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6 Feb 2006 : Column 805W—continued
Marine Bill
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the written answer of 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1767W, on the Marine Bill, when the Government will undertake the public consultation on the Bill. [47529]
Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
The Government are planning to undertake the public consultation on the Marine Bill over a period of 12 weeks commencing in March 2006.
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National Minimum Wage
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of employees in Wales who have been affected by the minimum wage since 2003. [48563]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The DTI estimates that approximately 70,000 people in Wales stood to benefit from the October 2003 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the ONS' spring 2003 central estimates of low pay, the labour force survey and the 2003 new earnings survey.
The DTI estimates that approximately 70,000 people in Wales stood to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the 2004 annual survey of hours and earnings and taking into account earnings inflation from spring and October 2004.
The DTI estimates that approximately 50,000 people in Wales will be covered by the October 2005 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the 2005 annual survey of hours and earnings and taking into account earnings inflation from spring and October 2005.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of employees in Scotland whose wage has been affected by the minimum wage since 2003. [48564]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The DTI estimates that approximately 140,000 people in Scotland stood to benefit from the October 2003 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the ONS' spring 2003 central estimates of low pay, the Labour Force Survey and the 2003 New Earnings Survey.
The DTI estimates that approximately 130,000 people in Scotland stood to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the 2004 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and taking into account earnings inflation from spring and October 2004.
The DTI estimates that approximately 100,000 people in Scotland will be covered by the October 2005 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the 2005 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and taking into account earnings inflation from spring and October 2005.
Personal Debt Advice
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what personal debt advice services are funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [48736]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
The Department actively supports services that provide free and impartial personal debt advice. We have committed £1 million a year to National Debtline, a telephone debt advice service, funded jointly with industry and other Government Departments. This is helping to fund the recruitment of 30 additional trainee advisers and assisting with progress towards increasing their adviser resource to 84 by 2007.
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The Department is also responsible for administering £45 million of the Treasury's £120 million Financial Inclusion Fund in grants for Face-to-Face debt advice providers in England and Wales. This funding, scheduled for distribution over the coming two financial years, is aimed at increasing the capacity and availability of Face-to-Face debt advice across the most financially excluded communities and vulnerable social groups,
Post Office Card Account
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he was first informed by the Department for Work and Pensions that its contract with Post Office Ltd. for the provision of the Post Office card account would cease in 2010. [48674]
Barry Gardiner: It was made clear from the outset that the contract for the Post Office card account was an interim measure and would end in 2010.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the likely impact on the post office network of abolishing the Post Office card account after 2010. [48678]
Barry Gardiner: The Post Office card account is only one of a large number of ways that people can access benefit and pension money form the Post Office. Post Office Ltd. is looking to develop new banking and savings products, which might offer still further options for card account customers who want to keep getting their money from the Post Office.
Benefits payments through post offices are just one of several issues which affect the future role of the Post Office and will need to be considered in that wider context.
Post Office Network
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Government have taken in response to the conclusions and recommendations of the Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit report, Counter Revolution: Modernising the Post Office Network, published in 2000. [48672]
Barry Gardiner: The Performance and Innovation Unit report was helpful in identifying the issues facing the post office network in 2000. Government accepted all the report's recommendations.
We have committed around £2 billion in support of the introduction of a range of measures aimed at creating an efficient and sustainable post office network. The network still faces significant challenges and we are considering what further measures may be required.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the Government funding arrangements provided in respect of the post office network since 1997. [48673]
Barry Gardiner:
There was no significant funding for the Post Office Corporation prior to 1999, but since then
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Government support of almost £2 billion in total has been made available to Post Office Ltd. including:
(9) To April 2003.
The Government have also decided to extend support to the rural network for two further years to 2008, worth another £300 million. This is subject to state aid clearance.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many rural post offices in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and (c) Beverley and Holderness have closed in the last 12 months. [48483]
Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). The chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Postal Services
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total number of sub post offices in each county council and metropolitan borough area was in (a) 1997 and (b) 2005. [46678]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 30 January 2006]: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The Chief Executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total number of sub-post offices in the Milton Keynes unitary authority area was in (a) 2001 and (b) 2005. [47305]
Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). The chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the minimum number of post office branches required by the Royal Mail to fulfil the terms of its universal service obligation. [49198]
Barry Gardiner: This is a matter for the postal services regulator, Postcomm.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) sub-post offices and (b) post offices there were in (i) Peterborough city council unitary authority area and (ii) Peterborough constituency in each year since 1997. [49290]
Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). The chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.
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