| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
24 May 2004 : Column 1436W—continued
Planning (North Devon)
Nick Harvey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will decide whether to call in planning application no. 31760 (Anchorwood Bank, Barnstaple) to North Devon district council; and in doing so, what account he will take of the area's housing and employment needs. [175768]
Keith Hill: The application was formally referred to the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister by North Devon district council as it represents a Departure from the Development Plan for the area. A decision will be made in due course.
The hon. Member for North Devon can rest assured that all material for planning considerations will be taken into account in the consideration of the application.
Show People
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, (1) on what basis a site may be ruled inappropriate for locating show people by his Department; [175019]
(2) what definition his Department uses of a realistic assessment of the amount of accommodation required in relation to identifying sites for show people; [175018]
(3) what account of the rights of local residents (a) his Department and (b) local planning authorities take in identifying appropriate sites for winter quarters for show people; and what weight is attached to the (i) appropriateness of the site, (ii) suitability of the location, (iii) availability and adequacy of vehicular access and (iv) availability of existing locations in taking such decisions. [175017]
24 May 2004 : Column 1437W
Keith Hill: All applications for planning permission are decided on their individual merits with reference to the local authority's development plan for the area and other material considerations including national planning policy guidance. The Government's advice to local planning authorities on travelling showpeople is contained in Circular 22/91 'Travelling Showpeople'.
Social Housing
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many non-decent social homes there are; how many there were in 1997; and what funds he has allocated to reducing the numbers in future years. [174843]
Keith Hill: In 1997 there were 2.13 million non-decent homes in the social sector. The estimate for March 2004 is 1.17 million.
Between April 2004 and 2006 Local Authority plans indicate that they will spend £5.7 billion on their existing stock, the majority of which is allocated by Central Government with some from Local Authorities' own resources. This includes work beyond the decent homes standard and work to prevent dwellings from becoming non-decent as well as work to the existing non-decents. Registered Social Landlords will mainly use their own resources on improving their stock.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
China (Renewable Energy)
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to encourage the development of renewable energy in China. [174020]
Mr. Timms: The Department of Trade and Industry maintains close contact with the Chinese authorities with regard to energy matters, and including renewable energy. This contact is managed day-to-day through the Commercial Sections of the British diplomatic posts in China, and export and trade promoters of UK Trade and Investment and of the DTI's New and Renewable Energy Programme.
We are currently working with the Chinese to assist with their design and drafting of regulations to increase their use of renewable energy over the coming years. In close co-operation with the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), we received a delegation of Chinese law makers in March, for a programme of meetings when they were able to discuss the issues involved with UK Government Departments and with UK industry. In May we sent a specialist who works with our Distributed Generation Working Group, and a Trade Promoter of the DTI's New and Renewable Energy Programme, to Beijing to join a working group developing the drafting of these regulations, which are expected to come into force next year.
We will continue to support this initiative, and also to promote contact between companies and industry bodies of our two countries. We have commissioned the development of a website designed specifically to make
24 May 2004 : Column 1438W
available information on renewable energy capabilities and opportunities in each country. This website is nearing completion, and can now be viewed on www.ukchinarenewables.co.uk. We understand that a UK specialist wind energy company is once again going to engage in training Chinese companies in the development of wind energy, in June; at least partially as a result of our trade promotional activities. And we are preparing to sponsor a presence by UK industry at a wind energy conference and exhibition in Beijing at the end of October.
Accountancy Standards
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Government has made to the European Commission in respect of (a) IAS 39 and (b) IAS 32; what assessment she has made of their impact on British (i) insurance companies and (ii) pension schemes; and if she will make a statement. [172916]
Jacqui Smith: The Government have made it clear to the European Commission that the adoption of all standards is essential to the success of the EU's approach to accounting harmonisation. It would be difficult for Europe to maintain international credibility without key standards on financial instruments.
We accept that IAS 32 and 39 are not perfect standards, but experience from countries where similar standards are in use show that concerns about their impact are exaggerated. Discussions with the British insurance industry indicate that companies are primarily concerned now to get the finalised standards in place so they can move forward. IAS 32 and 39 are not expected to have any particular impact on pension schemes.
Fuel Prices
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total tax payable on the average pump price of a litre of unleaded petrol was on (a) 1 May 2003, (b) 1 January, (c) 17 March and (d) 17 May 2004. [174573]
Mr. Timms: Pump prices are not available for the specified dates. The table below gives the average prices for ultra low sulphur petrol on the Monday closest to the date.
| Date | Amount of Duty per litre | Amount of VAT per litre | Pump Price per litre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 April 2003 | 45.82 | 11.53 | 77.42 |
| 29 December 2003 | 47.10 | 11.31 | 75.94 |
| 15 March 2004 | 47.10 | 11.53 | 77.39 |
| 17 May 2004 | 47.10 | 12.14 | 81.49 |
Source:
DTI
Bribery/Corruption
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many allegations of overseas bribery and corruption were received by her Department since the date that would not incur disproportionate costs. [174004]
24 May 2004 : Column 1439W
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The DTI has received one allegation of overseas bribery. Under the terms of the published memorandum of understanding copy in Libraries of the House, this was passed on to NCIS for investigation.
Civil Servants
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list for each civil service grade within her (a) Department and (b) Department's executive agencies, the total number of staff employed, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) ethnic group and (iii) age group; and how many are registered disabled. [166396]
Ms Hewitt: Data on staffing levels in the Civil Service is collected by the Cabinet Office and published in Civil Service Statistics. A copy of Civil Service Statistics, 2002 is available in the Libraries of the House and at http://www/civil-service.gov.uk/statistics. The 2003 edition will be published in summer 2004.
Company Liquidations
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many redundancies have been made by (a) companies and (b) administrators in each of the last 10 years. [173827]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table shows the available statistics. Estimates of the total number of employees made redundant each year are from the Office for National Statistics' Labour Force Survey which is based on a sample of over 61,000 households. The estimates are subject to sampling variability. The statistics of employees made redundant because their employer has become insolvent are from records of claims made to Redundancy Payments Offices. Employees of insolvent employers may claim redundancy payments and other contractual debts such as unpaid wages, notice pay and outstanding holiday pay. Though some qualifying employees may not make a claim, it is thought that almost all do.
| Total number of employees made redundant: Estimates from the Labour Force Survey | Number of employees making a claim to a Redundancy Payments Office because of the insolvency of their employer | |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | (95)— | (95)— |
| 1995 | 680 | (95)— |
| 1996 | 623 | (95)— |
| 1997 | 610 | (95)— |
| 1998 | 697 | 75 |
| 1999 | 686 | 82 |
| 2000 | 639 | 91 |
| 2001 | 722 | 106 |
| 2002 | 700 | 99 |
| 2003 | 580 | 91 |
(95) Not available.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to ensure that the administration of a company following its liquidation is used as an effective tool to safeguard the interests of shareholders and stakeholders, including employees. [173853]
24 May 2004 : Column 1440W
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Enterprise Act 2002 introduced changes that allow a liquidator to apply to court for an administration order. The court would have to be satisfied that the company would achieve the purpose of administration, the primary objective of which is to rescue the company as a going concern and failing that to achieve a better result for the creditors than on a winding up. If companies and their businesses can be rescued rather than wound up, then the outcome will be better for the company itself, its employees, its creditors, its shareholders and the economy as a whole.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |