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17 Mar 2006 : Column 2539W—continued
Exports/Inward Investment
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he plans to make of the UK's inward investment and export promotion policy in comparison with those of the UK's major competitors in the EU. [58633]
Ian Pearson: UK Trade and Investment is in regular contact with inward investment and trade promotion organisations in the EU. Work to benchmark the promotional activities of the main European Investment Promotion Agencies is currently under way. On the trade side, UKTI has contributed to several benchmarking studies in recent years and is currently assessing options for further work in this area.
Fuel Poverty
Sir Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department has taken to reduce the number of domestic energy consumers living in fuel poverty. [57793]
Malcolm Wicks: Fuel poverty is devolved, so the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department for Social Development are responsible for tackling fuel poverty in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for the Government's main fuel poverty programme in England, Warm Front.
The Department of Trade and Industry has a number of policies to tackle the issue of fuel poverty. It has liaised closely with energy suppliers on the development of the Home Heat Helpline, which provides vulnerable customers and their representatives with a central point of information relating to the help available from their energy supplier and Government. It has encouraged the introduction of social tariffs and price freezes for fuel
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poor and low income customers. It is also working to build up networks to deliver energy-related assistance with the voluntary sector.
The Department's Design and Demonstration Unit is a team of private sector secondees that works in support of Energy White Paper objectives. As part of the unit's work, it has designed and delivered projects to provide gas connections to deprived communities, and it is nowdeveloping community projects utilising renewable technologies.
The Department is also taking forward work in the context of the Energy Review on the best way to tackle fuel poverty in the light of rising energy prices.
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the additional measures and resources needed to meet fuel poverty targets to take into account increases in household fuel bills since 2003. [58735]
Malcolm Wicks: Work on the best way to tackle fuel poverty in the light of rising energy prices is being taken forward in the context of the Energy Review.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what estimate his Department has made of the potential effect on the (a) number and (b) proportion of pensioners in Wales that will be living in fuel poverty after the gas price increases planned by energy companies in March; and if he will make a statement; [58725]
(2) how many and what proportion of pensioners in Wales were living in fuel poverty in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [58726]
Malcolm Wicks: Fuel poverty is devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government, and falls within the portfolio of the Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration.
The first indications from the Assembly Government's Living in Wales survey are that around 130,000 households were living in fuel poverty in 2004, which represents 11 per cent. of Welsh households.
A full report analysing the fuel poverty statistics by categories such as household age and composition, property age and type is being commissioned. This report will update the fuel poverty figure to take into account increases in incomes and fuel prices since the property survey took place. The report will also model future fuel prices to produce scenarios of the number of households who might be in fuel poverty to 2010.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many people in Wales are living in fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement; [58758]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will be living in fuel poverty in Wales after the gas price increases announced by energy companies in March 2006; and if he will make a statement. [58759]
Malcolm Wicks
[holding answers 15 March 2006]: Fuel poverty is devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government, and falls within the portfolio of the Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration.
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The first indications from the Assembly Government's Living in Wales survey are that around 130,000 households were living in fuel poverty in 2004, which represents 11 per cent. of Welsh households.
A full report analysing the fuel poverty statistics by categories such as household age and composition, property age and type is being commissioned. This report will update the fuel poverty figure to take into account increases in incomes and fuel prices since the property survey took place. The report will also model future fuel prices to produce scenarios of the number of households who might be in fuel poverty to 2010.
ICI (Child Labour)
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with ICI regarding (a) child labour and (b) its fulfilment of its corporate and social responsibility. [58850]
Alun Michael: I have not met ICI over the last year.
Imported Manufactured Goods
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) name and (b) composition is of the EU committee which sets the tariff rates for imported manufactured goods. [59267]
Ian Pearson: The EU tariff regime was negotiated and agreed when the European Community was first set up. Amendments to the EU tariff can be made by a number of different EU Council working groups or committees but would most likely be made through either the Article 133" or the Customs Union" committees. These committees are made up of representatives of the European Commission, member states and the European Council Secretariat. In all cases, changes would have to be formally approved at a meeting of the European Council of Ministers.
Industrial Diseases
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many coal health claims for vibration white finger from residents of (a) Lancashire and (b) West Lancashire have been processed; and how many are still outstanding from West Lancashire. [58518]
Malcolm Wicks: 590 vibration white finger claims have been registered from Lancashire 1 and 31 from West Lancashire of which 11 have not yet been settled.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Tradeand Industry how many coal health claims for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from residents of (a) Lancashire and (b) West Lancashire constituency have been processed; and how many are still outstanding from West Lancashire. [58519]
Malcolm Wicks: 5,649 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims have been registered from Lancashire 1 and 472 from West Lancashire of which 245 have not yet been settled.
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