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25 Feb 2005 : Column 886W—continued
Russian Economic Forum
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether (a) she and (b) members of her Department plan to visit the Russian Economic Forum in London from 10 to 12 April. [217603]
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Mr. Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans at present to attend the Russian Economic Forum but officials will do so.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what role is fulfilled by the third special adviser in her Department. [210488]
Ms Hewitt: Special advisers in this Department are appointed under the terms and conditions set out in the code of conduct for special advisers.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the speeches her special advisers made in an official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004, broken down by date. [210555]
Ms Hewitt: None. All meetings held by special advisers and all speeches given by special advisers are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the code of conduct for special advisers.
Wind Turbines
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the levels of carbon dioxide reduction achieved by the current stock of wind turbines. [217506]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have not made an estimate of carbon dioxide reductions from the current stock of wind turbines. However, according to the BWEA figures there are currently 1,186 turbines producing 888.8 MW and saving 2,010,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year over the same energy produced by coal powered stations.
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the ETSU W/13/00921 REP report on low frequency noise and vibrations was compiled; what size turbines were studied; and if she will make a statement. [217508]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Assuming the reference to ESTU W/13/00921 means the ETSU 97 "The Assessment and Rating of Noise from Wind Farms" which was published in September 1996. The turbines studied for the report were 450 kW machines at St. Breock in Cornwall.
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is expected from the proposed wind turbine programme. [217510]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
As stated in my answer to question 217505 Government's renewable target of 10 per cent. of energy from renewable sources by 2010 would mean a reduction, per year, of 2.3 million tons of carbon dioxide over that same energy being produced by gas. The 10 per cent. target relates to all renewable technologies. The Government do not have a wind turbine programme. The support being provided by Government for renewables under the RO is technology neutral.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Anti-social Behaviour Orders
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in Northern Ireland since their introduction; and if he will make a statement. [218240]
Mr. Spellar: ASBOs were introduced to Northern Ireland on 25 August 2004. The relevant authorities who may apply for antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs)—the police, the Housing Executive and councils—have received guidelines and training on using ASBOs. These agencies are currently in the process of gathering evidence for potential ASBO applications, but to date none have yet gone to court.
Fair Employment and Treatment Order
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times the Equality Commission has used its powers of investigation under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998; and if he will make a statement. [216671]
Mr. Spellar: The Equality Commission has not conducted an investigation under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (FETO) but rather works with employers through Article 55 FETO review mechanisms in pursuit of fair participation.
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times the Equality Commission has used its powers in relation to contract compliance under Articles 62 to 66 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998; and if he will make a statement. [216672]
Mr. Spellar: Since its creation in 1999 the Equality Commission has not served a notice that an employer is not qualified within the meaning of Articles 62 to 66 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.
Homelessness
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the timetable is for action following the consultation on homelessness; and what steps will be taken once the consultation is completed. [217768]
Mr. Spellar: The Department for Social Development is currently considering the responses it has received to the consultation document "Promoting the Social Inclusion of Homeless People: Addressing the Causes and Effects of Homelessness in Northern Ireland". To date 48 responses have been received. In view of the importance attached to addressing homelessness, an extension was granted to the deadline for responses in order to facilitate a number of organisations. I expect to receive the Department's recommendations for future action by the autumn of 2005.
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources have been earmarked for the implementation of the homeless strategy. [217769]
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Mr. Spellar:
I understand that the question refers to the strategy being developed by the interdepartmental, cross-sectoral Working Group set up to address the issue of homelessness in the context of promoting social inclusion. The Working Group's remit is to consider how Government Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies can best work together to ensure that the risk of homelessness is reduced and that the full range of appropriate services is available to homeless people. The strategy being developed by the Working Group, which must be affordable and deliverable, will aim to ensure that better services are delivered by using existing resources in a more joined-up way. However, the Housing Executive is currently spending almost £30 million per year on temporary accommodation and other services for the homeless.
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Housing
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many housing executive staff have been seconded to assist local communities and residents groups in each Northern Ireland constituency since 2001; what the length of secondment was in each case; and what the cost of each secondment was. [217503]
Mr. Spellar: A total of 13 staff were seconded to a variety of groups to assist local communities at no cost to the Housing Executive as the salaries were recouped from the organisations concerned. The work of many of these groups would cross constituency boundaries and could not therefore be categorised by constituency. The following table provides the names of the groups, the areas which they serve and shows the period of secondment:
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