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20 Jun 2003 : Column 490W—continued
Smoking
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of women aged under 30 who are smokers; what the figure was (a) five years and (b) 10 years ago; and if he will make a statement. [118803]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 12 June 2003]: The available data are shown in the table.
| Cigarette smoking status | Current cigarette smoker (percentage) |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 33 |
| 1998 | 35 |
| 2001 | 34 |
Notes:
1. Up until 2000, data on smoking prevalence from the General Household Survey were only available every two years.
2. Data for 1998 and 2001 were weighted to compensate for under-representation of people in some groups: data for 1992, which were based on unweighted data, are not therefore directly comparable.
Source:
Office for National Statistics: General Household Survey 2001, published as "Living in Britain: Results from the 2001 General Household Survey". Available from the internet at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/lib2001/index.html
20 Jun 2003 : Column 491W
Supported Living Schemes
Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance the Government has issued about the signing of tenancy agreements for supported living schemes for adults with communication difficulties and other disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [119243]
Dr. Ladyman: In August 2002, the Department issued statutory guidance to local councils and the National Care Standards Commission on supported housing and care homes. This included guidance on tenancies, such as taking account of service users' ability to understand the detail of tenancies and communicate their wishes.
Welsh Patients
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his oral answer of 3 June 2003, Official Report, column 20, to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mr. Griffiths) and his written answer of 17 June 2003, ref 117280, whether the two sets of figures for the number of Welsh patients treated in English hospitals in 2000–01 and 2001–02 were compiled on the same basis; and if he will make a statement. [120642]
Mr. Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave him on 19 June 2003, Official Report, column 279W.
The figure for 2000–01 referred to elective admissions, and the figure for 2001–02 referred to all admissions including emergency.
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the trend in the number of Welsh patients treated in English hospitals over the last five years. [120643]
Mr. Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave him on Wednesday 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 279W.
Over the last five years there has been an increase of over 5 per cent. in the number of admissions of Welsh patients to English hospitals.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Ministerial Meetings
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to meet Mr. L. K. Advani, the Indian Home Minister. [119508]
Mr. Blunkett: I met Mr. L. K. Advani, the Indian Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister on 16 June 2003.
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OCTV
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities in the UK have acquired OCTV systems in each of the last five years; what the cost of OCTV is in comparison to CCTV; and whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of OCTV in fighting crime. [119118]
Ms Blears: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of Open Circuit Television (OCTV) systems acquired by local authorities.
The cost comparison between an OCTV system and a conventional Close Circuit Television (CCTV) system is not straightforward owing to the differing natures of the two systems and reasons for their use. An OCTV system comprising of a Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) camera and computerised monitoring station will cost in the order of £12,000 (+VAT and delivery etc.). A typical single camera CCTV system will cost anything between £8,000 and £30,000 to purchase and install. On running costs, the OCTV system will incur mobile telephone call charges plus any standing charges. The CCTV system will possibly incur leasing fees for the transmission network.
To help ensure maximum impact and sustainability of CCTV, a £1.5 million Home Office funded national evaluation programme is being carried out by the Scarman Centre, University of Leicester, on 15 approved CCTV Initiative schemes. However, no assessment has been made of the effectiveness of OCTV in fighting crime.
MINISTER FOR WOMEN
Government Consultations
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Minister for Women what action she has taken to encourage ministerial colleagues to include women's organisations in their consultation process relating to the work of their departments. [115845]
Ms Hewitt: As Minister for Women, I take every opportunity to encourage my ministerial colleagues to include women in their departmental consultations. This follows guidelines issued by the Cabinet Office and by the Women and Equality Unit. The Women's National Commission (WNC), works with Government departments to ensure that there is an active dialogue with women during the course of consultations in policy-making.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Accident Group
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had about safeguarding the interests of clients of the Accident Group (a) whose claims have not been resolved and (b) whose claims have been resolved but in respect of which no payment has been made. [120231]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Where claims had not been processed prior to the company entering into Administration the clients are able to instruct other parties to pursue the
20 Jun 2003 : Column 493W
claim. In cases where a claim had been agreed, or legal proceedings had been successful, the solicitors acting in the matter should receive the amount of the compensation and will be able to pass this on to the client. The Administrators are not aware of any specific cases where The Accident Group is holding compensation payments.
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the bodies investigating irregularities within the Accident Group; and if she will make a statement. [120232]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The joint Administrators of The Accident Group will in due course file a report on the conduct of the directors of the company under the provisions of the Company Directors Disqualification Act. Although officials from the Insolvency Service have had discussions with the Administrators' staff the conduct of the administration is a matter for the joint administrators and the court.
Developing Countries
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are in place to ensure that British companies investing in developing countries will (a) be there as the result of invitations by people in the developing countries, (b) give employment to local people, (c) pay reasonable rates to those people and not exploit them and (d) not compete with existing practices in a way that undermines people's livelihoods. [120403]
Ms Hewitt: In terms of encouraging and monitoring standards of good conduct by British companies in overseas markets, the Government attach considerable importance to the various voluntary multilateral initiatives that promote the principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) such as the Global Reporting Initiative, the Ethical Trading Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
In terms of the issues raised above, the Guidelines are particularly relevant. These address, in specific sections, areas of business responsibility and good practice that include such subjects as general policies, employment
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and industrial relations, consumer interests and competition. The Government, by means of the UK National Contact Point, encourage strongly companies' involvement in and adherence to the Guidelines; which are supported by the business community and trade union federations.
The Government expect companies operating in the UK and UK companies investing overseas, to act in accordance with the principles set out in the Guidelines and to perform to at least the standards they suggest.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure that international trade works in the interests of both developing and developed countries. [120404]
Ms Hewitt: The World Bank estimates that eliminating all barriers to trade in goods could generate an extra US$250 billion to US$620 billion in global income, up to half of which would go to developing countries. In terms of poverty reduction, this could lift over 300 million people out of poverty by 2015.
This is why the Government are ambitious about pursuing the development agenda for the current round of trade talks launched at the fourth WTO ministerial conference in Doha, Qatar in November 2001.
I am working closely with Cabinet colleagues, as well as within the EU and internationally, to secure a successful outcome to the fifth WTO ministerial in Cancun, Mexico this September. We are committed to making sure that the Doha round delivers real benefits for the world's poor.
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