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29 Jun 2006 : Column 529W—continued
Under the 2004 Spending Review the NDA received a budget of £2.2 billion for 2005-06—about half of which was to be raised by the NDA’s commercial activities. Following the successful conclusion of the EC State Aid Review on 4 April 2006, financial responsibility for decommissioning BNFL sites has passed to the NDA under the Energy Act 2004. Until this point BNFL held nuclear funding assets of some £17.3 billion on its balance sheet to fund future decommissioning costs. Following the transfer of the nuclear decommissioning liability to the NDA, these assets have been transferred back to the Government.
Figures relating to spend by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs are unavailable and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
Racial Abuse Complaints
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints of racial abuse in his Department have been (a) investigated and (b) upheld in each of the last five years. [72903]
Mr. Darling: The number of formal complaints of discrimination on the grounds of race investigated and upheld in the past five years is contained in the following table:
| Complaints made | Complaints upheld | |
Renewable Energy
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support is being given by the Government to companies interested in generating energy from tidal lagoons. [76542]
Malcolm Wicks: This type of scheme is the application of conventional technology therefore the primary mechanism for Government support is the Renewables Obligation.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received on tidal lagoon electricity generation; and what contribution he expects this method of generation to make to the Government’s targets for the use of renewables. [76543]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has received a number of representations from two organisations regarding a single tidal lagoon project in the U.K.
The Government have set a target of 10 per cent. of electricity in the UK to come from renewables by 2010. However, we have not specified what level of contribution should come from individual technologies. That is left to industry, being consistent with the Government’s policy of an open and competitive energy market.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much public subsidy was given to the renewable energy industry in each of the last nine years. [80044]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Leominster (Bill Wiggin) on 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2262W.
Rural Post Offices
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2006, Official Report, column 1748W, on the Rural Post Office Network, why he is not working to a specific timetable for the consultation on the future of the Rural Post Office Network. [80868]
Jim Fitzpatrick: With a funding support package of £150 million a year for the rural network in place until 2008, we believe it is more important to ensure that we have the fullest possible data and information on which to assess future options than to work to a prematurely predetermined consultation timetable.
Small Arms Trade
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) standard individual trade control licences and (b) Open individual trade control licences have been issued to (i) York Guns, (ii) Jago Ltd. and (iii) Procurement Management Services Ltd. since June 2003 for the transfer of small arms from Bosnia to Iraq or any other destination countries. [80458]
Malcolm Wicks: Trade control licence applications are made to the Government in confidence and the information they contain is therefore exempt from disclosure. Further, the Government can neither confirm nor deny that an export licence has been applied for in this instance.
The Government publish details of trade control licences issued, in their annual and quarterly reports on strategic export controls. The Government’s annual reports are available from the Libraries of the House and the DTI Export Control Organisation website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/index.html.
Smart Grids
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research he has commissioned into the evolution of smart grids to enhance the existing national grid. [80017]
Malcolm Wicks: The joint DTI/Ofgem/industry ‘distributed generation co-ordinating group’ (DGCG) commissioned a key study on this topic that was led by the Institution of Electrical Engineers to work with all parties in the sector to form a vision for future networks. This work reported last year—the “Technical Architecture” report is available at:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/temp/ofgem/cache/cmsattach/11732_ TA.pdf
The group’s work continues under the re-formed Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG).
Separately, Ofgem and British academics, supported by DTI and British companies, have been active participants in the European Union’s Technology platform that has developed a vision for Europe’s Electricity Networks of the Future. Their ‘SmartGrids’ report was published recently and is available at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/energy/pdf/smartgrids_en.pdf
Defence
Aerospace Industry
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer by the Minister of State for Industry and the Regions (Margaret Hodge) of 15 June 2006, Official Report, column 1410W, on the aerospace industry, what discussions he has had with BAE Systems on securing ongoing export contracts for the Brough site; and if he will make a statement. [79875]
Mr. Ingram: The Government’s decision to acquire the Hawk 128 for the Royal Air Force helped to secure in 2004 a major order from India for 66 aircraft. The Government of Bahrain has also ordered the aircraft. The Ministry of Defence, through the Defence Export Services Organisation, is giving BAE Systems strong support to win further export orders.
My noble Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Lord Drayson) has regular meetings with BAE Systems to discuss a range of topics, including matters affecting the company’s plans for work to be undertaken at their Brough site where the Hawk aircraft is manufactured.
Afghanistan
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mobilised reservists from each of the three services are deployed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. [80722]
Mr. Watson: The number of reservists serving in specific areas of an operation’s Joint Operational Area (JOA) is not recorded. However, the number of reservists serving in the Operation HERRICK JOA on 31 May 2006 was:
| Number | |
Aldermaston
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned expenditure on hydrodynamic testing at the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment is in each of the next three years. [78952]
Des Browne: It is planned to spend in the order of £5 million on hydrodynamic testing at the Atomic Weapons Establishment this year, rising to around £6 million by the end of 2007-08. The precise budget beyond that has not been finalised.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected capital costs are for the construction of the centralised Explosive Handling Facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston. [79093]
Des Browne: Mature costings are not available and disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected capital costs are for the construction of new Material Science facilities at the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield. [79094]
Des Browne: Mature costings are not available and disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to introduce a petaflop computing capability at the UK Atomic Weapons Establishment. [79095]
Des Browne: Petaflop technology is not expected to be available before the end of the decade.
Ballistic Missile Interceptors
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions the Government have had with US authorities on siting land based ballistic missile interceptors in (a) the UK and (b) UK territorial waters. [80385]
Des Browne: Officials work closely with the United States on joint technology programmes and to further our understanding of the US ballistic missile defence system. Their discussions include the modelling of possible missile defence architectures. However, we have had no discussions about the use of specific sites for interceptors in the United Kingdom.
Defence Training Review
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates his Department has met (a) employees and (b) consultants of Foresight Communications to discuss (i) the Defence Training Review and (ii) other matters, in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [78110]
Mr. Watson: To my knowledge, no members of the Ministry of Defence who are involved with the Defence Training Review have met employees or consultants of Foresight Communications in the last 12 months. I cannot answer for everyone within the Department on this matter as the information is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate costs to retrieve.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2006, Official Report, column 709W, on departmental staff, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in the number of staff failing to achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report since 2002-03; and what measures have been put in place to address the issue. [80789]
Mr. Watson: The increase in numbers year on year was partly due to the introduction of industrial staff to performance appraisal as part of the Ministry of Defence four year pay deal. Also, the figures provided in the answer of 20 June 2006, Official Report, column 709W, were, as explained, a snapshot at the end of the reporting year. We have, throughout the pay deal, raised line manager awareness of the impact on pay of failing to address poor performance at the end of the reporting year and the increase in numbers show that managers were responding to this. The Department remains keen for line managers to deal with poor performers and to manage them out if they do not respond to encouragement and assistance to improve their performance.
Departmental Televisions
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many television sets are in operation in the Department (a) in total, (b) in Minister's private offices and (c) in each office building in the Department; and how many television licences are held by the Department. [62798]
Mr. Watson: The information requested on the total number of televisions, their locations and licenses is not held centrally and could not be collected without disproportionate cost and effort. However, in respect of the Department's three central London office buildings, there are 100 televisions in the Main Building—of which there is one in the office of each of the four Ministers; 83 in the Old War Office Building; and 10 in St. George's Court. Two TV licences are held for the Main Building, and one each for the Old War Office Building and St. George's Court.
Future Aircraft Carrier Project
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what impact he expects negotiations with the US Administration on the transfer of technology and software for the Joint Strike Fighter to have on the Future Aircraft Carrier Project. [80723]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 27 June 2006]: We remain optimistic that our negotiations with the US administration on the transfer of technology and software for the Joint Strike Fighter will be successful and as such will have no impact on the Future Aircraft Carrier programme. We remain fully committed to the Future Aircraft Carrier programme which represents a quantum step up in military capability for the UK’s armed forces.
Hutton Report
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1524-25W, on the Hutton Report, at what time of day, and on what day, the press statement from his predecessor, the right hon. Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon), reference 168/03 and dated 19 July 2003, available on the Government News Network website, was (a) cleared for release and (b) released under embargo to the media. [81218]
Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1524-25W.
Iraq
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mobilised reservists are deployed in Iraq, broken down by service. [80721]
Mr. Watson: On 31 May 2006 each service had the following number of reserve personnel serving in the Operation TELIC Joint Operational Area:
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