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15 Sept 2004 : Column 1624W—continued
Anti-social Behaviour
12. Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of anti-social behaviour measures in Wales. [187932]
Mr. Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on matters affecting Wales.
Following the Government's lead, the Police, Community Safety Partnerships and others in Wales, are increasingly using the wide range of powers put in
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place to tackle anti-social behaviour. New figures show that in the year to 31 March 2004 there was a 170 per cent. rise in the number of ASBOs issued in Wales.
Teachers
13. Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Assembly Executive regarding the teaching profession in Wales. [187933]
Mr. Touhig: I regularly meet the Assembly Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning to discuss a range of education issues.
Defence-related Jobs
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary on the number of defence-related jobs in Wales. [187927]
Mr. Touhig: The defence industry supports many thousands of high quality jobs in Wales and we are keen to encourage further investment in this area. To this end, my right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with the Assembly and with Cabinet colleagues to explore the possibilities for securing more such quality jobs for Wales.
Designated Accommodation
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion, and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his Department is responsible. [187315]
Mr. Touhig: The Wales Office has a total of 53 staff in the offices in London and Cardiff. In view of the number of staff and size of the offices, it is not possible to set rooms aside for any of these purposes.
The London staff can use DCA facilities. All DCA London HQ buildings have a room set aside for smokers. Male and female prayer rooms are available in Selborne House, Clive House and Steel House. Rest rooms are also available in these buildings for nursing mothers and pregnant women.
In Cardiff, staff can access facilities of the National Assembly for Wales at Cathays Park and Cardiff Bay. Two rooms are set aside for smokers in Cathays Park and one in Cardiff Bay. One prayer room is available in Cathays Park for use by all faiths. Nursing mothers and pregnant mothers have the use of two first aid rooms, one in Cathays Park and one in Cardiff Bay.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Computer Technologies
Sue Doughty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what estimate she has made of the current and projected use of peer-to-peer file sharing home computer technologies with reference to the type of files exchanged and the volume of material exchanged; [188155]
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(2) if she will provide an impact assessment of the growth of use of peer-to-peer file sharing home computer technologies for affected commercial sectors; [188156]
(3) if she will make a statement on her Department's strategy for the future public use of peer-to-peer file sharing home computer technologies. [188157]
Ms Hewitt: We believe that peer-to-peer file sharing activity currently involves music files more than other types of content, but this could change as broadband take-up increases. The British Phonographic Industry has published research indicating that 8.0 million people in the UK claim to be downloading music—with 92 per cent. of them (7.4 million people) using illegal sites. In my reply of 19 April 2004, Official Report, column 69W, to a question asked by the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant) about illegal downloading of music, we acknowledged the serious impact on our creative industries from illegal downloading of music and welcomed the positive steps recently taken by the music industry to promote the availability of legitimate music tracks on the internet.
We hope that the development of further imaginative ways of marketing digital content will be given greater impetus by recommendations in due course from the Creative Industries Forum on intellectual property, which was announced in a written statement by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Arts, on 19 July 2004, Official Report, column 2WS. In particular, we hope the forum will explore the opportunities presented by digital media to provide consumers with attractively priced, reliable and secure alternatives to illegal downloading.
"Fairness for All" White Paper
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many respondents there were to the Fairness For All White Paper; and if she will make a statement on the content of the responses; [187940]
(2) what plans she has to take the proposals contained in the Fairness For All White Paper forward following the consultation period; and on what timetable; [187941]
(3) what plans she has to meet stakeholder organisations for further discussions on the Fairness For All White Paper. [187942]
Ms Hewitt: The consultation following the release of Fairness for All, officially closed on 6 August 2004. Over 450 responses have been received from a wide variety of stakeholders, interested groups and individuals. The Government is currently assessing all the responses it has received in detail and will publicly respond in due course.
The Government will continue to adopt an open and inclusive approach to involving stakeholder organisations in developing our proposals on the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR). As part of this approach we have already met with stakeholders through the independent advisory task force on 7 September. This meeting has advised on, and informed, the ongoing analysis of the 'Fairness for All' consultation.
The Government is committed to improving equality and human rights for all in our society. This underpins our vision of a modern, fairer and more prosperous
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Britain. We are fully committed to the creation of the CEHR which we believe will help create a more equal and cohesive society.
The establishment of the CEHR will require primary legislation, and we intend to bring a Bill before Parliament as soon as time allows. We anticipate setting up a steering group to continue for 12–18 months to manage the planning and implementation of the key milestones towards the launch day. The CEHR will not be fully operational before the end of 2006 at the earliest.
Bodies (Funding)
Mr. Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) current and (b) projected levels of funding are from her Department for (i) the Manufacturing Advisory Service and (b) Enterprise Insight. [186340]
Jacqui Smith: The information is as follows:
(i) Manufacturing Advisory Service
(a) In the current financial year (2004–05) the Department will provide funding of £4 million for the Manufacturing Advisory Service.
(b) In the following three years, the Department's expenditure in support of the regional operations of the Manufacturing Advisory Service will be £5 million in 2005–06, £6 million in 2006–07, and £6 million in 2007–08, as announced in the 2004 Spending Review. In addition, the Department will also fund a contract to manage the Manufacturing Advisory Service national network over the same period. The size of this contract has not yet been determined.
(a) In the current financial year (2004–05), the Department is providing funding for Enterprise Insight of £753,000.
(b) This funding will rise to £5 million per annum in 2006–07 and 2007–08, as announced in the 2004 Spending Review.
Business Regulations
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many business regulations since 2002 have incorporated clauses to set a deadline for a regulation to cease to have effect unless renewed. [186355]
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many regulations which affect small businesses have been abolished by her Department over the past year. [186351]
Nigel Griffiths: The information requested is not held centrally.
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