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8 Jul 2004 : Column 779W—continued
Economic Statistics (Merseyside)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures her Department intends to take to increase economic activity in people aged (a) 16 to 19 years and (b) over 50 years in Merseyside. [177919]
Jacqui Smith:
16 to 19-year-olds benefit from the current Merseyside Objective Programme which improves their employability and transferable skills
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through Lifelong Learning provision. Measures under this programme currently in place include Action for Employment, Promoting Social Inclusion for Access to the Labour Market and Lifelong Learning Young People and Adults.
For those in the 50 plus bracket, apart from benefiting from many of the measures set out in the Merseyside Objective 1, priority 2 programme they are supported by a number of Jobcentre Plus initiatives including the newly piloted 50 plus outreach project, New Deal 50 plus and a 50 plus jobsfair.
Equal Opportunities
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures her Department has taken to ensure that women in science, engineering and technology are able to return to work after a career break. [180069]
Ms Hewitt: The Government have been looking at the barriers all women face in returning to work following a career break, and has introduced a range of measures to support those women who wish to return to employment.
This includes the introduction of the National Childcare Strategy in 1998 to provide accessible, affordable and quality child care for all children, and Government funded schemes to support substantial expansion in child care provision. The Government are also providing substantial help (approaching £2 million a day) through the tax credit system. In April 2003 the Government introduced a package of new measures to enable new parents to request flexible working and their employers have a statutory duty to consider their requests seriously. More recently, I announced that the Government are opening a debate with parents and employers about the issue of choice in balancing work and family life to hear directly from employers and parents with a view to reviewing the existing measures in 2006.
For women returning specifically to science, engineering and technology careers, DTI is also making available £500,000 per annum for the Resource Centre for Women in SET to develop a dedicated returners package. Full details of the package will be published when the centre is launched on 16 September. This will address both the supply and demand side. The Resource Centre contract specifies providing a range of services to employers including developing a kite marking or award for gender equality HR practices (work life balance procedures; returners re-entry schemes; mentoring schemes etc.), employer networking events and good practice guides.
Fireworks
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason the period of three weeks was chosen for unlicensed firework sales before 5 November in the proposed 2004 Firework Regulations. [182429]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
The traditional sale period for fireworks—voluntarily agreed by the industry and retailers since 1979—is approximately three weeks before and a few days after 5 November. Increasingly,
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certain retailers have been breaking with this tradition and supplying a week or two before and/or after this period.
It is therefore the intention of the Department, as set out in the consultation document, to simply enshrine this voluntary period of supply in law.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement as to the reasons why the proposed 2004 Firework Regulations will allow firework sales to continue without licensing at certain times of the year. [182430]
Mr. Sutcliffe: As explained in the consultation document, it was the intention of my Department to restrict the sale of fireworks to defined periods—that is—traditional and multi-cultural times of use. With the benefit of preliminary discussions with both retailer representatives and the fireworks industry, we formulated what we considered to be the least bureaucratic way to achieve this aim, that is, to require those that supply all year round to obtain a licence—having the indirect effect of restricting the sale periods for those that do not hold a licence.
Media Diversity
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on public access to a diverse media, with particular reference to small circulation newspapers and magazines. [182344]
Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recognises the contribution made by small circulation newspapers and magazines to a diverse media. However, within the legislative and regulatory framework under which they are required to operate, production of newspapers and magazines is a commercial matter for the companies concerned.
North West Development Agency
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry from how many projects to which it has committed funding the North West Development Agency has withdrawn since 1 April 2003 in (a) Merseyside and (b) Greater Manchester. [181553]
Jacqui Smith: The North West Development Agency has not withdrawn funding from any scheme for which it is contractually committed.
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by what amount the forward funding commitments of the North West Development Agency have had to be cut to meet budgetary constraints. [181554]
Jacqui Smith: The North West Development Agency has developed a detailed three year strategic investment plan which honours all legally committed contracts.
Pension Disputes
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many days she estimates have been lost to strikes in each of the last five years as a result of disputes over changes to pension schemes. [181024]
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Mr. Sutcliffe: While official statistics classify industrial action by the main cause of the dispute concerned, they do not identify disputes over pensions schemes as a separate category within that classification. It is therefore not possible to give an estimate for days lost caused by disputes over pension schemes or changes to those schemes. Most disputes of this nature are likely to be classified within the broad category of disputes over "extra wage and fringe benefits". The figures for days lost in that category for the last five years are given as follows:
| Thousand | |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 8.0 |
| 2000 | 7.8 |
| 2001 | 2.6 |
| 2002 | 137.0 |
| 2003 | 139.8 |
Post Office Urban Reinvention Programme
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what sums have been earmarked to compensate sub-postmasters leaving the business in Scotland under the urban reinvention programme; [182982]
(2) what sums have been earmarked to assist with financing improvements to upgrade retained offices in Scotland under the urban reinvention programme. [182983]
Mr. Timms: There is no predetermined list of closures and, therefore, no allocation of funds ring-fenced for Scotland or for any other part of the United Kingdom.
Nationally up to £180 million has been allocated to compensate sub-postmasters leaving the business under the urban reinvention programme; and up to £30 million has been allocated to fund investment grants.
Tax (Unleaded Petrol)
Annabelle Ewing: 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 17 June. [182981]
Mr. Timms: As at 14 June 2004, the closest date for which data is available, the total tax payable on a litre of Ultra Low Sulphur Petrol was 59.2 p/litre. This consisted of duty at 47.1 p/litre and VAT of 12.1 p/litre. The average pump price on that day was 81.5 p/litre.
Waste Electrical Equipment
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what representations she has received regarding the implementation of the UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations with respect to the disposal of non-household light fittings; [182152]
(2) what the outcome was of her Department's consultation on the implementation of the UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations with respect to the disposal of non-household light fittings; [182153]
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(3) if she will implement the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive with respect to non-household light fittings so that the developer, or equivalent, rather than the producer is responsible for disposal; and if she will make a statement. [182154]
Mr. Timms: The Department has received a number of representations from the lighting industry about the implementation of Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment in relation to lighting products (the WEEE Directive). The Lighting Industry Federation has met officials on several occasions and I met representatives of the Federation and other lighting producers on 6 July to discuss these matters further.
The Department intends to publish shortly draft implementing Regulations for the WEEE Directive, together with accompanying guidance, for public consultation. This will take account of the responses from stakeholders to its previous consultation, between 26 November 2003 to 1 March 2004, on a package of implementation proposals for the WEEE Directive. The 219 responses to that consultation included three which referred to lighting products. A summary of the responses to that consultation may be viewed on the DTI's WEEE web page at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/WEEE and ROHS Executive Summary.pdf
The Government expects to implement the WEEE Directive, in the light of amending Directive 2003/108/EC, to make producers supplying to non-household users responsible for the costs of end-of-life management of "historic" waste from equipment placed on the market before 13 August 2005 in instances where they are supplying equivalent replacement products. If the user is not buying replacement products, he will have that responsibility. For "new" waste from equipment placed on the market after 13 August 2005, the Government will expect producers supplying to non-household users and those users in future to reach agreement on allocation or apportionment of the end-of-life management costs as part of their commercial negotiation; and where this is not possible, the responsibility for end-of-life management costs will lie with the producer.
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