| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10 July 2006 : Column 1492W—continued
VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register may not have closed. In the retail sector 63 per cent. of enterprises in the UK (200,000 out of 320,000) were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.
The number of VAT registrations and de-registrations in Beverley and Holderness across all sectors from 1997 to 2004 is shown in the following table. Since 1997 the overall stock of businesses in Beverley and Holderness has risen by 7 per cent.
| VAT registrations and de-registrations and start of year stock in Beverley and Holderness (all sectors), 1997-2004 | |||
| Registrations | De-registrations | End of year stock | |
| Note: Due to rounding, the stock at the beginning of the year, plus registrations during the year, minus de-registrations during the year, may not exactly match the stock at the start of the next year. Source: Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2004, Small Business Service, available from the Library of the House and also at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats. | |||
Business closures are part of the functioning of a dynamic economy and represent an increased willingness among the business population to take risks or the displacement of less productive and innovative firms by more productive ones. Research indicates that improvements in productivity and economic growth are more likely to come from higher levels of both business entry and business exit.
Regional disparities in start-up and closure rates can have their root in the different economic history and different opportunities available in each region. The Government's aim is for every region to achieve success and good economic growth, which is why increasing
resources have been put at the disposal of each Regional Development Agency.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of independent retail shops that have (a) opened and (b) closed in the Stroud constituency in each year since 1997; and what percentage each figure represents of the total number of independent shops in the constituency in each year. [82036]
Margaret Hodge: Value added tax (VAT) registrations and de-registrations are the best official guide to the pattern of business start-ups and closures. DTI data on the number of VAT retail business registrations and de-registrations in Stroud, and as a percentage of the stock from 1997 to 2004 are shown in the following table. For comparison, data on the stock have been provided.
| VAT registrations, de-registrations and stock in retail( 1) in Stroud, 1997 to 2004 | ||||||||
| Stroud | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| (1 )Standard Industrial Classification 52, retail trade (except of motor vehicles), repair of personal and household goods. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 for data protection reasons. Source: Small Business Service figures based on data from the ONS Inter Departmental Business Register. | ||||||||
The number of VAT registrations and de-registrations in Stroud across all sectors from 1997 to 2004 is shown in the following table below. Since the end of 1997 the overall stock of businesses in Stroud has risen by 10 per cent.
| VAT registrations, de-registrations and stock in Stroud (all sectors), 1997 to 2004 | ||||||||
| Stroud-all businesses | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Source: Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2004, Small Business Service, available at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats. | ||||||||
VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register may not have closed. In the retail sector 63 per cent. of enterprises in the UK (200,000 out of 320,000) were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.
South West Regional Development Agency
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) budget and (b) estimated costs of running the South West Regional Development Agency are for 2006-07; and how many civil servants are employed by the agency. [82123]
Margaret Hodge: The 2006-07 grant in aid budget for the South West of England Regional Development Agency is £159 million and their approved budget for administration costs is £21.2 million. The agency employs 277 public sector workers.
Sustainability
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the work which has been carried out under the aegis of the DTI Sector Sustainability Challenge to embed the principles of sustainable consumption and development across the commercial sector; and if he will make a statement. [82480]
Malcolm Wicks: The £100,000 Sector Sustainability Challenge was jointly funded by DTI and DEFRA. The challenge provided funding for organisations to promote, develop and implement sectoral sustainable development in ways that stimulate practical actions that will lead to improved performance.
My officials are currently reviewing the Sector Sustainability Challenge with DEFRA and the Sustainable Development Commission. We will consider running a further challenge once the evaluation is complete.
The Sustainable Consumption and Production Action Plan which is due to be published later this year, will look at work already done on Sustainable Consumption and Production and consider what more needs to be done, including continuing engagement with business to push the agenda forward.
Tidal Lagoon Electricity Generation Project (Swansea)
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the viability of the proposed tidal lagoon electricity generation project in the Swansea bay area; and if he will make a statement. [83479]
Malcolm Wicks: The DTI has previously commissioned an independent assessment of a proposed tidal lagoon scheme in Swansea Bay available at:
www.dti.gov.uk/files/file30617.pdf?pubpdfdload=06%2F1051
Trade Descriptions Act
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the operation of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968; if he will list the statutory instruments that have been made under this Act; and what recent representations he has received on the operation of the Act. [82890]
Mr. McCartney: The following statutory instruments have been made under the Trade Descriptions Act:
SI 1981/1223 Trade Descriptions (Country of Origin) (Cutlery) Order 1981
SI 1980/1150 Trade Descriptions (Sealskin Goods) (Information) Order 1980
SI 1996/2757 Trade Descriptions (Place of Production) (Marking) Order 1988
SI 1996/2757 Trade Descriptions (Place of Production) (Marking) (Revocation) Order 1996
The Department has received no recent representations about the operation of the Act as such. However, the Department’s recent consultation on the implementation of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive canvassed a number of options for the Act, including amendment and repeal. The responses to this consultation are at present under consideration.
United Utilities
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms have been recorded by Ofgem as having been made to wait longer than a month by United Utilities for (a) an electricity connection, (b) a water connection and (c) a gas connection; how many of those firms have had to wait longer than (i) one to three months, (ii) four to six months, (iii) seven to 12 months and (iv) 12 months; if he will ask the regulator to encourage United Utilities to consider compensating the most severely affected firms; and what plans the regulator has to work with the company to resolve the situation. [82992]
Malcolm Wicks: As the hon. Member notes in his question, standards of performance measures are for the independent regulators of the respective markets, Ofgem for electricity and Ofwat for water. I have sent a copy of this question to the Chief Executive of both organisations.
Waste to Energy Incinerator
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what waste conversion processes will be used for the energy from the waste power station to be built in Belvedere, south east London. [84524]
Malcolm Wicks: It will be a reciprocating grate incinerator design.
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received following his decision to approve the Waste to Energy Incinerator in Belvedere; and if he will make a statement. [82719]
Malcolm Wicks: Four letters have been received criticising the decision.
Wind Energy
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will arrange for (a) the report on wind energy development in the West Midlands commissioned jointly by the Government Office and Advantage West Midlands from TNEI Services Limited in 2004 and (b) the appendix to that report entitled Urban Wind Energy Sites in Staffordshire to be (i) published, (ii) sent to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme and (iii) placed in the Library. [83741]
Margaret Hodge: The Government Office West Midlands has consulted with colleagues within Advantage West Midlands and can confirm that the full report published in June 2004 is held on the Government Office website. Please follow link
http://www.gos.gov.uk/gowm/docs/177226/394405/Wind_Capacity_Study_-_Westl.pdf
It should be noted that the appendices referred to in the final report do not refer to Urban Wind Energy Sites in Staffordshire and that to the best of ours and Advantage West Midlands knowledge no such appendix exists.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |