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EU Directives/Regulations
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the EU directives on restrictions on hazardous substances and waste electrical and electronic equipment on the (a) manufacture, (b) refurbishment and (c) maintenance of traditional pipe organs; and if he will make a statement. [60741]
Malcolm Wicks: The restriction of hazardous substances directive will restrict the amount of lead and five other substances in electronic musical instruments put on the market after 30 June this year, although an exemption for the lead in the solder of the electronic components of musical instruments having a lifespan in excess of 10 years is currently under consideration by the European Commission.
Pipe organs that do not rely on electricity to operate would not be caught within the scope of this directive. The directive will not have an impact on the refurbishment or maintenance of any existing organs, whether they have electronic components or not.
The waste electrical and electronic equipment directive will not have any impact whatsoever on the manufacture, refurbishment or maintenance of traditional pipe organs.
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the costs to (a) businesses and (b) his Department of the implementation of the (i) Low Voltage Directive, (ii)Measuring Instruments (Automatic Catchweighers) Regulations, (iii) Measuring Instruments (Automatic Discontinuous Totalisers) Regulations and (iv)Measuring Instruments (Automatic Gravimetric Filling Instruments) Regulations. [60910]
Barry Gardiner: The information is as follows:
The Low Voltage Directive was last amended in 1993, implementing Regulations being made in 1994 (Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994—S.1.1994/3260). At that time a Cost Compliance Assessment was carried out. The annual recurring costs to business were estimated to be £3.5 million (0.0125 per cent. of the estimated industry turnover). The impact on recurring costs to the Department was negligible.
(ii) Measuring Instruments (Automatic Catchweighers) Regulations, (iii) Measuring Instruments (Automatic Discontinuous Totalisers) Regulations, (iv) Measuring Instruments (Automatic Gravimetric Filling Instruments) Regulations.
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Each of these Regulations is expected to be cost neutral to businesses. There will be a 10 year derogation for existing designs. The costs of verification and certification of new weighing instruments for the UK market will be very similar to the current ones, but certification and verification costs to companies exporting to the EU and EEA will be reduced. The costs to the Department are £60,000 for each Regulation, £180,000 in total.
Low Carbon Building Programme
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who will manage the Low Carbon Building Programme on behalf of his Department; when the first round of the programme is expected to be announced; and when community organisations will be able to submit applications to round one of the programme. [60845]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 23 March 2006]: The contract for programme management of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme has been awarded to the Energy Saving Trust in partnership with the Building Research Establishment.
The first competition for small-scale community projects will be launched in May.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total funding allocation is to the Carbon Trust from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme; and how much of the allocation is planned to support (a) the promotion of micro-renewable technologies and (b) the provision of advice on energy efficiency. [60884]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 23 March 2006]: None of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme budget will be funding the Carbon Trust. The Carbon Trust are contributing £5 million from their budget to provide support and advice on combining micro generation technologies with energy efficiency in order to create a low carbon building. This will focus on large-scale applications in the programme, and will include providing a carbon manager for every large-scale project that is awarded a grant.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the budget is for grant allocations from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme in (a) 2006–07, (b) 2007–08 and (c) 2008–09. [60885]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 23 March 2006]: Of the initial budget of £30 million the allocation across the three years of the programme is as follows.
On 23 March the Budget 2006 announced an additional £50 million for the programme. The Department will be considering urgently with Treasury colleagues how this money should be allocated.
Merlin Biosciences
Mr. David Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has met
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(a) Sir Christopher Evans and (b) representatives of Merlin Biosciences Ltd. on official business in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [61479]
Barry Gardiner: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has not met SirChristopher Evans or representatives of Merlin Biosciences Ltd. on official business in the past 12 months.
Post Office Card Account
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on incomes of sub-post offices in the Vale of York of the withdrawal of the Post Office Card Account in 2010. [59009]
Barry Gardiner: The future levels of post office incomes of sub post offices across the network will depend on many factors including the outcome of ongoing discussions between Post Office Ltd and Department for Work and Pensions on what accounts, other than the Post Office card account, will be available after 2010.
Small Businesses
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received (a) from and (b) on behalf of small businesses about the coherence of programmes of advice and assistance for small businesses. [60727]
Alun Michael: We have received a range of representations concerning the programmes of advice and assistance for small businesses some of which reflect the wish of Ministers to make support for business muchsimpler and easier to obtain. The CBI's report Improving Government Services to Small and Growing Businesses", published in January 2006, demonstrated the CBI's support of the Government's objective to ensure services to businesses become more coherent. A report from the Federation of Small Businesses published this month, showed that only 4 per cent. of its members who responded to the survey used the help available from the Business Link network yet 96 per cent. of those who actually use the service would recommend it to a friend—so there is clearly a gap between perception and reality.
During November 2005, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants informed the DTI of its concerns with the Government's wider business support agenda and Small Business Service officials recently met the Association to discuss these issues.
Ministers believe that the proliferation of business support schemes has created a complex picture that makes it difficult and time consuming for businesses to gain access to relevant support and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has set in train a process of deproliferation. We will work with the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and other local and national bodies to reduce the number of business support services from around 3,000 now, to no more than 100 by 2010. The DTI's Small Business Service will spearhead this cross-Government programme and will engage with a wide range of key stakeholders, including
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the CBI and ACCA. An announcement of this programme was formally presented in the 2006 Budget report.
Sustainable Development Commission
Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what evaluation processes he plans to use to assess the contents and conclusions of the report, Is Nuclear the Answer?", published by the Sustainable Development Commission on 6 March. [60617]
Malcolm Wicks: I welcome the Sustainable Development Commission's analysis and background papers as an important contribution to the debate we are having as part of the Energy Review.
The Energy Review will take account of the Sustainable Development Commission's analysis, together with other stakeholder contributions and responses to our consultation.
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