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1 Apr 2004 : Column 1590W—continued
Employment Agencies
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the employment agencies which her Department has used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 1996–97 to the most recent date for which figures are available. [163815]
Ms Hewitt: The following list is of those employment agencies that have supplied my Department with temporary staff for the calendar year 2003. However,
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the information requested for the period 1996 to 2002 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The DTI has had a formal agreement with Adecco, since 1 December 2002, and most of its requirements for temporary staff are met by Adecco. However, the Department uses the services of other employment agencies, where they can supply temporary staff with specific skills.
- Aberdeen Appointments
- Accountancy additions
- Adecco UK Ltd.
- Alex Lawrie Factors Ltd.
- Badenoch and Clark Ltd.
- Blue Arrow
- Brook Street (UK) Ltd.
- Carlisle Staffing Services
- Champion Employment Ltd.
- Excel Recruitment Ltd.
- Hays Accountancy Personnel
- Hays Montrose
- Headway Recruitment
- Jones Yarrell and Company
- Josephine Sammons Ltd.
- Kelly Services (UK) Ltd.
- Keychain Ltd.
- LNA Associates Ltd.
- Manpower UK Ltd.
- Michael Page Marketing
- Murphine Capital Recruitment
- Office Angels Ltd.
- PSD Group
- Reed Accountancy Personnel
- Reed Personnel Service
- Reed Solutions plc
Energy Supplies
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps have been taken by her Department to ensure energy supplies to the United Kingdom once North Sea reserves have expired. [165078]
Mr. Timms: Maintaining reliable energy supplies, now and in the future, is one of the key goals for UK energy policy set out in the Energy White Paper published in February 2003. It set out how the Government is working with industry to maximise the economic potential of our North Sea reserves, particularly through the PILOT initiative.
However, the White Paper also noted that it is likely that the UK will become a net importer of gas on an annual basis by around 2006 and of oil by around 2010. By 2020 we are likely to be importing around three-quarters of our primary energy needs.
The UK will then be in the same position as most other advanced industrial economies which already import significant proportions of their energy need without noticeable disruption. Import dependency has long been a fact of life for all the G7 countries apart from the UK and Canada.
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Oil and currently to a lesser extent gas are internationally traded commodities. And all countries, whether import-dependent or not, have a common interest in promoting open markets and predictable prices.
Current gas import infrastructure projects would facilitate imports from Norway, Netherlands, Russia, Qatar, Algeria, other LNG exporters, or other sources of piped gas or LNG into continental Europe. For example, we have agreed the key principles of a new agreement with Norway which will facilitate a range of cross boundary oil and gas developments including the construction of a pipeline between Norwegian offshore infrastructure and the Easington terminal in the UK. This pipeline will deliver dry gas from Norway's Ormen Lange field and when operational will be capable of delivering up to 20 per cent. of the UK's gas demand.
The expansion of renewable energy is also important for the contribution it will make to ensuring secure energy supplies (as well as to achieving our environmental goals). Our recent Renewables Innovation Review was very clear on the future costs of all renewables technologies and we can see that renewables offer the best opportunity for the new capacity we need. We have set as our first goal obtaining 10 per cent. of our electricity from renewable sources by 2010, with the aspiration of doubling this by 2020.
Wind energy, as the form of renewable energy with far the best immediate prospects for expansion, will play a very big part in this expansion. Through capital and research grants, we are also encouraging the development of other forms of renewable energy such as biomass and energy crops, photovoltaic and wave and tidal energy, so as to create a much more diversified renewable energy sector over the longer term.
As stated in the Energy White Paper: while The Government does not have specific proposals for new nuclear build now, we do not rule out the possibility that at some point in the future new build might be necessary to meet our carbon targets.
Entrepreneurship
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to promote entrepreneurship as a career option for graduates. [163315]
Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service and the Department for Education and Skills have collaborated to help establish the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE), as a private company limited by guarantee. The NCGE will promote the idea of starting a business as a viable career option for students and graduates. Six Directors have so far been appointed to the Board of the NCGE, with David Frost (Director General, British Chambers of Commerce) acting as interim Chairman and Karan Bilimoria (Founder and Chief Executive, Cobra Beer) recruited as the Council's Graduate Entrepreneur Champion.
The establishment of the Council builds upon support already provided by Government to help promote Entrepreneurship as a viable career option to students and graduates. The Small Business Service provides support of around £1 million per annum to support organisations
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such as Enterprise Insight, Young Enterprise, Shell LiveWIRE and Graduate Prospects in undertaking enterprise awareness and enterprise education activities aimed at young people. Each has a focus within their activities of providing practical advice and information to graduates.
