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Horse Racing (OFT Investigation)

Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her latest estimate is of the cost of the investigation by the Office of Fair Trading into British horseracing. [189816]

Mr. Sutcliffe: This is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading, which is the authority responsible for the enforcement of competition and consumer protection legislation in the UK, and I have asked its Chairman to respond to the hon. Member.

Insolvency

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost has been of the review of insolvency practitioners regulations. [189154]

Mr. Sutcliffe: [pursuant to the reply, 16 September 2004, c 1725–26W], I am afraid that because of an administrative error the information given in the reply was incorrect.

The cost to date is estimated to be £61,965.

Insolvency Service (Staff Numbers)

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the evidential basis was for the forecast increase in staff numbers at the Insolvency Service (a) to 1,600 in 2003–04 and (b) to 1,625 in 2004–05. [189785]

Mr. Sutcliffe: As from 1 April 2004 the Insolvency Service is operating under a new, net-running cost regime with fee income from insolvency cases covering the cost of administering those cases. Where case numbers rise the additional income produced enables additional staff resources to be engaged to deal with the increase.

Manufacturing Industry (London)

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance her Department gives to the manufacturing industry in London. [189140]

Jacqui Smith: The DTI recognises the contribution the manufacturing sector makes to both the regional and national economies. London manufacturers are able to access mainstream DTI business support products, which encourage increased competitiveness, productivity, investment and innovation. In addition, the London Development Agency, which is primarily funded by the DTI, is responsible for direct assistance to the London business community, including manufacturers.

In July 2004 we published a progress report on the Government's Manufacturing Strategy—the first such Strategy for 30 years—which highlighted the achievements made so far, including: establishing the Manufacturing Advisory Service, introducing the Research and Development tax credit, and providing substantial investment in the science base to promote innovation. We are working closely with industry, trade unions, and other stakeholders, in key areas of the Strategy to build a highly skilled and highly productive manufacturing sector.
 
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The London Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) is a DTI initiative to help manufacturers to improve productivity and performance. Since April 2003, MAS have visited 389 London manufacturers. Those businesses that have reported back to MAS have shown average business savings of £157,800 and seen turnover increase by an average of £578,900.

Business Link for London, which is currently contracted by the DTI to deliver business support, helps manufacturers and other businesses by providing impartial, expert and practical advice to London's small and medium-sized companies.

Marine Aggregates

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the estimated amount in cubic metres of marine aggregates needed for domestic British construction purposes in each of the next 10 years. [188479]

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI does not produce forecasts separating marine-dredged from land-won or domestic from commercial.

Responsibility for consenting to the dredging of minerals from the English seabed rests with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Marine Development Fund

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will give a breakdown of the beneficiaries of the recently announced marine development fund for renewable generation. [189910]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The new £50 million Marine Renewables Development Fund announced on 2 August, will be primarily focused on helping wave and tidal stream projects move forward from early demonstration towards commercialisation.

The Department is currently looking at possible mechanisms for administering the new funding and has not yet allocated any funds to individual beneficiaries.

Miners' Pension Rights

Mr Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many miners dismissed during the 1984–85 miners' strike applied for restoration of pension rights under the scheme launched in 2002–03; how many applications were successful (a) in the first instance and (b) on appeal; and how many cases are still under consideration. [190151]

Nigel Griffiths: I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given on 29 June, Official Report, columns 194–95W.

Mobile Phone Warranties

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will carry out an investigation into the reliability of warranties for mobile telephones. [188605]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I have no plans to carry out an investigation into the reliability of warranties for mobile phones.
 
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Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Office of Fair Trading is responsible for investigating markets to see whether they work well for consumers.

National Assembly for Wales

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has held with the National Assembly for Wales Government on the proposals in its Technical Advice Note 8 consultation. [189212]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 16 September 2004]: My officials have discussed the proposals in TANS with their counterparts in the National Assembly for Wales. Further discussions are planned.

The National Assembly for Wales is a member of the Sustainable Energy Policy Network taking forward the Energy White Paper. This provides a conduit for regular discussion on this and other issues around energy policy.

National Minimum Wage

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the national minimum wage on employment in Mitcham and Morden. [189337]

Mr. Sutcliffe: In their last report (spring 2004) the Low Pay Commission stated that the evidence showed that the minimum wage had benefited many low paid workers, with negligible adverse effects on employment and inflation. Information on employment specific to Mitcham and Morden is not available.

Newsagents

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made of the number of independent newsagents that have closed during the last 12 months. [188453]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Data on the number of independent newsagents that have closed during the last 12 months are not available from official sources.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the status of the EU Commission examination, in relation to State Aid issues, of the provisions relating to the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority contained in the Energy Act 2004. [188776]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 15 September 2004]: I refer the hon. Member for East Surrey to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blanaeu Gwent (Llew Smith) on 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1537W.

Nuclear Industry

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who authorised the public comments made by Adrian Gault on nuclear power; and whether they represent the policy of her Department. [189524]

 
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State authorised the release on the DTI website of a large quantity of analytical work underpinning the Energy White Paper in February 2003. This included around 25 scenarios. There are different patterns of fuel use for electricity generation up to 2050 across these scenarios, which would all be consistent with a 60 per cent. CO ₂ reduction. The Government's views on nuclear power remain as set out in the White Paper.

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