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22 Jun 2006 : Column 2054W—continued
Kashmir
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures he is taking to avoid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Kashmir as a result of withdrawal of funding to non-governmental organisations. [76735]
Hilary Benn: DFID funding for NGOs, the United Nations and the Red Cross Movement was not withdrawn, but ended after the disbursement of £54.3 million for humanitarian relief. Immediate relief needs have largely been met and the longer-term recovery and reconstruction phase, which we are supporting through our office in Islamabad, began at the end of March 2006.
The Government of Pakistan are making contingency plans for the coming monsoon season and winter period. We have been reassured by the Government of Pakistan that they will keep transport lines open and use all civil and military means to cope with any problems. We are monitoring the situation closely.
Legislation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what plans he has for legislation in the next Session of Parliament; and if he will make a statement; [77507]
(2) which Government Bills sponsored by his Department are still to be introduced during the current Session; and when, and into which House, each will be introduced. [77506]
Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons on 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1432W.
Trade and Industry
Aerospace
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to (a) maintain and (b) maximise the UK's capability within the aerospace sector. [78625]
Margaret Hodge: The Government are working in partnership with the aerospace industry on implementing the agenda set by the industry-led Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team report in 2003. This established a vision for the future success of the industry that by 2022,
"The UK will offer a global Aerospace Industry the world's most innovative and productive location, leading to sustainable growth for all its stakeholders".
The key areas of implementation work are technology, process excellence, skills, and environmental issues. This work is overseen by the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Leadership Council, which I chair jointly with Mike Turner, CEO of BAE Systems.
In regard to the defence air sector, the Government's Defence Industrial Strategy published in December 2005 provided clarity to industry on our military capability requirements, and set out a requirement to work with companies to ensure a sustainable long-term industrial base.
Co-firing Activity
Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will ensure that energy crops continue to be a mandatory component of co-firing activity from April 2009. [79541]
(2) if he will re-instate the co-firing cap to the 25 per cent. level that was in place prior to 1 April. [79543]
Malcolm Wicks: Co-firing is being reviewed as part of the ongoing Energy Review. All options are open for consideration at this stage and no decisions have yet been made. We anticipate that we will make an announcement on co-firing as part of the Energy Review announcement later in the summer.
Any changes to the co-firing rules would require full statutory consultation.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of his staff are (a) under and (b) over 55 years of age. [77263]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Staff in the Department of Trade and Industry as of 1 January 2006:
(a) under 55 years: 3,107
(b) over 55 years: 569.
Flag Flying
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ensure that the Union flag is flown from his Department's buildings on every day the offices are open. [77741]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Trade and Industry follows the rules and guidance on flag flying issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). These rules are approved by the Queen on advice from DCMS. There are no plans at present to change the number of days flags can be flown from Government buildings.
Funding (London)
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which organisations in each London (a) borough and (b) constituency are receiving funding from (i) his Department and (ii) the London Development Agency in 2006-07; and what total amount of funding is being made available in each case. [77660]
Margaret Hodge: Figures are not yet available about the organisations which will receive funding from the Department of Trade and Industry in 2006-07, broken down by London borough or constituency. According to the latest figures available, DTI spent £559 million in London in 2004-05, mainly on enterprise, economic development, and science and technology. Further details can be found in “Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2006” published by the Treasury in May 2006.
The London Development Agency, a functional body of the Mayor of London which receives a block grant from DTI, is responsible for promoting economic development in London. The following table provides a breakdown of the LDA's expected expenditure by London borough in 2006-07. Data on the organisations receiving this funding are not available.
| Borough | 2006-07 Forecast (£ million) |
Gas and Electricity
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the importance of ensuring there is sufficient peak gas capability in the UK. [78519]
Malcolm Wicks: The Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group (JESS) under joint-chairmanship of the DTI and Ofgem routinely assesses the security of energy supply in the UK. The sixth JESS report, published in April 2006, shows the assessment of winter supply capability against average and peak winter demand. This report can be found at http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file28800.pdf?pubpdfdload=06%2F331. It is clearly very important to national well-being that there is sufficient gas to meet daily demand.
Green Tariffs
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the take-up is of green tariffs to domestic electricity customers; and if he will make a statement. [79242]
Malcolm Wicks: Figures from the National Consumer Council suggest that of the order of 200,000 households are currently on green electricity tariffs.
Marketing
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of industry marketing standards; and if he will make a statement. [78087]
Margaret Hodge: The DTI has made no such assessment.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will meet the Chartered Institute of Marketing to discuss forthcoming legislation which will affect the marketing sector; and if he will make a statement. [78086]
Margaret Hodge: If the Chartered Institute of Marketing writes to me setting out what issues in relation to what legislation they would like to discuss, I will consider the matter.
Post Office Closures
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices were closed in (a) Nottingham, South and (b) the East Midlands in 2005-06. [79223]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. is directly responsible.
There have been no closures of Post Office branches in 2005-06 in Nottingham, South. There has been a net reduction of 20 branches over the year 2005-06 in the region of the East Midlands.
Information relating to post office branches for each parliamentary constituency is placed in the Libraries of the House on an annual basis.
Promotion Boards
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what promotion boards have been held in his Department in each of the last five years. [72902]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry no longer runs promotion boards for posts below the senior civil service. These posts are advertised on a job specific basis through our weekly vacancy bulletin.
The selection process for promotion to the senior civil service is normally run annually. Four have been held in the last five years.
Renewable Energy
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) solar hot water systems, (b) solar photovoltaics and (c) wind power systems were installed in the United Kingdom in 2005; and if he will make a statement. [78943]
Malcolm Wicks: Full details of renewable energy generation for 2005 will be published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2006 on 27 July 2006. A copy of which will be available from the Libraries of the House.
We do not have definitive figures for solar water heating; however in the “Microgeneration Strategy and Low Carbon Buildings Programme” consultation document, issued by the Department in June 2005, we estimated that the total number of existing installed domestic systems in the UK at over 70,000 with about 5,000 new domestic systems installed each year.
The latest confirmed figures that we have from DUKES 2005 show installed capacity of 8.2 MW for solar photovoltaics and 933.2 MW for wind power: 123.8 MW offshore and 809.4 MW onshore.
According to the British Wind Energy Association the current installed capacity for wind is 1,694.56 MW: 1,480.76 MW onshore and 213.80 MW offshore.
Small Business Service
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the budget of the Government’s Small Business Service was in each financial year since its establishment; how many staff it employs; how many offices it (a) owns and (b) rents; what the annual rent paid on rented properties was in each year; and to which Minister in the Department the Small Business Service reports. [78164]
Margaret Hodge: The chief executive of the Small Business Service reports, through the Minister of State for Industry and the Regions, to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
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