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11 May 2004 : Column 249W—continued
Departmental Procurement
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the (a) crockery, (b) cutlery and (c) glassware procured by her Department over the last five years is of British manufacture. [170811]
Ms Hewitt: All crockery is of UK manufacture. Any cutlery and glassware purchased has been through UK suppliers and manufactured outside the UK.
As a Government department we ensure that EU procurement rules are followed and these rules do not allow the specification of a particular country of origin except in very specific circumstances (such as for reasons of national security). Responsibility for procuring and maintaining stocks of crockery, cutlery and glassware for the DTI HQ restaurants and hospitality services lies with the catering contractor.
Energy Bills
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many consumers she estimates have not received an energy bill from their current (a) electricity and (b) gas supplier over the last four years; [171485]
(2) what regulations are in force to ensure that consumers receive energy bills that are (a) on time, (b) in an understandable format and (c) accurate; and if she will make a statement. [171486]
Mr. Timms:
There is no licence condition to require suppliers to bill customers at a particular time, although suppliers are required to inform customers of energy used, on the basis of a meter reading or an estimate.
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However, certain standard licence conditions are relevant. Condition 17 requires that meters be read at least once every two years; condition 21 requires that customers be advised of their meter reference number at least annually, if not through a bill; condition 27 requires that they be told, at least annually, if not through a bill, about customer service codes; and condition 40 requires that they be told about Energywatch at least annually, if not through a bill. The regulation of gas and electricity supply, including the performance of suppliers against licence conditions, is the responsibility of the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM). I understand that the Chairman of OFGEM will write to the hon. Member about the matters he has raised.
Energy Supplies
Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to promote private sector investment in renewable energy. [170281]
Mr. Timms: The importance of private investment going forward cannot be underestimated in achieving our renewables targets. The Renewables Advisory Board established the Finance and Investment Workgroup last year. I commissioned independent research into investor perspectives of renewables and concluded that investors believed that:
The 2010–11 target, of 10.4 per cent. of electricity generated from renewables, would only be met if there is greater assurance on Government policy post 2010.
Sustaining investor confidence is possible and within Government's control and principally requires promote action to firm up post-2010 targets.
In response to this I announced on 1 December 2003 an extension of the Renewables Obligation target from 10 per cent. in 2010 to 15 per cent. in 2015.
In addition, as part of the DTI's "It's Only Natural" renewables communication campaign, we held a high level seminar, on 26 April for senior representatives from banks, industry and the investment community to discuss the Government's commitment to renewables and to debate the issues facing investors. The event was well attended with over 120 delegates.
European Directives
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the European directives implemented by her Department through national regulations in each year since 1990. [169166]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 28 April 2004]: This information could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
Globalisation
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of globalisation on UK (a) manufacturing and (b) services. [163567]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The Department is drawing up a White Paper on trade and investment that will cover the causes of globalisation, its potential benefits for the UK and how best to address any adjustment challenges which may arise. This will be available in the summer.
11 May 2004 : Column 251W
Manufacturing Industry
Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further action she is planning to take to help small and medium UK manufacturing companies. [170285]
Nigel Griffiths: We will continue to make good progress in taking forward the Government's Manufacturing—the first such strategy for 30 years—which we developed in partnership with industry, trade unions and other stakeholders.
The Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), a key part of the Strategy, has been a great success since it was launched in 2002, providing easily accessible and practical advice to small and medium sized manufacturers in England and Wales. MAS helped manufacturing companies to see a seven-fold increase in added value from £5 million to £39 million during 2003.
We will continue to help small and medium sized manufacturing companies utilise innovation, investment, best practice, and higher-level skills to succeed in the increasingly competitive global market through.
Mark of Marks Scheme
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how the Mark of Marks scheme will improve the quality of service in the domestic sector; [172466]
(2) what the required criteria are for the Mark of Marks trade mark; and what role trade associations play in the scheme; [172467]
(3) when the Mark of Marks scheme for the construction industry was established; what trades are involved in it; and what the level of take-up has been. [172469]
Nigel Griffiths: The Mark of Marks concept was developed under the Quality Mark umbrella in early 2003 to promote alignment of the membership requirements of the more reputable trade bodies and other organisations with Quality Mark. The scheme reflects the growing shift within the construction industry to embrace the quality ethos and promote better service to clients. The aim is to secure larger volumes of trades people by allowing members of industry bodies within Mark of Marks to be badged to consumers.
Mark of Marks envisages flexibility in how standards are delivered and consumers protected. Industry bodies have a key role to play in ensuring delivery of quality to consumers. We have been discussing this concept with industry bodies and organisations in a range of sectors have expressed interest, including the gas, heating and ventilating, plumbing, roofing, general building, damp-proofing, glazing, paving and electrical sectors.
Mayflower Buses
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department will take arising from the collapse of the bus maker Mayflower; and if she will make a statement. [171355]
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Jacqui Smith: Officials are in contact with the administrators and with the Regional Development Agencies and Devolved Administrations in the parts of the country in which Mayflower businesses are based. As soon as the new owners of the businesses are known we will contact them to discuss their plans and to ensure that they are aware of the support which could be available to take the businesses forward.
The Department is aware of the widespread concern arising from the failure of Mayflower Corporation. It does have powers to investigate companies under the Companies Act and we are also consulting with other regulators.
New Businesses (Oldham, West and Royton)
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have started up in Oldham West and Royton since 1997. [170934]
Nigel Griffiths: Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales, including 400 in Oldham Local Authority (which contains the constituency of Oldham West and Royton), in the fourth quarter of 2003. The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 increase on the year before. There were 1,900 business start-ups in Oldham Local Authority in 2003. Data for local authorities are not available for before 2003.
DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Oldham Local Authority (which contains the constituency of Oldham West and Royton) are shown in the table for the period 1997 to 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in Autumn 2004.
| Oldham | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 480 |
| 1998 | 470 |
| 1999 | 465 |
| 2000 | 480 |
| 2001 | 440 |
| 2002 | 510 |
Source:
Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service, available from: www.sbs.gov.uk/statistics/vatstats.php
VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.
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