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6 July 2006 : Column 1297W—continued
Other specific instances have been dropped by the complainant or are ongoing.
The handling of UK companies listed in the final report of the United Nations Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of DR Congo referred to in Security Council Resolution 1457 as unresolved cases and referred to the NCP for investigation and updating was set out in the July 2005 Government response to a February 2005 report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region (APPG) report.
I have arranged for copies of the Government response to the APPG report and the stakeholder consultation document on the NCP's promotion and implementation of the Guidelines to be placed in the Libraries of the House. The Government will shortly publish its response to the stakeholder consultation.
Social Enterprises
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what sources of publicly-funded financial support are available for new social enterprises. [76726]
Edward Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
There are many sources of publicly-funded financial support available to new social enterprises.
The Futurebuilders Fund exists to develop the capacity of the voluntary and community sector, including social enterprises, to deliver public services in England.
There is also the Adventure Capital Fund which aims to strengthen local communities by investing in organisations that work in, and for, those communities, helping them to thrive through enterprise.
Other sources include Unlimited (Unltd), funded through a Millennium Award endowment, with the objective of supporting and developing the role of social entrepreneurs as a force for positive change in the UK. The Big Lottery Fund is also open to applications from social enterprises.
Some Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) are another source of finance, providing loans at commercial rates to social enterprises. There may also be additional regional or local funds available. The local Business Link would be best placed to advise on what support exists locally.
Sustainable Energy
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of grants available to home owners for solar heating; and if he will make a statement. [79528]
Malcolm Wicks: Solar water heating for home owners have been supported as part of the Clear Skies programme, which had a £13.25 million budget over three years beginning January 2003. To date over 5,500 household installations of solar water heating have been completed. We are continuing to support solar water heating, along with other microgeneration technologies, through the Low Carbon Buildings programme with a £80 million budget over the next three years.
Since 2003, we have seen the installer base grow from approximately 80 to over 300 companies. Solar water heating is now a proven and commercial technology and we hope to see payback times reduce as economies of scale emerge in the supply chain, providing further benefits to householders. We also believe the Low Carbon Buildings programme will build on the achievements of the last three years and make a contribution to helping the industry move to a more sustainable market.
World Trade Organisation
Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government are taking to encourage progress within the World Trade
Organisation for a new trade agreement; and if he will make a statement. [82772]
Mr. McCartney: The Government remain fully committed to securing an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry was in Geneva last week to emphasise our commitment to the DDA in meeting with the EU Trade Commissioner, and counterparts in other EU member states. He and I continue to discuss the DDA with the Trade Ministers of other WTO member countries. Other members of the Government have also been in contact with their opposite numbers. We also remain in regular contact with business and civil society.
Deputy Prime Minister
Official Car
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the make, age and model of his official car are. [83239]
The Deputy Prime Minister: My official car is a Jaguar XJ, capable of running a 5 per cent. biodiesel blend, provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). In accordance with its established practice, the GCDA replaces its cars every three years. My current car is less than 12 months old.
All travel is carried out in accordance with the guidance “Travel by Ministers”.
Communities and Local Government
American Embassy
Mr. Swire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions
she has had with the City of Westminster about planning permission for the security barriers outside the American embassy. [81022]
Yvette Cooper: There were brief contacts at official level in April 2003 to obtain some background information about the pre-application discussions that were then taking place between Westminster city council and the US embassy. There have been no contacts since.
Brownfield Development
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2006, Official Report, column 1744, on brownfield development, if she will break down the south east region figures for 2004 by local authority area. [80713]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 27 June 2006]: The information available is from Land Use Change Statistics, shown in the following tables. The tables show figures for 2004 and the average for 2001 to 2004 for each local authority in the south east. Single year figures at local authority level are not representative due to small sample sizes and are therefore subject to fluctuation, so the average over the period 2001 to 2004 is a better representation than the figure for a single year.
The figures provided in the previous answer included conversions, which are only available at a regional level. The figures in this answer therefore exclude conversions, and as a result the regional total shown will be different.
The tables also include figures for 1989 to 1992. Before 1989 the data was based on smaller samples and so is not comparable.
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