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Export Control Organisation

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what functions of the Export
 
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Control Organisation have been (a) identified as suitable and (b) confirmed for private sector partner involvement. [944]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 26 May 2005]: The Department is still considering the options and no decisions have been taken on which functions, if any, might involve private sector partners.

Media Distribution

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on new arrangements for distribution of newspapers and magazines to retailers and consumers under the proposals announced by the Office of Fair Trading. [1272]

Mr. Sutcliffe: It is for the companies concerned to make decisions about what distribution arrangements they put in place for the supply of newspapers and magazines. I hope the work undertaken by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to consider the compatibility with competition law of current arrangements for the distribution of newspapers and magazines will help those companies ensure their arrangements comply with the law. The OFT's findings on this matter were announced in February and have now been published in detail as a draft advisory opinion. Substantive observations on OFT's draft advisory opinion should be submitted to OFT by 17 June 2005.

Miners' Compensation

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the process by which deadlines are set for correspondence handling by Capita as contractors in handling coal health claims. [1598]

Malcolm Wicks: Deadlines for correspondence handling by the Department's coal health claims handling contractor are part of the service specification in the contract with Capita. Correspondence is generally required to be answered within 10 working days.

Nuclear Industry

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much and what percentage of public expenditure on energy research and development was spent on research and development for (a) nuclear fission, (b) nuclear fusion, (c) fossil fuel generation and(d) renewable energy sources in each year since 1997. [170]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 23 May 2005]: The table sets out the expenditure of the DTI and research councils on research and development for nuclear fission, fusion, fossil fuel generation and renewables between 1997–98 and 2004–05.

£million
	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05(3)
Nuclear fission	1.04	1.68	2.56	0.13	2.32	2.41	2.31	2.32
Nuclear fusion	16.6	12.6	14.3	17.0	14.4	14.6	15.63	19.53
Fossil fuel generation	3.43	3.0	2.61	4.85	5.52	4.35	6.25	8.13
Renewable energy(4)	13.7	15.0	14.39	15.46	18.82	24.40	29.07	25.16
Other(5)	1.73	1.87	2.00	2.07	2.27	2.65	1.97	4.86

⁽³⁾ Estimated spend with some elements not included
⁽⁴⁾ Includes full range of renewables and also Research Council spend on carbon capture, energy storage and networks
⁽⁵⁾ Includes energy efficiency



 
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In addition further research relating to energy is included in the work of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research which has some £310 million funding from research councils over 2000–05, and in the work of the Carbon Trust. The UK also participates in international collaborative energy research via the EU and the International Energy Agency.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many potential threats as defined by the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 have occurred at each licensed nuclear installation since 1 January 2004. [2081]

Malcolm Wicks: The Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 do not define potential threats. Section 10 of the regulations requires the reporting of security incidents: details of those incidents reported to the Office for Civil Nuclear Security for 2004 are at:

http://www.dti.gov.uk/about/foi/documents/ocns.pdf

DEFENCE

Aldermaston

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the relationship is between the new building programme at the AWRE Aldermaston and the next generation British nuclear weapons. [1554]

Mr. Ingram: Developments at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston are consistent with the policy set out in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review and in the December 2003 Defence White Paper (Cm 6041–1). Such developments include the sustainment of the capabilities necessary to meet safety, environmental and operational requirements and to keep open options in respect of any decision on whether or not to replace Trident.

Armed Forces (Recruitment)

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on recruitment rates to the armed forces. [1778]

Mr. Touhig: Over the last three years armed forces recruitment has been buoyant. In financial year 2004–05 there were 17,560 new entrants. This represented 96 per cent. of the overall armed forces recruiting target for the financial year.

Detainees (Treatment)

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what legal advice the Government have taken concerning the obligations of intelligence personnel to report abuse of detainees in US custody; [512]

(2) what legal advice the Government have taken concerning the obligations of intelligence personnel (a) to report and (b) to intervene to stop breaches of the Geneva Conventions at US interrogation facilities. [513]

Mr. Ingram: As a matter of policy, any such breaches witnessed by United Kingdom personnel would be reported through the UK chain of command to the US chain of command, at the appropriate level. Legal advice informing this policy is subject to legal privilege.
 
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United Kingdom defence intelligence personnel are required to report any such breaches through the UK chain of command to the US chain of command, at the appropriate level. Legal advice informing this policy is subject to legal privilege.

Forces Personnel Reductions

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it remains the policy of his Department to implement all the reductions in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force announced prior to the 2005 general election. [1557]

Mr. Ingram: Yes. The 'Future Capabilities' Command Paper, published last July, set out the changes we will make to both force structures and capabilities.

Life-expired Ordnance

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what precautions his Department takes to ensure that life-expired ordnance transported by rail and road to Shoeburyness for demolition is not exposed to the possibility of detonation by terrorist or other criminal attack. [1351]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 6 June 2005]: During the carriage by road and rail of life expired ordnance, the Ministry of Defence fully complies with the safety and security requirements of SI 2004 No. 568 (The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2004 (The Carriage Regulations)), Regulations Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (RID) and The European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR). Additional security measures assessed to the level of threat are also imposed.

It is not MOD policy to declare the specific details of security arrangements imposed during the carriage of life expired ordnance.

Nepal

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the UK Government intend to resume military assistance to Nepal. [1595]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 6 June 2005]: I refer my hon. Friend to the written statement issued by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 25 May 2005, Official Report, column 17WS, which, interalia, refers to the departmental minute laid by this Department regarding the intended resumption of military assistance to Nepal.

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