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17 Mar 2004 : Column 334W—continued
Renewable Energy
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will break down, by programme, the budget for renewable energy for the period 2002–03 to 2005–06. [162046]
Mr. Timms: The DTI has announced £348 million of support for renewable energy for this period.
Not all of this expenditure has yet been allocated to specific projects or programmes, but the following major allocations have been made:
- £19 million per year for research, development, demonstration and promotion of renewable energy technologies
- Offshore wind capital grants—£117 million
- Biomass capital grants—£66 million
- Photovoltaics demonstration programme—£25 million
- Community and household projects—£10 million
- Wave and tidal projects—£5 million
- Embedded generation projects—£5 million.
The figure of £348 million does not include Defra planting grants for energy crops or expenditure by the Research Councils on renewable energy related academic research.
Royal Mail Services
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Royal Mail's postage paid service in relation to (a) the fine imposed by Postcomm for next day delivery rate between April 2002 and March 2003 and (b) the drop in performance in next day delivery rate for the same service between April and December 2003, as cited in the Postcomm document dated 2 March. [161679]
Mr. Timms: The Postal services Act 2000 enables Postcomm to take enforcement action against Royal Mail where it believes it is likely to breach its licence obligation. A final order was issued in December 2002 requiring Royal Mail to use all reasonable endeavours to achieve its licence targets for 1st Class Postage Paid Impression and Response Services. These are both
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business products. Following Royal Mail's publication of its end of year results in May 2003, which showed that it had failed to achieve both these targets, Postcomm reached the view that Royal Mail had breached its licence and imposed a financial penalty in respect of this breach.
I understand that with regard to performance in 2003–04, the first six months showed an overall improvement. Due to Industrial Action and a major fire at Northampton Mail Centre in Quarter 3 (Oct-Dec 2003), there was a serious deterioration in performance. Postcomm will consider what action should be taken against Royal Mail, which may include enforcement or imposition of financial penalties, once they have received Royal Mail's end of year results at the end of May 2004.
Small Business Research
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many regional development agencies have established links with the Small Business Research Initiative; and what the nature of the co-operation is in each case. [160141]
Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) is a procurement measure designed to make it easier for smaller companies to win contracts for Government-funded research which will help them grow their businesses. The participants in SBRI are those Government Departments with significant spends on R&D, and the Research Councils, rather than RDAs.
Trade Unions
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it her policy to propose legislation to provide for (a) the right of trade unions to extend collective bargaining issues to include pensions, equality and training, (b) the right to be represented by a union representative in grievance and disciplinary hearings, (c) employment rights starting from the first day of employment, (d) the removal of thresholds required to be achieved to win trade union recognition, (e) recognition rights to companies of less than 21 workers, (f) a guaranteed right to strike without being in breach of contract, (g) qualifying criteria for non-independent unions to meet in order to gain recognition in an organisation, (h) an increase in penalties for those companies refusing to comply with reinstatement orders from tribunals and (i) the right of workers to be represented by the union of their choice; and if she will make a statement. [161965]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government's policy in this area is set out in our Review of the Employment Relations Act 1999. Copies of the public consultation document (published in February 2003) and the Government response to consultation (published last December) are available in the Libraries of the House. Those findings of the Review that require primary legislation are being taken forward in the Employment Relations Bill currently before the House.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Airguns
Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made of the number of owners of self-contained gas cartridge airguns who will apply for licences before becoming liable for prosecution under the terms of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003; [161733]
- (2) what organisations he has met to discuss publicising the recent change in the law on self-contained gas cartridge airguns; [161741]
(3) what guidance he has issued to the police regarding the prosecution of those unaware that they will require a licence for possession of a self-contained gas cartridge airgun; [161751]
(4) which manufacturers of self-contained gas cartridge airguns have been sent publicity material by his Department on the recent change in the law on self-contained gas cartridge airguns; and how many posters and leaflets have been sent in each case; [161746]
(5) what information he has collated on the length of time it takes the police to process an application to license a self-contained gas cartridge airgun; [161747]
(6) how many posters and leaflets on the change in the law on self-contained gas cartridge airguns have been sent by his Department to (a) the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, (b) the National Small-bore Rifle Association, (c) the National Rifle Association, (d) the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association, (e) the Countryside Alliance, (f) the Airgun Manufacturers Trade Association, (g) the British Field Target Association, (h) the British Airgun Shooters Association, (i) the Gun Trade Association and (j) the Sportsman's Association; [161742]
