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Postal Services

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much post was (a) undelivered and (b) lost in each of the last five calendar years. [64010]

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail plc. Adam Crozier, the chief executive, has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make it his policy to link increases in postal charges to the performance of Royal Mail; and if he will make a statement. [65018]

Barry Gardiner: Under the Postal Services Act (PSA 2000) the Government introduced a strong regulator, Postcomm, to monitor Royal Mail's performance against agreed quality of service targets and to manage postal charges under price controls, which are subject to public consultation.

Export Licences

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the export licences granted for the supply of (a) communication and (b) technical components to the United States for incorporation into Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles since 2000. [64360]

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the exporter, end-user and expected end-use of the exports in question is commercially confidential and as such is exempt from disclosure.

The Government publish information on export licences granted by destination, including for transfers to the United States, in its Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, available from the Libraries of the House. The Government also publish quarterly licensing and performance information on the Export Control Organisation website, www.dti.gov.uk/export.control. Relevant entries in these reports include
 
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components for unmanned air vehicles, components for military aero-engines, components for military aircraft communications equipment, components for military navigation equipment and components for military radar.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the export licences for components for use in Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles granted to Radstone Technology plc. since 2000. [64361]

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the Government's individual export licensing decisions is commercially confidential and I am therefore neither able to confirm nor deny whether Radstone Technology plc has been granted any export licences for components for Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles since 2000.

The Government publish information on export licences granted by destination, including for transfers to the United States, in its Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, available from the Libraries of the House. The Government also publish quarterly licensing and performance information on the Export Control Organisation website, www.dti.gov.uk/export.control. Relevant entries in these reports include components for unmanned air vehicles, components for military aero-engines, components for military aircraft communications equipment, components for military navigation equipment and components for military radar.

Regional Selective Assistance

Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is his policy that (a) the use of best available techniques and (b) compliance with the integrated pollution prevention and control regime (i) is and (ii) should be a condition of the award of regional selective assistance for industrial developments. [64143]

Alun Michael: The use of best available techniques and compliance with the integrated pollution prevention and control regime (IPPC) is not a condition of the award of assistance for industrial developments, as industry should be meeting all relevant regulatory obligations including IPCC as a matter of course.

From 1 April 2004 in England the Regional Selective Assistance scheme was re-launched as the Department of Trade and Industry's Selective Finance for Investment business support product. Support, which is discretionary, normally takes the form of a grant, which helps to fund new capital investment projects that lead to sustainable improvements in productivity, skills and employment. All applications are judged against specific product criteria, which include: need, eligibility, productivity, skills, job creation or safeguarding, viability, quality, national and regional benefit and additionality.

Sellafield

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much and what types of (a) additional hazardous waste and (b) spent nuclear fuel was discovered at Sellafield recently; and if he will make a statement. [64416]

 
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Malcolm Wicks: Work at the Sellafield plant continues in order to gain a full understanding of the nature and extent of hazardous waste on the site. Recent detailed examination of one particular part of the Sellafield complex, the B30 pond, has shown that the volume of sludge is approximately 1,200 cubic metres, which is around 20 per cent. higher than previously thought. There has been no discovery of additional spent nuclear fuel.

A full inventory of the type and amount of nuclear waste in the UK is published by Nirex in conjunction with Defra and is available on their website.

Sunday Working

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received from trades unions on the level of pay to shop workers working on Sundays. [64008]

Mr. Sutcliffe: We have been asking for views on the impact of further relaxation of the restrictions on Sunday shopping. USDAW (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) and the GMB (Britain's General Union) have both responded with reference to the level of pay for shop workers on Sundays.

USDAW and the GMB are intending to publish their responses to the DTI's review on their respective websites: www.usdaw.org.uk and www.gmb.org.uk In addition, their officials will be happy to be contacted directly to discuss their evidence.

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the extent to which those who work on Sundays are paid extra; what trends in the level of payment his Department has identified; and if he will make a statement. [64009]

Mr. Sutcliffe: In January, we appointed independent consultants, Indepen, to produce an economic cost-benefit analysis of the impact of further relaxation of the restrictions on Sunday shopping. As part of this analysis they are researching Sunday premium payments for retail workers. We will publish Indepen's economic cost-benefit analysis in due course.

Tidal Energy

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate the Department has made of the price per kilowatt hour of electricity produced from (a) tidal lagoon and (b) multi-pooled tidal lagoon schemes; and if he will make a statement. [64417]

Malcolm Wicks: In common with other forms of energy generation the cost of energy from a tidal generating station will vary on a case-by-case basis.

Between 1978 and 1994 the Government supported the most comprehensive programme of research and development on tidal energy in the world at an overall cost in excess of £20 million. These studies considered schemes at a number of potential sites, the largest being in the Severn Estuary. The results of the Severn study were reported in Energy Paper 57 HMSO 1989 (ISBN 011 412952 5). The unit cost of generation for the Severn scheme was estimated to be 7.5p/kWh at a discount rate of 8 per cent. (based upon 1994 prices).
 
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The most recent study of the Severn scheme carried out by the Severn Tidal Power Group (available at www.dti.gov.uk/energy/renewables/publications/Severnbarrage.shtml) estimated the unit cost of generation to be 6p/kWh (capital and operating cost).

The DTI has previously commissioned an independent assessment of a proposed tidal (single) lagoon scheme in Swansea Bay. That assessment suggests the unit cost of generation to be around 16p/kWh at a discount rate of 8 per cent.

TRANSPORT

A3 Hindhead

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what cost-benefit analysis he has made of (a) delays to date and (b) possible future delays in implementing the A3 Hindhead improvement scheme; [64725]

(2) what assessment has been made of the impact on the environmentally sensitive areas of the (a) Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, (b) Devil's Punch Bowl Site of Special Scientific Interest and (c) environmentally sensitive areas of Hindhead Common if a decision to progress the A3 Hindhead improvement scheme were not made in spring 2006; [64836]

(3) what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the number of accidents on the A3 if the A3 Hindhead improvement scheme were not to be progressed as soon as possible. [64838]

Dr. Ladyman: It would not be appropriate to comment on these issues while the inspector's report and recommendations remain under consideration following the public inquiry on the scheme.

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received in support of making progress with the A3 Hindhead improvement scheme as soon as possible from constituents of North- East Hampshire constituency. [64837]

Dr. Ladyman: Over 50 representations have been received between 1 January and 14 April 2006 that have been overwhelmingly in favour of the scheme. We have not analysed which constituency the representations have been made from.

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