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18 May 2004 : Column 896W—continued
Export Licensing
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the operation of the (a) Joined-up and more Efficient Working on Export Licensing (JEWEL) and (b) SCOPE programmes. [170988]
Nigel Griffiths: The JEWEL review was completed at the end of 2003. The recommendations of the review, now being implemented, included, among other things:
a joint mission statement "promoting global security through strategic export controls, facilitating responsible exports", together with guiding principles which focus on transparency and customer service, securing a common agenda across all Government Departments;
a series of measures to improve the guidance and training for exporters in completing licence applications;
a new published performance target to process 95 per cent. of all standard-type licence applications within 60 working days. This will sit alongside the current target of processing 70 per cent. of applications within 20 working days. The average time taken to process licences which have taken more than 20 days will be published;
a new joint-working procedure across Government Departments; and as far as is practicable, common IT systems between the Departments involved in the licensing process.
As regards (b), the operation of SCOPE, lead responsibility for this project rests with my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
National Minimum Wage
Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers in Liverpool, West Derby have benefited from the national minimum wage. [173663]
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Mr. Sutcliffe: It is not possible to provide estimates specifically for the constituency of Liverpool, West Derby. However, based on the Office for National Statistics Low Pay data released in 2003, the DTI estimates that around 140,000 people in the north west stood to benefit from the introduction of the national minimum wage in April 1999. Between 130,000 and 160,000 people were expected to have benefited from the October 2003 uprating of the national minimum wage.
Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers in Blackpool, South have benefited from the national minimum wage. [173064]
Mr. Sutcliffe: It is not possible to provide estimates specifically for the constituency of Blackpool South. However, based on the Office for National Statistics' Low Pay data released in 2003, the DTI estimates that around 140,000 people in the North West stood to benefit from the introduction of the National Minimum Wage in April 1999. Between 130,000 and 160,000 people were expected to have benefited from the October 2003 uprating of the National Minimum Wage.
Science Funding
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) mechanism and (b) criteria are for the allocation of the departmental science programme funds; and who in the Department is responsible for allocating the funds. [172096]
Ms Hewitt: Details of the allocation of the department's present Science Budget are set out in the publication "Science Budget 2003–04 to 2005–06" published in December 2002, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House.
The publication sets out the objectives of the Science Budget and the drivers for the allocation of funds.
Allocations are approved by me on the advice of the Director General of the Research Councils.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will break down by budget heading the expenditure of the departmental science programmes in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04. [172098]
Ms Hewitt: The information is as follows.
(a) Actual expenditure for 2002–03 from the Science Budget was as follows:
(12) Medical Research Council
(13) Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(14) National Environmental Research Council
(15) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(16) Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
(17) Economic and Social Science Research Council
(18) Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils
(19) Science Research Investment Fund
(20) Public Sector Research Establishment
(21) Includes expenditure on nuclear fusion and residual expenditure on closed schemes.
Notes:
1. Expenditure includes funding brought forward from previous years, under "End-year Flexibility" arrangements. In addition, some Research Councils were given transfers from central budgets.
2. Abbreviations used are as follows.
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(b) The actual expenditure figures for 2003–04 are yet to be finalised and audited.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the resource budget for the departmental science programmes (a) was for each year since 1995 and (b) is for 2004–05; and if she will make a statement. [172099]
Ms Hewitt: Resource budgets were first introduced in 2001–02, and information on a comparable basis is not available prior to that date. The budgets for 2001–02 to 2004–05 are as follows:
| 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRC(22) | 389,887 | 416,097 | 429,875 | 458,080 |
| BBSRC(23) | 224,474 | 244,104 | 265,032 | 287,872 |
| NERC(24) | 236,778 | 253,572 | 264,102 | 280,237 |
| EPSRC(25) | 439,331 | 464,972 | 468,524 | 491,714 |
| PPARC(26) | 216,946 | 232,071 | 250,770 | 266,470 |
| ESRC(27) | 75,352 | 83,756 | 94,584 | 104,074 |
| CCLRC(28) | 40,847 | 44,770 | 119,018 | 129,488 |
| Research Council Pension Scheme | 26,970 | 28,450 | 29,740 | 31,140 |
| Royal Society | 25,945 | 28,745 | 29,245 | 31,045 |
| Royal Academy of Engineering | 4,270 | 4,270 | 5,270 | 5,600 |
| Roberts review | 6,000 | 18,020 | ||
| SRIF/University research capital(29) | 125,000 | 125,000 | 250,000 | 296,570 |
| Diamond synchrotron | 20,000 | 20,000 | 25,361 | 84,081 |
| Large Facilities and RC Institutes (unallocated) | 34,000 | 52,500 | 68,550 | |
| Higher Education Innovation Fund | 20,000 | 20,000 | 50,000 | 60,305 |
| PSRE Fund(30) | 10,000 | 4,655 | ||
| CMI(22) 0 | 14,000 | 14,000 | 14,000 | 14,000 |
| Other(22) | 28,266 | 42,063 | 24,364 | 46,364 |
| Total | 1,898,066 | 2,055,870 | 2,378,385 | 2,678,265 |
(22) Medical Research Council
(23) Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(24) National Environmental Research Council
(25) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(26) Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
(27) Economic and Social Science Research Council
(28) Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils
(29) Science Research Investment Fund
(30) Public Sector Research Establishment
(31) 0 Cambridge/MIT Institute
(32)
(33) Includes unallocated provision and contingency
Notes:
1. Figures include resource and capital budgets.
2. Abbreviations used are as follows.
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