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16 May 2003 : Column 463W—continued
National Institute for Medical Research
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if she will make a statement about the future of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill; [112846]
- (2) how many people work at the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill; and if she will make a statement; [112844]
(3) what representations she has received concerning the future of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill; and if she will make a statement; [112843]
(4) what consultations she plans to hold over the future of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill with (a) staff and their representative bodies, (b) management and (c) the local community; and if she will make a statement. [112845]
Ms Hewitt [holding answers 12 May 2003]: The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) is MRC's largest institute and there are currently around 520 MRC employees with approximately 200 additional workers made up from short-term grant-funded posts, training fellows, students and visiting workers.
No formal decision has been taken regarding the future of NIMR. The Medical Research Council is at present developing a long-term strategy for its major capital investments over the next 10–15 years including the NIMR. This is an issue for the MRC and I have not received any formal representations.
DTI is not planning to carry out consultation, which is being done by the MRC. A document was released for general consultation on 4 April 2003 and local consultations include:
- The FIS consultation document has been made widely available to all NIMR staff. A general notice was circulated to all NIMR staff addressing key questions arising from this exercise. Employees have been encouraged to respond via the NIMR Director's Office and/or local and national trade union representatives, they may also respond directly to Head Office.
The trade unions also met the FIS Subcommittee to discuss and comment on the over-arching strategy. The MRC Director of Human Resources met the trade unions to discuss the consultation document prior to its release.
NIMR management staff met recently (24 April) with MRC Senior Office Staff to discuss the implication of FIS for NIMR and it is anticipated that their views will also be reflected in NIMR's response to the consultation process.
Professor Radda wrote (on 4 April) to local MPs in all relevant locations offering meetings to discuss the strategy.
Oil Pipelines
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what access independent storage companies have to the oil pipeline network within the UK. [113277]
Mr. Wilson: Under the Pipelines Act 1962 independent storage companies have "common access" rights to all oil pipelines. This means that provided there is spare capacity independent parties have a legal right of access to transport their oil products in any oil pipeline.
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Petrol Forecourts
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many operable petrol forecourts there were in the UK (a) in 1997, (b) in 2001 and (c) on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many she expects to be operating in 2006. [113279]
Mr. Wilson: The Institute of Petroleum's (IP) annual "Retail Survey " has provided the following data on the number of retail petrol filling stations in the UK:
| End of year | Number of petrol stations |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 14,824 |
| 2000 | 13,043 |
| 2001 | 12,201 |
| 2002 | 11,423 |
The Department has not estimated the number of sites that will be operating in 2006.
Post Office Card Account
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry with reference to Deposited paper ref. Dep. 03/908 of 6 March, how the reference to the need to use a machine to withdraw money from a Post Office card account relates to the statement that customers will be paid over the Post Office counter. [112848]
Mr. Timms: The customer hands the Post Office card to the counter clerk who swipes it through the Horizon terminal. The customer is then asked to enter their PIN number into the key pad sited on the counter and is then given cash and a receipt by the counter clerk over the Post Office counter.
Post Office Subsidies
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the £450 million subsidy announced for the rural Post Office network requires parliamentary approval; and when she expects to receive state aid approval from the European Commission. [110910]
Mr. Timms: In answer to a question tabled by the hon. Member himself, on 2 December I announced to parliament, the Government's intention to make available 450 million from 2003 to 2006, to help the rural post office network through the transition of benefit payment to ACT. The package will be funded from Royal Mail Holdings accumulated surpluses, as part of a package to put Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd. on a commercial footing. There is therefore no requirement for parliamentary approval.
The funding is subject to State Aid approval and we submitted our notification to the Commission in December for clearance. The timetable for state aid clearance is a matter for the European Commission. DTI is working to ensure that the questions and issues raised by the Commission are responded to as quickly as possible. We are confident we have a strong case and we hope to have approval in due course.
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Pyramid Selling
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for charges related to pyramid direct selling and multi-marketing practices, and their advertising in each year from 1987, what the (i) places and (ii) dates were of the court cases concerned; what sentences were conferred on directors; what offences were pleaded guilty to; and if she will make a statement. [113007]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 14 May 2003]: There have been no prosecutions or convictions recorded under the Trading Schemes Act 1996 and sub-ordinate legislation related to pyramid direct selling and multi-marketing practices or their advertising.
However prosecution action will have been taken under the Companies Acts, the Company Directors Disqualification Act, the Theft Acts, or other legislation relevant to pyramid direct selling and multi-marketing practices. As the action will have been taken under a variety of different statutes the information sought is not available centrally.
Salmon
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy towards dumping of salmon on the European Community markets. [112503]
Ms Hewitt: I am concerned at the possibility that salmon originating outside the European Community may be dumped, once existing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures are terminated. I have written to Commissioner Lamy urging him to introduce a surveillance scheme to monitor imports of salmon into the Community. In addition, Ministers from the Scotland Office, and the Scottish Executive together with British MEPs have played an active role in pressing the commission to adopt a surveillance scheme.
Sickness Absence
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff in her Department were on long term sick leave in each of the last five years. [109261]
Ms Hewitt: The numbers of staff whose sick absence was longer than 22 days in each financial year were:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 206 |
| 1998–99 | 217 |
| 1999–2000 | 210 |
| 2000–01 | 228 |
| 2001–02 | 248 |
In my Department sick absence in excess of 22 days in a year is the trigger for considering poor attendance action.
Statutory Instruments
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the statutory
16 May 2003 : Column 466W
instruments issued by her Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds, (ii) businesses and (iii) individuals. [106315]
Ms Hewitt: The HMSO Statutory Instrument Registrar siregistrar@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk can provide a list of statutory instruments issued by individual Departments. Statutory Instruments which have been originated by Departments but eventually made by the Privy Council Office, are only listed under the Privy Council Office.
However during the period 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2003 my Department laid 101 Statutory Instruments before Parliament. A Regulatory Impact Assessment is completed for regulatory proposals unless there are no or negligible costs. During the period in question my Department prepared RIAs for the following instruments.
- The Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2002,
The Wireless Telegraphy (Exemption) (Amendment) Regulations 2002,
The Wireless Telegraphy (Licences Charges) Regulations 2002,
The Offshore Installations (Emergency Pollution Control) Regulations 2002,
The Directors' Remuneration Report Regulation 2002,
The Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002,
The National Minimum Wage Regulation 1999 (Amendment) Regulations 2002,
The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Rate of Interest) (No. 3) Order 2002,
The Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002,
The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002,
The Maternity and Parental Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2002,
The Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002,
The Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (Weekly Rates) Regulations 2002,
The Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (General) Regulations 2002,
The Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (Administration) Regulations 2002,
The Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (National Health Service Employees) Regulations 2002,
The Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (Mariners and Persons Abroad) Regulations 2002,
The Community Designs (Fees) Regulations 2002,
The Measuring Instruments (EC Requirements) (Electrical Energy Meters) (Amendment) Regulations 2002,
The Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002,
The Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations 2002,
The Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2002,
The Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2003,
The Wireless Telegraphy (Exemption) Regulations 2003, The Companies (Acquisition of Own Shares) (Treasury Shares) Regulations 2003,
The Registered Designs Regulations 2003,
The Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003,
The Patents (Electronic Communications) (Amendment) Rules 2003,
The Patents Act 1977 (Electronic Communications) Order 2003.
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