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25 Oct 2004 : Column 998W—continued
Internet Access
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the level of internet access in the UK; what plans she has for universal access; and if she will make a statement. [192505]
Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
Opportunities to get online are almost universally available. 58 per cent. of the population are now regular users of the internet and 52 per cent. of UK adults now have internet access at home. With more than 6,000 UK online centres, over 99 per cent. of households are within 10 kilometres of public internet access.
Networking
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures her Department has taken to promote networking within and between various sectors in the economy. [190835]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: In April 2004 the DTI launched a new business support product, Knowledge Transfer Networks, specifically to assist businesses in sharing knowledge appropriately with others both within and between industry sectors.
Knowledge Transfer Networks provide financial support to organisations that have the capability to establish or enhance networks in key technology areas. Funding is administered through biannual competitions. This will build on and enhance the existing successful Faradays and others such as NAMTEC (National Metals Technical Centre). Over the past 10 months funding for two national networks has been granted:
one in the area of micro and nanotechnology (MNT) and the other in the area of composite materials.
25 Oct 2004 : Column 999W
The UK Micro and Nanotechnology (MNT) Network has been established, in January 2004, by the DTI and the 12 Regional Development Agencies and devolved Administrations working together, to provide a market-oriented focus for the facilities, people and organisations engaged in micro and nanotechnologies in the UK.
The National Composites Network was announced in July 2004, its purpose being to disseminate lighter, stronger composites technologies for aerospace, automotive, construction and other industries. The network will have various regional centres, each of which will specialise in particular technologies. The centre in South Wales at the ECM 2 (European Centre for Materials and Materials) will specialise in non-destructive testing technology.
These measures are in addition to those of Regional Development Agencies and devolved Administrations who actively support local and regional business networks, and the work that DTI are doing to support organisations such as the TUC, CBI and Trade Association Forum.
Nuclear Waste
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what quantities of (a) intermediate and (b) low level nuclear waste are stored at (i) Dounreay and (ii) the Chapelcross Tritium Processing Plant. [192712]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has approximately 4,185 metres cubed of intermediate and 39,724 metres cubed of low level waste associated with its Research and Material test reactor, stored at Dounreay, Caithness.
The Chapelcross power station site, which includes the Tritium Processing Plant, has 59.2 metres cubed of intermediate and 153.9 metres cubed of low level waste stored at the site.
Post Office
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-post offices have closed in (a) Suffolk and (b) the West Suffolk parliamentary constituency since 1997. [192884]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I am advised by Post Office Ltd. that data on post office closures by county or constituency is not available in the form requested, as the company does not require this data for operational purposes. However, it has produced quarterly statistics on post office closures by Government region/country since March 2000 and the net closure figures for East of England are:
| Year to end: | Number |
|---|---|
| March 2001 | 70 |
| March 2002 | 21 |
| March 2003 | 33 |
| March 2004 | 108 |
| March 2005(21) | 35 |
(21) First quarter only
25 Oct 2004 : Column 1000W
Royal Mail plc/British Nuclear Fuels
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much capital she estimates would be raised from the privatisation of Royal Mail plc. [192778]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Privatisation of the Royal Mail is not on the Government's agenda. There are no plans to dispose of the Government's shareholding in the Royal Mail.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the alternative forms of ownership her Department is assessing for (a) Royal Mail plc and (b) British Nuclear Fuels. [192777]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Privatisation of the Royal Mail or British Nuclear Fuels plc is not on the Government's agenda. There are no plans to dispose of the Government's shareholding in the Royal Mail or its shareholding in British Nuclear Fuels plc (or, following the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the new holding company of the BNFL group). However, proposals for involving the private sector in individual BNFL businesses will be examined on their merits.
Targeted Growth Sectors
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the targeted growth sectors are for each region of the UK; and what Government support is being given to each sector for such growth. [190829]
Jacqui Smith: The Government's strategy is to build strong regional economies in order to achieve prosperity for all. Our aim is to make sustainable improvements in the economic performance of all English regions and over the longer term to reduce the gap in growth rates. The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) play a vital role in this work. They are the strategic catalysts of economic development in their regions. Through each region's Regional Economic Strategies (RES), RDAs are working to build on the strengths of their regions and to correct weaknesses.
The RDAs in England work closely with regional and sub-regional partners and stakeholders to produce RES which set out the medium to long-term vision for the economic development of their regions. The RES identify key clusters and business sectors for each region. Through dialogue with DTI Directorates in the development of RES, cross-regional issues can be identified and appropriate partnership approaches implemented for reconciling them.
The RES is intended to drive the prioritisation of all regionally-active public sector bodies, and increasingly it is doing so, setting spatial, and strategic priorities.The RES provides a coherent approach that develops synergy addressing a number of government initiatives. Current guidance on RES can be viewed at http://www.dti.gov.uk/rda/info/res.htm
The Department has also set up Innovation and Growth Teams (IGTs) to cover the following sectors: automotive; software and digital content and related services; chemicals; environmental goods and services; aerospace; bioscience; and electronics.
25 Oct 2004 : Column 1001W
Women and Work Commission
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her written statement of 11 October 2004, Official Report, columns 6–8WS, on the Women and Work Commission, what elements of the terms of reference of the Women and Work Commission are distinct from the remit and responsibilities of (a) the Equal Opportunities Commission and (b) the Women and Equality Unit; and what steps she is taking to avoid overlap and duplication of responsibility. [192887]
Jacqui Smith: The Equal Opportunities Commission was established under the Sex Discrimination Act. This statutory, independent body works towards eliminating discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity between the sexes. It also keeps under review the working of the Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts. It is the main source of gender-related information and advice to the general public and businesses.
The Women and Equality Unit is part of the Department of Trade and Industry and has joint responsibility for its objective of maximizing potential in the workplace. In addition, the Unit provides support to my right hon. Friend the Minister for Women.
The Women and Work Commission is distinct as it is a taskforce bringing together the social partners and experts in a wide range of fields. It will examine the evidence, think creatively and make recommendations to the Prime Minister within a year to tackle the pay and opportunities gap.
The Women and Work Commissioners include the Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission to ensure that the EOC's work is taken into account and not duplicated. It is serviced by the Women and Equality Unit, which will ensure that their work is also drawn on and not duplicated by the Women and Work Commission.
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