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19 Dec 2002 : Column 896W—continued
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Adulterated Food
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many successful prosecutions have been brought since 1997 against persons who have doctored and sold on to retailers adulterated food which is unfit for human consumption; what the (a) average length of imprisonment and (b) fine levied was; and if he will make a statement. [86589]
Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
The available information is given in the table.
(1) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.
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Transsexual People
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to amend the genuine occupation requirements included in the Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999 to remove reasons for refusing transsexuals jobs. [87279]
Ms Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
The Government is now considering whether, once legal recognition is given to a transsexual person's acquired gender, the Genuine Occupational Qualifications exceptions in the Gender Reassignment Regulations should be modified.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Military Exports
Mr. Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has in respect of military exports to ensure that end-use certificates specify final user and destination. [87287]
Nigel Griffiths: End user undertakings must be consistent with the model format published on the Department of Trade & Industry's Export Control Organisation website, which specifies the end user and destination.
The website address is http://www.dti.gov.uk/export.control
Nuclear Materials
Mr. Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress of the UK's contribution to clearing-up nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union. [86956]
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Mr. Wilson: The Department has now completed putting in place a fairly complex project and risk management framework to allow us to commit substantial UK funding to assist Russia in particular through our Former Soviet Union Nuclear Legacy Programme. The budget for this programme is some #32 million next year and is expected to run at least this level for the foreseeable future. The programme covers a wide range of nuclear legacy issues including supporting work on weapons plutonium disposition, closed nuclear cities, nuclear safety technical assistance, nuclear security projects, social consequences projects and contributing funding to multilateral projects on decommissioning and the Chernobyl Shelter.
A number of important projects have already been identified and the means of delivery is now in place to assist in tackling the nuclear legacy in NW Russia an area where we expect up to a third of our funding to be focused over the next few years. UK grant-aid funding for work to provide for the safe management of spent nuclear fuel stocks and for dismantling decommissioned nuclear submarines is therefore ready to flow now. However, before this funding can commence with actual projects on the ground, a suitable legal framework must be agreed with Russia to cover important issues such as third part liability, taxation and access. Hopefully, and after some delay, we are in the final stages of concluding just such a bilateral agreement under which substantive project work will begin. A similar multilateral agreement is also, again hopefully, in its final stages and will provide the mechanism for substantial multilateral assistance. I would emphasise however that the delay in signing the bilateral agreement has not delayed the preparation of projects and a number will be ready to go as soon as the agreement is in place next year.
The nuclear legacy in NW Russia, as represented by the 100 or so decommissioned nuclear submarines and their associated spent fuel and waste, is such that it is only by active bilateral and multilateral funding that they can be tackled quickly and safely. The UK is
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playing a leading role in ensuring co-operation and coordination with Russia and between the various donor countries in order that this funding is effective.
Attending the Baltic Conference of Energy Ministers in Vilnius, Lithuania in November, I committed #700,000 to purchase and install physical protection equipment for two Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers. During this visit I also met with representatives of the UK industry actively involved in planning for the decommissioning of the Ignalina nuclear power station and ameliorating the social consequences of nuclear power plant closure. UK companies have vast experience in these areas and through our social consequences work, we are supporting a number of regeneration and economic projects in Lithuania and Ukraine.
We will be publishing the first annual report about progress in establishing this programme early next year and further details of specific projects and the programme will be made available on the DTI web site.
Appointments
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to which bodies her Department makes appointments; how many members there are (a) in total and (b) in each body; and how many of those appointed are (i) businessmen, (ii) businessmen in SMEs and (iii) businessmen in micro-businesses. [87397]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 16 December 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 607W.
Civil Servants
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many civil servants are employed by his Department; and how much money was spent by her Department in the last 12 months, broken down by local authority area. [87181]
Ms Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, on 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 608W.
Details of DTI expenditure is not broken down by local authority area.
Debt Advisory Agencies
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the rates of interest charged by debt advisory agencies is included in her review of customer credit legislation. [88043]
Miss Melanie Johnson: A specific investigation of the rates charged by debt advisory agencies will not form a part of the Consumer Credit Review. We are, however, planning to consult on ways to improve the consumer credit licensing regime and to increase protection for consumers in respect of extortionate credit in general.
All providers of debt management and advisory services are required to be licensed by the Director General of Fair Trading under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. In December 2001, the Office of Fair Trading
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issued guidance to consumer credit licence holders and applicants on how it expects debt management companies to conduct their affairs.
Export Licences
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the (a) items and (b) value of the items, exported under the open individual export licences (i) Bolivia, numbers 1 to 9, (ii) Kenya, numbers 1 to 30, (iii) Ghana, numbers 1 to 16, (iv) Angola, numbers 1 to 4, (v) Zambia, numbers 1 to 5, (vi) Yemen, numbers 1 to 3 and (vii) Tanzania, numbers 1 and 2 granted in 2001. [87259]
Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 16 December 2002]: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) on 18 March 2002, Official Report, column 53W.
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