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28 Nov 2002 : Column 443W—continued
Shipyards
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the effect that implementation of the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations will have on Scottish shipyards. [81007]
Mrs. Liddell: The implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (96/61/EC) is devolved to the Scottish Executive. The Directive was implemented in Scotland by the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (Scotland) 2000, which the
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Executive proposes to amend to defer until 2007 the date when existing shipyards are required to apply for permits to carry out organotin coating activities.
Union of the Crowns
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much of her Department's budget has been allocated to provide for celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns. [82433]
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations she has had from the Scottish Executive regarding plans to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns; and when she received them. [82434]
Mrs. Liddell: The First Minister wrote to me on 7 November with proposals to commemorate this and other important dates in Scottish history as a means of promoting tourism. A steering group is being established on which my Department will be represented.
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans she has to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns. [82435]
Mrs. Liddell: My Department will be part of the Steering Group which will consider what might be done to commemorate this date.
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Victims of Crime
38. Keith Vaz: To ask the Solicitor-General, when she next plans to meet the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss communications with the victims of crime [82006]
The Solicitor-General: I meet with the Director of Public Prosecutions on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues including victims of crime.
The CPS has recently completed national implementation of the Direct Communication with Victims initiative which involves the lawyer explaining to the victim the decision to drop or alter a charge.
Public Interest Cases
39. Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Solicitor-General, what her practice is in relation to consulting the Crown Prosecution Service in respect of decisions which are likely to be of substantial public interest. [82007]
The Solicitor-General: In the relatively few cases where the Attorney General's consent is required for a prosecution it is usual for the prosecuting authority to give us its views when asking for consent.
Apart from such cases, decisions are for the prosecuting authority. The Director of Public prosecutions and other heads of prosecution agencies occasionally consult the Law Officers before taking decisions, particularly where these are likely to be of substantial public interest.
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Deceased Victims
40. Andrew George: To ask the Solicitor-General what policy is applied by the Crown Prosecution Servcie in respect of the protection of the reputation of deceased victims. [82009]
The Solicitor-General: If the reputation of a victim is impugned during the course of a trial, unless the assertion is relevant to an issue in the case the prosecutor will object to the line of questioning. If the assertion is relevant to the facts of the case and the prosecutor believes it may be untrue, he or she should consider seeking and calling evidence in rebuttal. In appropriate cases the prosecutor will seek the court's leave to cross-examine the defendant as to his or her own bad character.
Crown Prosecution Service
41. Simon Hughes: To ask the Solicitor-General, what is the policy of the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to the prosecution of incitement to racial hatred. [82010]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service reviews all allegations of inciting racial hatred in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
Before any prosecution can be brought there are two tests that must be satisfied, firstly, there must be sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of a conviction, and secondly the prosecution must be in the public interest.
The Code for Crown Prosecutors specifically states that Xa prosecution is likely to be needed if the offence was motivated by any form of discrimination against the victim's ethnic or national origin.
Car Parking
Mr. Christopher Chope: To ask the Solicitor-General how many car parking spaces are available to (a) employees of her Department and (b) visitors to her Department within the proposed central London road user charging zone. [81850]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 19 November 2002]: In relation to the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, no car parking spaces are available for employees or visitors. Parking for the Ministerial cars of the Attorney General and myself are arranged off-site by the Government car agency.
The Treasury Solicitor's Department has no parking spaces available for employees or visitors.
The Crown Prosecution Service has a total for 32 car parking spaces spread over two offices within the central London road user charging zone. Generally these are available to staff or visitors on a Xby need" basis in connection with the Department's business.
The Serious Fraud Office has a total of 25 spaces, of which 10 spaces are allocated to staff with domestic or medical needs. The remaining 15 are available for booking to visitors, staff (not in the category mentioned previously) and for other operational reasons.
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HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has no car parking spaces within the central London road user charging zone for either employees or visitors.
Congestion Charging
Mr. Chope: To ask the Solicitor-General what the estimated cost is to her Department of the Central London Road User Charging Scheme for (a) 17 February 2003 to 31 March 2003, and (b) 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004. [81888]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 19 November 2002]: In relation to the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, the cost of the charge on the two ministerial cars used by the Attorney-General and myself will be borne in the first instance by the Government Car Agency. No figures are currently available to me for the cost, if any, that will be passed to the Department. No employees of the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers travel by car to work. Should the use of a private car be essential or cost effective for any special reason, the Department would bear the cost of the charge. It is not expected that any such occasion should arise.
The policy of the Treasury Solicitor's Department is to encourage its employees not to use private vehicles on official business and to encourage them to use public transport. The Department will, however, pay road tolls, including the Central London Road User Charge, where use of a private vehicle is essential or where the journey remains cost effective in comparison to the use of public transport.
The Crown Prosecution Service has no figures to show the estimated cost of the Central London Road User Charge for either of the specified periods.
The estimates of the likely additional costs to the Serious Fraud Office as a result of the introduction of the Central London Road User Charge are in relation to (a) £1,000 and (b) £10,000.
In respect of HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, use of private cars is rare. It is estimated that the cost of the Central London Road User Charge is unlikely to exceed for the relevant periods (a) £20 and (b) £100.
Royal Family
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Solicitor-General what guidance she has issued to the CPS on approaching members of the Royal Family for statements when they may be material witnesses in a prosecution. [82008]
The Solicitor-General : I have not issued guidance to the CPS. The CPS is responsible for the prosecution of criminal cases and will provide advice to the police in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors taking into account any new evidence or relevant information as a case progresses. However, as the police are responsible for investigating allegations of criminal offences and obtaining evidence, the police rather than the CPS would obtain any witness statements.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
National Minimum Wage
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in the Greater London area have received the recent increase in the national minimum wage. [82369]
Alan Johnson: Using the data on low pay collected by the Office for National Statistics in spring 2002, the DTI estimates that around 40,000 people in the London area stood to benefit from the October 2002 increase in the national minimum wage.
Electricity Generation
Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost per kilowatt hour is of electricity generated by (a) existing coal fired stations, (b) existing gas stations, (c) new gas stations, (d) AGR, (e) Magnox, (f) onshore wind and (g) offshore wind. [82901]
Mr. Wilson: The costs of generating electricity are a commercial matter for generators.
Costs can be estimated on a variety of bases and will vary from plant to plant. For example, figures can include all cost items, including depreciation and return on capital, or can refer only to the additional costs associated with continued operation. The costs of plant using fossil fuel will vary as fuel prices change.
Estimate of the cost of generating electricity from new and existing coal- and gas-fired power stations were published in chapter 5 of the 1998 White Paper, XConclusions of the Review of Energy Sources for Power Generation" (http://www .dti.gov.uk/energy/publications/whitepapers/review sources/chpt05.pdf).
Projections of future generation costs using different technologies (including renewables) are available in:
- (i) chapter 6 of the Performance and Innovation Unit's XEnergy Review" (http://www.piu.gov.uk/2002/energy/report/9.html), which was published in February 2002; and
(ii) chapter 6 of the Inter-departmental Analysts' Group report, XLong-Term Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the UK" (http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/greenhousegas/cost.pdf), which was published in February 2002.
Information on electricity generation and the cost of operating the Magnox stations is contained in the report and accounts of Magnox Electric plc. I have arranged for a copy to be placed in Libraries of the House.
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