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Animal Rights Activists

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last met the Home Secretary to discuss the effect on inward investment in the pharmaceutical research industry of the activities of animal rights activists; and if she will make a statement. [168983]

Ms Hewitt: Government is determined that companies and other organisations should not be prevented from carrying out their legitimate activities by intimidation and harassment from animal rights extremists. Ministers and officials from the DTI have frequent meetings with colleagues in the Home Office, and in other Government Departments, to discuss the impact of animal rights extremism on biomedical research in the UK, including the pharmaceutical industry.

We have made a number of changes to strengthen the law to deal with extremists. The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 strengthened police powers to deal with smaller, intimidatory protests and office occupations by extremists. Government has funded a new police unit to provide tactical guidance on policing extremists. A National Forum on policing and prosecution of animal rights cases has been set up to work on improving both operational policing and legislative measures. We are also considering as a matter of urgency what further legislation may be necessary.

Miners' Compensation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the total deductions made from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compensation payments by (a) solicitors, (b) call farming agents and (c) the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers South Wales. [173026]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 13 May 2004]: I regret that such information is not required to be submitted by claimants' representatives to Government.
 
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Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what level of compliance with the recent Law Society guidance on repayment of deductions from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compensation payments has been achieved. [173028]

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many instances have been (a) notified to the Department and (b) identified by the Department of claims under the Coalminers Compensation Scheme whch have required additional costs outwith those paid by the Department under the claims handling agreement. [172983]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 13 May 2004]: The Department has been advised by the Law Society that they have received 182 complaints in relation to claims by former miners and their families. Of these 98 have now been closed resulting in nearly £14,000 being repaid to claimants.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims handling agreements there are under the Coalminers Compensation Scheme; on what dates they were signed; and by whom. [172982]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 13 May 2004]: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 10 May, Official Report, column 77W.

Combined Heat and Power

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last visited a combined heat and power station. [171032]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 5 May 2004]: Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Combined Heat and Power Association and members of the industry, and have visited a number of CHP schemes.

Employment Agencies

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans her Department has to (a) license UK employment agencies and (b) implement the EU Temporary Agency Workers Directive. [172442]

Mr. Sutcliffe: (a) The DTI has no plans to reintroduce licensing arrangements for the private recruitment industry and there is no general support for such a proposal. Licensing schemes, particularly those where a fee is demanded, are burdensome for business and that burden falls especially heavily on small enterprises: The licensing arrangements required by the Employment Agencies Act 1973, which were repealed in 1995 proved not to be effective and were replaced by a new power, introduced under the 1973 Act, to prohibit unsuitable persons from running employment agencies and employment businesses for up to 10 years. The Government does not hesitate to make use of this power where this is warranted.
 
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(b) The proposed Temporary Agency Worker Directive is still under negotiation in the Council of Ministers, though no formal discussions have taken place since the June 2003 Employment Council. From the point where final agreement is achieved on the proposal, implementation is likely to take two to three years.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to prevent employment agencies from levying upfront charges for finding work for clients. [172446]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government recently introduced the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003. These include a new requirement that an employment agency can only charge a fee, for providing work-finding services for people in certain occupations in the entertainment, modelling and sports sectors, out of the work-seekers' earnings in any such employment that the agency has found for them. This requirement has outlawed the practice of unscrupulous agencies, which took money from workers in the entertainment and modelling sectors but offered little or no work.

In addition, the DTI's Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate follows up every complaint it receives concerning breaches of the Employment Agencies legislation by visiting the agencies' premises to inspect their records. On top of this, the Inspectorate undertakes proactive spot checks and follows up evidence passed to it by other enforcement bodies.

Employment Rights

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 5 May 2004, Official Report, column 1635W, on employment rights advice booklets, which organisations were present at the practitioner group meeting of 19 June 2003. [172913]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The following organisations attended:

Commission for Racial Equality

British Retail Consortium

Maternity Alliance

Engineering Employers Federation

Equal Opportunities Commission

Advice, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)

Pattinson Brewer

West Midlands Employment and Low Pay Unit

Small Business Service

European Research Council

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what the aims and objectives are of the proposed European Research Council; and what areas of competence it will have; [173640]

(2) from which budget the costs of the proposed European Research Council (ERC) will be met; and to what purpose those funds would be put were the ERC not to be established; [173641]
 
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(3) what the proposed (a) reporting structures and (b) organisational controls are for the proposed European Research Council; [173642]

(4) when she expects a decision to be made on (a) the creation of a European Research Council (ERC) and (b) the UK participation in the ERC; and if she will make a statement; [173643]

(5) what the (a) total cost and (b) UK contribution to the proposed European Research Council will be; [173644]

(6) which (a) people and (b) organisations are involved in assessing the implications of the UK's membership of the European Research Council; [173645]

(7) what co-ordination is envisaged between the UK research councils and the proposed European Research Council; [173646]

(8) in what areas of research the European Research Council will be involved. [173885]

Ms Hewitt: The possible establishment of a European Research Council is still at an early stage, and no proposal has yet been made by the European Commission. The Government are currently consulting about the matter as part of their overall consultation on Framework Programme 7. A copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

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