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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Atomic Energy Authority Visits

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether visits by the International Atomic Energy Authority include (a) military sites, (b) the inspection of military plutonium from Aldermaston stored under safeguards at Sellafield and (c) the inspection of plutonium waste stored at AWE Aldermaston; and if she will make a statement. [140924]

Mr. Timms: The UK's voluntary offer safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Euratom applies to all nuclear material in UK facilities, subject to exclusions for national security reasons only. This means that the IAEA can designate any UK civil nuclear facility, or any part thereof, for safeguards inspection visits but has no right of access to nuclear material required for national security and sites such as Aldermaston. The IAEA therefore has the right to inspect the plutonium stored at Sellafield that was transferred from Aldermaston and brought into safeguards following the conclusion of the 1998 Strategic Defence Review. The IAEA currently chooses to limit its inspections to the plutonium in the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) plutonium product store and the Magnox Special Nuclear Material Store 9. All civil nuclear material in

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the UK, including the plutonium transferred from Aldermaston to Sellafield, is subject to Euratom safeguards as provided for in Chapter VII of the Euratom Treaty.

Balance of Trade

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the UK's balance of trade figures for trade in goods and services were in each quarter of the last five years. [140947]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information on UK trade goods and services is published monthly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest figures, up to September 2003 were released on 11 November 2003. These Statistics are available from the ONS website, which may be accessed from the Library of the House. I have sent a copy to the hon. Member.

British Energy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of (a) British Energy's ability to meet its forecast for total UK nuclear output in 2003 and (b) the maintenance of suitable reserves for unplanned outages; and if she will make a statement. [141539]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 2 December 2003]: British Energy's forecast output and its reserve for unplanned outages are a matter for the company. British Energy publishes regular monthly output statements.

Broadband

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the Broadband Fund has been allocated to (a) each regional development agency and (b) each devolved administration. [141604]

Mr. Timms: The UK Broadband Fund was allocated from a formula based on the number of residents who did not yet have affordable access to broadband services. It was allocated as follows:

	£ million
East of England	3.22
East Midlands	2.09
London	0.113
North East	1.46
North West	2.68
South East	2.90
South West	3.78
West Midlands	2.10
Yorkshire and the Humber	3.10
Northern Ireland	1.46
Scotland	4.40
Wales	2.67

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times the joint DTI and Defra Rural Broadband Team has met since its inception; and what meetings they have held with outside bodies. [141605]

Mr. Timms: The joint DTI and Defra Rural Broadband Team has been working together in the same office premises since May 2003. The team has met a

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wide range of outside bodies including Regional Development Agencies, Devolved Administrations, Government Offices, Countryside Agency, Country Land and Business Association, British Chambers of Commerce, Ruralnet, local government and councils, community broadband groups, social enterprises and broadband and ICT companies.

Clergy (Employment Rights)

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what plans her Department has to implement section 23 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 in relation to employment rights for clergy; [140547]

(2) if she will make a statement on the Employment Bill announced in the Queen's Speech with reference to the application of section 23 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 to employment rights for clergy. [140801]

Mr. Sutcliffe: There are no measures in the Employment Relations Bill to extend employment rights to the clergy. In relation to s23 of the Employment Relations Act, we hope to publish a Government response to the Employment Status Review around the turn of the year.

Debt (Late Payment)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for statutory interest payments have been submitted to private companies under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act 1998; how many claims were met; and what the total value was of such payments in each year since the Act has been in operation. [141593]

Nigel Griffiths: There is no requirement for companies to register claims for statutory interest payments under the Late Payment Legislation.

Electronics and Innovation Growth Team

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what level of representation is afforded to small businesses on the electronics and innovation growth team advising her Department. [141592]

Nigel Griffiths: While membership of the Electronic Innovation and Growth Team (EIGT) Steering Board and Working Groups is by personal invitation, I am assured SMEs are well represented. Both the Steering Board and Working Groups have participants who are employed in or who are key participates in SME networks. The EIGT is acutely aware of the significance that SMEs play in the sector.

SMEs wishing to contribute views to the work of the team may email EIGT at [e-mail]

Employment Tribunals

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employment tribunal cases there were in (a) West Derbyshire, (b) East Midlands and (c) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997. [141430]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table shows the number of tribunal applications registered by the Employment Tribunals Service in the United Kingdom (excluding

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Northern Ireland) since 1997. We are unable to supply separate statistical information for the geographical areas of West Derbyshire and East Midlands.

	Registered tribunal applications
2002–03	98,617
2001–02	112,227
2000–01	130,408
1999–2000	103,935
1998–99	91,913
1997–98	80,435
1996–97	88,910

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average amount of an employment tribunal cost award was in (a) West Derbyshire, (b) East Midlands and (c) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997. [141431]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table shows the average amount of an Employment Tribunal cost award in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) since 1997. We are unable to supply the average amount of an Employment Tribunal cost award for West Derbyshire and East Midlands.

	Average cost award (£)
2002–03	1,524
2001–02	983
2000–01	295
1999–2000	1,155
1998–99	743
1997–98	546

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average award for compensation in employment tribunal cases was in (a) West Derbyshire, (b) East Midlands and (c) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997. [141432]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Employment Tribunals Service only collects compensation statistics for tribunal cases covering the jurisdictions of Unfair Dismissal, Race Discrimination, Sex Discrimination and Disability Discrimination. Therefore, the figures quoted in the following table illustrate the average award for compensation in Employment Tribunal cases for the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) since 1997 in relation to the aforementioned complaints. We are unable to supply separate information for West Derbyshire and East Midlands.

	Average compensation award (£)
2002–03	7,598
2001–02	7,306
2000–01	5,764
1999–2000	5,734
1998–99	4,449
1997–98	4,894

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employment tribunal cost awards have been made against (a) respondents

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and (b) applicants in (i) West Derbyshire, (ii) East Midlands and (iii) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997. [141433]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table illustrates how many Employment Tribunal cost awards have been made against respondents and applicants in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) in the last two financial years. The Employment Tribunals Service did not breakdown the statistics for applicants and respondents prior to 2001–02. We are unable to supply information for West Derbyshire and East Midlands.

	2002–03	2001–02
Cost awards against respondent	307	169
Costs awards against applicant	691	467

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