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15 Jun 2004 : Column 820W—continued
National Minimum Wage (Scotland)
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people aged (a) between 18 and 21 and (b) over 21 years of age are receiving the national minimum wage in Scotland, broken down by parliamentary constituency or nearest available area. [176733]
Mr. Sutcliffe: It is not possible to provide estimates for individual parliamentary constituencies.
Based on the Office for National Statistics' Low Pay data released in 2003, the DTI estimates that between 100,000 and 120,000 people in Scotland were expected to have benefited from the October 2003 up-rating of the national minimum wage. However, it is not possible to provide estimates specifically for the development rate because of small sample size.
New Businesses
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new firms have been established in the UK during each of the last five years. [178665]
Nigel Griffiths: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) on 20 May 2004, Official Report, column 1118W.
Nuclear Material/Power
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the occasions since 1974 when nuclear material has been found to be unaccounted for, broken down by (a) the material and (b) the location where it had been held. [179055]
Mr. Timms: In accordance with international practice, the inventory difference that occurs when the result of a physical inventory of nuclear material is compared with the book inventory is referred to as MUF ('material unaccounted for'. The difference may be negative (an apparent loss) or positive (an apparent gain). MUF is a recognised feature of accounting for nuclear material and is caused primarily by the uncertainties inherent in the techniques used to measure nuclear material.
MUF figures at UKAEA, BNFL and Urenco sites are published annually by the industry. Figures published since 1973–74 will be placed in the Libraries of the House. There is no evidence to suggest that there have been any real losses or gains of nuclear material.
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the employment rights and benefits of constables in the Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary will change under the provisions of the Energy Bill. [178317]
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Mr. Timms: The Energy Bill requires that the Secretary of State make a nuclear transfer scheme providing for the transfer to the Civil Nuclear Police Authority those employees of the UKAEA who are members of the UKAEA Constabulary. The Bill also provides for members of the UKAEA Constabulary to hold office as members of the new Civil Nuclear Constabulary.
There will be no practical effect on the employment rights and benefits of members of the UKAEA Constabulary as a result of this transfer. The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE) will apply, and current and future members of the Constabulary will continue to be eligible for membership of the UKAEA pension scheme.
The Bill prohibits members of the Constabulary from joining trade unions (subject to the same limited exceptions that apply to other police officers). This puts current informal arrangements on a statutory footing. It also brings the Constabulary into line with long established arrangements for other police forces. The restriction on trade union membership will not extend to civilian employees of the Police Authority.
The Bill also provides for statutory recognition of a Civil Nuclear Police Federation, and requires the Civil Nuclear Police Authority to align any provisions it makes about conditions of service of members of the new Constabulary with the provision made on such matters by police regulations (unless differences are justified due to the circumstances and structure of the Constabulary). Again this provides a statutory basis for current informal arrangements.
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the proposed decommissioning dates are of each nuclear power station in the UK; and what level of carbon emissions would result if each was replaced by combined cycle gas turbine generation. [R]178321]
Mr. Timms: The proposed closure dates of each nuclear power station in the UK are as follows:
| Name of power plant | Current proposed closure date |
|---|---|
| Chapelcross | 2005 |
| Dungeness A | 2006 |
| Sizewell A | 2006 |
| Oldbury | 2008 |
| Dungeness B | 2008 |
| Wylfa | 2010 |
| Hinkley Point B | 2011 |
| Hunterston B | 2011 |
| Hartlepool | 2014 |
| Heysham 1 | 2014 |
| Heysham 2 | 2023 |
| Torness | 2023 |
| Sizewell B | 2035 |
Output from nuclear generation in 2003 amounted to 82TWh. If this output was replaced by combined cycle gas turbine generation then the increase in carbon emissions would be around eight million tonnes of carbon per annum.
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Nursing Homes
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the decision by the Office of Fair Trading not to include the impact of local authorities' purchasing power on the financial viability of nursing homes in its investigation into nursing homes. [178141]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 14 June 2004]: The Office of Fair Trading is an independent body, and Ministers have no role to play in relation to its decisions about the conduct of market studies.
Parental Leave
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of eligible (a) men, (b) women and (c) parents have taken parental leave in each year since its introduction. [175407]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 24 May 2004]: Take-up of parental leave is not recorded by the DTI. However, a DWP report ("Maternity and Paternity Rights in Britain 2002: Survey of Parents") suggests that around 8 per cent. of eligible female employees whose employers provided parental leave used the provision. The same report also states around 10 per cent. of eligible male employees whose employers provided parental leave used the provision.
