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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Advantage West Midlands
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding Advantage West Midlands gave to projects in North Staffordshire in 2002–03; and what the (a) internal spending and (b) fundraising targets were for 2002–03. [122616]
Jacqui Smith: AWM funding to projects in North Staffs in 2002–03 was £19 million.
It is not possible to provide the fund raising targets for these projects. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the expenditure on information technology by the Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary has been in each of the last five years. [124943]
Mr. Timms: The information is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 40,266 |
| 1999–2000 | 119,255 |
| 2000–01 | 147,701 |
| 2001–02 | 595,927 |
| 2002–03 | 456,493 |
Due to the UKAEAC being a part of UKAEA all the IT services infrastructure is managed within the parent organisation's expenditure.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place a copy of the latest information technology strategy document for the Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary in the Library. [124944]
Mr. Timms: The document referred to is classified Restricted and contains information which could potentially be of use to terrorists. It therefore cannot be made publicly available "under exemption l(a) information whose disclosure would harm the conduct of international relations or affairs; of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information."
BNFL (Safety)
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what security considerations underpinned
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the decision to withhold from publication the full safety analysis conducted by BNFL of its building B30 at Sellafield. [124836]
Mr. Timms: It is not Government policy to disclose information relating to civil nuclear facilities which could potentially be of use to terrorist "under Exemption l(a) information whose disclosure would harm national security—of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information." A version of the report which did not include such sensitive information was placed in the Libraries of the House in June this year.
Broadband
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the oral answer of the Minister for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services, of 3 July 2003, Official Report, columns 527–28, in which areas schools with wireless broadband access have become hubs for the local community; what external sources of finance were used; and if she will make a statement. [124354]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 8 July 2003]: Through the Alston Cybermoor project in East Cumbria, 600 homes are served by their local school connections, and a number of schools act as hubs in Co. Durham providing onbound access to both community, L. A. and business users. The Cumbria and Lancashire Education Online have also helped the small rural communities of Hawkhead and Coniston. The Buckfastleigh project is using a mixture of fixed-line and wireless connections. Jeff Joseph Sale Moor Technology College, Cheshire, has established an open-to-all wireless broadband access point located in a council house in the centre of a local estate. The wireless network is intended to give broadband access from anywhere in the college and up to 5km in to the local community.
Other areas are looking into the possibility of becoming hubs, e.g. Kent LEA. Pilots in Surrey and Isle of White are in the development stage.
All school wireless connections are government funded (Department for Education and Skills, and the DTI through the Regional Development Agencies), with non-school users only being charged for their share of the costs.
Civil Servants
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new entrants to the Civil Service were employed in her Department in each of the last five years; and how many in each year were aged 50 or over. [119818]
Ms Hewitt: The figures for my Department, based on headcount for the number of permanent staff, are as follows:
| Over age 50 | Under age 50 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 49 | 389 | 438 |
| 1998–99 | 66 | 502 | 558 |
| 1999–2000 | 47 | 585 | 632 |
| 2000–01 | 110 | 666 | 776 |
| 2001–02 | 112 | 843 | 955 |
| Grand total | 384 | 2,985 | 3,359 |
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These are the overall figures for the Department, including its Agencies and include permanent staff transfers into the DTI from: (i) other government departments and (ii) as a result of machinery of government change.
Compulsory Liability Insurance
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average cost of an employer's compulsory liability insurance claim was in each year since 1998. [119393]
Mr. Browne: I have been asked to reply.
The Department published a first stage report on employers' liability insurance that looked at the issue on 3 June. Copies are in the Library.
One of the key external stakeholders representing the insurance industry was the Association of British Insurers (ABI). They have calculated the average cost of Employers' Liability claims using historical patterns to estimate the settlement cost of claims which are currently outstanding. Their estimates are as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 11,900 |
| 1999 | 13,100 |
| 2000 | 12,700 |
| 2001 | 16,000 |
| 2002 | 16,200 |
Digital Broadcasting
Liz Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department has taken to publicise good practice in inclusive design and (b) provide data, guidelines and case studies relating to inclusive design to those involved in the design and production of (i) digital television products, (ii) digital radio products and (iii) telecommunications products. [111166]
Mr. Timms: The Department is committed to encouraging good design and this is done principally through our involvement in standards work. The placing of accessibility features in standards ensures that all products of that type include them. We actively participate in drafting key standards. A major conference was held earlier this year by the European Standards Bodies in conjunction with the Commission to promote inclusive design.
A task listed in the Action Plan of the Digital Television Project, jointly led by DTI and DCMS, is to "address human factors issues including access for disabled people". The DTI commissioned a scoping report from Loughborough University in 2002 and has commissioned follow-up work with Scientific Generics Limited including a report on inclusive design which is due in Q3, 2003. On 10 July 2003, DTI hosted an
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Intellect seminar on Digital Terrestrial Television Product Usability which was attended by a number of key manufacturers of television receivers."Usability for All" was the main theme of the seminar.
Liz Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with manufacturers of digital radios on improving the accessibility of this equipment for visually impaired people. [111168]
Mr. Timms: DTI officials have regular discussions with manufacturers of radio receivers on the development of digital radio technology, applications and markers. Although UK sales of digital radio receivers have increased in recent months, the market is still at a very early stage. We expect to see a greater range of receivers on offer over the coming months, including those with larger clearer screens, which will make digital radio programmes more accessible to all, including visually impaired people. Options being considered by manufacturers for the figure include digital radios with audio guides which read alound what is currently displayed as text.
Access to digital radio services is not limited to the current range of digital radio receivers. Many digital radio services can also be accessed by digital television receivers and computers, providing a greater range of options for the visually impaired and others.
As noted in my reply to my hon. Friend's Question No. 111167, OFCOM will have powers to act to further the interests of consumers on such issues as ease of accessibility.
Electricity Generation
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the provision of electricity from coal fired power stations displacing power from plants that are more environmentally friendly; and what efforts are being made to encourage the use of electricity from environmentally friendly plants in the future. [123282]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 8 July 2003]: The choice of which generating plant to use to meet their contracts with electricity suppliers is a commercial matter for the electricity generating companies.
Electricity generators face limits imposed by the environment Agency on a variety of emissions with environmental impacts. Examples of emissions limited by the Agency in this way include sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, emissions of which are generally higher from coal plant than from other types of generation.
Coal fired generation also produces higher levels of carbon dioxide emissions than most other forms of generation. The Agency does not set limits for emissions of carbon dioxide from power stations. However, a trading scheme for carbon dioxide emissions is due to be launched by the European Union in January 2005. This scheme will cover all fossil fuelled power stations and will give generators direct financial incentives to reduce carbon emissions.
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Our February 2003 Energy White Paper sets out our strategy for using competitive markets to reconcile environmental considerations with the electricity needs of homes and businesses. The White Paper stated that,
- "we will make the new trading scheme a central plank of our future emissions reduction policies, through which the traded carbon market can set a signal for the value of carbon reductions in the economy".
The electricity sector has made significant progress in reducing environmentally harmful emissions over the past decade. Between 1990 and 2002, its emissions of carbon dioxide fell by about 20 per cent. and between 1990 and 2001 its emissions of sulphur dioxide fell by about 73 per cent. (figures for 2002 are not yet available). By contracts, emission of carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide from all other sources over the same periods fell by 3 per cent. and 62 per cent. respectively.
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