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Migrant Workers

Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent steps he has undertaken to promote the rights of workers among migrant workers' groups. [56178]

Mr. Sutcliffe: We are aware that migrant workers arriving in the United Kingdom to work in a range of industries may face difficulties in understanding their rights. We have offered to work with the Governments of all the new EU member states, to prepare bi-lingual know before you go" leaflets for migrant workers seeking temporary work, giving advice on questions to ask before leaving the country and on legal protections offered to workers including details of the national minimum wage and agricultural minimum wage and the relevant helpline numbers. It is particularly important to reach workers in the host country before they leave as it is often much harder to help workers, who may not speak English and have no accommodation arranged, once they arrive.

To date we have produced leaflets in partnership with the Portuguese, Polish and Lithuanian Governments and are still in talks with other Governments. These benefited from input from the TUC, the CBI and other stakeholders and have been distributed widely in both the workers' home countries and the UK, for example via Citizen's Advice Bureaux. In Poland, for example, they have been publicised on television and our embassy and the Polish authorities have worked hard to distribute them via job centres, recruitment fairs and other channels. The text of the leaflets is also available on the DTI website:

http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/agency/migrant_workers.htm

We are currently updating the three leaflets to ensure they contain up to date information on, for example, national minimum wage rates.
 
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HMRC enforce the national minimum wage on behalf of the DTI. Each month HMRC select a sample of employers with workers from the new European Union accession countries who have registered under the Workers Registration Scheme. These employers are inspected to ensure that they are complying with the requirements of the national minimum wage legislation.

The Home Office also provide information to workers from EU accession countries. Nationals of the new member states (except Cyprus and Malta) working in the UK are subject to the Worker Registration Scheme. When subject to the scheme, they need to register with the Home Office if they plan to work for more than one month for an employer in the UK. Workers subject to registering with the Worker Registration Scheme receive information on employment rights as a matter of course. A leaflet setting out the rights and responsibilities of nationals from the new member states is available on the Home Office website:

http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_ uk/en/homepage/schemes_and_programmes/worker_re gistration.Maincontent.0003.file.tmp/Home%20Office%20 WRS%2020pp%PROOF.pdf

The Government's decision that nationals from these countries should have, subject to the registration requirements of the Worker Registration Scheme, access to the labour market and freedom to change employers should mean that they are significantly less vulnerable to exploitation than they were previously.

Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration he has given to the establishment of a migrant workers' helpline by his Department to report (a) poor working conditions and (b) worker intimidation. [56179]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) provide information on general employment rights and contractual matters and operate a helpline on 08457 474747.

The HMRC's national minimum wage helpline number is 0845 6000 678.

The DTIs Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate which is responsible for enforcing the legislation governing the private recruitment industry, operate a helpline where workers can seek advice and/or register complaints concerning the conduct of an employment agency or employment business. Complaints can be taken in confidence. I would always encourage anyone who has a problem with an agency or employment business to contact the helpline on 0845 955 5105.

However, a DTI run project is currently underway, which will review the range of government funded helplines for employees, with a view to identifying areas where the existing provision might be consolidated, providing clarity and improved service for users.

Mines Rescue Service

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) a mines rescue service is maintained and (b) its skills and technology are used by other emergency services. [56764]

 
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Malcolm Wicks: Mines Rescue Service Ltd. (MRS Ltd.) is, at present, the provider of the services required under the statutory Mines Rescue Scheme. Although MRS Ltd. is a not for profit, private-sector company in which the Government have no locus, the Coal Authority (a DTI-sponsored NDPB) has provided it with financial support over the last two years utilising unexpected gains from the sale of property inherited from British Coal. In the absence of further similar windfall receipts, it remains the responsibility of deep-mine coal operators to fund the service in accordance with the terms of the statutory scheme. I understand that MRS Ltd. has already been very successful in marketing its particular expertise and experience among the recognised emergency services and elsewhere.

Mobile Phone Intercepts

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is taking to ensure that mobile phone tracking by individuals is properly regulated. [55662]

Alun Michael: The Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive (2002/58/EC) applies a number of privacy safeguards to value added services based on traffic and location data, including a requirement for informed consent from subscribers or users of the communications service involved. In the case of location data services, there is a requirement that subscribers or users must be able to withdraw their consent on a temporary as well as a long term basis, each time they connect to the network or make a phone call or other form of communication. The Directive was implemented in the UK by the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, which came into force on 11 December 2003.

Mobile phone location services are regulated under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 and the Data Protection Act 1998. Enforcement is the responsibility of the Information Commissioner.

National Institute for Medical Research

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether medical research carried out by the National Institute for Medical Research on the H5N1 avian influenza virus from infected humans needs to be conducted in category 4 containment facilities; and if he will make a statement. [55238]

Barry Gardiner: The regulations of the Health and Safety Executive and the advice of the Advisory Committee on dangerous pathogens are the first point of reference in making decisions about the appropriate containment level required for research with a pathogen. The specific advice contained in the HSE's Advice on Working with Influenza Viruses" is that H5N1 should be handled in containment level 3.

Natural Environment Research Council

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria were used by the Natural Environment Research Council in its decision to close Centre for Ecology and Hydrology research facilities; and what assessment he has made of this. [52252]

 
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Barry Gardiner [holding answer 27 February 2006]: The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is wholly owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). NERC science budget allocation has doubled since 1997 to 334 million for this year, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining the quality of environmental research in the UK. NERC is responsible for determining the details of how this funding is allocated to specific activities. NERC is currently considering the input from a wide consultation with stakeholders on proposals on how best CEH can contribute on a sustainable basis to UK environmental science in the future.

NERC has set out the criteria used in developing the proposals in the CEH Business Plan (available on the NERC website). The proposals were informed by assessments by an international peer review and a moderating panel, leading to recommendations to NERC Council from NERC's Science and Innovation Strategy Board. This included assessment of the science quality, value for money and the fit of the CEH science proposal to NERC's strategy. In addition, there was input from a strategic review of CEH conducted by independent consultants in 2005, which enabled NERC to estimate the likely level of future commissioned research income that CEH could expect to win. NERC also factored in the necessary level of future investment in the facilities for the research carried out by CEH.

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