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7 Mar 2003 : Column 1268W—continued
Sustainable Construction
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what involvement her Department had in the development of the Sustainable Communities Plan regarding sustainable construction. [100367]
Mr. Wilson: The Department was party to the development of the Sustainable Communities Plan and contributed on a number of issues including sustainable construction techniques and the principles of ''Rethinking Construction'' for new and refurbished house build.
North Sea Oil
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the oil recovery rate from UK North Sea reserves for each year of production; and what steps she is taking to maximise this rate. [99792]
Mr. Wilson: UK North Sea oil production figures were provided in my answer of 16 January 2003, Official Report, column 799W. The table below set out UK Continental Shelf oil production for each year as a percentage of estimated remaining reserves. The Government is working closely with industry through PILOT, the oil and gas task force, to maximise economic recovery of the UK's hydrocarbon resources. A number of initiatives are being pursued helping to positively assist in this objective, including:
stimulating activity on fallow areas;
changes to the licensing regime to encourage more appraisal and exploration activity;
promotion of asset trading;
encouraging new entrants to the North Sea to ensure that assets are in the hands of those best placed to exploit them;
encouraging innovative approaches to maximising recovery from ''brown'' fields;
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promoting the use of enhanced oil recovery techniques; and
finding ways to maintain and enhance the skills base.
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Industrial Injuries
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claimants have had final settlements through each of the top 10 claims handlers involved in the compensation claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger of former coalminers. [99964]
Mr. Wilson: The total number of full and final settlements is:
| Top 10 Solicitors | Respiratory Disease | Top 10 Solicitors | VWF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thompsons | 8,851 | UDM | 8,759 |
| Hugh James Ford Simey | 10,317 | Thompsons | 4,149 |
| UDM | 5,044 | Browell Smith & Co | 6,339 |
| Raleys | 6,174 | Raleys | 3,999 |
| Mark Gilbert Morse | 2,188 | Graysons | 1,219 |
| Browell Smith & Co | 3,583 | Hugh James Ford Sime | 4,448 |
| Beresfords | 831 | Watson Burton | 1,830 |
| Graysons | 2,911 | Towells | 1,674 |
| Watson Burton | 1,977 | Beresfords | 540 |
| Randall Lloyd Jenkins & Martin | 1,091 | Kidd & Spoor Harper | 1,416 |
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much has been paid to claimants through each one of the top 10 claims handlers involved in the compensation claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger of former coalminers. [99966]
Mr. Wilson: The total compensation paid to claimants is:
| Top 10 Solicitors | Respiratory Disease | Top 10 Solicitors | VWF |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ million | £ million | ||
| Thompsons | 123.6 | UDM | 102.2 |
| Hugh James Ford Simey | 129.1 | Thompsons | 7.5 |
| UDM | 30.8 | Browell Smith & Co | 64.7 |
| Raleys | 67.9 | Raleys | 4.8 |
| Mark Gilbert Morse | 18.7 | Graysons | 2.9 |
| Browell Smith & Co | 44.0 | Hugh James Ford Sime | 44.4 |
| Beresfords | 2.4 | Watson Burton | 32.7 |
| Graysons | 17.3 | Towells | 23.9 |
| Watson Burton | 13.5 | Beresfords | 11.4 |
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid to date to each of the top 10 claims handlers involved in the compensation claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger of former coalminers. [99967]
Mr. Wilson: The amount of costs paid is:
7 Mar 2003 : Column 1271W
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claimants have had interim payments to date through each of the top 10 claims handlers involved in the compensation
7 Mar 2003 : Column 1272W
claim for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger of former coalminers. [99965]
Mr. Wilson: The total interims payments made is:
| Top 10 Solicitors | Respiratory Disease | Top 10 Solicitors | VWF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thompsons | 9,597 | UDM | 8,684 |
| Hugh James Ford Simey | 6,890 | Thompsons | 9,664 |
| UDM | 2,391 | Browell Smith & Co | 4,597 |
| Raleys | 4,343 | Raleys | 4,818 |
| Mark Gilbert Morse | 1,394 | Graysons | 4,334 |
| Browell Smith & Co | 3,568 | Hugh James Ford Sime | 3,194 |
| Beresfords | 126 | Watson Burton | 3,131 |
| Graysons | 1,556 | Towells | 2,125 |
| Watson Burton | 1,003 | Beresfords | 1,202 |
| Randall Lloyd Jenkins & Martin | 646 | Kidd & Spoor Harper | 1,276 |
Oil Stocks
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with her opposite numbers in the International Energy Agency since 1 January over strategic oil stocks; and when she next plans to hold discussions with them on this matter. [101808]
Mr. Wilson: My officials are in regular contact with the International Energy Agency about the oil market situation and strategic stocking arrangements, as are officials from other member states. Most recently the oil market situation was discussed, along with other agenda items at the routine IEA Governing Board meeting on 20 February. The next biennial IEA Ministerial Meeting is planned for the 28 and 29 April but the IEA Governing Board is ready to meet as, and when, circumstances require it to do so. Issue relating to oil stocks were also discussed at the EU Energy Ministerial informal meeting in Thessalonika on 22 February 2003, which I attended.
Iraq
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government is taking to ensure that British companies are able fairly to compete for reconstruction work in post-conflict Iraq. [101372]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 6 March 2003]: The Government's immediate focus is on the disarmament of Iraq. War is a last resort and is not inevitable. We will take full account of the interest of UK companies if and when the situation in Iraq changes.
Written Questions
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many named day written questions were tabled to the Department between 15 October 2002 and 24 February 2003; how many that received a holding answer were given a substantive answer (a) within three days, (b) within seven days, (c) within 14 days, (d) within 28 days and (e) over 28 days later; and what procedures the Department has in place to monitor performance on answering (i) Parliamentary Questions and (ii) ministerial letters. [99428]
Ms Hewitt: The information relating to named day parliamentary questions is as follows:
| Total | On named day | Within 3 days of holding reply | Within 7 days of holding reply | Within 14 days of holding reply | Within 28 days of holding reply | Over 28 days of holding reply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 423 | 176 | 191 | 40 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Per cent. | ||||||
| 42 | 77 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
The department's parliamentary branch uses its internal database to closely monitor the progress on individual parliamentary questions from the time of tabling through to providing answers to hon. Members.
The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on performance of departments in replying to Ministerial correspondence. The Report for 2001 was published on Friday 24 May 2002, Official Report, column 674W. The Report for 2002 will be published in due course.
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