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Employment (Offshoring)

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the types of jobs that have been offshored in the past 12 months. [159126]

Ms Hewitt: The principal areas where services work has been transferred offshore include call centres, data and business processing and analysis ("back office") operations, and IT services such as software development.

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My Department has commissioned research on the key factors contributing to the relative competitiveness of UK call centre operations to help identify any appropriate actions which need to be taken by industry or Government in response to the increasingly global market for call centre services. This will include an examination of the main product areas in the UK call and contact centre industry that are vulnerable to growing competition from lower-wage economies; which types of call and contract centre activity and which regions have been most affected or are most likely to be affected in the near future.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what rate of remuneration will be paid to the Chair of the Export Credits Guarantee Department. [158304]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: £500 gross per day.

The Chair of ECGD is a part-time role involving an initial commitment of 1–2 days per week eventually reducing to 1–2 days per month.

Export Licences

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list export licences granted for the sale of defence (a) equipment and (b) equipment components to Nepal for each year since and including 2001. [158915]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 5 March 2004]: Details of all export licences approved for Nepal in 2001 and 2002 are published in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, copies of which are available from the Libraries of the House. Details of export licences approved in 2003 will be published later this year in the 2003 Annual Report, and details for 2004, similarly in the 2004 Annual Report.

Financial Services and Markets Act 2002

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from business on the (a) registration costs and (b) authorisation process for companies offering customer insurance under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2002. [160132]

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.

The Government are giving the Financial Services Authority (FSA) responsibility for regulating general insurance mediation as from 14 January 2005. This implements the European Union's Insurance Mediation Directive. On 5 June 2003, the Government published a regulatory impact assessment (RIA) to accompany the implementing legislation. This is available from the Treasury website www.hm-treasury.gov.uk. The RIA took into account comments from business and others made during the public consultation on the draft legislation. Under its statutory responsibilities, the FSA is obliged to consult on and to carry out a cost benefit analysis on its regulatory activities and others made during the public consultation on the draft legislation.

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Under its statutory responsibilities, the FSA is obliged to consult on and to carry out a cost benefit analysis on its regulatory activities .

Information Technology

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's information technology budget was for each year since 1997. [153543]

Ms Hewitt: Total spending by Department of Trade and Industry, (excluding agencies), on Information Technology was £12.1 million in 1998–99. Subsequent to this the Department entered into a PFI partnership agreement with UNITAS, (a consortium of Fujitsu and Logical/CMG), for the provision of the majority of its IT services and support. Total spending by the Department on IT in the following years was £15 million in 1999–2000, £30 million in 2000–01, £32 million in 2001–02 and £41 million in 2002–03. Spend for 2003–04 is forecast at £45 million. The equivalent figure is not readily available for 1997–98.

These figures do not include payments made to suppliers of IT services not covered by the PFI contract referred to since they are not available from a central source.

Local Government Finance (Dorset)

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what grants were awarded to local authorities in Dorset by her Department in financial year 2003–04 that fall outside the revenue support grant. [156205]

Jacqui Smith: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford) on 1 March 2004, Official Report, column 750W.

Miners' Compensation Claims

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many examiners who worked for both the Coal Board or the Coal Authority and small private mines have valid chronic bronchitis and emphysema claims outstanding; how many claims have received part payments; and if she will make a statement on progress of negotiations with small mine insurers in respect of the Court Handling Agreement. [158537]

Jacqui Smith: The number of outstanding COPD claimants who have worked for both BCC and a small mine is 2,164. The number of outstanding COPD claimants who have worked for BCC and a small mine and have received an interim payment is 453.

Following a three-way mediation exercise held in January, at which much progress was made, a further day of negotiation between the parties was organised on 23 February. This meeting proved successful and an agreement was reached which allowed the small mines to join the claims handling agreement.

Steps are now being taken with the Department's claims handlers to make arrangements for full and final offers to be made to this group of claimants.

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Nigerian Contracts

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 30 January 2004, Official Report, column 591W, on Nigeria, if she will provide a breakdown of Nigeria's debt to the Export Credits Guarantee Department, broken down by sector; and if she will list the top five contracts by value on which these debts are based. [158287]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to my official reply to his question on 30 January 2004, Official Report, column 591W. For the reasons stated earlier in that answer and the way in which records were kept in the 1980s, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of Nigerian debt according to trade sector without incurring disproportionate cost.

Nirex

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has made to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the future structure of Nirex. [159047]

Mr. Timms: There have been a number of discussions between departments and with others affected on this subject, and these discussions are continuing.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with the Environment Agency on the possibility of their responsibility for the Letter of Comfort process operated by Nirex. [159048]

Mr. Timms: Disclosure of this information—internal advice and discussion—is covered by exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information between Government departments and it has not been the practice of successive Governments to disclose exchanges of this nature.

Discussions are continuing to resolve a number of issues about the future of Nirex.

Nuclear Fuel

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on the commercial reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in the UK. [159624]

Mr. Timms: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Down (Mr. McGrady) on 11 September 2003, Official Report, column 385W.

Renewable Energy

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the outcome of the renewables innovation review. [159034]

Mr. Timms: The Renewables Innovation Review, which was conducted jointly by the DTI and the Carbon Trust, considers the way ahead for the renewables industry if the UK's renewable energy targets, carbon reduction aspirations and desired economic benefits are to be met.

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The key conclusions of the Review, and the series of reports commissioned as part of the Review, are available on the DTI website at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/renewables/policy/renewables innovation review.sht1

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is undertaking to reinforce the National Grid in (a) the UK and (b) London to meet the Government's target of 10 per cent. renewable generation by 2010. [159171]

Mr. Timms: The Transmission Issues Working Group works with the Transmission Owners, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government, and Ofgem to progress this important issue. An initial plan was published last year and the Transmission Companies are currently revising their technical and financial plans. (a) The first upgrade required in the UK is the Beauly to Denny line that Scottish and Southern intends to submit into the consents process this autumn. (b) It is unlikely that significant transmission grid upgrades will be required in London as most renewables will be connected to the distribution network but a full report which will include this issue is due to be presented to the Transmission Issues Working Group by the end of July.

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