(7) if he will extend the deadline for the coming into force of the recent change in the law on self-contained gas cartridge airguns to allow for extended publicity of the change in the law; [161735]
(8) how much funding his Department (a) allocated and (b) spent on publicising the recent change in the law on self-contained gas cartridge airguns; [161736]
(9) what information he has collated on the number of applications for licences to own self-contained gas cartridge airguns received by the police in each of the last five years, broken down by constabulary; [161748]
(10) when the provisions in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 relating to self-contained gas cartridge airguns will come into force; [161743]
(11) what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum penalties are for possession of a self-contained gas cartridge airgun under the provisions of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003; [161744]
(12) what information he has collated on the number of self-contained gas cartridge airguns handed into the police for destruction in each of the last five years, broken down by constabulary; [161749]
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(13) what estimate he has made of the number of self-contained cartridge airguns in the United Kingdom; [161737]
(14) what discussions he has had with (a) the police and (b) the Court Service regarding the number of prosecutions for possession of an unlicensed self-contained gas cartridge airgun that can be expected after the relevant provisions in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 come fully into force; [161750]
(15) if he will list the manufacturers of self-contained gas cartridge airguns that have been sold in the UK; and what estimate he has made of how many such airguns have been sold by each manufacturer since 1989; [161745]
(16) what discussions his Department has had with Brococks to determine the number of self-contained gas cartridge airguns they have sold in the UK since 1989; [161738]
(17) whether the publicity material for the recent change in the law on self-contained gas cartridge airguns was also produced in Welsh. [161752]
Caroline Flint: A ban on the manufacture and sale of self-contained gas cartridge (SCGC) guns came into force on 20 January 2004. A ban on the possession of the guns comes into force on 30 April 2004. Anyone who possessed one on 20 January has until 30 April to apply for a firearms certificate if they wish to keep it. Unlawful possession of a SCGC gun carries a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.
We estimated in our Regulatory Impact Assessment for the ban that between 50,000 and 70,000 SCGC guns had been sold in the UK. This was based on discussions between the Home Office and Brocock Ltd., who were the main importer/distributor of SCGC guns and who manufacture the cartridges they use. Not all of this number will still be in circulation and it is not possible at this stage to say how many will be certificated or surrendered. However, we will be collecting this information from the police after the 30 April deadline. SCGC guns were not previously subject to control and therefore none were certificated prior to the ban. It will not be possible therefore to say how many might have been destroyed or otherwise disposed of before the new laws came into effect.
We estimated in our RIA that there would be about 15 prosecutions for unlawful possession of SCGC guns. A Home Office circular was issued to the police on 14 January giving guidance on the ban. No specific guidance was offered on prosecutions and we expect the police to consider each case on its merits.
The ban has been widely publicised. It was announced in a press release and other publicity material for the Anti-social Behaviour Act, and was mentioned in the national media. More detailed coverage was given by the shooting press. After discussion with the police and the Gun Trade Association (GTA), the Home Office produced a range of publicity material explaining what owners must do if they want to keep their guns. A total of 2,500 posters and 50,000 leaflets were sent to police forces for display and further distribution as they saw fit. Another 2,400 posters and 240,000 leaflets were sent to GTA members and to other retailers likely to have
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stocked SCGC guns, together with 120,000 stickers to put on tins of air gun pellets. This was a national campaign and publicity material was not produced in Welsh. However, we are looking at what other publicity is necessary before the 30 April deadline and will consider the need for producing material in Welsh if this cannot be dealt with locally.
In addition to money spent on publicising the new powers contained in the Anti-social Behaviour Act, we have so far spent 6,700 on the posters, leaflets and stickers related to the SCGC controls.
We have allowed over three months for owners to apply for a certificate or to surrender their guns and do not think it necessary to extend that period. Although the length of time to process applications will vary between forces, this will not affect applicants. Anyone who applies before 30 April will not be liable for prosecution even if their application remains outstanding on that date or is the subject of an appeal.
Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what information he has collated on the number of self-contained gas cartridge airguns converted to fire live ammunition which have been recovered by the police in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [161739]
- (2) what information he has collated on the number of people (a) killed and (b) injured by self-contained gas cartridge airguns converted to fire live ammunition in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [161740]
Caroline Flint: This information is not available centrally but I have arranged for the Forensic Science Service to interrogate their National Firearms Forensic Intelligence Database and will write to my hon. Friend with the results.
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