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30 Nov 2005 : Column 530W—continued
New Hospitals
10. Mr. Harper : To ask the Secretary of State forWales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales Minister for Health on funding forthe provision of new hospitals serving patients in Wales. [31676]
Nick Ainger: I regularly meet the Assembly Minister for Health and Social Services to discuss a range of issues including funding for the provision of new hospitals in Wales.
Capital expenditure for building hospitals is detailed within the Welsh Assembly's Capital Investment Plan. This includes a major rebuilding scheme aimed at modernising health and social care and increasing capacity.
Nuclear Power Stations
11. Hywel Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about building new nuclear power stations in Wales. [31677]
Mr. Hain: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues including energy.
The Prime Minister has said that the Government will be publishing proposals on energy policy next year. In developing these proposals, we will be looking at the impact of new nuclear build on helping us to meet our Energy White Paper goals. The review will be examining a wide-range of options for helping us meet these goals.
Health Service (Commissioning)
12. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on proposals for commissioning in the Health Service in Wales. [31678]
Nick Ainger: The commissioning and provision of health and social care services in Wales is a matter for local health boards to determine, based on their judgement of competing priorities.
Renewable Energy
13. Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on grants for domestic renewable energy facilities in Wales. [31679]
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Mr. Hain: I have regular discussions with DTI colleagues on a range of energy matters, including renewable programmes. A £30 million funding package for microgeneration has recently been announced.
Licensing Hours
14. Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Waleshow many applications have been granted for 24 hour sale of alcohol licences in (a) Newport and (b) Wales. [31680]
Nick Ainger: I understand that three applications have been granted by Newport city council, all for retail sites. I further understand that 61 applications have been granted by local authorities in Wales, and that 40 of these are for retail sites.
Local Government
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate the Government has made of the cost to local councils in Wales of the implementation of section 77 of the Local Government Act 2003. [31805]
Mr. Hain: Revaluation was undertaken by the Valuation Office Agency and the costs were met by the Agency out of the funding it receives from the Welsh Assembly Government.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has made a written submission to the Lyons Inquiry on local government finance. [31806]
Mr. Hain: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given to her by the Minister for Local Government on 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2431W.
Maladministration
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many payments for maladministration have been made in each of the last five years by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [32156]
Sick Leave
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of his Department's employees who are within one year of the official retirement age are on extended sick leave. [32592]
UK Energy Policy
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly and his ministerial colleagues regarding an integrated energy policy for the UK. [31666]
Mr. Hain:
I have regular such discussions with both. The Energy White Paper, which was developed in collaboration with the Assembly, provides the framework for energy policy in the UK.
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MINISTER FOR WOMEN
Equal Pay
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent steps the Government have taken to reduce the pay gap between men and women; and what evaluation she has made of the effectiveness of these steps. [26802]
Meg Munn: The pay gap between men and women is gradually decreasing, this year the full-time median gender pay gap went down from 14.5 per cent. in 2004 to 13.2 per cent. This is an achievement we are proud of and committed to build upon.
As part of their remit, the Women and Work Commission have looked at the different labour market factors which act as barriers to women's chances of entering and progressing through work, in particular, to ensure employers make the best use of the skills and potential of women returning to the labour market. I look forward to their final report early in the new year, which will contain recommendations to further tackle to the gender pay gap.
We have also introduced a number of measures to tackle the gender pay gap. Since we introduced the right to request flexible working, almost a quarter of parents with children under six have requested to work flexibly—these requests are most likely to be from female employees. The Work and Families Bill, published last month, will extend the scope of flexible working law to carers of adults.
The national minimum wage, which increased to £5.05 in October this year, continues to play a part in reducing the gender pay gap. Around 70 per cent. of the beneficiaries of the uprating of the national minimum wage in October 2004 were women.
We have made progress in tackling this issue and with the findings of the Women and Work Commission and with the appropriate measures in place, we hope to progress further in reducing the gap between men and women.
DEFENCE
Army Prosecuting Authority
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the outcomes of all cases handled by the Army Prosecuting Authority in the last 12-month period for which figures are available in which all proceedings are complete; in what percentage of cases proceedings were abandoned; and what the reasons were in each case. [32944]
The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply.
In the period from 1 November 2004 to 31 October 2005, 856 cases were referred to the APA for consideration as to whether trial should be directed. Of
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those cases, 641 were directed for trial. 65 cases were discontinued after direction for trial, leaving 576 which proceeded to trial. The outcome of cases are not centrally recorded, nor are the reasons for abandonment, and to retrieve this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Astute-class Submarines
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for submarines to be built at Barrow-in-Furness after the completion of the first three Astute-class boats. [32170]
Mr. Ingram: The Barrow yard will remain the UK's centre of excellence for submarine building.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of possible economies which may be achieved by ordering future Astute-class submarines more than one at a time. [32172]
Mr. Ingram: The procurement strategy for future Astute boats is currently being considered and announcements will be made at the appropriate time.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the timetable for building further Astute-class submarines is compatible with that for building future ship submersible ballistic nuclears to replace the Vanguard-class. [32173]
John Reid: No decisions on any replacement for the Vanguard-class submarines have yet been taken. Orders for further Astute-class submarines, beyond the three already on order, are being considered and announcements will be made at the appropriate time. There is no reason to believe that there is any incompatibility between the possible future demands that may arise from these potential requirements.
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