| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
25 July 2006 : Column 1517W—continued
(1) Openreach—is a new multi-billion pound business that is responsible for ensuring all telecoms service providers have
transparent and equal access to the local BT network, i.e. equivalence. Openreach's activities are overseen by an "equality of access board", which has a supervisory role. It reports to Ofcom and BT's main board.
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of telephone exchanges that are still not (a) unbundled with respect to the local loop and (b) enabled for broadband in (i) England, (ii) Sunderland City Council area and (iii) Houghton and Washington East constituency. [87230]
Margaret Hodge: Government do not hold this information but BT have supplied the following:
Local Loop Unbundled products can be requested from BT by telecommunication companies at any of the (over 5,500) BT exchanges in the UK. Already over 1,000 exchanges have been unbundled. An exchange could have multiple unbundlers. Over 600,000 lines have been unbundled across the UK and numbers are rising rapidly, we expect to have over 1 million lines unbundled by the end of this year.
BT estimate that 99.9 per cent. of households and businesses are currently served by a broadband enabled exchange. Of the 5,500 BT exchange only 49 are not enabled for broadband and 39 of these are currently being enabled.
All 181 exchanges in the One North East RDA, which includes the Sunderland city council area and the Houghton and Washington East constituency, are enabled for broadband.
Business Continuity Planning
Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is taking to ensure individual plc directors are aware of their obligations to their shareholders in respect of business continuity planning; and if he will make a statement. [87905]
Mr. McCartney: Company directors, including plc directors, have no specific statutory obligations in relation to business continuity planning. They do owe general duties to the company, such as the duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence.
All employers, however, have an interest in ensuring effective business continuity planning. The Government are therefore working closely with the business community to encourage and support robust, flexible business continuity planning. In addition to sector-specific forums on business continuity in areas such as the financial and energy sectors, the Government have set up a new Business Advisory Group on Civil Protection through which effective dialogue between business and government on civil protection issues will be pursued, and through which the Government are seeking to provide guidance and support to the business community to assist them in implementing business continuity management. The group is attended by a wide range of business representative organisations.
In addition, the Government have published a wide range of guidance for businesses to assist them with business continuity planning. For example, the Preparing for Emergencies website (www.pfe.gov.uk)
was re-launched in March, and is delivering a single portal for advice to business on emergencies and business continuity.
At a local level, local civil protection practitioners work closely with businesses to assist in emergency preparedness and planning, and in the event of emergencies occurring. The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) places a duty on local authorities to provide advice and assistance to businesses and voluntary organisations in relation to business continuity planning. This came into force on 15 May 2006.
Business Continuity Planning
Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is taking to reduce the number of business failures that occur as a result of a major physical disaster; and if he will make a statement. [87903]
Margaret Hodge: All employers should recognise the risk of business failure resulting from a major physical disaster and a wide range of other potentially disruptive incidents such as terrorist activity, pandemic flu and industrial action. The Government are, therefore, working closely with the business community to encourage and support robust, flexible business continuity planning.
In addition to sector-specific forums on business continuity in areas such as the financial and energy sectors, the Government have set up a new Business Advisory Group on Civil Protection through which effective dialogue between business and government on civil protection issues will be pursued, and through which the Government are seeking to provide guidance and support to the business community to assist them in implementing business continuity management. The group is attended by a wide range of business representative organisations.
In addition, the Government have published extensive guidance for businesses to assist them with business continuity planning. The Preparing for Emergencies website (www.pfe.gov.uk) was re-launched in March, and is delivering a single portal for advice to business on emergencies and business continuity.
At a local level, local civil protection practitioners work closely with businesses to assist in emergency preparedness and planning, and in the event of emergencies occurring. The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) places a duty on local authorities to provide advice and assistance to businesses and voluntary organisations in relation to business continuity planning. This came into force on 15 May 2006.
Capital Maintenance Regulations
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what multilateral agreements have been reached with other EU member states to simplify the regulations for capital maintenance to allow public limited liability companies to make faster and simpler changes in their capital structure. [88578]
Mr. McCartney:
Amendments to the Second Company Law Directive (77/9I/EEC) were proposed by the European Commission in October 2004. The
Second Company Law Directive co-ordinates national provisions on the formation of public limited liability companies, minimum share capital requirements, distributions to shareholders and increases and reductions in capital.
The proposed amendments have been modified during consideration by the European Parliament and Council and are expected to be formally adopted in the near future. The amendments relate to matters such as acquisition of shares by a company through contributions in kind, acquisition by a company of its own shares and the financial assistance that a company can give for the acquisition of its shares by a third party.
The proposed amendments arise, in part, from recommendations of the Simpler Legislation for the Internal Market (SLIM) Group in 1999 and those made by a High Level Group of Company Law Experts in 2002. Further details about the proposed amending Directive are available on the Commission’s website at:
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/company/capital/index_en.htm
Once formally adopted, the amending Directive must be implemented by member states within 18 months of its coming into force.
Miners’ Compensation
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1485W, on compensation, if he will make client files available to miners who have been refused access by their representatives. [89027]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department would make files available to miners on receipt of a court order requiring it.
Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will arrange for a Minister in his Department to reply to the letter of 2 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Muhammad Islam. [79416]
Mr. Darling: I responded to my right hon. Friend on 22 June.
