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20 Oct 2006 : Column 1496W—continued
UK Remittances
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the scale of remittances to and from the United Kingdom for the last three financial years. [94835]
Ed Balls: Official data on private transfers are compiled by the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) and published in the UK Balance of Payments (‘Pink Book’). Private transfers are recorded in the current transfers component of the current account of the BoP (table 5.1 current transfers—other payments by households debits). The ONS estimates remittances at 75 per cent. of the published total of private transfers. The data for the years 2003-5 are as follows:
| £ billion | |||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| (1 )Estimated at 75 per cent. of the total | |||
Alternative estimates of the size of UK remittance market can be found in the report of the UK Remittances Working Group(1), established in 2004 by the Department for International Development (DFID).
(1 )Available at www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/uk-remittances-report .pdf
Under-fives
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children are presently aged under five years; and if he will make a statement. [95564]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 October 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning how many children are presently aged under five years. (95564)
The latest available data for the UK are the mid-2005 population estimates. The total number of children in the UK aged 0 to 4 years in mid-2005 was 3,427,500.
Trade and Industry
Arms Exports
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what licences have been granted for exports of military equipment and parts to (a) Burma, (b) China, (c) North Korea, (d) Iran, (e) Russia, (f) Saudi Arabia and (g) Zimbabwe in each of the last three years. [95534]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government publish detailed information on their export licensing decisions, including summary description of items covered by the export licence issued, by destination, in their annual and quarterly reports on strategic export controls. Copies of the Government’s annual reports are available from the Libraries of the House and at http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/Show/Page&c=Page&cid=1007029395474.
The Government have published quarterly reports on strategic export controls since January 2004. Copies of the quarterly reports are available at the DTI Export Control Organisation website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/licensing-rating/statistics/issued-refused-revoked/index.html.
Civil Nuclear Security
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has asked the Director of Civil Nuclear Security to investigate the adequacy of the transport security statement attached to the consignment of irradiated nuclear fuel involved in the incident in which a fake bomb was placed on a train carrying spent nuclear fuel in a siding in north-west London. [94226]
Malcolm Wicks: The transportation of spent nuclear fuel is carried out in a secure manner, in accordance with stringent security regulations—the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (NISR). These regulations are administered and enforced by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), which regulates the security of such movements of spent nuclear fuel.
OCNS has carried out a thorough investigation of the incident referred to. This investigation included reviewing the existing Transport Security Statement (TSS) for Direct Rail Services (DRS), the nuclear rail freight operating company in question. While as a result of the investigation some minor amendments to the TSS have been made, OCNS remains satisfied that standards detailed within that TSS were sufficiently robust to prevent the theft or sabotage of nuclear material and that DRS was fully compliant with the TSS at that time.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff from the UK Atomic Energy Authority have been seconded to the Office for Civil Nuclear Security to assist in vetting; what contractual arrangements cover the secondments; and over what time period the secondments have been agreed. [94228]
Malcolm Wicks: Two members of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) have been seconded to the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) to assist in the vetting process. They are on UKAEA Dounreay site establishment and will only be employed on the processing of UKAEA clearances. Both individuals are on two year Fixed Term Appointments (1 March 2006 to 28 February 2008). On a day-to-day basis they are managed directly by OCNS.
Coal Industry
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with senior executives in the coal industry; and if he will make a statement. [95231]
Malcolm Wicks: As Minister for Energy I have regular discussions with coal industry executives. Most recently, coal industry representatives were present at a meeting on 9 October preparatory to a first meeting of the Coal Forum which is planned for 14 November 2006.
Coal-fired Stations
Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many coal-fired power stations in the UK conform to the requirements of the waste incineration directive concerning the burning of non-fossil fuel. [94509]
Malcolm Wicks: There is one coal-fired (and other fuels) power generating station in the UK that has been authorised as meeting the requirements of the waste incineration directive.
Departmental Childcare Facilities
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what childcare (a) provision and (b) assistance is available to his Department's staff. [89605]
Jim Fitzpatrick: DTI staff in central London have access to a 32-place holiday play-scheme in our 1 Victoria Street building, which is highly rated by both parents and children for its quality. DTI HQ staff in Cardiff have access to a local holiday play-scheme, which is situated within a school.
Costs for the Department for the holiday play scheme in 2005-06 were £59,936. They were £14 per day per child for an employee using the holiday play-scheme in London and £12 in Cardiff. Each play-scheme place is subsidised by the Department, the full daily rate being £31 in London and £24 in Cardiff.
In April 2006 the DTI introduced the Salary Sacrifice scheme, which is available to all parents and carers, and enables them to make savings on their child care fees.
The Department is fully committed to providing an employment package which supports working parents and carers. DTI provision is set within the wider context of an ambitious programme to support flexible working at all grades. The DTI consults its staff and unions regularly on these issues. The DTI’s clear support for working parents has enabled us, over the last decade, to retain many talented parents who might otherwise have left the workplace.
