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13 Jan 2003 : Column 442W—continued

Industrial Tribunals

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to make (a) judgments and (b) transcripts of cases being heard by industrial tribunals available through the internet. [88791]

Alan Johnson [holding answer 7 January 2003]: There are no plans to put employment tribunal (formally industrial tribunal) decisions on the internet.

Mineworkers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many mineworkers (a) are employed in Bassetlaw, (b) were employed in Bassetlaw 10 years ago and (c) are estimated to be employed in 10 years time. [88966]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 7 January 2003]: Separate employment figures on a constituency basis are not available, but figures produced by the Coal Authority show that in September 2002, there were 1,785 miners employed in Nottinghamshire as a whole, all of whom worked in deep mines.

In 1992, figures were compiled differently. Figures published by the British Coal Corporation show that in March 1992, there were a total of 11,200 miners employed in Nottinghamshire as a whole, with 9,600 employed in deep mines and 1,600 employed in opencast mines.

DTI does not produce estimates of future employment figures in the coal industry.

Sources:

The Coal Authority

British Coal Corporation Report and Accounts, 1991–92

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many mineworkers (a) are employed in England, (b) were employed 10 years ago and (c) there are estimated to be in 10 years time. [88967]

13 Jan 2003 : Column 443W

Mr. Wilson: In September 2002, there were 7,970 mineworkers, including contractors, employed in England, with 6,832 employed in deep mines and 1,138 employed in opencast mines.

Employment figures in 1992 were compiled on a different basis and do not identify England separately. Figures published by the British Coal Corporation show that in March 1992, there were a total of 42,300 mineworkers employed in England and Wales, with 36,500 employed in deep mines and 5,800 employed in opencast mines. The corresponding figures for England and Wales in September 2002 show a total of 8,920 workers, with 7,420 employed in deep mines and 1,500 employed in opencast mines.

DTI does not produce estimates of future employment figures in the coal industry.

Sources:

The Coal Authority

British Coal Corporation Report and Accounts 1991–92

(Figures for Wales in 1992 cannot be separately identified)

Nuclear Energy

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to reduce the United Kingdom's reliance upon nuclear energy. [89483]

Mr. Wilson: The Government are currently carrying out a review of future energy policy with a view to issuing a White Paper shortly. The review includes consideration of the future role of nuclear power.

PACEC Consultancy

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the projects by PACEC Consultancy within her Department since 1998 and their costs; and if she will make a statement. [88810]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 7 January 2003]: From the centrally-held information available, thee have been two PACEC contract since 1998:

Survey of the impact of a Trade Partners UK service, costing #74K


Report on Business Links in London, costing #11.5K

Policy Development

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the bodies outside her Department that have been involved in her Department's policy development in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [88826]

Ms Hewitt: Central records are not kept but my Department consults very extensively on a wide range of issues affecting business, employees and consumers. In the course of recent reviews of the Department, for example, some 1,500 organisations and individuals provided their views.

Renewable Energy

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the most recent measure is of the percentage of electricity used in the London Headquarters Estate generated by renewable sources; and if she will make a statement. [88821]

13 Jan 2003 : Column 444W

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 9 January 2003]: Electricity generated from renewable sources currently constitutes 36 per cent of the total electricity used by the London Headquarters Estate.

Rural Newsagents

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received from rural newsagents on the impact of changes in newspaper carriage costs. [88664]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 7 January 2003]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has received a number of recent representations about the concerns of rural newsagents over newspaper carriage charges.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has recently carried out a review of the 1994 Code of Practice on newspaper distribution. This also addressed the issue of carriage and service charges. On 12 December 2002, the OFT published it provisional recommendations. The main provisional recommendation is that selling-on within exclusive territories should be fully liberalised. The provisional recommendations are now open for public consultation until 14 March 2003.

Services (Electronic Access)

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of her Department and its associated agencies' services are accessible electronically; and if she will make a statement. [88812]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 7 January 2003]: Fifty five per cent. of the planned total of services within my Department and associated agencies were accessible electronically in mid November, when the most recent review was carried out.

The Department remains committed to meeting the Government's target for making its services accessible electronically by 2005.

Severn Estuary (Tidal Power)

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent consideration has been given to harnessing tidal power in the Severn Estuary; and if she will make a statement. [89484]

Mr. Wilson: The Department commissioned a study by the Severn Tidal Power Group which considered the merits of a reappraisal of a Severn Estuary tidal barrage project. This report of that study was recently published and is available on the DTI website at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/renewables/severn.shtml. The potential of renewable sources of energy, including tidal barrage schemes such as that proposed for the Severn Estuary, will be addressed in the Energy White Paper which will be published shortly.

Small Business Service

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the performance indicators that have been put in place to assess the success of the Small Business Service. [89827]

13 Jan 2003 : Column 445W

Nigel Griffiths: I refer the hon .Member to the reply I gave my hon .Friend the Member for Chorley on 22 October 2002, Official Report, column 248–49W.

Solar Energy

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Government have to increase the use of solar energy by domestic industry; and if she will make a statement. [89482]

Mr. Wilson: Private companies can apply for 40 per cent. grants (50 per cent. in the case of SMEs) to install solar photovoltaic systems under the #20 million first phase of the Major PV Demonstration Programme. With a medium or large scale system they may be able to claim the renewable obligation certificates for electricity they generate if they can reach agreement with their electricity supplier.

VAT on solar water heating professionally installed systems has been reduced to 5 per cent. since April 2000, and private companies can apply for enhanced capital allowances (tax refunds) for installing this technology, among other energy efficiency and energy saving measures.

Spending Review

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list for her Department (a) those Comprehensive Spending Review 1998 targets that were outstanding at the time of the statement on the Comprehensive Spending Review 2002, (b) progress on such targets since then and (c) the expected date when targets not yet achieved will be met. [87701]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 17 December 2002]: The Department publishes progress against all its outstanding PSA targets in its Expenditure Plans Report and Autumn Performance Report. The Department's Autumn Performance Report will be published shortly and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House. The Expenditure Plans Report for 2002–03 to 2003–04 was published in June 2002; the Report for 2003–04 to 2004–05 is due to be published in Spring 2003.

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