Departmental Staff (Sickness Absence)
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2006, Official Report, column 881W, on sickness absence, how many staff in his Department have had more than two periods of sickness of less than five days in two or more of the years for which he has provided figures. [84047]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
The DTI's records show:
| More than two periods (spells) of absence of less than five days for staff in DTI HQ, including SBS and UKTI | |
| Number | |
Electrical Waste
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) pursuant to EU directive 2002/96/EC, Article 4, what measures have been taken to encourage the design and production of electrical and electronic equipment which take into account and facilitate dismantling and recovery with particular reference to the reuse and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment, their components and materials; [88582]
(2) pursuant to EU directive 2002/96/EC, Article 5, what measures have been adopted in order (a) to minimise the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment as unsorted municipal waste and (b) to achieve a high level of separate collection of electrical and electronic equipment; and what systems have been set up to allow the final holders of waste electrical and electronic equipment to return it free of charge. [88583]
Malcolm Wicks: I will be making an announcement in the very near future regarding proposals for implementing EU Directive 2002/96/EC—the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.
Electricity Transmission
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on energy losses arising through the transmission and distribution of electricity in the UK. [87564]
Mr. Darling: Approximately 2 per cent. of electricity conveyed over the transmission network is lost and a further 6 per cent. over the distribution network. Electricity is lost through a combination of heat, noise and theft. Network businesses are incentivised to reduce these losses.
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the efficiency of the electricity transmission grid. [87611]
Mr. Darling [holding answer 24 July 2006]: Statistics from National Grid show that transmission (high voltage) network reliability has improved from 99.9989 per cent. between 1995-2000 to 99.9992 percent from 2000-05. On average, electricity transmission companies have reduced their controllable costs by around 50 per cent. since privatisation.
Energy Review
Paul Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to page 179 of annex A of the Energy Review, Cm 6887, what estimate he has made of the cost of the treatment of the reprocessed uranium and enrichment tails in preparation for recycling in
fresh fuel; and whether he has asked the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to provide him with an analysis of the economic feasibility of treating reprocessed uranium and enrichment tails. [86952]
Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has not made an estimate of the cost of the treatment of the reprocessed uranium and enrichment tails in preparation for recycling in fresh nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) published its strategy on 30 March 2006. The strategy noted that the NDA is examining the disposition of options for a number of nuclear materials and will be preparing advice to the Department in due course. This advice will include a full lifecycle macro-economic analysis of the potential re-use or disposal options for reprocessed uranium and enrichment tails.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2006, Official Report, column 286, on the Energy Review, what the (a) length and (b) value was of the contract agreed with AEA Technology Environment. [88681]
Malcolm Wicks: AEA Technology Environment was appointed in March 2006 and completed their work in June 2006.
Contract payments are commercially confidential.
EU Directives
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he expects the implementation of the Cross Border Mergers Directive of 2005 will be achieved by December 2007. [88851]
Mr. McCartney: It is intended to publicly consult on implementing options in respect of the Cross Border Mergers Directive (2005/56/EC) in due course. In accordance with the requirements of the directive, it is expected that the necessary implementing provisions will be in place by the directive's deadline of 15 December 2007.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what stage implementation of the 8th Company Law Directive has reached. [88852]
Mr. McCartney: The 8th Company Law Directive (2006/43/EC) on the statutory audit of annual and consolidated accounts came into force on 29 June 2006. The directive provides for a two year implementation period. The Companies Bill, currently before Parliament, is implementing some of the directive's requirements (for example, defining “statutory audit”; making provisions for auditors of foreign companies listed on the UK's regulated market) for which primary legislation is required.
The Department will be consulting on these areas, as well as on the implementation of other requirements within the directive.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on multilateral agreements with other EU member states on helping facilitate the exercise of basic shareholders' rights and the cross-border exercise of such rights. [88854]
Mr. McCartney: A new proposal for a directive on the exercise of voting rights by shareholders in the EU was published on 5 January this year. It included amendments to the transparency directive (2004/109/EC).
The proposal is under discussion by the European Parliament and Council.
Ministerial Travel
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on foreign travel by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in 2005-06. [67451]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry has recorded expenditure of £3,264,443 on foreign travel in 2005-06. This figure covers travel by DTI and UKTI ministers and officials. All travel by Ministers and officials is undertaken in line with the Ministerial and Civil Service Codes of Conduct.
The following table shows the breakdown on foreign travel by (a) Ministers office and (b) DTI and UKTI officials.
Figures for (a) include costs for Ministers and their Private Office (e.g. Private Secretary travel costs) as figures cannot be broken down further.
| Expenditure (£000,000) | |
Greenhouses Gases
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and (c) officials have had with the operators of steel production plants on the installation of extraction technologies to remove emissions of greenhouse gases; and what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the competitiveness of the UK steel industry of the installation of such technology. [88154]
Malcolm Wicks:
Government have been involved in many discussions at both ministerial and official level on a range of issues related to the UK steel industry's response to climate change. These have encompassed a range of possible responses by the steel industry to the Government's policies aimed at lowering carbon emissions. The essence of the Government's approach is to use market instruments to provide incentives to firms to reduce carbon emissions. Government policy is not prescriptive in terms of which carbon abating technologies firms should use. Nevertheless, discussions have on occasion made reference to best available technologies for controlling the emission of
greenhouse gases, and have been informed by much research on the ability of the steel industry to abate emissions while still remaining competitive.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |