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10 Feb 2003 : Column 496W—continued
Arsenic
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what air and land quality standards there are for arsenic under (a) UK and (b) European regulations. [96731]
Alun Michael: There are at present no European Commission or UK air and land quality standards for arsenic in regulations. The European Commission is due to publish a proposal for a directive addressing arsenic in ambient air in the near future.
Market Towns Initiative
Mr. Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding was allocated to the Harwich constituency under the Market Towns Initiative in 2001. [96913]
Alun Michael: Two towns in the Harwich parliamentary constituency are included in the Market Towns Initiative, namely Harwich and Walton on the Naze. Spending allocations in 2001 were £29,000 and
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£10,000 respectively, and allocations over the whole programme period were £250,000 and £400,000 respectively.
Suckler Cow Premium
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects all 2002 suckler cow claims to be settled. [96959]
Alun Michael: The window for advance payments under the 2002 Suckler Cow Premium Scheme opened on 16 October 2002. Unexpected delays encountered in the development of scheme software mean that despite best efforts, the first payments were issued in December 2002 and progress has been and continues to be slow.
It is unlikely that the Rural Payments Agency's aim to issue advance payments by early March will be achieved in all cases. We are aware of the inconvenience this will cause and regret the delays. Claim processing continues as a high priority with 1,462 claims authorised to receive payment by 6 February. Some 17,289 claims were received under the 2002 scheme in England. Up to date information on progress is available on the agency's website at www.rpa.gov.uk.
The window for 2002 bovine subsidy balance payments opens on 1 April and closes on 30 June. New EU legislation which came into effect from the 2002 scheme year introduced significant changes to the way the bovine schemes operate, including the administrative penalties that apply when producers breach scheme requirements. Under these new rules it is not possible to accurately calculate a producer's premium entitlement under each bovine scheme until all bovine claims that they have submitted have been processed and all validation checks completed. However, the RPA continues to make every effort to ensure that producers receive their 2002 bovine balance payments by the 30 June deadline.
RPA is investing significantly in new software as part of its change programme. This will replace the existing bovine schemes systems with modern, up-to-date technology in 2004–05.
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
John Redgrave
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Solicitor General why the Attorney General is represented at the
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Metropolitan Police internal disciplinary hearing of John Redgrave. [96914]
The Solicitor-General: The Attorney General is not represented at the disciplinary hearing of Mr. Redgrave. A decision was made by the Disciplinary Board which Mr. Redgrave sought to judicially review. The High Court found against Mr. Redgrave, and he sought leave to appeal that decision. Leave was granted, and in so doing. Lord Justice Sedley noted that there were points of wider public importance relating to the operation of the double jeopardy rule and invited the Attorney General to consider whether he eould like to intervene in the public interest.
The Attoney General considered that in his role as guardian of the public interest he should ensure all the arguments as to the impact of the High Court's decision were presented at the Court of Appeal hearing.
On that occasion, the question about double jeopardy was resolved by the Court of Appeal in a manner which did not require the Attorney General's further involvement, and his participation in the case is now concluded.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the (a) total cost and (b) administrative costs of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service in each year from 1980–81 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [95801]
Ms Hewitt: Information on ACAS costs, including administration costs, are published in ACAS's Annual Accounts. Information is also available in DTI's and prior to 1995 the Employment Department's expenditure plans. All documents are available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of expenditure on the (a) Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council and (b) Economic and Social Science Research Council in each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05 (planned); and if she will make a statement. [95805]
Ms Hewitt: The expenditure of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), for the years 1997–98 to 2001–02, and budgeted expenditure for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04, is shown in the table.
