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Departmental Policies (Isle of Wight)

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the activities pursued by her Department that have had a particular impact on the Isle of Wight since 7 June 2001. [57672]

Alan Johnson [holding answer 10 June 2002]: There are a wide variety of Trade and Industry initiatives being undertaken to help the Isle of Wight economy that are delivered by a number of different agencies. Among those initiatives that have had a particular impact since 7 June 2001, is the south-east RDA-led Isle of Wight Enterprise Hub initiative that has secured £500,000 funding to upgrade skills in the composites and advanced materials sector; DTI Smart Scheme grants totalling £230,517 offered to three companies; and DTI Enterprise Scheme grants totalling £468,135 offered to 18 companies.

Company Takeovers

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received on the takeover offer made on 28 March by GBV Funfte GmbH,

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for the whole of the issued share capital of Innogy Holdings plc with regard to the requirements of section 429(4) of the Companies Act and Schedule 12 to the Financial Services Act 1986; and if he will make a statement. [66591]

Miss Melanie Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has received two written representations on behalf of shareholders raising issues concerning section 429(4) of the Companies Act 1985 and Schedule 12 to the Financial Services Act 1986 and arising from the above takeover offer.

Data Protection Act

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the Data Protection Act 1998 on business transactions and volume of paperwork which has resulted. [67262]

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.

I apologise for the delay in replying. This was due to an administrative oversight. An estimate of the likely impact upon business of the Data Protection Act 1998 is contained in the December 1997 Regulatory Impact Assessment on the EC data protection directive to which the 1998 Act gives effect. This shows recurring costs to business of £630 million a year, and non-recurring costs of £836 million. The regulatory impact assessment is available on the Lord Chancellor's Department's website (www.lcd.gov.uk), and a copy is in the Library of the House. I have no additional quantified information on the impact of the 1998 Act on business transactions or the volume of paperwork.

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from businesses as to difficulties in meeting the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998; and if she will make a statement. [67261]

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply. I apologise for the delay in replying. This was due to an administrative oversight. About 25 organisations representing business interests responded to the Government's autumn 2000 consultation on the impact of the Data Protection Act 1998. A list of the respondents is in the summary of responses which was published in December 2001. The summary of responses is available on the Lord Chancellor's Department's website (www.lcd.gov.uk), and a copy is in the Library of the House. Since the consultation, the Lord Chancellor's Department has additionally received a small number of representations from or on behalf of businesses.

Auditors

Mr. Burnett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on rotation of companies' auditors for quoted public companies; and if she will make a statement. [68250]

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Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government will consider the need for rotation of statutory auditors for quoted public companies in the light of the interim report of the Co-ordinating Group on Audit and Accountancy issues.

Auditing

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new steps she is taking to tighten the rules on auditing procedures. [71937]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government will consider the need to review auditing procedures in the light of the interim report of the Co-ordinating Group on Audit and Accountancy issues.

Export Centres

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether an application was made by Harvey Logistics/Harvey Military Supplies in 2001 for the export of mortar bombs and parts of mortar primers to Namibia. [68811]

Nigel Griffiths: The Department of Trade and Industry's export control organisation does not normally comment on export licence applications, which are commercially confidential and exempt from disclosure under Part II, Exemption 13 and 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Details of all relevant export licences issued and refused since 2 May 1997 are published by destination in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, copies of which are placed in the Libraries of the House.

Trawlermen (Compensation)

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of processed claims made under the Icelandic Waters Trawlermen's compensation scheme have been rejected. [70839]

Nigel Griffiths: Excluding duplicates, 60 per cent. of claims have been accepted and 40 per cent. of claims have been rejected. The calculation does not include claims that have not yet been decided. It includes as rejections claims that have been rejected but are being reviewed by the Department or have been referred to the independent adjudicator.

WorldCom

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what complaints were received by her Department about accounting practices at WorldCom in Britain in 1999; and what action was taken to investigate. [70754]

Miss Melanie Johnson: It is a long established practice that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry does not comment on the affairs of individual companies nor does she confirm or deny any particular investigation.

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Accountancy and Audit Regulator

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her co-ordinating Group on Audit and Accountancy issues (a) has discussed and (b) will discuss (i) an independent Regulator of Accountancy and (ii) a ban on sales of other services by auditors to audit clients. [70715]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Co-ordinating Group has discussed both regulation of the accountancy profession and the provision of non-audit services by auditors to their audit clients. I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry earlier today.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether she plans to review major reform in accountancy regulation (a) now and (b) at the end of the first five years of the existence of the Accountancy Foundation; [70716]

(2) what plans she has to set up an Independent Regulator for Accountancy and Audit. [70714]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government will consider the need to review accountancy regulation in the light of the interim report of the Co-ordinating Group on Audit and Accountancy issues.

Gas Storage

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals her Department has to encourage oil and gas companies to utilise existing offshore gas reservoirs for re-injected gas storage; and if she will make a statement. [71468]

Mr. Wilson: Making such proposals is a commercial matter for the oil and gas companies; the Department stands ready to assess such proposals for the purpose of issuing the necessary consents, notably production licences and pipe-line authorisations. Meanwhile the Department and Ofgem are ensuring industry and public awareness of the case for additional gas storage facilities, whether offshore or onshore, through the work of the Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group (JESS). JESS's first report, published in June, noted that there is uncertainty about the adequacy of gas supplies to meet demand from consumers during a period of sustained peak demand from about 2004–05, and that additional infrastructure (including gas storage) may be the most efficient way of ensuring security of supply.

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with major oil and gas companies about the future utilisation of depleted gas reservoirs in offshore fields for gas storage; and if she will make a statement. [71466]

Mr. Wilson: The Department discusses this and other issues with petroleum companies from time to time. Details of such discussions are commercially confidential.

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Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessments she has made of the (a) current volume of depleted gas reservoirs in offshore fields and (b) potential volume of gas reservoirs in offshore fields, which could be used for re-injected gas storage; and if she will make a statement about gas reservoir depletion. [71467]

Mr. Wilson: It is for the oil and gas companies to make such assessments, and to come forward with commercial proposals. As gas production from some gas fields on the UK Continental Shelf stops, there may well be further opportunities—following the example of Rough—to use a number of reservoirs for gas storage. Whether a particular reservoir is suitable will depend on such factors as: how far it is depleted; whether it has the right physical characteristics, including "cushion gas" to permit easy injection/withdrawal without excessive production of liquids; and its proximity to shore.

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received about the development of onshore subterranean gas storage and processing facilities; and what her Department's policy is on the development of such facilities. [71469]

Mr. Wilson: The Department discusses such schemes with oil and gas companies, and other interested parties, from time to time. Details of such discussions are commercially confidential. In correspondence with Cheshire county council my Department has noted that gas storage facilities make a valuable contribution to the reliability of physical gas supplies and to maintaining competition in the gas supply chain, and that consumers (including electricity consumers who indirectly rely on gas) benefit in both ways. I am placing a copy of my Department's letter of 27 March in the Libraries of the House.

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