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3 Feb 2004 : Column 776W—continued

Employment Rights (Information)

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether her Department has made an analysis of the impact of withdrawing paper copies of its leaflets on employment rights on the availability of free-of-charge, printed information at public libraries; [149488]

(2) whether her Department has made an analysis of the impact of withdrawing paper copies of its leaflets on employment rights on voluntary sector organisations providing free advice to the public in this area. [149489]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Yes. Last year the Department consulted leading customers to find out how our information on employment rights could be better focussed on users' needs. As part of this review, an assessment was made of the impact of withdrawing employment rights booklets, using information provided by the Department's distribution service. Public libraries did not appear as regular customers of the distribution service.

The review concluded that Acas and other organisations who provide advice to employers and employees are generally better able to provide user-focussed advice, based on factual advice supplied by the Department. Acas recently produced a series of booklets summarising individual rights. These can be obtained free-of-charge from the Acas distribution centre on 08702 429090.

Although voluntary sector organisations have been major users of the Department's employment rights booklets, I consider that Acas is generally better able to provide advice which meets the needs of these organisations.

3 Feb 2004 : Column 777W

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the impact of withdrawing paper copies of its leaflets on employment rights on sections of the public who have difficulties either accessing or using the internet. [149561]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his Question No. 149488, at column 776W.

The Department has put in place special arrangements to supply our employment rights booklets on request where individuals are unable to access or use the internet.

Fisheries (Compensation)

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she intends to publish the list of additional middle water vessels to be added to the list of vessels eligible for Icelandic fishermen's compensation claims; what period will be allowed for appeals; and when she plans to begin processing claims. [151978]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 30 January 2004]: I expect to publish a list of additional vessels on 2 February 2004. There will then be a period of three weeks for trawlermen or their representatives to appeal in respect of vessels not accepted on the list. Work on processing claims will begin immediately—there is no need for claimants to submit new applications.

Flexible Working

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what surveys between employers and employees were carried out before the legislation on flexible working was implemented; and what comparative surveys have been carried out since the legislation has been implemented. [151830]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Between December 2002 and April 2003, fieldwork was carried out for two DTI Work-Life Balance studies. Data were collected from employers and employees to provide a baseline for future evaluation of the availability and take-up of flexible working. Details of the results can be found at: www.dti.gov.uk/er/emar To provide a direct comparison over time, it is planned that both surveys will be repeated in 2006.

The Department has subsequently commissioned questions on flexible working for an Office for National Statistics Omnibus survey. Results will become available in spring 2004.

The Department is also working with key intermediaries, such as Working Families and Maternity Alliance, to gather qualitative evidence through member/supporter surveys. Additionally, in September

3 Feb 2004 : Column 778W

2003, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and Lovells conducted a survey of employers on the use of the flexible working law in the first six months after its implementation.

Data collected will form the evidence base for a review of the legislation which the Government have said will commence in 2006.

Fuel Poverty

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) children and (b) elderly people are living in fuel poor households in (i) the East Midlands and (b) West Derbyshire. [150922]

Nigel Griffiths: Fuel poverty defined as occurring when a household needs to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income (including housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest) on all fuels in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime.

The available information from the English House Condition Survey indicates that in 2001 there were 160,000 fuel poor households in the East Midlands Government Office region. (The current published official estimates of fuel poverty are extrapolated from a sample survey of 17,500 dwellings).

More detailed breakdowns within the East Midlands Government Office region are not available from this survey as the sample size is not large enough to enable reliable detailed estimates of fuel poverty at a more local level to be produced.

In England in 2001 under this definition there were 1.7 million households in fuel poverty. Of these, 210,000 contained children. 904,000 contained one or more persons aged 60 or more. The Government's estimates are available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/consumers/fuel poverty/index.shtml

Nuclear Industry

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to maintain the nuclear skills base. [152042]

Ms Hewitt: The Government have been assisting in the establishment of a Sector Skills Council to represent the needs of the nuclear industry. Cogent Sector Skills Council is expected to be licensed shortly and will take a strategic view of the nuclear sector to ensure that the education and training base can meet nuclear employer's current and future needs.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will conduct a public consultation on nuclear power. [152043]

Ms Hewitt: No. The Government consulted fully on energy policy, including nuclear, for the Energy White Paper published in February 2003. The White Paper clearly states that before any decision to proceed with the building of new nuclear power stations, there would need to be the fullest public consultation and the publication of a white paper setting out the Government's proposals.

