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Parental Leave

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the value in terms of (a) wages and (b) saved childcare costs of statutory (i) paid maternity leave and (ii) paid
 
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paternity leave to workers in (A) the UK and (B) each region in the last year for which figures are available. [185322]

Mr. Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to answer the Questions (a) 195698 and (b) 195704 tabled by the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme for named day answer on 4 November. [198514]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 16 November 2004]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2004, Official Report, columns 1615–16W, and UIN195704 which has been answered today.

Performance Targets

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measurable progress her Department has made towards meeting its Public Service Agreement target (a) to raise the rate of UK productivity growth over the economic cycle, (b) to improve UK competitiveness and (c) to narrow the productivity gap with the US, France and Germany. [198509]

Ms Hewitt: HM Treasury estimates set out in Budget 2004 show that the trend rate of underlying productivity growth has increased from 2.22 per cent. per annum between 1986 Q2 and 1997H1 to 2.65 per cent. per annum between 1997H1 and 2001 Q3. Trend productivity growth is projected to be 2.35 per cent. per annum between 2001 Q4 and 2006 Q4.

Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) published in autumn 2004 shows that, on the output per hour worked measure, the UK has narrowed the gap with Germany since 2000 but a sizeable productivity gap with the US, France and Germany remains. On the output per worker measure, the UK's productivity gap with the US, France and Germany is broadly unchanged, though the UK is as productive as Germany on this measure. Comparisons are relative to a 2000 base year when all four countries were at a similar point in their economic cycles.

However, it takes time to raise competitiveness and increase productivity. Consequently, in assessing progress towards raising productivity, it is reasonable to look for changes in the drivers of productivity. The Government have identified "five drivers" of productivity—investment, innovation, skills, enterprise and competition— and has monitored performance on a range of productivity and competitiveness indicators underlying these drivers since 1999. Some progress has been made on all five of these "high-level" drivers. In particular, there have been improvements in the competition regime, evidence of rising skills levels across the workforce and improvements in the UK's world-class science base. The Government are continuing to invest in these areas through the Skills Strategy, the Innovation Report and DTI's Five Year Programme.
 
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Photofinishing

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of how many people are employed (a) permanently and (b) seasonally in the mail order photofinishing industry. [197524]

Mr. Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Plutonium Transport Ships

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the transport ships, Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail were operating on Government service in the recent movement of plutonium from the US to France. [197862]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was in (a) investigations and (b) administration to the UK Government in preparation for the transport of plutonium from the United States to France aboard the Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail. [197863]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what role the UK Government played in (a) reviewing and (b) approving the security arrangements provided by the United States and France for the transport of plutonium from the United States to France aboard the Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail. [197864]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what liability was agreed by the Office of Civil Nuclear Security in respect of the shipment of plutonium from the United States to France aboard the Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail. [197865]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Polluter Pays Policy

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the polluter pays policy has been applied to the Luneside East development in Lancashire. [196432]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 8 November 2004]: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Post Office

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what timetable has been established
 
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to draw down the balance of £24.6 million in respect of improvement investment grants to Post Office Limited. [193292]

Mr. Sutcliffe: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many post offices have received payments under the Urban Investment Programme; and what the average payment has been to each post office; [198890]

(2) what the average compensation payment has been to sub-postmasters leaving the business in (a) each constituency and (b) each region under the Urban Reinvention Programme; [198891]

(3) what proportion of the urban population lived within one mile of a post office or sub-post office in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) each constituency and (c) each region at the most recent date for which information is available; [198893]

(4) how many post offices in (a) each constituency and (b) each region were recommended for closure under the Urban Reinvention Programme; how many were (i) opposed by and (ii) approved by Postwatch; how many (A) closed and (B) remained open after public consultation; and how many were saved from closure on appeal by Postwatch. [198894]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Implementation of the urban post office network programme is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to respond direct to the hon. Member.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding under the Urban Investment Programme for post offices remains to be spent; and what timetable has been established to draw down the balance in respect of improvement investment grants to Post Office Ltd. [198892]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Operation of the urban reinvention programme, including consideration of applications from subpostmasters for investment grant funding, is a matter for Post Office Ltd. The Department has not imposed a timetable for the use of this funding. It was always anticipated that there would be some time lag between closure decisions being announced and take up of investment grant funding. Post Office Ltd is now beginning to see take up of this increase and expects further increases as the restructuring of the network continues and subpostmasters become more confident about their future prospects. Post Office Ltd has devoted additional resources to establish a separate team dedicated to promoting and supervising the implementation of investment required to upgrade remaining offices and fully expects to utilise the £30 million available. To date, the DTI has paid £5,448,897 to Post Office Ltd under the urban reinvention programme for investment grant funding.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Post Office on its definition of rurality. [198972]

 
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Mr. Sutcliffe: Ministers and officials of the Department meet frequently with Post Office Ltd to discuss a wide range of post office issues. The classification of a post office branch as urban or rural is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The broad definition of 'rural' used by the Post Office applies to communities of up to 10,000 people, the Countryside Agency definition. The company has carried out detailed planning to establish which of its branches serve either rural or urban areas and has specially developed a sophisticated geographical mapping computer model, which measures population in terms of contiguous or very close agglomeration. Thus where a number of villages or small communities adjoin each other or adjoin a larger town, and the aggregate population of the area exceeds 10,000, the model reflects that fact and classifies it as urban. Post Office Ltd has adopted a consistent approach nationally to classifying the entire post office network.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the subsidy to the rural post office network has been allocated to (a) Post Office Ltd. infrastructure, (b) fixed payments to sub-postmasters and (c) the development of new methods of delivering post office services in rural areas since the subsidy was introduced. [199238]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Of the £450 million a year made available for the financial years 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06, £198 million has been allocated to fund fixed payments to sub-postmasters, £227 million has been allocated to fund the costs incurred by Post Office Ltd. in providing the support services that underpin sub-post offices, and £25 million has been allocated to a flexible fund to meet the cost of pilot activity to test new and innovative ways of delivering services in a more sustainable way.

Details of the allocations for the £300 million extended funding announced on 16 September (covering 2006–07 and 2007–08) have not yet been decided.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new methods of delivering Post Office services have been funded from the subsidy paid to support the rural post office network. [199239]

Mr. Sutcliffe: A wide range of pilot activities has been funded by Post Office Ltd. from the flexible fund element of the subsidy paid to support the rural post office network.

The business has focused its attention on three broad issues in its pilot work to date. These are network shape (getting the right type of outlet in the right location), infrastructure (adapting IT, communication and other systems to make them flexible-enough to cater for new ways of delivering services), and developing new revenue streams for rural sub-postmasters.

The work on network shape includes trials of "hub and spoke" solutions involving a sub-postmaster visiting a number of locations at set times each week, partnerships to make part-time post office services available from pubs, tourist information centres and libraries, and a community bus initiative to take people to a post office in a nearby village.
 
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The work on infrastructure includes trials of new ways to connect the Horizon IT equipment used by sub-postmasters to the network, including the connection of mobile post offices, testing of "weigh and vend" equipment for postal services, and testing mobile solutions for banking services and cash points.

The work on increasing revenue for rural sub-postmasters has includes the-pro vision of "A-Frames" for advertising the presence of the branch, special marketing packs to promote new banking, financial and travel services, and partnerships with the police to make some police services accessible through rural post offices establishing an additional income stream for sub-postmasters.

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