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8 Jul 2004 : Column 776W—continued
Employment Tribunals
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many cases against his Department, the agencies for which it is responsible and its predecessor organisations have been brought to employment tribunals in each year since 1997 in relation to (a) equal pay, (b) sex discrimination, (c) race discrimination, (d) disability discrimination and (e) unfair dismissal; how many cost awards were made against (i) respondents and (ii) applicants; and how much has been spent (A) settling and (B) contesting claims. [181475]
Hilary Benn: The following table outlines the number of cases DFID has defended at tribunals each year since 1997. Where available, details are provided on the type of employment tribunal, the cost of settlement and the cost of contesting the claims.
(1) Closed in 2003.
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DFID records its overall spend on legal advice from the HM Treasury Solicitor/Scottish Executive. However, costs of each individual piece of litigation are not recorded separately. The amount for the year 2000 case was an internal DFID estimate.
In addition to the above details, there have been nine further cases where legal action was started. In six of these cases, settlement was reached. In the other three cases, the Civil Service Appeal Board found in favour of DFID.
Ministerial Air Travel
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list for each year since 1997 the number of miles flown by each Minister in his Department on official departmental business. [181872]
Hilary Benn: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
However, since 1999 the Government has published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These report information reaching back to 1995–96. Information for 2003–04 is currently being assembled and will be published shortly. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
PRIME MINISTER
Ministerial Committees
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 29 June 2004, Official Report, column 168W, if he will make a further statement on the reasons (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) he are not on the Ministerial Sub-committee on Relations with the USA. [182879]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my previous answer.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Broadband
14. Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received about difficulties in accessing broadband technology in rural areas; and if she will make a statement. [182691]
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Mr. Timms: The Department has received over 100 items of correspondence on this subject since January. The proportion of rural households within reach of a broadband service is rising quickly, and there is now a realistic prospect that every community in the country will have broadband by the end of next year. The joint DTI-Defra rural broadband unit has carried out important work in this area, including arranging broadband demonstrations at seven county shows over this month and last month.
Company Directors (Remuneration)
15. Mrs. Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to stop the practice of continuing to reward company directors who fail to fulfil their duties. [182692]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Directors' remuneration is a matter for companies and their shareholders.
It is provision of the Combined Code that remuneration committees should avoid rewarding poor performance: best practice guidance issued by the Association of British Insurers, the National Association of Pension Funds and the Confederation of British Industry, also makes it clear that this is unacceptable.
In 2002, the Government introduced the Directors' Remuneration Report Regulations. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 25 February, the full impact of the 2002 Regulations cannot be measured after one year alone. For this reason, the Department has commissioned detailed monitoring of compliance with the Regulations for this year's reporting season.
I will make an announcement about this exercise in due course.
Exports (China)
16. Kali Mountford: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what extra help the Government will provide to industries to co-operate through the supply chain to export to China. [182693]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
UK companies have access to the full range of UK Trade and Investment's services in the UK to help them win business in China along with the Embassy and Consular network across China. On supply chains the DTI has provided funding for the Manufacturing Advisory Service and the Industry Forum schemes to help industry work better with their supply chains.
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Women Managers
17. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of women in managerial positions in businesses. [182694]
Jacqui Smith: Some 30 per cent. of managers are female compared with 18 per cent. in 1998, and in the public sector, women account for more than half of managers. A major barrier for women reaching the top is balancing work and family responsibilities, and the introduction of the new rights for working parents will go a long way to help with this. As part of our partnership relationship with business, I have also led a series of roundtables with several FTSE 100 companies to help women move into senior positions and to increase diversity in the UK boardrooms.
Software Patents
18. Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions are being held by the Department with EU partners on software patents. [182695]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Agreement was reached by the Council of Ministers on 18 May 2004. The proposal will now return to the European Parliament under the normal procedure.
Trade Balance
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which three states the UK has the largest positive trade balance. [182696]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: In 2003, the three countries in which the UK had the largest positive balance of trade in goods were the USA at £6.2 billion, Ireland at £2.4 billion, and Saudi Arabia at £1.1 billion.
Company Boards (Diversity)
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken to increase the diversity of company boards. [182680]
Ms Hewitt: Appointments to company boards are a matter for companies and shareholders.
Following the publication of the Higgs and Tyson reports, and the "Brighter Boards" booklet last year, my Department organised a series of roundtable meetings to raise awareness about the case for greater diversity on boards and to gather examples of good practice.
We are currently consulting the Financial Reporting Council and a range of business and other organisations on how best to build on these initiatives and will be making an announcement later in the year.
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