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15 Sept 2003 : Column 545W—continued
Coal Investment Aid
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications have been received in respect of coal investment aid; from which companies the applications were received; how many applicants have been successful; and what aid was awarded in respect of each application. [129214]
Mr. Timms: 14 applications were received by 31 July 2003. Details are on the DTI website at: www.dt.gov.uk/energy/coal/invest aid/index They are still being assessed and no aid has yet been awarded.
Corporate Responsibility Bill
Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultation her Department is holding on the Corporate Responsibility Bill; which companies have been informed of this consultation; and which other stakeholders have been asked for their views. [127967]
Jacqui Smith: The Department is not holding or planning any consultation on the Corporate Responsibility Bill though we have received views from MPs and the public.
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Illegal Imports
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the import of products produced in illegal ways in the United Kingdom. [127596]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 8 September 2003]: All imports to the United Kingdom must be in compliance with the controls and conditions laid down in national or European Community legislation.
Langage Power Station
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the time period for commencement of the construction of the gas fired power station at Langage, Plymouth expires; and if she will make a statement. [129705]
Mr. Timms: 14 November 2005. The consent and associated planning permission of 15 November 2000 make clear that development must begin within five years for the permissions to remain valid.
Mineworkers' Compensation
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money the Government paid to the Union of Democratic Mineworkers for processing vibration white finger and respiratory coal health claims. [129201]
Ministerial Visits
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the occasions since 1997 when ministers from her Department have accompanied British firms on visits overseas to promote export marketing and sales, indicating the name of the minister and the country visited in each case. [128406]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 9 September 2003]: Ministers take every opportunity to accompany British firms on visits overseas in order to help increase trade and investment opportunities, and boost British exports.
For example, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry led a senior business delegation to India in January 2003. I and my hon Friend, the Under-secretary of State for Small Business also led trade missions to India in November 2002 and February 2003 respectively.
My hon. Friend, the Minister for Trade and Investment, led a senior business delegation to China as part of the Prime Minister's visit in July 2003. His predecessor, my noble Friend Baroness Symons, now the Minister for State for the Middle East led a business delegation to Brazil in March 2002.
My hon. Friend the Member for Cunninghame North the then Minister of State for Energy and Construction, supported the UK presence at the Caspian Oil and Gas show in Azerbaijan in June 2003. He also went to Houston, USA in May 2003 for the Offshore Technology Conference (where over 100 UK companies were exhibiting); to Brazil in September 2002 for the Rio
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de Janeiro Oil and Gas Show; and to Stavanger, Norway, in August 2002 for the Offshore Northern Seas Exhibition.Full information on all visits is not, however, recorded centrally in the form requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Nuclear Safety
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will undertake an assessment of safety at nuclear power stations following the recent heatwave; and if she will make a statement. [128769]
Mr. Timms: No. Assessment of safety of UK nuclear installations is for the operators licensed by the safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Since all the UK nuclear stations that were operating during the heatwave depend on sea water, not river water for their cooling, the rise in the temperature of the cooling water remained well within the limits allowed by the various plant safety cases. HSE maintained regulatory vigilance during this period and was satisfied that safety case limits were not threatened by the hot weather.
Royal Mail
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions have taken place with Royal Mail representatives regarding the use of railways to transport mail; and what measures have been taken to reduce redundancies. [128243]
Mr. Timms: The Department meets Royal Mail on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues, including progress on the transport review.
Royal Mail envisage that the implementation of the whole transport review will impact on around 2,500 jobs across various parts of its distribution operation, including around 150 in rail.
Royal Mail will seek to achieve any job losses through natural wastage and redeployment of staff within other parts of Royal Mail.
Royal Mail has advised that it has not ruled out the use of rail in the future, and is still talking to a number of rail freight operators who believe they can offer a commercially viable rail solution.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) (what funding the Government provided for the development of partnership working between Royal Mail and trades unions representing employees in its United Kingdom Mails division in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04; [128530]
- (2) what representations her Department has made to the management of Royal Mail on the development of partnership working in Royal Mail; [128531]
(3) what asessment she has made of progress in developing partnership working between the management and trades unions in Royal Mail. [128532]
Mr. Timms: Royal Mail were awarded £50,000 under the Partnership at Work Fund in 2002–03 to introduce partnership working at regional, national and area level with the Communication Workers Union and the Communication Managers' Association.
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The Department meets Royal Mail on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues including progress on developing partnership working. Good progress has been made in setting up a Partnership framework since Lord Sawyer's review in 2001, but there is still some way to go and the current process has stalled. The Department, wherever possible, continues to encourage the management and unions to take forward the Partnership approach set out by Lord Sawyer.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the expenditure by Royal Mail on external consultancy services was in (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03. [128533]
Mr. Timms: Expenditure by Royal Mail on external consultancy services is an operational matter for the company. I have, therefore, asked the Chief Executive of Royal Mail to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions has she had with industry stakeholders with regard to Postcomm's proposed terms of access to Royal Mail services. [129195]
Mr. Timms: Ministers regularly receive representations on a range of postal issues. Access pricing policy is, however, a matter for the regulator. The regulator is currently examining the results of its public consultation on this issue, to which a number of industry stakeholders have commented. A full list of respondents and details of representations received are shown on their website: http://www.postcomm.gov.uk
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many lorry movements in and out of Royal Mail terminals have taken place in each of the last three years. [129690]
Mr. Timms: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail Group plc. I have therefore asked the Deputy Chairman of Royal Mail to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Science and Engineering (Women Employees)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many women work in the science, engineering and technology industries in the UK and what percentage of all workers in those industries were women in each of the last 10 years. [127658]
Mr. Timms: Data are only available for spring 2001, 2002 and 2003. The information requested is not available in a consistent basis prior to spring 2001, due to a change in the occupation classification used in the Labour Force Survey, from SOC90 to SOC2000.
| March to May | Thousand | Percentage(6) |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 335 | 14.1 |
| 2002 | 337 | 14.6 |
| 2003 | 302 | 12.8 |
(6) Women as a percentage of all employed in science, engineering and technology occupations.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey.
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