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Renewable Energy (Greater London)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on renewable energy projects in Greater London in each of the last five years. [143834]

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Mr. Timms: The Government are supporting a number of projects in London under photovoltaic (PV) domestic and large-scale field trials, the Major PV Demonstration Programme, and the Clear Skies scheme.

The Greater London Authority is leading the London partnership taking forward renewables planning facilitation and awareness raising work in London. DTI has allocated £233,000 funding for this work, total funding from all partners is £401,000, and spend so far is in the region of £85,000. The first phase of this work includes research into public and stakeholder attitudes. The GLA plans to publish a report on work so far, including proposals for encouraging renewable energy in London and ways of overcoming barriers, on 16 December.

The London partnership will take forward these recommendations in the next phase of its work, which will include a stakeholder consultation on a renewable energy target for London. This will inform the Mayor's energy strategy due to be published next year.

The Department does not gather information about investment by private companies in renewable energy projects.

Royal Mail

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much revenue has been lost by the Royal Mail Group Ltd. as a result of industrial action in each of the last five years. [142136]

Mr. Timms: The amount of revenue lost by Royal Mail as a result of industrial action is an operational matter that falls within the day-to-day responsibility of the Royal Mail Board. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Sex Discrimination (Private Clubs)

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what policies she has towards sex discrimination against women in private clubs; what plans she has to change the law; and if she will make a statement. [143894]

Ms Hewitt: There can be no justification for treating women club members as second-class citizens. Sex discrimination in private clubs is contrary to this Government's principles of opportunity for all and we have supported attempts to legislate in this area in the past.

I cannot give any assurances about our future legislative plans, but we are keeping the matter of sex discrimination and private clubs under review.

Trading Standards

Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether a local authority trading standards officer is permitted to inform members of the public that a complaint has been made against a company. [143450]

Mr. Sutcliffe: It would be for the individual Local Authority to decide whether they wish to pursue a policy of informing members of the public of businesses that have been the subject of a complaint.

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Any such policy would be subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 regarding the disclosure of personal information in relation to individuals.

US Steel Tariffs

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action has been taken by her Department to prepare the UK steel industry for the lifting of US steel tariffs. [142854]

Ms Hewitt: My Department is in regular contact with the UK steel industry and its stakeholders, on this and other issues. We have used these contacts to keep them informed of developments in the EU's WTO case against the US.

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's estimate is of the cost to the UK steel industry of the United States' tariffs on imported steel. [142855]

Ms Hewitt: UK steel exports to the US fell by 14 per cent. in 2002 compared with the figure for 2001. The negative consequences of the US decision for the UK steel industry were reduced by our success in securing exclusions for UK products from the US safeguard measure. At the point when the safeguard was lifted, 74 per cent. of UK steel exports to the US were free of safeguard tariffs. The Government also supported the EU steel safeguard, which prevented any surge into the EU of steel from third countries diverted from the US market.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Places of Worship

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list beneficiaries of the listed places of worship grant scheme. [143213]

Mr. Caborn: To date, 3,953 listed places of worship throughout the United Kingdom have received grant payments under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. A list of all recipients of payments could be produced only at disproportionate cost. This scheme returns in grant aid the difference between the amount of Value Added Tax paid on eligible repairs and maintenance and a lower 5 per cent. rate. Listed places of worship of all religions are eligible to claim under the scheme.

Pleasure Piers

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department takes to encourage non-departmental public bodies to take into account principles of sustainable development in allocating funding for pleasure piers; what guidance has been issued; and what reference it contains to timber. [144249]

Estelle Morris: Applications to allocate funding for pleasure piers would not be addressed to my Department directly. Should the application be addressed to one of the 15 bodies which distribute lottery funding, the policy directions DCMS issue to Lottery Distributors ask them to take into account

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'the need to further the objective of sustainable development'. Guidance to non-departmental public bodies forms part of DCMS's sustainable development strategy, which will be published in January. The strategy also contains a specific reference to our commitment that all timber used in construction and repair work should come from fully certified sources.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Horse Transportation

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with other EU Ministers about the international transportation of horses; and if she will make a statement. [141938]

Alun Michael: The international transportation of horses is being considered as a part of the European Commission's proposal to update and improve the current EU rules on the welfare of animals during transport. This review has the potential to improve significantly the way many horses are transported into and within the EU. We are also taking the opportunity of this review to consider the best way to protect British equines. This is a matter that we will raise with other EU Ministers in the course of normal business and in particular when the proposals are presented to the Agriculture Council.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the organisations which she has consulted about the welfare of horses during transport. [143712]

Alun Michael: We consulted 50 animal welfare and trade organisations, and almost 800 transporters who hold specific authorisations to transport animals, on the European Commission's proposals to update and replace the current directive on the welfare of animals during transport. In addition, further discussions, on horse transport and related issues, are taking place with the British Horse Industry Confederation and representatives of the British Horse Society, the International League for the Protection of Horses, the National Equine Welfare Council, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

Art Acquisition

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on the acquisition of works of art in each year since 1997, broken down by amounts spent on (a) paintings and (b) sculpture; what the single most expensive piece of art purchased by her Department since 1997 was; how much it cost; and what the total revenue raised by her Department through sales of its works of art has been since 1997. [142367]

Alun Michael: No works of art have been purchased by Defra (or MAFF) since 1997.

No works of art have been sold by Defra (or MAFF) since 1997.

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Badgers

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of whether perturbation in badger populations can be eliminated or substantially reduced by improved badger culling programme design and execution. [141384]

Mr. Bradshaw: No such assessment has been made.

Bovine TB

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what proportion of TB lesions found in cows subject to post-mortem examination for TB were considered to be of a type which would have rendered the cattle in which they were found capable of transmitting bovine TB to another bovine animal in England in the past 10 years; [141089]

(2) where the main TB lesions have been found on those cows which have been subject to post-mortem examinations for TB by or on behalf of her Department, in England in the past 10 years; [141389]

(3) what inferences have been drawn from the sites of TB lesions found on those cows which have been subject to post-mortem examination for TB by or on behalf of her Department, in England, in the past 10 years, as to the routes of transmission. [141392]

Mr. Bradshaw: The vast majority of lesions found in reactors to the TB skin test and in cases disclosed in the slaughterhouse are found in the lymph nodes of the throat and lungs (i.e. retropharyngeal, bronchial and mediastinal nodes).

Any bovine animals infected with the causative agent for bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) becomes potentially infectious for other animals after a period of latency. By the time shedding begins, the animal may or may not have developed visible lesions.

The routes of transmission in field conditions are not fully understood but the distribution of the lesions strongly suggest that the respiratory and oro-pharyngeal routes are the most common.

Reactors to the tuberculin test and confirmed slaughterhouse cases are considered to be infected and infectious. The testing regime applied to the remainder of the herd after removal of the reactors takes account of this.

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the implications are for the UK beef and dairy industries should the UK lose its Organisation International des Epizooties TB-free status. [142000]

Mr. Bradshaw: The United Kingdom does not satisfy the requirements of the OIE or EU to be regarded as TB-free.

Article 2.3.3.11. of the OIE Terrestrial Code states that international trade in beef requires the:

"presentation of an international veterinary certificate attesting that the entire consignment of meat comes from animals which have been subjected to ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections for bovine tuberculosis with favourable results".

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Thus, beef can be traded provided the Meat Hygiene Service has passed the meat as fit for human consumption.

In the case of dairy products, the OIE does not provide recommendations for the international trade in milk to protect against TB.

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