Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10. Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the UK's future gas needs. [6525]
Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make a report on security of supply to Parliament in July. This will include an assessment of the UK's future gas needs, updating the information given in the most recent report of the Joint Energy Security of Supply Group, published in November of last year.
12. Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial support he made available for the deep coal mine industry in 200405; and how much such support he has made available in the 200506 financial year. [6527]
Malcolm Wicks: Some £21.4 million of Coal Investment Aid was paid to UK deep mines in 200405.
A further £35.7 million remains available, of which we expect to pay claims of about £24 million in 200506.
13. Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the future of nuclear power in the UK. [6528]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State so moments ago to the hon. Members for Hexham and Tomes.
14. Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to support new and emerging renewable technologies other than onshore windfarms. [6529]
Malcolm Wicks:
The Government are providing just over £500 million of support between 200208 to help develop emerging renewable and low carbon technologies. This will take the form of spending on R
23 Jun 2005 : Column 1160W
and D and funding for capital grants. Onshore wind is not eligible for capital grants, except in the case of small community schemes supported under Clear Skies.
Funding includes grants of £117 million for offshore wind, over £60 million for energy crops and biomass, £31 million for PV, £12.5 million for community schemes and as announced last year, £50 million for the setting up of a Marine Renewables Deployment Fund.
On 14 June, I announced a £40 millionfour year funding package to support demonstrations of carbon abatement technologies (£25 million) and hydrogen and fuel cell technologies (£15 million).
Total public expenditure on research and development for renewable energy sources for 200304 was estimated at over £29 million.
15. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received on the (a) benefits and (b) disadvantages of wind farms as a renewable energy source; and if he will make a statement. [6530]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department receives a great many representations regarding wind farms setting out both the advantages and disadvantages of specific wind farm projects.
16. Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims of (a) racial discrimination, (b) sexual discrimination, (c) disability discrimination and (d) multiple discrimination have been made by staff of the Equal Opportunities Commission against the commission in each of the last 10 years. [6531]
Meg Munn: The EOC have had three claims for sex discrimination brought against them by staff in the past 10 years. These have been in 1998, 2000 and 2001. No other claims have been made.
17. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential for job creation from the steps the Government is taking to promote renewable energy. [6532]
Malcolm Wicks: The DTI's Renewables 2010 Target Team conducted a detailed survey of job opportunities in the renewable energy sector in 2003. The Renewables Supply Chain Gap Analysis estimated that up to 8,000 people are currently employed in this industry, with the potential for this to rise to around 35,000 over the longer term.
18. Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the World Trade Organisation on reducing tariffs on exports of hotelware to the USA. [6533]
Ian Pearson:
US tariffs on imports of hotelware will be addressed in the negotiations on market access for non-agricultural products currently taking place at the World Trade Organisation as part of Doha
23 Jun 2005 : Column 1161W
Development Agenda. In these talks the EU maintains regular contact with other WTO members including the US.
19. Dr. Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support the Government is making available for manufacturing industry in (a) the City of Durham and (b) England. [6534]
Alun Michael: Since the Manufacturing Strategy was implemented in 2002 the Government has made available a wide range of support to improve the performance of manufacturing industry.
(a) Businesses in the City of Durham are eligible to apply for a range of Department of Trade and Industry assistance schemes including Selective Finance for Investment and Grant for Research and Development. The Regional Development Agency, One NorthEast is funding several initiatives, including new business parks, which will provide modern facilities for new and manufacturing businesses. In addition The North East Productivity Alliance (NEPA) has successfully assisted a number of individuals and companies to enhance engineering expertise leading to significant productivity improvements.
(b) In England we have set up a Manufacturing Advisory Service in every region and supported the establishment of 14 Industry Forum organisations. We have doubled support for science and innovation so that businesses may draw on the strong UK science base for commercial advantage and have simplified business support into four themes reflecting the areas in which companies are most likely to need help: innovation, best practice, raising finance and regional investment.
23 Jun 2005 : Column 1162W
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of average full-time workers' pay in the South West Region in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency. [2838]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 21 June 2005:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning average full time workers' pay in the South West region in the last year for which figures are available: broken down by (a) Local Authority area and (b) Parliamentary Constituency. I am replying in his absence. (2838)
Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period, by their place of work. This is the standard definition used for Annual Survey of Hours and Earning tables. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
I am placing in the House of Commons Library, tables showing the average gross weekly earnings for full time employees in the South West region broken down by Local Authority and Parliamentary Constituency. This data is also available on the National Statistics website on tables 7 and 9 respectively: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=13290&More=n
The ASHE, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It has a one per cent sample of all employees.
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings publication criteria ensure that all estimates are undisclosive. A number of estimates have been removed from the published tables for these reasons.
The tables provide means and medians for full-time employees in the South West, South West local authorities and South West parliamentary constituencies.
Next Section | Index | Home Page |