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Miners' Compensation Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if she will list the top 100 solicitors with unsettled claims under the coalminers compensation scheme, broken down by number of claims for (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) vibration white finger: [200374]

(2) if she will list the top 100 solicitors in terms of fees paid by the Department under the coalminers' compensation scheme; and how much each has been paid to date: [200375]

(3) what the average settlement is for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and vibration white finger claims for the top 100 solicitors, defined by number of claims submitted, under the coalminers' compensation scheme. [200376]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answers 29 November2004]: IRISC, the Department's claim handlers, are unable to provide the statistics in the format requested in the time available.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid to the Union of Democratic Mineworkers for carrying out spirometry testing under the coalminers' compensation scheme. [200377]

Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 29 November 2004]: The UDM have never carried out spirometry testing however Atos origin had previously leased premises from the UDM at Berry Hill in Mansfield for carrying out spirometry testing. They have since moved out. Any financial arrangements with the UDM regarding the premises are a matter for UDM and Atos origin.

Parliamentary Questions

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons it did not prove possible to provide a substantive response before Prorogation to the question number 185322 tabled by the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce). [199696]

 
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Mr. Sutcliffe: Regrettably the database used by the Department did not identify the hon. Member's outstanding question as remaining unanswered until just prior to Prorogation. However I have now provided him with a substantive answer and have arranged for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Office

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria her Department uses to determine a qualifying settlement of fewer than 10,000 inhabitants for the purposes of the Sub-Post Office Start-up Capital Subsidy Scheme. [199699]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The decision to classify a post office branch as urban or rural is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The company classifies as rural any post office within a community of less than 10,000 inhabitants. Above that the post office is classified as urban. I understand that the company has a sophisticated geographical mapping model that enables them to adopt a consistent approach to classification across the country.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Post Office about the continuance of the free postal service for people who are blind; and if she will make a statement. [200735]

Mr. Sutcliffe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with Royal Mail regarding the continuation of its free articles for the blind service. However, I understand that they remain committed to continuing this valuable service.

Post Office Closures

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the post offices which have closed in (a) the 10 per cent. most deprived wards and (b) the 20 per cent. most deprived wards in each year since 2000, broken down by region. [200551]

Mr. Sutcliffe: We do not hold the requested information. Post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the rural post offices which have closed since the introduction of the subsidy to support the rural post office network, broken down by region. [200553]

Mr. Sutcliffe: We do not hold the requested information. Post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Renewable Energy

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much electricity was generated from renewable sources in the most recent year for which figures are available; how much of this amount qualified under the renewables obligation; and if she will make a statement. [200736]

 
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: The latest available information relates to 2003 and is published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2004, Table 7.4. In that year 10,649 GWh of electricity was generated from renewable sources (2.7 per cent. of electricity generated in the UK). Of this 7,186 GWh came from sources eligible under the Renewables Obligation (2.2 per cent. of UK electricity sales).

Royal Mail (Size-based Pricing)

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Royal Mail about its proposals for size-based pricing; and if she will make a statement. [199486]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I meet with Royal Mail Board members from time to time but have had no specific discussions with Royal Mail, or with Postcomm, about size based pricing.

Royal Mail's application to introduce size based pricing is currently being considered by the postal regulator, Postcomm. The progress made in considering the application and the assessment of the effect of size based pricing are matters for Royal Mail and Postcomm.

Mr. Dismore : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the Royal Mail's proposals for size-based pricing on the mail order photofinishing industry. [199488]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Royal Mail's application to introduce size based pricing is currently being considered by the postal regulator, Postcomm. The progress made in considering the application and the assessment of the effect of size-based pricing are matters for Royal Mail and Postcomm.

Postcomm is considering the large number of responses they received to their consultation on Royal Mail's proposals. In view of the complexity of the issues involved and the significant implications for many Royal Mail customers, Postcomm and Royal Mail have agreed that more time is required to assess the size-based pricing proposal. Accordingly, the earliest implementation date, if the application is allowed to proceed, will be April 2006.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on the greetings card industry of the Royal Mail's proposals to move to size-based pricing. [199489]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Royal Mail's application to introduce size-based pricing is currently being considered by the postal regulator, Postcomm. The progress made in considering the application and the assessment of the effect of size-based pricing are matters for Royal Mail and Postcomm.

Postcomm is considering the large number of responses they received to their consultation on Royal Mail's proposals. In view of the complexity of the issues involved and the significant implications for many Royal Mail customers, Postcomm and Royal Mail
 
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have agreed that more time is required to assess the size-based pricing proposal. Accordingly, the earliest implementation date, if the application is allowed to proceed, will be April 2006.

Utilities (Appointment Times)

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make representations to the utility regulators to place conditions on utility providers to ensure that appointment times for provision of services are made time specific. [200151]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 29 November 2004]: I have no such plans. Under Guaranteed Standards of Performance, introduced by the regulator, gas and electricity companies are already obliged to make a morning or afternoon appointments or, if requested by the customer, a timed appointment. Failure to meet the standard, including failing to keep the appointment without adequate notice results in a £20 payment to the customer.

The Office of Communications (Ofcom) regulates BT, but has no specific provisions relating to appointments for service provision. BT offers morning or afternoon, appointments and can narrow the slot down to within a two-hour time range if requested. BT will pay the customer 10 compensation for a missed morning or afternoon slot, but tell us they will not guarantee the offering of a two-hour window.

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