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Post Offices
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which post offices in the Spelthorne constituency Consignia is planning to close. [66494]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 2 July 2002]: The programme to restructure the urban post office network has not yet started and I am advised by Post Office Limited that, until it does, there are no specific plans for post office closures in the Spelthorne constituency. When the programme starts it will be taken forward in consultation with individual subpostmasters, the community, local stakeholders and Postwatch. Under the Code of Practice, Post Office Limited is required to consult Postwatch on individual changes and is briefing it on the process envisaged for reaching decisions.
The objective of the urban network restructuring programme is to provide modernised and improved facilities which meet customers' needs and expectations and are in the right location for the local community.
Public Houses (Drink Measurement)
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy towards full pints of beer being served in pubs. [66522]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 2 July 2002]: In March the Department issued a consultation paper on revised proposals to tighten consumer protection against short measure draught beer and cider. The period for submitting comments on the proposals ended on 1 July and a statement will be made in due course.
Post Office Closures
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the post offices in the (a) Epsom and Ewell constituency and (b) United Kingdom which Consignia is proposing to close. [65703]
Mr. Timms: I am advised by Post Office Limited that no such lists exist. The programme to restructure the urban post office network has not yet started. When it does it will be taken forward in consultation with individual sub-postmasters, the community, local stakeholders and Postwatch. Under the Code of Practice, Post Office Limited
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is required to consult Postwatch on individual changes and is briefing it on the process envisaged for reaching decisions.
The objective of the urban network restructuring programme is to provide modernised and improved facilities which meet customers' needs and expectations and are in the right location for the local community.
Nuclear Power Stations
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what provision has been made for the evacuation of Mersea Island in the event of an emergency at Bradwell Power Station; and what estimate has been made about how long this would take. [64959]
Mr. Wilson: As with all UK civil nuclear sites, well developed and regularly tested arrangements for responding to an emergency at Bradwell Power Station are in place as part of the licensing requirements imposed by HSE's nuclear installations inspectorate. Detailed emergency plans are prepared for an area within the 2.4 km detailed emergency planning zone for Bradwell. Mersea Island is outside the detailed emergency planning zone for Bradwell; the boundary of this zone is defined in relation to the most significant release of radiation from an accident which can be seen through reasonably foreseeable scenarios and is derived from the safety case established for the site. Beyond this, plans must be capable of being extended to deal with larger, less likely events. This principle of extendibility is an important part of civil nuclear emergency response arrangements. Use is made of the general plans prepared by the police, local authority and other agencies for a wide range of events. These do not provide for the detailed estimation of evacuation times which would need to take into account the circumstances at the time: ie time of day, prevailing weather conditions and the state of the tide.
Bradwell Power Station ceased generating electricity on 31 March 2002 and will be decommissioned over the next few years. This process will reduce the radiological hazard.
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on the closure of nuclear power stations; and if they will pay for the disposal of nuclear waste from nuclear power stations. [66097]
Mr. Wilson: The operation of a nuclear power station is a matter for the relevant operator, subject to meeting the necessary regulatory requirements. The Government have already announced that, through the proposed Liabilities Management Authority, it will take on direct financial responsibility for the decommissioning and clean-up of BNFL's Magnox stations. Financial responsibility for the decommissioning of private sector nuclear power stations and the management of spent fuel and all associated wastes and materials is a matter for the operator concerned.
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, when the liabilities of a nuclear power station exceed its assets, the Government will allow it to continue in business. [66102]
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Mr. Wilson: If the liabilities of any company exceed its assets, it is a matter for the directors of that company to decide whether the company should continue trading. In addition, in the case of a nuclear power company operating on sites licensed under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate would continue to monitor closely the company's activities to ensure it continued to maintain its safety performance.
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's policy regarding building new nuclear power stations. [66105]
Mr. Wilson: In common with all generation options, the initiative for bringing forward proposals to construct new plant lies with the market and the generating companies. British Energy and BNFL have said they have no current plans for such proposals.
Office for Civil Nuclear Security
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry at which sites her Office for Civil Nuclear Security and HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate have jointly conducted audits of plant security; and on what dates, involving how many personnel the audits were conducted. [63844]
Mr. Wilson: The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the independent security regulator and HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), the safety regulator have a close working relationship and undertook an immediate joint review of security and safety issues of all UK civil nuclear sites in the light of the terrorist attacks in the United States last September. In the light of that review, sites were visited either jointly or by the relevant Regulator depending on the functions of the site concerned, its complexity, and other relevant factors. Since 11 September inspectors from both regulatory bodies have undertaken joint reviews at Capenhurst, Dounreay, Sellafield and Springfields.
Liabilities Management
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the work of the Liabilities Management Authority. [66103]
Mr. Wilson: The Government's plans for the LMA will be set out in a White Paper to be published shortly.
BNFL
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the transfer of BNFL assets to LMA. [66104]
Mr. Wilson: The Government's plans for the transfer of BNFL's assets to LMA will be set out in a White Paper to be published shortly.
Draft Takeovers Directive
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals the Government have for the European Union Takeovers Directive; if she will make a statement on the current state of the draft Takeovers Directive; and if she will make a statement. [65712]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government are presently awaiting a new proposal from the European Commission.
Cefn Croes Wind Farm
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library (a) reports and (b) advice she received relating to the Cefn Croes wind farm application in Ceredigion. [65515]
Mr. Wilson: The advice of the National Assembly for Wales has already been placed in the Libraries of the House. Under Exemption 2—internal discussion and advice—of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, I do not intend to publish the advice from the DTI officials to Ministers.
Renewable Energy Investment
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the promised £260 million in renewable energy investment has been made; to which projects it has been allocated; and how much electricity is expected to be produced by the projects by 2010. [65115]
Mr. Wilson: £260 million has been allocated to the following projects:
- £55.5 million per annum for research and development
£74 million for Offshore Wind Capital Grants
£81.5 million for Bioenergy Capital Grants
£20 million for Photovoltaics
£10 million for Community and Household Capital Grants
£2.5 million for Planning Facilitation work
£10 million for Blue Skies Research
£5 million for Wave and Tidal development
£4 million for Net Metering, Storage and Control Technologies
£6 million for Photovoltaic Field Trials.
Most of the programmes are intended to support research, development and pre-commercial demonstration of renewable technologies. Only the Offshore Wind and Bioenergy Capital Grants programmes are expected to contribute to the 2010 target. These programmes will result in approximately 1,300 megawatts of capacity or 1.5 per cent. of electricity supply.
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