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20 Oct 2004 : Column 759W—continued
Business Volunteers
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many volunteers (a) in total and (b) from the Buckingham constituency have signed up to the Business Volunteer Mentoring Association in each year since 2002; and how much funding her Department has provided to the Association since 2002. [191056]
Nigel Griffiths: Since 2002 the Business Volunteer Mentoring scheme (BVM) has recruited a total of over 1,200 volunteers of whom approximately 1,000 are currently active, some six or seven mentors have been recruited yearly from the Buckingham constituency of whom seven are currently active. The DTI through the Small Business Service has provided over £4 million since 2002 for the scheme.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses (a) from the Buckingham constituency and (b) in total have received inventory support from the Business Volunteer Mentoring Association since 2002. [191062]
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Nigel Griffiths: The number of businesses assisted in the Buckingham constituency since 2002 totals approximately 1,000.
In total over 16,000 businesses have received support since the Business Volunteer Mentoring scheme started in 2002.
Chemicals Industry
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment she has made of the implications for the UK chemicals industry of the EU Commission's Draft Regulation on Chemicals Policy; and if she will make a statement; [191561]
(2) what assessment she has made of the effect the EU Commission's Draft Regulation on Chemicals Policy will have on the competitiveness of the UK chemicals industry. [191563]
Jacqui Smith: The Government commissioned a partial regulatory impact assessment earlier this year which estimated the direct costs to UK industry of the proposed Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) regulation to be £515 million over the 11 year implementation period. That impact assessment was included in consultations with stakeholders during March-June this year, which invited views on all aspects of REACH, including the impact on competitiveness. Further work is under way to assess the indirect costs to downstream users of chemicals.
Maintaining the competitiveness of the UK chemicals industry is a key Government objective in negotiating REACH. We are therefore continuing to press for further improvements to REACH to achieve its objective of enhancing protection of human health and the environment while also maintaining the competitiveness of the chemicals industry and downstream users.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received about the EU Commission's Draft Regulation on Chemicals Policy. [191562]
Jacqui Smith: The Government have proactively engaged in discussions with all interested stakeholders on the proposed REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals). This has included seminars, conferences, workshops and meetings between Ministers, officials and various stakeholder groups. A public consultation on the proposed REACH regulation took place in March-June this year, which attracted a large number of responses from manufacturers of chemicals, downstream users, trade associations, retailers, non-government organisations, academia and others. Defra will be publishing a summary of the responses later this year.
Discussions with interested stakeholders will continue throughout the period of negotiations on REACH to ensure that the Government are kept well informed about their views, and we remain open to considering proposals for amendments to improve the regulation.
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Civil Partnerships
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library the response by the Deputy Minister for Women and Equality to the report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights referred to on 12 October 2004, Official Report, column 179. [192261]
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 18 October 2004]: I have now placed a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
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Civil Servants (Yorkshire)
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many full-time equivalent jobs (a) her Department and (b) its executive agencies had in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) the City of York in (A) 1997 and (B) the latest year for which figures are available. [191843]
Jacqui Smith: The full-time equivalent staff in post in the DTI and its executive agencies is set out in the table.
The earliest figures readily available from the DTI HR database are as at 1 June 1998; retrieving 1997 data would involve disproportionate cost.
| 1 June 1998 | 15 October 2004 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organisation | Yorkshire and Humberside | City of York | Yorkshire and Humberside | City of York |
| DTI(32) | 74.54 | 0 | 2.00 | 0 |
| Employment Tribunals Service | 64.55 | 0 | 68.55 | 0 |
| The Insolvency Service | 92.68 | 0 | 117.34 | 0 |
| Small Business Service (SBS) | 0 | 0 | 110.48 | 0 |
| Radiocommunications Agency (RA)(33) | 11.59 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 243.36 | 0 | 298.37 | 0 |
(32) Change in DTI figures reflect the establishment of the SBS on 1 April 2000.
(33) The change in RA figures reflect the establishment of Ofcom on 29 December 2003.
Consultants
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the contracts awarded by her Department to consultants in each of the last five years, stating in each case (a) the name of the consulting company, (b) the value of the contract and (c) the purpose for which the contract was awarded; and if she will make a statement. [191725]
Nigel Griffiths: This information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Earnings (Yorkshire)
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what average gross (a) male and (b) female average earnings were (i) in May 1997 and (ii) at the most recent date available in (A) City of York local authority and (B) Yorkshire and the Humber. [191339]
Jacqui Smith: Data from the New Earnings Survey are annualised, with no data available for individual months; 2003 is the latest data available. 1997 and 2003 figures for median gross weekly earnings (£) are as follows:
| Median gross weekly earnings (£) | |
|---|---|
| City of York | |
| 1997 | |
| Male | |
| All | 351.7 |
| Full-time | 373.1 |
| Part-time | (34)— |
| Female | |
| All | 171.5 |
| Full-time | 240.0 |
| Part-time | 93.2 |
| 2003 | |
| Male | |
| All | 447.6 |
| Full-time | 475.1 |
| Part-time | 117.0 |
| Female | |
| All | 230.8 |
| Full-time | 329.0 |
| Part-time | 126.7 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | |
| 1997 | |
| Male | |
| All | 310.0 |
| Full-time | 322.6 |
| Part-time | 85.1 |
| Female | |
| All | 168.4 |
| Full-time | 233.0 |
| Part-time | 89.9 |
| 2003 | |
| Male | |
| All | 385.6 |
| Full-time | 400.9 |
| Part-time | 117.0 |
| Female | |
| All | 226.9 |
| Full-time | 313.3 |
| Part-time | 123.1 |
(34) Data unreliable so not given.
Source:
New Earning Survey, ONS—based on average gross weekly earnings for adult employees whose pay for the survey period was not effected by absence.
Electricity Generation
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what structures exists within the Elan Valley that could be adapted for hydroelectric generation and storage. [188942]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: If by structures the hon. Member means dams, then all those within Elan Valley are now equipped for hydroelectric generation. There are plans to replace some of the older machinery, which will also improve the generation capability.
Within Elan Valley itself, 3.12 MW can be generated at present. Two new dams could be included in the valley but there are no plans to build these at the moment.
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