---

23 Jun 2005 : Column 1165W—continued

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has made to the Coal Authority about its website directing coal health claimants to the Union of Democratic Mineworkers. [2519]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 8 June 2005]: The Department were unaware that the Coal Authority website directed former miners to the UDM. We have now asked the Authority to change the site, directing claimants to contact their legal representative, if they already have a claim submitted, and, if they have not already submitted a claim, to contact a local solicitor, their former union or their local citizens' advice bureau for specific advice on their eligibility to claim.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid in total to solicitors for unsuccessful claims under the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and vibration white finger miners' compensation scheme. [6106]

 
23 Jun 2005 : Column 1166W
 

Malcolm Wicks: Solicitors costs have only been paid in relation to claims in which compensation has been paid to the claimant.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department have taken as a consequence of receiving information about Indiclaim Ltd. and Walker and Co. Claims Management. [6109]

Malcolm Wicks: The Department is aware of concerns relating to the two companies. However, we cannot comment on ongoing inquires.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department has spent on corporate social responsibility initiatives since January 2003; and if he will make a statement. [6233]

Malcolm Wicks: DTI spend on Corporate Social Responsibility for relevant financial years is as follows:

	£
2003–04	330,000.
2004–05	369,000.
2005–06	(19)91,000

⁽¹⁹⁾ To date.



 
23 Jun 2005 : Column 1167W
 

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what definition of corporate social responsibility his Department uses; and if he will make a statement. [6241]

Malcolm Wicks: The Government's website on Corporate Social Responsibility—www.csr.gov.uk—sets out the definition which we use for CSR which is about how business takes account of its economic, social and environmental impacts in the way it operates.

Departmental Name

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which external organisations were involved in the proposal to change the name of his Department. [1086]

Alan Johnson: None.

Departmental Payment Performance

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the overall payment performance was of each Government Department in the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [6017]

Alan Johnson: The overall payment performance of Government Departments has increased over the last three years for which figures are available, from 95.86 per cent. in 2000–01 to 96.68 per cent. in 2003–04, as the following table illustrates. Figures for 2004–05 have not yet been published.

The Government takes this issue very seriously, and is committed to improving the payment culture in the UK, in order to create fair and stable business transactions. The Government's own payment performance is an important element in this policy.

	Percentage paid on time
Comparison of main departments in alphabetical order	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Cabinet Office (OPS)	95.15	96.21	97.79
Central Office of Information	—	—	95.54
Charity Commission	91.1	98.24	97.49
Crown Prosecution Service	93.69	90.42	80.55
Defence Bills Agency (Ministry of Defence)	100	100.00	100.00
DEFRA	86.99	91.43	94.61
Department for Constitutional Affairs (Lord Chancellor's Department)	95.14	95.43	91.43
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	99.05	99.09	99.34
Department for Education and Skills	95.09	94.52	95.43
Department for International Development	96.62	96.52	96.26
Department for National Savings and Investments	96.9	94.43	92.14
Department for Transport	—	91.96	94.87
Department of Health	94.97	94.46	95.88
Department of Trade and Industry	97.68	97.20	93.60
DTLR	98.28	—	—
Department of Work and Pensions	93.01	92.30	94.96
Electoral Commission	—	97.84	94.86
Export Credit Guarantee Department	97.94	98.76	98.72
Food Standards Agency	93.88	96.00	96.33
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	96.39	92.46	97.95
Forestry Commission	96.73	96.75	96.26
Government Actuary's Department	98.57	99.17	66.64
Government Communications HQ	—	83.98	90.08
Health and Safety Executive	98.86	98.95	98.85
HM Customs and Excise	97.38	98.13	98.60
HM Treasury	98.74	84.06	80.91
Some Office	94.58	88.64	89.90
Inland Revenue	98.90	99.35	99.07
Land Registry	99.07	99.21	89.13
National Investment and Loans Office	100	—	—
Northern Ireland Court Service	—	96.23	97.32
Northern Ireland Office	93.81	85.16	86.23
Office for Government Commerce	93.29	96.28	99.97
Office for National Statistics	98.30	97.97	98.12
Office for Standards in Education	88.61	94.76	94.09
Office of Fair Trading	92.65	94.20	96.51
Office of Gas and Electricity Mkts (OFGEM)	87.72	89.54	99.30
Office of Telecommunications	99.30	99.21	—
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister	—	96.72	98.14
Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioners	—	96.88	—
Office of the Rail Regulator	98.71	95.69	88.01
Office of Water Services (OFWAT)	99.45	99.72	99.43
Ordnance Survey	97.84	97.53	97.11
Privy Council Office	99.70	100.00	100.00
Registers of Scotland Executive Agency	—	—	99.73
Royal Mint	88.25	90.57	91.39
Scotland Office (Department for Constitutional Affairs)	99.51	92.24	96.84
Serious Fraud Office	91.29	92.77	92.28
The National Archives (Public Records Office)	99.14	99.17	99.26
UK Trade and Investment	—	—	88.80
Treasury Solicitors Department	96.50	98.13	92.62
Wales Office	86.67	88.48	96.03
Overall Total	95.86	95.04	96.68

 
23 Jun 2005 : Column 1168W
 

Departmental Relocation

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of his Department's posts (a) have been relocated and (b) are under consideration for relocation from London to the deprived areas of the South East. [6267]

Alan Johnson: None of the Department's posts have been relocated from London to deprived areas of the South East in the recent past and there are no such posts under consideration for such relocation at the present time.

Domestic Energy Costs

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the relative external costs per kWh consumed by domestic use of (a) coal, (b) oil, (c) gas, (d) electricity and (e) liquified petroleum gas. [6112]

Malcolm Wicks: Figures on the cost per kWh of the above fuels are either available from the DTI or from Salkent's Comparative Heating Costs publication. The prices, sources and time period they correspond to are given in the following table.

	Price (p/kWh)	Time period data refers to	Source
a. Coal	15.6	May 2005	DTI estimates based on Salkent data
b. Heating oil	22.2	May 2005	DTI estimates based on Salkent data
c. Gas	1.7	January 2005	DTI
d. Electricity	7.4	January 2005	DTI
e. LPG	33.3	May 2005	DTI estimates based on Salkent data

⁽²⁰⁾ DTI data for April 2005 will be published in the June edition of Quarterly Energy Prices, due out on 30 June 2005.
⁽²¹⁾ The base Salkent data is contained in their Comparative Heating Costs publication, May 2005 edition and corresponds to May 2005. The Comparative Heating Costs have been published since 1976 and are widely used as a guide to the running cost of space and water heating using alternative fuels at current prices.



 
23 Jun 2005 : Column 1169W
 

---