable body of consumer protection legislation applies to the holiday industry and there are no plans to create an independent regulator.

Arms Exports

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what licences have been granted for equipment on the military list to (a) Georgia, (b) Uzbekistan, (c) Kyrgyzstan, (d) Tajikistan, (e) Turkey, (f) Bahrain, (k) Oman, (l) Jordan and (m) Yemen in each month since September 2001, including military list and dual-use ratings; what equipment is covered under these licences; and if she will make a statement. [60626]

Nigel Griffiths: The number of Standard Individual Licences (SIELs) covering items on the military and dual-use lists issued to end users in Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, the Philippines, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan and Yemen in each month since September 2001 is set out in the tables that I have placed in the Libraries of the House today. Individual licences might cover a range of items with various ratings. Where this is so, the licence is included in the tables in the total for all of the relevant ratings.

The summary description of the items covered by these ratings will be published in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, copies of which will be available in the Libraries of the House. In addition some of the countries are permitted destinations on certain Open General Export Licences, copies of which are also placed in the Libraries of the House. All relevant export licence applications are considered very carefully on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time. The criteria include a specific reference to the behaviour of the buyer country with regard to the international community, as regards in particular to its attitude to terrorism, the nature of its alliances and respect for international law.

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Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to improve the process for granting arms export licences. [60240]

Nigel Griffiths: The Government recognise that the system for processing export licence applications requires continuous improvement if we are to deliver a more efficient and effective export licensing system, which is both accountable and transparent.

The Export Control Organisation (ECO) has introduced a number of initiatives to improve the risk assessment and to reduce the time taken to process individual export licence applications. These include the roll out of new enhanced IT systems that will allow exporters to submit applications for a Standard Individual Export Licence over the internet.

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking about reports that UK arms dealers are offering prospective brokers means of circumventing licensing requirements; and if she will make a statement. [59662]

Nigel Griffiths: The Government and the UK enforcement authorities take very seriously reports of any breaches of UK export licensing requirements.

I understand that the police and HM Customs and Excise are investigating the case which was recently reported.

Street Trading

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received regarding the (a) reform and (b) repeal of the Pedlars Act 1871; and what plans she has to amend legislation relating to street trading. [60498]

Miss Melanie Johnson: One representation has been received suggesting reform or repeal of the Pedlars Act 1871 from Chelmsford borough council. I have no plans to amend street trading legislation.

Director of Civil Nuclear Security

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will place the report of the Director of Civil Nuclear Security in the Library. [61138]

Mr. Wilson: The report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by the Director of Civil Nuclear Security "The State of Security in the Civil Nuclear Industry and the Effectiveness of Security Regulation" will be placed in the Library of both Houses today. It is also being made available on the DTI website www.dti.gov.uk.

New Corporate Identities

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent work her Department has undertaken on new corporate identities; and if she will make a statement. [60073]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The independent review of company law set in hand by my Department considered the case for new corporate identities and recommended a new form of incorporation for charities. In addition, this Department's Social Enterprise Unit established a

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working group on issues surrounding social enterprises. The Government are carefully considering the final report of the company law review.

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