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13 Jan 2005 : Column 627W—continued
Minimum Wage
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in Pendle received the minimum wage in each year since its introduction. [204082]
Mr. Sutcliffe: It is unlikely that figures will be obtainable for Pendle due to small sample size.
The latest low pay data from the ONS show that 1.1 million people in the UK stood to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the national minimum wage. The DTI will provide estimates of national minimum wage beneficiaries by region as soon as possible. These figures will be made available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in Coventry received the minimum wage in each year since its introduction. [205307]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 20 December 2004]: It is unlikely that figures will be obtainable for Coventry due to small sample size.
The latest low pay data from the ONS show that 1.1 million people in the UK stood to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the National Minimum Wage. The DTI will provide estimates of National Minimum Wage beneficiaries by region as soon as possible. These figures will be made available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers in Bolton, North-East have benefited from the national minimum wage. [203370]
Mr. Sutcliffe: It is unlikely that figures will be obtainable for Bolton North East due to small sample size.
The latest low pay data from the ONS show that 1.1 million people in the UK stood to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the National Minimum Wage. The DTI will provide estimates of National Minimum Wage beneficiaries by region as soon as possible. These figures will be made available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have benefited from the introduction of the National Minimum Wage in each year since its introduction in (a) Stroud, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) South West England. [204910]
Mr. Sutcliffe: It is unlikely that figures will be obtainable for Stroud and Gloucestershire due to small sample size.
The latest low pay data from the ONS show that 1.1 million people in the UK stood to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the National Minimum Wage.
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The DTI will provide estimates of National Minimum Wage beneficiaries by region as soon as possible. These figures will be made available in the Libraries of the House.
Retired Miners' Concessionary Fuel Schemes
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what the (a) total cost and (b) number of beneficiaries of the retired miners' concessionary fuel scheme was in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) solid fuel and (ii) cash-in-lieu of solid fuel; [206926]
(2) what the level of entitlement to concessionary fuel is for each of the client groups entitled to receive it under the retired miners' scheme; and what the cash-in-lieu rates are. [206927]
Nigel Griffiths: There are two main agreements in force the first of which is the National Concessionary Fuel Agreement that covers former mineworkers, clerical staff, officials and weekly paid industrial staff and the second of which is for former managerial grades of the British Coal Corporation—the British Association of Colliery Managers (BACM) agreement.
Notes:
1. The Full Householder level of entitlement typically covers a three main room property where the beneficiary and his spouse are the sole owners or tenants of the property.
2. The Quasi Householder level of entitlement typically covers a two main room property where the beneficiary and his spouse are the owners or tenants of the property.
3. The Sub Householder level typically covers bedsit type properties or where the beneficiary has moved to live with relatives or, in the case of cash in lieu, has moved into residential care.
4. The special rate of Cash in lieu is paid where the beneficiary lives with relatives or in residential care.
5. The annual entitlement of fuel for any given beneficiary will vary according to the coalfield region he was previously employed in and the type of fuel burnt e.g. house coal, Anthracite, coke etc
Supermarkets
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she plans to publish the Office of Fair Trading audit following its February 2004 report into the operation of the Supermarket Code of Practice; and if she will make a statement. [206230]
Mr. Sutcliffe
[holding answer 20 December 2004]: As I said in my answer to the hon. Member's question on 7 December 2004, Official Report, column 476W, this is a matter for the Chairman of the OFT and I have asked him to write to the hon. Member directly.
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Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive
Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made by her Department to the European Commission in relation to the introduction of individual producer responsibility and the use of financial guarantees in relation to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive; and what responses have been received. [207760]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department has provided the Commission with its draft implementing Regulations for the EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, on which it consulted last autumn. Officials from the Department have discussed these issues with the Commission and other member states, including at meetings of the Technical Adaptation Committee. However, the Commission has taken no position in advance of receiving notification of transposing legislation.
Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the approaches of the (a) French and (b) German Governments to implementation of individual producer responsibility under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. [207761]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The French and German Governments have produced draft framework legislation for their national implementations of the EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. It remains to be seen how individual producer responsibility will be implemented in detailed, practical terms.
Renewable Energy
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to attend conferences which highlight the alternatives to wind power. [207465]
Ms Hewitt: I will be attending the Marine Renewable Energy Conference on 3 March. You will also be aware that I opened the British Hydro Conference, which was hosted by the DTI, held in December and attended the Investing in Wave and Tidal Energy Seminar in November.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Census Records
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to his answer of 15 December 2004, Official Report, column 1204W, on census records, if he will place in the Library the full text of the Advisory Council on Public Records and Archives (ACPRA) October 1998 statement about the closure of census records; what advice he has received from the ACPRA about the closure period for future censuses; and if he will make a statement. [207724]
Mr. Leslie:
Following its meeting in December 1998, the Advisory Council set out its position on this matter as follows:
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"The Council considered the appropriateness of the closure period of 100 years which applied to the decennial census of population. It concluded that since undertakings of confidentiality had been given in the past by successive governments to people making returns, any reduction in the closure period for censuses up to that taken in 1991 would be a breach of confidence. It also felt, however, that a shorter period, of 80 years for instance, might be appropriate for future censuses."
The Advisory Council's conclusion was published in its annual report for 1998–99. A copy of this, together with the annual report of the Keeper of Public Records, is available in the Library.
In December 2003 the Council considered the matter again and concluded that it had no reason to alter its previous advice.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what advice he has received from the Advisory Council on Public Records and Archives on the availability of census records under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement. [207725]
Mr. Leslie: In December 2003 The Advisory Council on National Records and Archives reaffirmed its views on the release of decennial census returns that were published in 1998–99. It has not considered the implications of the Freedom of Information Act for this issue.
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