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15 Mar 2005 : Column 229W—continued
Wind Energy Conference
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her Department's co-sponsorship of the European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition. [207841]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The DTI co-sponsored the European Wind Energy Conference event in 2004. All previous events have been part sponsored by the host nation's Government Department.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State delivered the keynote address and I also spoke.
The event had over 1,500 participants and 260 companies exhibiting, including many UK companies and it provided an opportunity to showcase British business in the renewables supply chain to European and International businesses.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Child Support
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of child support cases in Northern Ireland were being assessed under the new criteria on 1 March. [221329]
Mr. Spellar: The percentage of child support cases in Northern Ireland being assessed under the new rules as of 1 March 2005 is 18 per cent.
Engagements
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in his Department, the hon. Member for Dudley, South (Mr. Pearson), will meet the hon. Member for East Londonderry to discuss the financial implications of the range of cultural matters in Northern Ireland that have been communicated to him by the hon. Member for East Londonderry. [221402]
Mr. Pearson: My office has proposed a meeting with the hon. Gentleman before the end of this month.
Public Processions
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on which date (a) the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) was first consulted about the draft Public Processions (Amendment) Northern Ireland Order 2005 and (b) the Department received a response from the NIHRC. [221502]
Mr. Pearson:
The Public Processions (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 is part of a package of measures I announced by written ministerial statement on 22 February 2005, Official Report, column 14WS. The package responded to Sir George Quigley's review
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of the Parades Commission and the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, the consultation on that report on parading was published in January this year. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission contributed to the consultation on the Quigley report in October 2003 and gave evidence to NIAC.
I wrote to the Human Rights Commission on 22 February indicating that I had laid, on that day, the draft Public Processions (Amendment) Northern Ireland Order 2005. The Human Rights Commission has not responded to this letter to date.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a copy of the response from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to the draft Public Processions (Amendment) Northern Ireland Order 2005. [221503]
Mr. Pearson: I wrote to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on the 22 February 2005 with regard to the Public Processions (Amendment) Northern Ireland Order 2005. The NIHRC has not yet responded to that letter.
Shellfish and Whitefish
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been provided to the fish processing sector of the Northern Ireland fishing industry in relation to the tie-up scheme which was in operation in 2004. [221337]
Mr. Pearson: The 2004 Transitional Aid Scheme was designed to compensate those most affected by the closure namely the whitefish fleet. The Fish Processing sector did not qualify for this particular scheme.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Disabled Access
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of his Department's advertising campaign to inform small businesses of the adjustments required for disabled access under the Disabilities Discrimination Act 1995 was. [221558]
Maria Eagle: The total budget for the 2004–05 communications campaign to inform small businesses of their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 is £4.4 million. The first phase of the campaign ran from April to September last year at a cost of £2.4 million, and aimed to alert small employers and service providers to the introduction of the October 2004 duties of the DDA. The second phase of the campaign, which started in January this year and ends this month, has a budget of £2 million; this is aimed at reminding service providers of new duties placed on them by the changes to the access provisions introduced from October 2004.
Financial Assistance Scheme
Hywel Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the first payments will be
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made to the former workers at the Allied Steel and Wire Works in Cardiff under the Government's Financial Assistance Scheme. [221506]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer to the written ministerial statement I gave on 22 February 2005, Official Report, column 16WS.
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated cost is of implementing the Financial Assistance Scheme for all former Cardiff Allied Steel and Wire workers who were 57 years or older on 14 May 2004. [221507]
Malcolm Wicks: Estimates cannot be made of the cost of assistance for members of individual schemes until we have received more detailed information; including information on what the scheme pension age is for individual members, their distance from scheme pension age as at 14 May 2004, and their individual losses in the schemes.
Information (Post Offices)
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information published by his Department (a) may be obtained by the public in post offices and (b) could previously be obtained by the public in post offices but may not now be so obtained; and how much was spent making each of these categories of information available in the most recent period for which figures are available. [209720]
Maria Eagle: The following leaflets are currently available for post offices to stock.
1. The winter fuel payments leaflet is usually only displayed between October and March to coincide with the information campaign. 2. Bilingual or stand alone Welsh versions are available from post offices in Wales. 3. Until June 2004, the new deal for lone parents leaflet was also available from post offices. This information product is now targeted at a more local level, for example through the local office relationship with libraries etc.
Prior to 2 June 2004, the Department had a contract in place with Post Office Ltd. for the display of key Departmental leaflets and posters in post office display panels. This was known as the POPOS (post office point of sale) display. Post Office Ltd. terminated this contract with effect from 2 June 2004.
The last direct cost for displaying leaflets in post offices was £332,000, which covered the final quarter of the POPOS contract (April 2004–June 2004).
The leaflets currently available from post offices are issued as part of the wider Order Book Encashment Contract. It is not possible to separately identify the costs for this service from the fixed costs within the contract.
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Myasthenia Gravis
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the benefit entitlements are for people under pensionable age who are diagnosed as suffering from myasthenia gravis. [222140]
Maria Eagle: I refer my hon. Friend to reply I gave to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Robathan) on 1 December 2004, Official Report, column 177W.
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