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | Actual | Actual | Actual | Actual | Budget | Plans | Plans | |
| PPARC | 197,869 | 207,418 | 186,680 | 217,439 | 220,728 | 246,246 | 250,770 | 266,470 |
| ESRC | 65,227 | 67,506 | 70,872 | 70,901 | 74,760 | 85,199 | 94,584 | 104,074 |
Notes:
Expenditure 1997–98 to 1999–2000 on a cash basis
Expenditure for 2000–01 onwards on a full resource accounting and budgeting basis
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Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of her Department's spending on the Promoting Science, Engineering and Technology for Women unit in each year from 1997–98 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [95806]
Ms Hewitt: The running cost expenditure for the Office of Science and Technology (OST) unit for Promoting Science, Engineering and Technology for Women, is not recorded separately from the rest of OST. The unit currently consists of four staff. Actual programme expenditure for the years 2000–01 and 2001–02, and budgeted expenditure for the years 2002–03, is shown as follows. Programme expenditure for the years 1997–98 and 1999–2000 was not recorded separately. The budget for 2003–04 is under review in the light of Baroness Greenfield's report "SET FAIR". The Government is considering the report carefully, and will respond in due course.
| 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | Actual | Budget | Plans | Plans |
| 178 | 197 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
Note:
Expenditure for 2000–01 onwards on a full resource accounting and budgeting basis.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of the Diversity Week held by her Department in June 2001. [95808]
Ms Hewitt: The cost of DTI's Diversity Week 2001 run for all departmental staff was £34,341.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons expenditure on ACAS has changed from 1996–97 to 2003–04; and if she will make a statement. [95811]
Ms Hewitt: ACAS's expenditure increased across the period to support increased levels of information and advice on employment relations to employers and employees and to meet individual conciliation costs associated with rising Employment Tribunal case loads.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of her Department's Innovation Expenditure in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; and if she will make a statement. [95817]
Ms Hewitt: The Department is drawing up its plans and budgets for 2003–04 and 2004–05 in the light of the 2002 spending review. Information on the Department's planned expenditure for those years will be contained in its annual expenditure plans report for 2003–04 to 2005–06, which is due to be published in April.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of her Department's spending on consumer protection in each year from 1990–91 to 2003–04 (planned) (a) in cash terms and (b) in real terms using 2000–01 prices; and if she will make a statement. [95818]
Miss Melanie Johnson: These figures are published each year in the DTI Government Expenditure Plans Reports. A table for the years requested is as follows.
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Further information on consumer protection policy and expenditure are available in these Reports, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.DTI's Expenditure on Consumer Protection.
Figures taken from the DTI Government Expenditure Plans Reports.
| Year | £ millioncash terms | £ million at 2000–01 prices | Prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91(1) | 39.0 | 29.1 | 72.956 |
| 1991–92(1) | 39.0 | 30.9 | 77.406 |
| 1992–93 | 22.1 | 18.1 | 79.910 |
| 1993–94 | 23,5 | 19.7 | 81.886 |
| 1994–95 | 20.0 | 16.9 | 82.972 |
| 1995–96 | 21.0 | 18.3 | 85.336 |
| 1996–97 | 23.6 | 21.3 | 88.042 |
| 1997–98 | 23.9 | 22.2 | 90.759 |
| 1998–99 | 26.0 | 24.8 | 93.253 |
| 1999–2000 | 27.8 | 27.2 | 95.510 |
| 2000–01(1) | 39.0 | 39.0 | 97.689 |
| 2001–02 | 34.0 | 34.8 | 100.000 |
| 2002–03 | 38.0 | 39.8(2) | 102.500 |
| 2003–04(3) | 47.2 | 50.6(2) | 104.806 |
(1) These years include Investor Protection
(2) Excludes £10.3 million receipts
(3) Includes addition funding for White Paper Commitments
Note:
Adjusted to 2000–01 prices = £97.689
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list Task Forces which are being overseen by her Department. [95819]
Ms Hewitt: Details of my Department's Task Forces and similar groups are published in "Public Bodies 2002", which is available in the Libraries of the House. This information is expected to updated in "Public Bodies 2003" and will include the following additional groups formed since April 2002.
- Investment Committee
Advisory Panel on Management and Leadership
Sector Analysis Strategy Committee
Offshore Strategic Environmental Assessment Steering Group
- Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) National Network User Forum
Ms Hewitt: The Department's Expenditure Limits (DEL) for 2004–05 and 2005–06 are laid out in the spending review 2002 as follows:
| 2004–05 | 2005–06 | |
|---|---|---|
| Resource DEL | 5,084 | 5,564 |
| Capital DEL | 167 | 104 |
These figures exclude items of annually managed expenditure (AME) such as nuclear and coal health provisions.
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