| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
3 Jul 2003 : Column 416W—continued
Tennis
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial support was provided to the development of tennis in each of the last five years; and what proportion was provided to youth development. [122884]
Mr. Caborn: The information in respect to England is set out in the following table.
| 1998–1999 | 1999–2000 | 2000–2001 | 2001–2002 | 2002–2003 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lottery funding | 7,385,360 | 2,631,804 | 3,488,451 | 9,291,574 | 7,550,020 |
| Exchequer funding | 37,188 | None | None | None | None |
The proportion of funding provided to youth development is not centrally recorded.
Volunteering
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the financial value of volunteering for sport-related activities. [122835]
Mr. Caborn: The UK has a network of 110,000 community amateur sports clubs run by 1.5 million volunteers. The financial value of the voluntary sector is difficult to estimate. The Leisure Industries Research Centre did, in 1996, make the following estimate (reproduced in the December 2002 DCMS/Strategy Unit Report, "Game Plan: a strategy for delivering Government's sport and physical activity objectives"):
| Type of Sport Volunteer | Volunteer hours (m) per year | Value of volunteer hours at £3.81 per hour (£m) |
|---|---|---|
| Governing Bodies/Sports Clubs in 94 sports | 165.5 | 1,375 |
| International events hosted in UK | 0.3 | 2 |
| Disabled Sport | 3.2 | 26 |
| Schools | 2.6 | 21 |
| Youth organisations | 11.6 | 96 |
| Total | 183.2 | 1,522 |
3 Jul 2003 : Column 417W
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Small Business Regulation
12. Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the (a) level and (b) cost of regulations imposed on small businesses by her Department since 1997. [123231]
Nigel Griffiths: There is no established method of assessing the precise level or cost of imposing or removing regulations on SMES, either before 1997 or after. The latest 2002 figures indicate a reduction in new Statutory Instruments over 1996–97.
Developing Countries (UK Trade Access)
13. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what efforts her Department has made to expand access to developing countries for UK industry. [123232]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our aim in the Doha Trade Round is to promote fair trade. Expanding access to the markets in developing countries can help them be more competitive. However developing countries also need the added benefit of special and differential measures to address particular difficulties in some developing countries.
Community Pharmacies
14. Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Office of Fair Trading's proposals for local pharmacies. [123233]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government made an interim response to the OFT's report on control of entry regulation for pharmacies on 26 March. In relation to England, the Government have said that they are still considering the report and its recommendation and will announce before the summer recess a balanced package of proposals, which we believe is the most effective means of promoting change to open up the market and improve quality and access without diminishing the crucial role that pharmacies play, especially in poorer and rural areas.
Miners' Compensation
15. Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received in the past month about extending the miners' compensation scheme for those with chest diseases to those who worked as cokemen. [123234]
Mr. Timms: I am aware that the hon. Member has raised this issue with the Leader of the House. The Department has received no representations this month.
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what reasons have been given to former coal miners by IRISC for the denial of claims received from Moss Solicitors of Loughborough for compensation payments for (a) chronic obstructive
3 Jul 2003 : Column 418W
pulmonary disorder and (b) vibration white finger for the period (i) April 2000 to April 2001, (ii) April 2001 to April 2002 and (iii) April 2002 to April 2003. [123215]
Mr. Timms: The Department's claim handlers, IRISC, are unable to provide detailed reasons in the format requested.
I can advise that, under the terms of the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation, claims are denied where the respiratory specialist who assessed the claim is of the opinion that the claimant is not suffering from any compensatable disease, or he was not employed with British Coal after 1954 (1949 in Scotland), the date of liability.
Claims for Vibration White Finger are denied where the claimants' employment records indicate that he was not employed in an occupation with British Coal whereby he would have been exposed to excessive vibration, or he was not employed with British Coal, after 1975, the accepted date of liability, or the full Medical Assessment Process (MAP) report determines that he is not suffering from VWF.
This is in accordance with the High Court Judgments.
Veterinary Medicines
16. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the Competition Commission's report on the sale of veterinary medicines. [123237]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has accepted the Competition Commission's report and the recommendations and proposed remedies contained in it. The changes proposed by the Commission aim to increase competition in the supply of prescription-only veterinary medicines while ensuring that human and animal health continue to be protected.
Paper-making Industry
17. Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received from the paper-making industry about competition conditions within the European Union. [123238]
Mr. Sutcliffe: No recent representations have been received.
Civil Partnerships
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the intended timescale for legislation on civil partnerships. [123333]
Ms Hewitt: The consultation period on civil partnership registration will end on 30 September 2003. The Government will consider the next steps in the light of responses to the consultation paper. No decisions have yet been taken about legislation on civil partnership registration.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department
3 Jul 2003 : Column 419W
has made of the percentage of staff employed by the Department for Trade and Industry who (a) are able to cope with the demands of their jobs, (b) have a say about the way they do their work, (c) receive adequate information and support from their colleagues and superiors, (d) understand their role and responsibilities, (e) are not subject to unacceptable behaviour such as bullying and (f) are happy that they are involved in decision-making on changes. [121268]
Ms Hewitt: Data to answer these precise questions are not available. DTI however prides itself on a supportive and positive working environment. It has worked in partnership with its unions on more positive approaches to flexible working and long hours. It does not tolerate bullying. Our business plan, published in April, gives clarity on our objectives and everyone's personal objectives are related to this. All people in DTI are involved in decisions that affect them as far as possible.
Employment Rights(Information and Consultation)
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce legislation on employee rights to information and consultation. [123236]
Mr. Sutcliffe: We have had discussions with a wide range of groups and organisations, including the CBI and TUC, about how we implement the directive and will publish legislative proposals for consultation shortly.
EUREKA Programme
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual UK contribution has been, at constant prices, to the EU EUREKA programme since its inception; and if she will make a statement. [122494]
Ms Hewitt: EUREKA is an independent programme to support industrially-led R and D. It includes 34 member countries in Europe and adjacent regions. The EU Commission is also a member.
There is no central fund to support projects; each country provides support to its own participants at agreed rates. EUREKA can cover any industrially-relevant technology. It complements the EU Framework Programme and is implicated in the proposals for the European Research Area.
The majority of projects fall within the policy responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The following table details the annual spend on EUREKA projects by the DTI. Separate figures before 1992–93 are unavailable.
3 Jul 2003 : Column 420W
The future of the EUREKA initiative in the UK will be covered in the imminent DTI Innovation Review.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |