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Minister for Science

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 24 February 2003, ref 98996, if she will list the official visits to (a) companies, (b) universities and (c) organisations by (i) the Minister for Science and (ii) the Chief Scientific Adviser in each of the last three years. [99985]

Ms Hewitt: Unfortunately this information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

North Sea Oil and Gas Industry

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her plans to work with Norway to make more efficient the administration of the North Sea oil and gas industry. [99198]

Mr. Wilson: The report of the UK-Norway North Sea Co-operation Workgroup, published in August 2002, sets out a number of recommendations to facilitate closer co-operation and sharing of best practice. This includes a Framework Treaty—designed to facilitate a wide range of potential future trans-boundary oil and gas developments—and a single North Sea suppliers' database. Further work is also proposed to assess the need for a pan-industry Code of Practice.

The report shows clearly that improved co-operation in the recommended areas can improve North Sea effectiveness and will unlock value through lowering investment and operating costs, through economies of scale and through improved safety standards.

A Pilot /Kon-Craft Implementation Group is working closely with relevant parties to ensure that the recommendations of the report are fully realised.

Oil/Gas Reserves

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of (a) oil and (b) gas reserves on the UK mainland. [99791]

Mr. Wilson: Current estimates of remaining reserves (proven and probable) on the UK mainland are (a) 18.7 million tonnes of oil and (b) 4,400 million cubic metres of gas. The gas reserves include associated gas from onshore oil fields, dry gas from onshore gas fields and mine gas from mine vent fields.

Part-time Workers

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to accord part-time workers the same employment rights as those in full-time work. [100480]

Alan Johnson: Part-time employees in the UK enjoy the same statutory employment rights as full-timers, including protection against unfair dismissal, unlawful deductions from wages and adverse treatment on grounds of sex, race or disability. In addition, the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable

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Treatment) Regulations 2000 require them to be treated no less favourably in their terms and conditions than comparable full-timers, unless different treatment can be justified on objective grounds.

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with European Union colleagues regarding a Europe-wide approach to securing parity of employment rights between part-time workers and full-time workers. [100482]

Alan Johnson: None. The European Directive on part-time work already requires member states to ensure that part-time workers are treated no less favourably in their terms and conditions of employment than comparable full-timers.

Post Office Closures

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many consultation exercises have been undertaken by Post Office Counters concerning proposed closures of post offices since 1 July 2001; and how many such exercises have resulted in the intention to close being withdrawn. [99916]

Mr. Timms: Proposals for post office closures under the urban network reinvention programme are put out to public consultation in accordance with the code of practice agreed with Postwatch. Final decisions on closure, after consideration of representations received, are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Recycling

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if electricity produced from processes involving the recovery of clean recyclable materials will be classed as a renewable source of energy. [99372]

Mr. Wilson: Under Directive 2001/77/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 September 2001 on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market, "renewable energy sources" are defined to include "biomass," and "biomass" is defined to include "the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste."

In the UK, the renewables obligation includes the biodegradable fraction of waste only if it is converted to electricity through advanced conversion technologies such as pyrolysis, gasification and anaerobic digestion.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Commission (Expenditure Limit)

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what change is planned to the Departmental Expenditure Limit of the Electoral Commission for 2002–03. [100321]

Mr. Viggers: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the Electoral Commission DEL for 2002–03 will be increased by

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£1,294,000 from £20,117,000 to £21,411,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are set out in the following table:

£000

	Resources	Capital
Change	694	600
New Del	20,460	951
Of which:
Voted	20,460	951
Non-voted	0	0

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from the take up of end year flexibility for 2001–02 in respect of the payment of policy development grants (£514,528) and public awareness costs (£179,457) and for capital and refurbishment and other fit out costs of Commission offices.

Although the funds had been budgeted for and approved in respect of this expenditure for the year 2001–02, the Commission was unable to make full use of the case provision.

In order to incorporate the carry over into the Electoral Commission's voted resources for 2002–03, the Speaker's Committee, having consulted the Treasury, agreed on 24 February to lay a spring supplementary supply estimate.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to her answer of 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 564, on HIPC, what response the UK Government has had from the World bank and the IMF to the call for their approach to topping up to be widened to provide additional relief for HIPC countries with unsustainable debts. [99686]

Clare Short: We continue, with others, to press the IMF and the World Bank to change the rules on topping up, so that any HIPC country facing unsustainable debts which has demonstrated its commitment to poverty reduction and economic reform can qualify for this additional debt relief. At discussions on topping up, to be held in the IMF and the World bank boards over the next month we shall press to move this issue forward. We are working with others to achieve this. Topping up is calculated on a case by case basis, depending on the assessment of each country's economic prospects.

Hospitality

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how often Ministers in her Department have received hospitality in restaurants from outside groups, broken down by (a) restaurant, (b) recipient and (c) cost in each case; [99592]

(2) what criteria Ministers in her Department use when determining whether to offer hospitality in restaurants to interest groups at public expense; and if she will make a statement; [99516]

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(3) what hospitality has been offered at public expense in the last 12 months by each Minister in her Department to outside interest groups. [99517]

Clare Short: All offers of hospitality are made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting. The giving and receiving of hospitality is conducted in accordance with the guidance set out in the Ministerial Code, and Guidance on Contacts with Outside Interest Groups including Lobbyists. The detailed information requested is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Meningitis (Nigeria)

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department has taken in response to the meningitis epidemic in (a) the Nigerian state of Zangara and (b) Burkina Faso. [99348]

Clare Short: Epidemic Meningococcal Disease (EMD) is a contagious disease responsible for high number of deaths throughout the world, with up to 50 per cent. of victims dying in the developing world. Of those who survive, between 10–20 per cent. suffer permanent brain damage.

Epidemic meningococcal disease imposes its greatest burden on a group of 18 countries that form the so-called "African meningitis belt", stretching from Ethiopia to Senegal. Epidemics can be devastating, sometimes flaring up to as many as 100,000 cases in a very short period of time. In the absence of mass vaccination, an epidemic can last for several months, draining enormous resources, overwhelming hospitals and disrupting routine care.

The strategy to control a meningitis epidemic has three components: early detection of outbreaks, emergency mass immunization campaigns, and careful case management.

The Government of Nigeria has not approached DFID to respond to the epidemic In Zamfara. However DFID supports WHO in all its work. This includes the valuable efforts to support Governments tackle epidemics. WHO are involved in supporting the Government of Burkina Faso in their surveillance and clinical service delivery. In addition, WHO has been working with GSK (vaccine manufacturer) and Gates Foundation to ensure adequate quantities of appropriate vaccine.

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