Petrol Prices
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) evidence she has collated and (b) representations she has received regarding cartels in petrol prices, with particular reference to West Wales. [177601]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 8 June 2004]: I have received no such evidence or representations. Under the Competition Act 1998 the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is responsible for anti-cartel enforcement. Where the OFT has reasonable grounds to suspect a cartel in a particular sector of the economy, it will investigate the matter. Evidence of anti-competitive behaviour should therefore be passed to the OFT. The OFT's powers of investigation were strengthened by the Enterprise Act 2002, which also introduced a criminal penalty for cartel activity.
Regional Development Agency Funding
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which organisations have received funds from each of the regional development agencies, for each year since 1999; and how much funding was received in each case. [178858]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 14 June 2004]: The RDA's fund an enormous number of organisations including businesses, local authorities, voluntary groups and partnerships. Such information could be obtained and made available only at a disproportionate cost.
Further information on RDA expenditure is available from their annual reports and accounts.
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Rochdale Constituency
Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale have benefited from a reduction of the working week to 48 hours; and what percentage of those are (a) women and (b) of Asian origin. [178516]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Working Time Regulations provide workers with the right to refuse to work more than 48 hours on average, if they do not want to. Numbers for Rochdale are not available, however it has been estimated that around 300,000 workers resident in the North West stood to benefit from the introduction of the weekly working time limits in 1998.
(a) Around 30,000 (10 per cent.) of the workers in the North West who stood to benefit from the introduction of the weekly working time limits in 1998 were female.
(b) The number of workers in the North West who stood to benefit from the introduction of the weekly working time limits in 1998 of Asian origin was too small to provide a reliable estimate.
Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the benefits to the residents of the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale of the new rights for night-shift workers. [178517]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Working Time Regulations came into force on 1 October 1998. The regulations limit working time to 48 hours per week averaged over a 17-week reference period. For night workers the limit is eight hours per day on average, including overtime where it is part of a night worker's normal hours of work. There is no opt-out from the night working time limit.
Night workers are entitled to 11 hours rest between working days, one day's rest per week, and a 20-minute in work rest break if the working period is longer than six hours.
All night workers should be offered a free health assessment before they start working nights and thereafter at regular intervals for as long as they are working nights. The health assessments should take account of the nature of the work and the restrictions on a worker's working time under the regulations. Workers who suffer from problems as a result of working at night, should as far as practicable be offered alternative day work.
All workers are entitled to four weeks paid annual leave. There is no specific data available for night shift workers in Rochdale.
Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government have taken to help small businesses in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale since 1997. [178562]
Nigel Griffiths:
The Business Link Operator for North Manchester has provided assistance to 1,795 enterprises in the constituency of Rochdale since 2001. The Small Business Service was set up as an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry in April 2000. Contracts were exchanged with a national network of 45 Business Link Operators (seven in the North West) to provide Business Support to small and medium sized
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enterprises from April 2001. Before this date Government Support to businesses was provided through Training and Enterprise Councils and the Small Business Service does not have access to this data.
The type of assistance provided to the 1,795 companies include Business Finance, Environmental, E-services, High Growth, International trade, Innovation and Technology, Micro Support, Workforce Development and other Account Management assistance.
Under the Enterprise Grant scheme (EGS), which has now come to a close (April 2004), 27 companies have received offers of grant with a total value of £994,500 since 1997.
Under the Research and Development grant scheme (R&D), six companies have received offers of grant with a total value of £325,776.
Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have started up in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale since 1997; and what percentage are run by (a) women and (b) people of Asian origin. [178563]
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 Rochdale local authority (for which Rochdale is a constituency), in the last quarter of 2003. Data for local authorities are not available for before 2003.
The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before.
DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Rochdale local authority (for which Rochdale is a constituency) are shown as follows for the period 1997 to 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 480 |
| 1998 | 455 |
| 1999 | 440 |
| 2000 | 430 |
| 2001 | 455 |
| 2002 | 465 |
Source:
Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service, available from www.sbs.gov.uk/analytical/statistics/vatstats.php. The figures are also in the Library of the House.
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.
The numbers of businesses starting in Rochdale that are run by women, or people of Asian origin, are not available.
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The Small Business Service Omnibus Survey from autumn 2002 estimates that the proportion of businesses in England with one to 249 employees, with a majority of women in control of the business, is 13 per cent.; and the proportion of businesses in England with one to 249 employees, with a majority of people of Asian origin (Bangladeshi, Indian or Pakistani) in control of the business, is 3 per cent.
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