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2 Apr 2003 : Column 705W—continued
Working Time Directive
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the working time directive on the transport industry; and if he will make a statement. [106408]
Mr. Jamieson: Transport workers will be subject to the original working time directive (93/104/EC), as amended by 2000/34/EC, by August 2003. The Department of Trade and Industry published a draft impact assessment on 31 October 2002 along with a consultation document covering all the sectors excluded from the original Directive. This draft will now be revisited following comments received from the consultation exercise that closed on 31 January.
My Department has recently consulted on implementing a separate directive on the working time of mobile workers in the aviation sector (2000/79/EC) and will be finalising its cost assessment based on the responses we received on our consultation. We will also consult both sides of industry on the likely impact of the directive for mobile workers in the road transport sector (2002/15/EC). A draft regulatory impact assessment will be published later this year, alongside a formal consultation document on our proposals.
PRIME MINISTER
Iraq
Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister whether he raised the awarding of post-war reconstruction contracts to Halliburton during his visit to President Bush on 26 and 27 March 2003. [106430]
The Prime Minister: I had discussions with President Bush on a range of issues relating to the conflict in Iraq, including the post-Saddam Administration and
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reconstruction of Iraq, which should be endorsed in a UN Security Council Resolution. Specific contracts were not discussed.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
National Minimum Wage
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the rules are for payment of the national minimum wage to (a) 16 to 17-year-olds in employment, (b) 16 to 17-year-olds in employment but exercising the right to time off for study, (c) 16 to 17-year-olds on publicly funded modern apprenticeships and (d) 18 to 24-year-olds on publicly funded modern apprenticeships. [106656]
Alan Johnson: All 16 to 17-year-olds and apprentices aged 18 are exempt from the national minimum wage. Apprentices aged 19 to 25 (inclusive) are exempt from the minimum wage during the first 12 months of their apprenticeship and entitled to receive at least the rate of minimum wage appropriate to their age thereafter.
Fuel Poverty
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent estimate she has made of the number of (a) people and (b) households in the Buckingham constituency that are in fuel poverty. [106377]
Mr. Wilson: The Government published "The UK Fuel Poverty Strategy 1st Annual Progress Report" on 4 March 2003. This showed that the number of households in fuel poverty in the UK is estimated to have fallen from about 5.5 million in 1996 to about 3 million in 2001.
The most recently available information on fuel poverty in the South East is set out. Figures are not available centrally for individual constituencies.
| 2001 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number of households (thousands) | Percentage | |
| South East | 232 | 6.9 |
| England | 1,761 | 8.6 |
(4) For England and its regions the main source of information is the five yearly English House Condition Survey (EHCS). The latest figures on fuel poverty from this survey relate to 2001.
(5) Fuel poverty is defined as when a household needs to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income (including Housing Benefit and Income Support for Mortage Interest) on fuel in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime.
Inspection Staff
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) total number of staff and (b) number of inspection staff employed by the National Weights and Measures Laboratory was in each year since 1997. [100211]
Ms Hewitt: I have asked the Chief Executive of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to reply on my behalf.
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Letter from Dr. J. W. Llewellyn to Mr. Norman, dated 2 April 2003:
- The Secretary for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question on what the (a) total number of staff and (b) number of inspection staff employed by the National Weights and Measures Laboratory was in each year since 1997.
- (a) The total number of staff employed by the National Weights and Measures Laboratory in each year since 1997 was:
- 1997—53
- 1998—53
- 1999—57
- 2000—58
- 2001—56
- 2002—57
- 2003—57 as at current
- (b) NWML does not have powers of inspection under the Weights & Measures Act 1985.
Non-executive Directors
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the Financial Reporting Council's decision to restrict consultation on the Higgs Review of the role and effectiveness of non-executive directors to fatal flaws and specific drafting matters during formulation of the revised combined Code by the FRC. [105876]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Derek Higgs consulted extensively during the course of his review. I understand that the FRC Chairman, Sir Bryan Nicholson, has made it clear that the FRC is happy to receive comments on any matters related to the proposed revisions to the Combined Code and that all such responses will be considered carefully.
Nuclear Waste Liabilities
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether a total audit and cost estimate of all Britain's nuclear waste liabilities has been completed. [105592]
Mr. Wilson: The government White Paper Managing the Nuclear Legacy—A strategy for action estimated the cost of dealing with the UK's civil public sector liabilities to be £48 billion (undiscounted) as at March 2002.
As part of the process of preparing the ground for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) the Liabilities Management Unit within DTI is acquiring a detailed knowledge of BNFL and UKAEA liabilities.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated total cost of storing Britain's nuclear waste will be each year once a single storage sight has been agreed. [105594]
Mr. Wilson: The cost of storing Britain's nuclear waste in future will depend on the long-term management strategy we adopt. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in her letter to you dated 29 July 2002 that the Government and the devolved administrations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would set up a new independent body to recommend a long term strategy for managing UK radioactive waste. This
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process will indicate whether any new waste facilities or sites are needed. DEFRA has now advertised for a Chair and Members of this new Committee on Radioactive Waste Management. Applications are due by 2 May 2003. My right hon. Friend hopes to receive its recommendations by 2006 or sooner.
Office of Fair Trading
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received on the issue of the OFT's access to information on past convictions of applicants for consumer credit licences from the Police National Computer; and if she will make a statement. [102786]
Miss Melanie Johnson: We have had no representations.
Pharmacies
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will publish the research undertaken (a) by and (b) on behalf of the Office of Fair Trading for its recent report on entry controls for pharmacies. [105446]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 31 March 2003]: When the OFT published their report on pharmacy entry controls on 17 January, they also published supporting evidence in Annexes A-I (Volume 2) and Annexes J-0 (Volume 3).
Solar Power
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) names and (b) political affiliations are of the panel appointed by the Energy Saving Trust to assess her Department's Solar PV Major Demonstration Programme Stream 2 applications. [106030]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 31 March 2003]: The panel represents a broad cross-sector of interests and experience to enable detailed assessment of all of the elements of bids to the programme. The Department has not published the names of the panel members to ensure that they are not lobbied by applicants. I are not aware of their political affiliations.
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will publish the minutes of the meetings of the panel appointed by the Energy Saving Trust to assess her Department's Solar PV Major Demonstration Programme Stream 2 applications. [106031]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 31 March 2003]: The Department already publishes a list of the winning proposals and provides a summary of comments made at the panel meetings to all applicants. There are a number of issues of commercial confidentiality discussed at the meetings which we would not want to publish. To do so may inhibit specific proposals coming forward to the programme. The Department and its agents also provide a significant amount of information on the Major Demonstration Programme outside the panel meeting process to installers and the general public.
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Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the panel appointed by the Energy Saving Trust to assess her Department's solar PV Major Demonstration Programme Stream 2 applications will provide written feedback to unsuccessful applicants. [106062]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 31 March 2003]: Yes. It is already the Department's policy that all bidders receive written feedback on their applications.
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