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EU Social Chapter (Crosby)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the benefits of the EU Social Chapter for the residents of Crosby. [160522]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The residents of Crosby have benefited from the EU Social Chapter by having their employment rights extended to include:

the right to Parental Leave which gives parents the right to 13 weeks unpaid leave at the birth or adoption of a child;

the entitlement of part-time workers to the same pro-rata terms and conditions of employment as full time workers, thereby removing any discrimination and improving the quality of part-time jobs;

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the provision that once a prima facie case has been made in an employment tribunal claim, the burden of proof is placed on the defendant (usually the employer), who will need to demonstrate that sex discrimination has not occurred;

rights under the Fixed Term Work Directive that provide equal treatment and prevent abuse of fixed term contracts;

rights under the European Works Council Directive which requires companies with at least 1,000 employees in total and at least 150 workers in each of the two member states, to establish structures for consulting workers on issues that affect them and;

in addition, the Information and Consultation of Employees Directive to be implemented in the UK by March 2005, establishes a right to new minimum standards for workforce communication and involvement in large firms.

Flexible Working

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of requests for flexible working following the birth of a child that were received in the six months following the April 2003 implementation of the flexible working legislation; and what proportion of these requests were granted. [161460]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government have commissioned questions in the monthly Office for National Statistics Omnibus Survey to help make an assessment of the number of flexible working requests in the first year of the new flexible working law coming into effect. The results should be published shortly.

Last October the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Lovells published the results of a survey looking at the impact of the new law in its first six months and reported:

Over a quarter (28 per cent.) of employers have seen an increase in the total number of requests for flexible working since the right was introduced in April 2003.

Of those organisations that have received statutory requests since then, nearly two-thirds (62 per cent.) have approved at least half of all such requests, either in the form submitted by the employee or in modified form.

A large majority of employers say they generally have little difficulty with the new right—76 per cent. say that the impact of the legislation on their organisation has been negligible and 90 per cent. report no significant problems complying with the new requirements.

Answers to common questions put to advisers on the ACAS helpline during the first six months of the law being into effect are available on the DTI's website at www.dti.gov.uk/er/flexible.htm.

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to extend the right to request flexible working to carers of elderly and disabled people. [161466]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The right to request flexible working and duty on employers to consider such requests seriously is already wider in scope for parents of disabled children, who can make a request up to their child's 18th birthday. For other parents, the right applies while their children are under six.

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The Government are committed to commencing a review of the law in 2006. Issues such as whether it is appropriate to extend its scope, and to whom, could be considered at this time.

The Government's Work-Life Balance Campaign seeks to persuade employers of the benefits of adopting work-life balance policies and to offer these opportunities to all employees to help meet caring responsibilities, as well as pursue personal interests, wherever it makes business sense.

Insulation Costs

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average cost of installing (a) photovoltaic cells and (b) external wall insulation on a house was in the last year for which figures are available; and what public subsidies are available for this work. [160098]

Mr. Timms: PV average cost based on a three-bed semi detached household system of 2kWp capacity.

Depending on the type of system specified, total average costs for a 2kWp system are between £13,000 and £17,000. Under the Major Photovoltaic Demonstration Programme 50 per cent. is available in grant.

External wall insulation costs:

The marginal cost for externally insulating a three-bed semi detached house is approx 1500. The costs vary greatly according to house type and building height. Public subsidies are not available for this technology.

British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had about BNFL liabilities in the USA; and if she will make a statement. [161122]

Mr. Timms: The Department has had many discussions with BNFL about its' business in the USA. These discussions have broadly been about BNFL seeking routes to significantly reduce its exposure to the US clean-up market. In relation to Westinghouse we have had discussions with BNFL about the steps that need to be taken to enable the business to operate with greater financial independence, so that possibilities for private sector participation are opened up. I have recently spoken to Spencer Abraham, US Energy Secretary, on these issues.

Paid Leave (Crosby)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Crosby qualify for paid leave entitlements. [160539]

Mr. Sutcliffe: All workers resident in Crosby qualify for paid annual leave entitlements—at least four weeks as set out in the Working Time Regulations. While all women are entitled to 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave, only those who meet the eligibility criteria will be to claim statutory maternity pay for that period.

All employees in Crosby who are eligible will be entitled to take statutory paternity leave with pay and statutory adoption leave with pay.

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Recruitment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996–97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. [158174]

Ms Hewitt: The Department has information on the total costs of recruiting civil servants, but it is not possible to provide a breakdown as required without occurring disproportionate cost. The figures are as follows:

	£000
1998–99	433
1999–2000	944
2000–01	655
2001–02	229
2002–03	662

Shredded Tyres

Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements she is making to ensure that shredded tyres going to landfill are usable in shredded form for other purposes once they are no longer permitted to be placed in landfill sites. [161782]

Mr. Timms: There are a range of applications for used tyres in both whole and shredded form, including engineering uses, incorporation into sports and safety surfaces and energy recovery in cement kilns. The number of tyres being put to such use is growing strongly as the industry anticipates the July 2006 ban on their disposal to landfill. There is legislation in place covering the handling and movement of used tyres, as with other wastes, but the Government are currently considering whether this existing framework needs to be strengthened in any way while the adjustment away from landfill disposal takes place. We continue to discuss these issues with the tyre industry and other interested parties.

Worker Registration Certificates

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether a worker's registration certificate guarantees its holder protection under minimum wage legislation. [156936]

Mr. Sutcliffe: We have announced that individuals from the accession states will be entitled to work in the UK provided they meet certain conditions. These will include registering with the Home Office under its workers' registration scheme, which was announced on 23 February.

Most of these individuals will then be entitled to the national minimum wage, although it is possible that some may fall within exemption categories in the minimum wage legislation or instead be covered by the agricultural minimum wage. We will ensure that there is effective enforcement in this area.

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