3 Feb 2004 : Column 779W

Post Office

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what discussions she has had with Postcomm about the access charges to be charged by Royal Mail to private mail companies using parts of their network; [146125]

(2) what estimate she has made of the (a) revenue and (b) profit that will be generated by the access charges to be charged by Royal Mail to private mail companies using parts of their network. [146126]

Ms Hewitt: My Department has a regular dialogue with Postcomm on a wide range of postal issues concerning the postal market. However, decisions on access pricing are a matter for the companies concerned and for the regulator.

Estimating the revenue and profit generated by Royal Mail through access charges charged to private mail companies using part of their network is a commercial matter for the Board of the company.

Research and Development Tax Credits

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what mechanisms are in place to assess the development of new products, services and processes which arise as a result of research and development tax credits; and what assessment has been made using these mechanisms. [152061]

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 1044W.

Regional Development Agencies

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of completed projects failed to meet their required performance targets in each of the regional development agencies in each of the last five years. [152062]

Jacqui Smith: Each RDA is involved in a huge number of projects at any one time and many as a co-funder with local and regional partners. Output targets are set for each project but this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Smart Award

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the take-up rates have been for the New Elements of the Smart scheme in each quarter since their inception in 1999. [152057]

Nigel Griffiths: The figures in the following tables show the number of applications received and offers made under the Smart scheme from 1 March 1999. The new elements introduced under Smart in 1999 were Micro Projects, Technology Reviews and Technology Studies. Micro projects were launched in August 1999 and Reviews and Studies in October 1999.

The Feasibility, Development and Micro elements of Smart closed to applications on 31 August 2003. The Reviews and Studies element closed to applications on 31 May 2003.

3 Feb 2004 : Column 780W

1999–2000

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
	April to June	July to September	October to December	January to March	Total
Feasibility
Application	61	81	75	57	274
Offer	33	58	97	63	251
Development
Application	41	37	41	43	162
Offer	18	49	39	26	132
Micro
Application	0	0	9	26	35
Offer	0	0	2	11	13
Reviews
Application	0	0	2	4	6
Offer	0	0	0	6	6
Studies
Application	0	0	3	1	4
Offer	0	0	0	4	4

2000–01

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
	April to June	July to September	October to December	January to March	Total
Feasibility
Application	64	78	87	111	340
Offer	61	43	66	67	237
Development
Application	63	52	43	65	223
Offer	43	32	46	31	152
Micro
Application	40	53	40	50	183
Offer	23	24	39	19	105
Reviews
Application	5	16	12	31	64
Offer	4	13	11	27	55
Studies
Application	3	6	12	12	33
Offer	3	5	10	11	29

2001–02

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
	April to June	July to September	October to December	January to March	Total
Feasibility
Application	95	102	118	118	433
Offer	66	83	81	82	312
Development
Application	45	51	55	64	215
Offer	36	38	30	41	145
Micro
Application	50	50	49	53	202
Offer	21	21	26	38	106
Reviews
Application	38	44	72	62	216
Offer	35	35	62	46	178
Studies
Application	12	12	20	24	68
Offer	7	9	8	12	36

2002–03

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
	April to June	July to September	October to December	January to March	Total
Feasibility
Application	132	219	198	180	729
Offer	107	102	139	150	498
Development
Application	71	101	90	69	331
Offer	51	59	67	60	237
Micro
Application	28	56	63	48	195
Offer	18	36	40	40	134
Reviews
Application	73	74	53	43	243
Offer	56	65	52	44	217
Studies
Application	16	21	9	12	58
Offer	13	20	10	13	56

3 Feb 2004 : Column 781W

2003–04

	Q1	Q2	Q3
	April to June	July to September	October to December	Total
Feasibility
Application	192	166	0	358
Offer	158	115	73	346
Development
Application	79	29	0	108
Offer	50	34	29	113
Micro
Application	43	19	0	62
Offer	24	17	9	50
Reviews
Application	106	0	0	106
Offer	93	0	0	93
Studies
Application	17	0	0	17
Offer	16	0	0	16

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