Flexible Hours
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of employers who offer flexible hours of work to employees, broken down by sector. [163543]
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Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table is taken from the DTI commissioned report: "The Second Work-Life Balance Study: Results from the Employers Survey Main Report". The study was a large cross sectional survey which yielded nationally representative data of employers provision of flexible working time practices and leave arrangements.
This report is one of a number of reports on Work-life Balance and Flexible Working which form part of the Department's ongoing research programme on employment relations and labour market issues. Such studies are placed in the Libraries of the House upon publication.
| Standard industrial | Part-time | Term-time | Job share | Flexitime | Compressed hours | Annualised hours | Reduced hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, fishing and mining | 29 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 6 | 11 | 11 |
| Manufacturing | 33 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| Electricity, Gas, Water Supply | (48) | (5) | (10) | (12) | (5) | (—) | (10) |
| Construction | 51 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Wholesale and Retail trade | 17 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 13 |
| Hotels and Restaurants | 4 | 23 | 10 | 31 | 11 | 11 | 33 |
| Transport, Storage and Communication | 29 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 14 |
| Financial Intermediation | (6) | (10) | (10) | (24) | (18) | (8) | (21) |
| Real Estate, and Business Acts. | 21 | 5 | 17 | 28 | 10 | 5 | 14 |
| Public Administration and Defence | 4 | 21 | 50 | 71 | 11 | 7 | 28 |
| Education | 2 | 81 | 45 | 21 | 4 | 24 | 10 |
| Health and Social Work | 13 | 13 | 15 | 35 | 12 | 5 | 19 |
| Other Community | 12 | 8 | 20 | 30 | 7 | 13 | 10 |
| All Workplaces | 74 | 16 | 14 | 24 | 7 | 8 | 15 |
Miners' Compensation
Mr. Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many miners' compensation claims the solicitors Frank Allen Pennington of Doncaster have handled to date; and how much they have received in fees. [163982]
Nigel Griffiths: As of 25 March 2004 the figures are as follows:
| COPD | VWF | |
|---|---|---|
| Total claims registered (Number) | 369 | 509 |
| Total solicitors costs (£) | 269,789 | 283,132 |
National Institute for Medical Research
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the future of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill. [163844]
Ms Hewitt: The Medical Research Council (MRC) has established an expert Task Force to make recommendations to MRC Council on the future of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). Their interim report will be available on the MRC website shortly.
It is expected that a decision on the future of NIMR will be announced by MRC in the summer.
National Minimum Wage
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the introduction of the National Minimum Wage for 16 to 17-year-olds on the numbers of young people staying in education or training until the age of 18. [164550]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government are committed to ensuring that young people reach the age of 19 with the skills they need to compete in a modern, global economy. Our ambition is that UK staying-on rates after 16 should be among the highest in the OECD.
The new minimum wage rate that will be introduced for 16 and 17-year-old workers at £3.00 per hour with effect from 1 October 2004 has been set with this concern very much in mind. First, the great majority of young workers are already being paid in excess of this rate, and research commissioned by the Low Pay Commission for their latest report concluded that a new minimum wage rate introduced at this level would have negligible effects on education participation. Second, Education Maintenance Allowances will be implemented nationally this autumn and these will provide payments of up to £30 per week for young people who choose to continue in full-time education after reaching compulsory school leaving age. The report of the 16–19 Financial Support Review, "Supporting young people to achieve: towards a new deal for skills", was published alongside the budget. That report sets out the Government's proposals to ensure that young people aged 16–19 have the support and incentives they need to participate in education and training.
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Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints in each year since its introduction have been received relating to alleged underpayment of the national minimum wage; how many of these complaints in each year have been investigated; how many employers in each year were
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found not to be complying with the national minimum wage requirements; and what the level of underpayment of the national minimum wage identified in each year was. [164171]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The data requested is provided in the following table.
| 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | (12)2003–04 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of complaints | 4,682 | 2,365 | 1,722 | 1,998 | 1,786 |
| Number investigated | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Number of employers not complying (£) | 1,280 | 2,119 | 1,937 | 1,996 | 1,961 |
| Underpayment identified | 1,242,341 | 3,034,373 | 5,135,799 | 3,585,941 | 2,253,176 |
(12) Up to February 2004
Note:
The Inland Revenue investigate all complaints about underpayment of the minimum wage. In addition to complaints, they also use tax credit and other data to identify employers who they believe may not be compliant with the minimum wage.
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