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10 Oct 2005 : Column 44W—continued
Video-conferencing Units
Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many video-conferencing units are installed in (a) his Department and (b) each agency of the Department; what percentage of offices have these facilities in each case; and what plans there are to increase the number of such units. [16147]
Alan Johnson: There are a total of 22 video conferencing systems deployed across the Department's offices. 65 per cent. of the Department's offices have video conferencing systems installed including all the main HQ buildings. There are no plans to purchase additional video conferencing units.
Letter from Ron Marchant to Mr. Alan Reid, dated 10 October 2005:
I am responding to this parliamentary question, tabled on 22 July 2005, regarding How many video-conference units are installed within each agency of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's Department.
The Patent Office has 2 Video Suites, 1 in Concept House Newport, the other in Harmsworth House, London. There are no plans to increase the number of Video Conferencing units that we have as current facilities fully meet our requirements.
Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. Alan Reid, dated 10 October 2005:
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (993/2005) about video-conferencing. You were asking how many video-conferencing units are installed in the agency, what percentage of its offices have such facilities, and what plans there are to increase the number of such units.
The Insolvency Service has video-conferencing units installed at both of its headquarters buildings—21 Bloomsbury Street in London and Ladywood House in Birmingham. There are no units installed in the other 35 offices used by the agency. Therefore while video-conferencing units are installed in around 6% of the agency's offices, 40% of the agency's staff are accommodated in the two buildings which have them.
Letter from Claire Clancy to Mr. Alan Reid, dated 10 October 2005:
I am responding to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI.
Companies House has four offices in total. Our headquarters in Cardiff office has two video-conferencing units, our Nantgarw office has one, as does our Edinburgh office. We do not have a unit in our London office, and have no plans to increase the number in any of our offices.
Letter from Iain MacGregor to Mr. Alan Reid, dated 10 October 2005:
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question regarding the number of video
- conferencing units installed at NWML, & whether there are plans to increase the number of such units.
NWML has no video conferencing units installed, with no plans to install such a unit. Thus NWML submits a nil return.
Watermark Project
Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has joined the Watermark project. [16144]
Alan Johnson: Whilst the DTI is not currently a member of the Watermark project we have put in place all the appropriate measures of benchmarking usage, measurement of performance, reporting of data, consumption and invoicing verification. The Department's management of its water usage is incorporated into its environmental management system.
Overall the DTI HQ estate has experienced a reduction in total water consumption between April 2002 and March 2005 of 34 per cent. and a reduction in consumption per capita of 20 per cent.
Welsh Legislation
Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how he intends to implement Paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper, Better Governance for Wales" (Cm 6582), in respect of any Bill he introduces in the current Session of Parliament. [14948]
Barry Gardiner: The DTI intends to implement the Government's policy as stated in paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper Better Governance for Wales" Cm 6582. The Department is in discussion with the Assembly Government on the issues concerned.
Wind Energy
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what relative priority the Government places on financial support for wind energy options as compared with (a) other renewable options including nuclear power and (b) conventional energy options; and if he will make a statement. [15696]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government's main mechanism for supporting renewable energy is the Renewables Obligation. The Renewables Obligation, which requires electricity suppliers to source a proportion of their electricity sales from eligible sources of renewable energy, is technology neutral. However, as a market-based mechanism, the Obligation rewards the most cost effective renewable energy sources. As wind energy is the most economically competitive form of renewable technology with scope for expansion, it is likely that most new renewable capacity between now and 2010 will be wind generation (both onshore and offshore).
Information on DTI and Research Council expenditure on renewables, clean fossil fuels and nuclear was set out in my reply, on 1 September 2005, Official Report, columns 2262–68W, to the hon. Member for Leominster (Bill Wiggin).
Nuclear power is not a renewable source of energy.
10 Oct 2005 : Column 46W
SCOTLAND
European Contractors
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the contractors based in other EU member states that are providing services to his Department. [15446]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office currently has no services provided by contractors based in other EU member states. The Office awards all contracts in line with the UK's objective of achieving value for money, and in line with EU treaty obligations on transparency and free movement of goods and services.
Freedom of Information
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests have been answered by the Department; and in how many cases (a) information was wholly exempted, (b) information was partly exempted and (c) the requests were answered in full. [14962]
David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State at the Department for Constitutional Affairs, on 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2248W.
Media Relations
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the Department has spent on external media relations in each of the last 12 months. [14684]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office has incurred no expenditure on external media relations in the last 12 months.
WALES
Correspondence
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department's policy is for dealing with and responding to correspondence received in (a) Welsh, (b) Scots Gaelic and (c) Irish Gaelic. [14699]
Mr. Hain: In accordance with the Welsh Language Act 1993, the Wales Office has a Welsh Language Scheme. Under the terms of the scheme, when someone writes to, or e-mails, us in Welsh, we reply in Welsh. The target time for replying to correspondence in Welsh, and the type of reply sent, are exactly the same as for correspondence in English.
With regard to Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic, we would make every reasonable effort to reply to correspondence in the language in which it is received.
Equality and Diversity
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much the Department has spent promoting equality and diversity in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [14655]
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Mr. Hain: The Wales Office is fully committed to the equality and diversity agenda and operates under the umbrella of the Department for Constitutional Affairs who have policies and processes in place to ensure that there is no unfair discrimination on any grounds.
The Wales Office staff have had available to them, since June 2003, the resources of the Department for Constitutional Affairs dedicated Corporate Diversity Team and before that the National Assembly for Wales Equality and Diversity Team, so costs are not separately identified.
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