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22 Jun 2004 : Column 1319W—continued
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Business Regulation
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 7 June 2004, Official Report, columns 25–6W, on business regulation, what the estimated (a) benefits and (b) costs to business were from each of the six regulatory impact assessments listed. [178664]
Nigel Griffiths: Information in relation to the estimated benefits and costs to business is provided in the regulatory impact assessment and is best read in the context of each individual RIA.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have left employment in her Department because of (a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997. [175669]
Ms Hewitt: The DTI does not collect and hold information in the form requested.
E-mail Spam
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the volume of spam sent to (a) UK business and (b) private citizens by e-mail in each of the last two years. [179497]
Mr. Timms:
The Government have not made an estimate of the amount of spam e-mails sent to UK businesses and private citizens over the past two years. Industry sources estimate that 37 per cent. of UK e-mails were spam in June 2003 and 60.1 per cent. in April 2004.
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Electricity Generation/Supply
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what duty she has to ensure security of electricity supply; what powers she has to carry out that duty; and what steps she has taken in the last three years in respect of that duty. [178316R]
Mr. Timms: Security of supply is one of the four goals of the Government's energy policy, as set out in the Energy White Paper, published in February 2003. Energy security is a shared responsibility. Ofgem and the Government have duties, in carrying out their primary function of protecting the interests of consumers, to secure that all reasonable demands for electricity are met and to secure a diverse and viable long-term energy supply.
The Electricity Act 1989 requires my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to take security of supply into account in exercising her functions under Part I of the Act. These include:
her powers to grant exemptions from the need for a licence for electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply;
her powers to veto modifications to the conditions of electricity licences;
the making of regulations relating to regular, safe and efficient supplies of electricity, and the appointment of electricity inspectors;
the making of legislation relating to the renewables obligation; and
the giving of directions in relation to fuel stocks at generating stations.
The Government have worked to create and maintain competitive energy markets in the UK, Europe, and internationally, in particular successfully negotiating an agreement on the principles that are currently being incorporated into a new Framework Treaty for future cross-border oil and gas co-operation with Norway, which will help to secure gas supplies including for electricity generation, and agreeing measures to liberalise EU energy markets. We have also established
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mechanisms to monitor developments and provide information to the market, particularly through the Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group (JESS); investigated power failures in the UK to ensure that the lessons are learnt for the future; promoted energy efficiency; and further developed our plans for dealing with emergency situations.
Energy Suppliers
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households in the UK have switched gas and electricity supplier in each year since the competitive market was introduced, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) constituent country of the UK. [179256]
Mr. Timms: Information about transfers of gas and electricity supply is collected and held by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM). I understand that the Chairman of OFGEM will write to hon. Member directly with the information he has requested.
Government Online Services
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she next expects to meet representatives of the small firms sector to discuss ways of assisting small businesses to access information provided by Government online services. [179608]
Nigel Griffiths: I met with the five key representative bodies separately recently as part of my regular meetings with stakeholders, including the CBI SME Council who praised businesslink.gov (www.businesslink.gov.uk) for pulling together all Government info in one place. The website provides free and easy access to Government information, advice, funding and training and has been enthusiastically received by small business users.
The Government target of getting 1.5 million SMEs online by 2002 was exceeded in 2000.
The UK is one of the most connected economies in the world with 90 per cent. of businesses with internet access, thanks to in large part in the 100 per cent. tax allowances that the Government made available to SMEs for connecting to the internet.
Graduate Businesses
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many graduates between the ages of 21 and 25 have set up small businesses in each year since 1997. [179249]
Nigel Griffiths:
These statistics are not available for publication. However statistics are available on the number of graduates aged 21 to 25 inclusive who are self-employed and those that went into self-employment as a first destination after graduaton for each year since 1997. This information is provided in tables 1 and 2 as follows.
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| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 13 |
| 1998 | 14 |
| 1999 | 12 |
| 2000 | 17 |
| 2001 | 12 |
| 2002 | 14 |
| 2003 | 20 |
Note:
The above figures are estimates, and are subject to sampling errors. These estimates have approximate 95 per cent. confidence intervals of up to 5 thousand.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey, Spring (March-May) of each year. Figures in thousands.
| Year of graduation | Under 25 years | 25 years and over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 1,650 | 1,040 | 2,690 |
| 1997–98 | 1,730 | 1,170 | 2,900 |
| 1998–99 | 1,830 | 1,150 | 2,990 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,530 | 860 | 2,390 |
| 2000–01 | 1,595 | 740 | 2,340 |
| 2001–02 | 1,810 | 765 | 2,575 |
Note:
Students of unknown age are included in totals but not in the breakdown. Figures rounded up or down to the nearest 5.
Source:
The Higher Education Statistics Authority: First Destination Survey.
Oil and Gas
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by what mechanisms she reviews strategic oil and gas reserves held by the Government. [179767]
Mr. Timms: The UK does not have a strategic oil or gas reserve. It does hold oil stocks for use in a supply disruption. Under a EU Directive the UK is currently required to hold stock equivalent to 67.5 days' annual consumption. It meets this obligation by imposing compulsory oil stocking obligations on commercial companies. These holdings are the subject of regular reports to my Department and to the European Commission. My Department is also involved in the International Energy Agency's monitoring of world oil markets, and discussion of any action needed to respond to disruption or threatened disruption. There are no relevant international obligations in relation to gas.
Power Dialling
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with companies regarding power dialing; and if she will make a statement. [179572]
Mr. Timms:
I have had no such discussions. The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom), and my officials have asked
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the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
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