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28 Apr 2003 : Column 100W—continued
Company Directors
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average period is since 1997 for which disbarred company directors are barred from holding office. [108967]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The average period for which company directors have been barred from holding office from 1997 to date are as listed in the table.
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| Financial year | Number of orders | Average numberof years |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 1,540 | 5.45 |
| 2000–01 | 1,548 | 5.49 |
| 2001–02 | 1,761 | 5.38 |
| 2002–03 | 1,594 | 5.41 |
Such figures for the two earlier years were not collected and could now be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many company directors were barred from holding directorships in each year since 1997. [108968]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The number of directors of insolvent companies who have been disqualified under section 6 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act, 1986 from the financial year of 1996–97 to date are as listed in the table:
| Financial year | Total section 6 orders |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 1,040 |
| 1997–98 | 1,267 |
| 1998–99 | 1,284 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,540 |
| 2000–01 | 1,548 |
| 2001–02 | 1,761 |
| 2002–03 | 1,594 |
Wind Farms
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what compensation is payable to fishermen for loss of livelihood from offshore wind farms sited on traditional inshore fishing grounds. [108335]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 14 April 2003]: It is for the developers of offshore wind farm projects and those fishermen who might be affected by them to discuss the question of whether compensation should be paid and, if appropriate, how much would be payable in particular cases.
Miners' Compensation
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on claims by surface workers exposed to coal dust for compensation for respiratory disease resulting from their work in the coal mining industry. [108598]
Mr. Wilson: The Department has been in discussion with the Claimants' Solicitors' Group (CG) for some time over the issue of surface dust. The Department does not believe that the level of respirable dust on the surface was sufficient to cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This position is consistent with its expert medical advice, which is based on surface dust levels recorded by the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM). The CG were unable to accept this position, and in order to move matters forward, the Department agreed to engage in a joint study of the effects of surface dust, which would then be analysed by the parties' respective medical experts. The Department and the CG met with their medical experts in December
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2002 to discuss the evidence produced by the joint study. The Department agreed to review further documents produced by the CG at that meeting and give its final position by the end of February 2003.
Having considered the results of the study and the additional information produced by the CG, the Department's medical adviser has not altered his opinion that there was insufficient respirable dust to cause COPD to surface only workers. Accordingly, the Department wrote to the CG on 28 February 2003 to inform them that it maintains its original position. Surface workers are not therefore admitted under the Claims Handling Agreement for COPD.
However, claimants can pursue a claim for compensation in relation to surface employment under common law if they wish.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what impact the establishment of IRISC offices in Cardiff has had on the processing of compensation claims in Wales. [108672]
Mr. Wilson: IRISC Cardiff has been instrumental to the Department in achieving its target of making 15,000 respiratory disease offers to Welsh claimants during 2002. Since the office began processing claims in July 2001 some 43,000 respiratory disease claims have been received from Welsh claimants. As of 23 March 2003, over 16,000 interim payments have been made and some 17,000 claims settled, totalling over £205 million. In addition, IRISC has received some 21,000 Vibration White Finger (VWF) claims from Welsh claimants. Some 7,300 interim payments have been made and 9,000 claims settled, totalling over £85 million.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether a claimant for compensation for vibration white finger or chest disease resulting from mine-working is entitled to interest accrued or other compensation if a cheque for payment is not forwarded promptly by the solicitor representing the claimant. [108673]
Mr. Wilson: The Department is only liable to pay interest for any delay in the payment of compensation up to the point that the damages payment is issued. Payment of interest resulting from any delay caused by the solicitors in forwarding those damages is a matter for the claimant and their legal representative. Under the solicitors Accounts Rules and dependent on the amount and the time payment for damages has been withheld from the claimant, the claimant's solicitor may be liable for payment of interest.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the extent of delays in miners' compensation payment caused by cheques failing to be promptly forwarded by solicitors to their clients. [108678]
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Mr. Wilson: Once payment is forwarded to the claimant's solicitors the Department has no means by which they can monitor the 300 or more firms of solicitors as to the time taken by them to forward payment on to their clients. However, I have expressed concern about the delays which occur in some cases and have emphasised the importance of effective communication between solicitors and clients at this stage in the process.
Departmental Annual Report
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the annual report of her Department will be published. [107884]
Ms Hewitt: The spring 2003 Departmental Reports are to be published between 28 April and 16 May 2003. We will publish our Departmental Report within this period.
Departmental Creche Facilities
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what crèche facilities are provided by her Department; and at what cost. [104290]
Ms Hewitt: The information is as follows:
Department staff in central London have access to a 32-place holiday playscheme for a minimum of 54 days each year. Staff contribute £14.00 per place towards the £31.00 daily fee. DTI HQ staff in Cardiff have access to a local Easter and summer holiday playscheme for a contribution of £12.00 per place towards the £24.00 daily fee.
Departmental staff in central London have access to six nursery places (divided equally between children under 2 and over 2 years old at the inter-departmental nursery. The weekly cost to the Department for a full-time place for an under-2 is £200.50 and £169.00 for 2 years old and over. Staff contribution is levied at a flat rate of £112 per week for a full-time place irrespective of the age of the child. Children attending nursery on a part-time basis are charged on a pro rata basis. DTI's total expenditure on child care for this financial year was £43,995.00
Departmental Spending
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of expenditure by her Department on the (a) Hearing Aid Council, (b) Consumer Communication for England, (c) British Hallmarking Council, (d) Ethnic Minority Business Advisory Forum, (e) Import Parity Price Panel and (f) Textiles and Clothing Industry Forum; if she will list the purpose of each; and if she will make a statement. [107385]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 8 April 2003]: Latest available estimated expenditure by my Department for the following bodies are as follows.
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| 2002–03 | 2003–04 | |
|---|---|---|
| British Hallmarking Council | 10 | 10.5 |
| Ethnic Minority Business Advisory Forum | 78 | 70 |
| Import Parity Price Panel | 65 | — |
| Consumer Communication for England (Sponsored by OFTEL) | 15 | 32 |
The terms of reference for these bodies are set out in the Cabinet Office Publication Public Bodies 2002.
The structure and purpose of the Hearing Aid Council is set out in the Hearing Aid Council Act 1968 and the Hearing Aid Council (Amendment) Act 1989. The departmental expenditure estimates for this body are:
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 74 |
| 2003–04 | 75 |
The Textiles and Clothing Industry Forum is a £3.8 million 4-year industry-led project aimed at contributing to the sector's competitiveness by improving the UK textiles and clothing supply chain, supported by a DTI grant of £1.5 million.
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