The DTI does not hold long-term waiting list for places for the DTI play-schemes. If the DTI play-schemes are over subscribed on any given day, a list of requests for that date is kept on a first come first served basis. If a place becomes available, the place is offered to the next child on the list.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which of his Department's premises have childcare facilities on site. [89606]
Jim Fitzpatrick: DTI staff in central London have access to a 32-two place holiday play-scheme in our 1 Victoria street building. DTI HQ staff in Cardiff have access to a local holiday play-scheme, which is situated within a school.
Energy Liabilities Committee
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many meetings the energy liabilities committee had with (a) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and (b) Vendside in (i) 1998 and (ii) 1999. [95906]
Malcolm Wicks: The Energy Liabilities Committee met neither the Union of Democratic Mineworkers nor Vendside in 1998 or 1999.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the terms of reference were of the energy liabilities committee; which civil servants sat on the committee; and what powers were delegated to the committee by Ministers. [95908]
Malcolm Wicks: The Energy Liabilities Committee’s terms of reference were to provide corporate governance over the Department’s full range of energy related liabilities.
The Energy Liabilities Committee was comprised of DTI civil servants: it was chaired by the Deputy Director for Energy and made up of staff from Finance and Energy Directorates.
Energy Saving Schemes
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to increase publicity for energy saving schemes designed for small and medium-sized enterprises. [93697]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
The Government are already supporting a range of activities seeking to promote energy saving schemes to small and medium-sized enterprises. The Carbon Trust, the independent company set up and funded by the Government to help businesses cut their carbon emissions and increase their energy efficiency, has run an extensive communications programme to publicise its services to small and medium-sized enterprises. Its main campaign of 2006—"Carbon Costs"—targeted this group in particular. The campaign highlighted the 20 per cent. of financial savings most enterprises can make through low and no-cost energy saving measures, as well as the environmental benefits of reducing carbon emissions. It ran on national television and other media and was one of the largest campaigns of its kind focused on small and medium-sized enterprises ever seen in the UK.
The Carbon Trust also promotes interest-free energy saving loans to small and medium-sized enterprises and has significant campaigns planned in this area through the remainder of 2006 and into 2007. I understand that the trust will continue to promote the financial and environmental benefits of energy saving to this group and is planning significant promotional activity at similar levels to this year through 2007 and 2008.
Energy Technologies Institute
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which companies have committed themselves as partners in the new energy technologies institute recently launched by his Department; what financial commitments have been made by each company; and over what periods the financial commitments apply. [92699]
Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry published the Prospectus for the Energy Technologies Institute on 14 September. It is envisaged that around 10 core industry partners will be required for this public-private partnership, each committed to making an equal contribution of up to £5 million per year for up to 10 years to match the Government’s commitment. Four of the world’s biggest energy companies have already offered support—BP, E.ON UK, Shell and EDF Energy.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which (a) institutions and (b) businesses based in Wales have been invited to participate in the new Energy Technologies Institute. [92700]
Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry published a Prospectus for the Energy Technologies Institute on 14 September. It was prepared in collaboration with the four companies that have already agreed to be involved (BP, E.ON UK, EDF and Shell), and aims to seek broader participation and wider views from organisations and businesses across the UK, and beyond. To date four organisations from Wales have responded: one large company, two SMEs and one NGO.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications were received from interested parties to attend his Department's Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) open information event held on 11 October; how many attended the event; and what follow-up events are planned to take forward the development of the ETI. [93696]
Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry published a Prospectus for the Energy Technologies Institute on 14 September. It included an invitation to attend an open information event on 11 October. Some 230 individual expressions of interest were received. Over 150 participants attended the event. A note of the questions and answers will be circulated to all interested parties, and will be the first of a series of information bulletins to be distributed to this community of interest. At present no follow-up events are planned.
Gas Network
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households in each constituency in the north-east region are not connected to the gas network. [95358]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government do not hold detailed information about access to the gas network. The DTI’s regional consumption statistics include information about the number of gas meters relative to the number of households in areas within north-east England. These statistics give some indication of levels of penetration of the gas network. The statistics maybe accessed at http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file27542.xls.
Healthcare Sector
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions his Department has had with officials from (a) the European Commission and (b) the Governments of other EU member states to discuss the liberalisation of the health care sector. [93336]
Mr. McCartney: The UK considers public services to be excluded from the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services in respect of both UK public services and those of other WTO members. In addition, the UK's ability to maintain public health and education services is guaranteed by the fact that Governments can choose in which sectors and to what extent to make commitments.
The Department is engaged in ongoing discussions with the European Commission and other EU member states with regard to liberalisation across a broad cross-section of service sectors.
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