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24 Mar 2003 : Column 31W—continued
Post Office Card Accounts
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post office card accounts have been opened. [104018]
Mr. Timms: Beyond those used to pilot the new service no Post Office card accounts have yet been opened. The intention is to gradually build up (starting from April 2003) the number of benefit customers and pensioners that we pay through the Post Office card account. Approximately 106,000 customers have already chosen a Post Office card account and the issue of Personal Invitation Documents to those people, to start the account opening process, will begin on schedule at the end of March. DWP customers who have opted for a Card account but have not yet opened that account will continue to be paid by order book or giro as appropriate.
Pricing Policies
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what requirements are imposed by the Companies Act 1985 for disclosure of transfer pricing policies by companies. [100913]
Renewable Energy
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much energy was produced by renewable resources in the United Kingdom, in megawatts, broken down by generating source, in the last year for which figures are available; and how much energy was produced by fossil fuels. [103924]
Mr. Wilson: The information requested is as follows and relates to 2001. Renewables accounted for 2.6 per cent. of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2001. Early estimates suggest that this rose to 3 per cent. in 2002. Detailed data for 2002 will not be available until June 2003.
(7) Biodegradable part only
(8) Includes poultry litter combustion, meat and bone combustion, straw and short rotation coppice
(9) Includes some waste of fossil fuel origin
(10) Non biodegradable part of municipal solid waste
(11) Because of rounding constituent parts do not sum to the total
Source:
Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2002, Tables 7.4 and 5.6
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Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding was allocated to development of renewable energy in each of the last five years; what areas the investments have been focused on; and when projects are expected to become economically viable. [103941]
Mr. Wilson: Payments from the DTI's Renewable Energy Programme for each of the last five years have been as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 6.8 |
| 1998–99 | 5.9 |
| 1999–2000 | 7.9 |
| 2000–01 | 9.7 |
| 2001–02 | 13.6 |
Government have followed a market-driven policy, rather than prescribing a specific focus for this research activity. The research and development projects supported have been the best proposals emanating from the renewable energy industry.
Large-scale hydro and energy from waste are already commercially viable and well-established in the market. With the benefit of the Renewables Obligation, onshore wind also becomes commercially viable. Over the next four years, the Government plan to provide nearly £350 million direct support, mainly in the form of capital grants, to help more forms of renewable energy achieve economic viability, but we cannot predict when this will be achieved. The Energy White Paper gives some broad indications about the possible timescale on page 55, "A Renewables Timeline."
Supplier Selection (Environmental Criteria)
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what scope contracting authorities will have, under the current draft of the new EU public procurement Directive, to consider environmental criteria when selecting suppliers at the pre-tender stage of contracts; and if she will make a statement. [104083]
Ms Hewitt: The proposed new EC public procurement Directive provides various ways for contracting authorities to take environmental criteria into account at the selection (pre-tender) stage of the procurement process. In selecting suppliers to tender on the basis of their technical capability, environmental matters may be taken into account where justified by the subject of the contract. For works and services
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contracts, evidence of environmental management measures that the supplier will be able to apply when executing the contract can also be required by the contracting authority, where these are relevant to the subject of the contract. In addition, contracting authorities may exclude suppliers from tendering if they have been convicted of an offence concerning professional conduct, or have been guilty of grave professional misconduct. These can include relevant environmental issues.
Environmental issues can also be taken into account at other stages of the procurement process. For example, contracting authorities have a great deal of scope to take environmental issues into consideration when defining the subject of the contract, and drawing up the specifications.
Timber Imports (Liberia)
Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what volume of timber from Liberia was imported to the UK (a) in 2002 and (b) during the first two months of 2003. [104142]
Nigel Griffiths: According to figures published by HM Customs and Excise, the UK imported 4,738 tonnes or 5,705 cubic metres of timber from Liberia in 2002. Information for 2003 is not yet available.
Timber is defined by headings 245.01, 246, 247 and 248 of the Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3.
Trading Standards Departments
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding is to be made available from the Office of Fair Trading Modernisation Fund for trading standards departments in local authorities in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; and if she will make a statement. [102781]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The OFT does not have a modernisation fund. The Department of Trade and Industry's Modernisation Fund was launched in 2001 investing £30 million to raise the level of consumer protection at local level. £13 million will be available in 2003–04 with a further £2 million available, in 2004–05 to fund projects and initiatives under the themes of effective enforcement, information and advice to consumers, raising trading standards capabilities and consumer safety.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) members of staff and (b) full-time equivalent vacancies there are in each trading standards department; and if she will make a statement. [102785]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The total number of staff in Trading Standards Authorities in England and Wales as of 1 April 2002 was 3,749. Table 1 gives a breakdown for each authority; data are not available for seven authorities. Information on the total number of vacancies is not available.
The total number of staff in Trading Standards Authorities in Scotland as of March 2002 was 511.6. The number of vacancies at this time was 53. Table 2 gives a breakdown for each authority.
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Source:
Data published in September 2002 by Chartered Institute of Public Finance. Some authorities did not submit the relevant information and so no data are shown against these.
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Source:
Accounts Commission report "Made to Measure?" published in October 2002
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