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24 Feb 2003 : Column 239W—continued
Motor Transport Fuels
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out her policy for the adequate supply and distribution of motor transport fuels for the public service in all areas of the UK; and if she will make a statement. [98043]
Mr. Wilson: The public services are responsible for making their own provisions for obtaining transport fuels. However, the Department is responsible for contingency planning for any national emergency resulting in severe fuel shortages. These plans include measures for the supply and allocation of fuel to essential priority uses, including transport fuels for essential public services throughout the UK.
Nuclear Industry
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of how much radioactive material will enter the Irish Sea if (a) all spent nuclear fuel from British Energy's advanced gas-cooled reactors is stored and (b) the current reprocessing contracts continue for the remainder of the projected life of each of British Energy's advanced gas-cooled reactors. [91924]
Mr. Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
The amounts of low-level radioactivity that would need to be discharged into the Irish Sea over the long term under either of these scenarios cannot at present be quantified.
Ofgem
Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the members of the Board of Ofgem and the companies they have worked for. [86189]
Mr. Wilson: The Gas and Electricity Markets Authority comprises the following members. Biographical details areas are drawn from Ofgem publications.
Callum McCarthy, Chairman of the Authority and Chief Executive of Ofgem. Former senior civil servant at the Department of Trade and Industry; subsequently Director of Corporate Finance at Kleinwort Benson; Managing Director and Deputy Head of Corporate Finance at BZW; Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Bank group operations in Japan before moving to head the Bank's businesses in North America.
Gill Whittington, Chief Operating Officer. Former Chief Executive of the media divisions of Booker plc and subsequently of Booker Services; then Director of
Strategy at Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust.
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John Neilson, Managing Director, Customers and Supply. Senior civil servant. Dr. Eileen Marshall CBE, Managing Director, Competition and Trading Arrangements. A former stockbroker and university lecturer, Dr. Marshall has held position in the office of Electricity Regulation and the Office of Gas Supply.
Richard Ramsay, Managing Director, Regulation and Financial Affairs. Formerly with Hill Samuel; BZW; and Ivory and Sime.
Sir Keith Stuart (non-executive). Formerly Director, then Chairman, of Seeboard.
Richard Farrant (non-executive). Non-executive Chairman of the Banking Code Standard Board. Formerly Chief Executive of the Securities and Futures Authority, then Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of the Financial Services Authority.
Professor Leonard Waverman (non-executive). Professor of Economics at London Business School. Former part-time member of the Ontario Energy Board.
James Starchan (non-executive). Chief Executive of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People. Formerly a Managing Director of Merrill Lynch.
Margaret Ford (non-executive). Chief executive officer of Good Practice Limited. Chairman of English Partnerships.
John Belcher (non-executive). Chief Executive of Anchor Trust.
Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out the term and salary of each member of the Ofgem Board. [86194]
Mr. Wilson: The Chair was appointed for a period of five years (including his previous terms as Director General of Gas Supply and Director General of Electricity Supply) to 31 October 2003. Other executive members are appointed on an ex-officio basis for renewable periods of two years. The latest annual report of the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (2001–02) shows the salaries of executive members as follows:
| Executive member | Salary |
|---|---|
| Callum McCarthy | 160–165 |
| Dr. Eileen Marshall | 120–125 |
| John Neilson | 95–100 |
| Richard Ramsay | 140–145 |
| Gill Whittington | 110–115 |
During the same period, non-executive members each received remuneration of £12,000 per annum, and are appointed for periods ranging from one to three years to facilitate continuity.
Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the recruitment consultants used in the appointment of the Director General of Ofgem cost; and if she will make a statement. [86202]
Mr. Wilson: Fees and expenses of £45,373.80 were paid to the recruitment consultants in 1998.
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Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 27 January, ref.86201, if she will name (a) the firm of recruitment consultants retained by the Department under a call-off contract which assisted with the process of appointment of the combined post of Director General of Gas Supply and Director General of Electricity Supply and Chairman-designate of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority and (b) the other appointments with which the firm assists. [94537]
Mr Wilson: PriceWaterhouseCoopers assisted the Department in this recruitment under the call-off contract. In 1998 no central records are held on other appointments on which the firm may have assisted.
Post Offices
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices there were in (a) the Edinburgh, West parliamentary constituency, (b) the City of Edinburgh local authority area and (c) Scotland, in each year since 1992. [87166]
Mr. Timms: I am informed by Post Office Ltd. that historic data in the forms requested are not available as the company does not require these data for operational reasons.
However, in 1999, the Post Office undertook a special exercise to determine the number of post offices in each parliamentary constituency in response to the then hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington on 29 November 1999, Official Report, column 22W. I further understand from Post Office Ltd. that it compiled a list of post offices by parliamentary constituency as of 20 April 2002 showing their classification as urban or rural offices. At the time this list was compiled, 21 post offices were listed for Edinburgh West constituency. A copy of the full list is held in the Libraries of the House.
Post Office Ltd. further informs me that data by country before 1998 is not available. However the numbers of post offices operating in Scotland over the last five financial years are as follows:
| End March | Number operating |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 2,051 |
| 1999 | 2,026 |
| 2000 | 1,999 |
| 2001 | 1,936 |
| 2002 | 1,907 |
I am also informed by Post Office Ltd. that revision of data has affected individual country totals.
Science Research Investment Fund
Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what formula was used to determine allocations to universities of the Science Research Investment Fund for 2004 to 2006; and what factors underlay the allocation made to (a) the University of Teesside and (b) other universities in the North East. [98809]
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Ms Hewitt: Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF) allocations to 123 higher education institutions in England, including the University of Teesside and other universities in the north-east, were made using a formula based on institutions' research income.
South West RDA
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff work in each department of the South West RDA. [98302]
Alan Johnson: In the South West Regional Development Agency there are in each department the following:
- Development: 94 staff (including two student surveyors)
Enterprise and Innovation: 71 staff
Corporate Services: 29 staff
Strategy and Communications: 36 staff
Alan Johnson: Since the advent of single pot funding, i.e. from 1 April 2002—end January 2003, 219 projects have been started by, that is, received funding approval from, the South West Regional Development Agency.
The information is not available for earlier years.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Bank Accounts (Inspections)
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will consult the authorities in (a) Jersey, (b) Guernsey and (c) the Isle of Man about the extension of the clauses relating to the inspection of bank accounts in the Crime (International Co-operation) Bill to them. [98428]
Ms Rosie Winterton: No, we have not consulted the Islands about extending the Bill to them as they customarily enact their own legislation in the area of criminal justice—for example, in the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) (Jersey) Law 2001, the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 2001 and the Criminal Justice Act 1991 (of Tynwald).
The clauses referred to implement the 2001 Protocol to the Mutual Legal Assistance Convention 2000. To opt in to this Convention, and the protocol, the Islands would first need to join the 1959 Council of Europe Convention on Mutual Assistance. They have passed the necessary legislation and any subsequent decision on whether to apply further agreements is a matter for them.
A copy of the Bill will be sent to the Insular Authorities once it receives Royal Assent and becomes an Act. Then it will be a matter for the Islands' discretion as to whether they wish to introduce any similar provisions into their own legislation. I would refer my hon. Friend to the Official Report of the Grand Committee on the Bill in the other place, columns GC42-GC46 (3 February 2003).
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