Previous Section Index Home Page

24 Jan 2007 : Column 1786W—continued

Trade and Industry

Engagements

Mr. Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates Ministers in his Department made official visits to the London boroughs of (a) Tower Hamlets, (b) Newham and (c) Waltham Forest in each year since 1997. [115738]

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.


24 Jan 2007 : Column 1787W

EU-Mercosur Trade

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of trade is between the EU and Mercosur; and what the main sectors for growth are between the EU and Mercosur. [110832]

Mr. McCartney: The level of trade between the top 20 EU markets and Mercosur full members totalled US$ 71,545 million in 2005. The following table shows the level of trade by imports and exports over the last three years.

US$
2003 2004 2005

Mercosur imports from the EU

19,285

25,499

29,088

Mercosur exports to the EU

30,548

37,191

42,457

Totals

49,833

62,690

71,545


UK Trade and Investment’s teams in Mercosur’s foil member markets have identified the following as the main growth sectors in 2006-07.

Argentina

Brazil

Paraguay

Uruguay

Venezuela

Minimum Wage

Mr. Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) workers were assisted by the National Minimum Wage helpline in recouping money underpaid by their employer and (b) employers (i) were investigated, (ii) had enforcement orders issued to them and (iii) (A) were and (B) are subject to criminal proceedings for non-payment of the National Minimum Wage in Falkirk constituency in the last period for which figures are available; and which employers had enforcement orders issued to them. [116369]

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.

National minimum wage statistical data are not held by reference to constituency.


24 Jan 2007 : Column 1788W

New Zealand Butter

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much in import tax was levied on New Zealand butter in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006; and how much of the total was (i) retained by the UK authority and (ii) remitted to the European Union. [116495]

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.

The amount of Customs Duty levied on imports of butter from New Zealand during the years specified was as follows:

£

2004

1,910,121.86

2005

25,595,073.90

2006

25,292,635.52


Customs duties form part of the system of the European Communities’ Own Resources member states are allowed to retain, by way of collection costs, 25 per cent. of the amounts collected, the remaining 75 per cent. being transferred to the European Commission.

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value of import tax per kilo was on New Zealand butter in 2006; and for what reasons the tax was levied. [116496]

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.

The EU has a system of import tariffs. There is a fixed tariff on butter. However, as a result of an agreement between New Zealand and the EU (negotiated initially at the time of the UK’s accession to the EEC), a current access quota allows New Zealand to import on an annual basis a set quantity of butter into the EU at a reduced tariff.

During 2006 some 42,397,648.81 kg of New Zealand butter with a value of £4,055,281.39 was declared in the UK. The Customs duty paid totalled £25,292,635.52 or an average of 0.88 euros paid per kilo, based on the net weight.

North West Regional Development

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed by the Learning and Skills Council in Lancashire. [117515]

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.

Thirty-five people are employed at Lancashire Learning and Skills Council. As part of its recent restructuring exercise, the LSC has established four new local partnership teams in Lancashire. These teams will be roughly coterminous with existing local authority boundaries, and will strengthen the LSC’s ability to work in partnership with local authorities and children’s trusts, including on 14-19; and to support wider economic development through stronger links between jobs, training and skills.


24 Jan 2007 : Column 1789W

Post Office Network

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the written answer of 16 January 2007, Official Report, column 1034W, on post office funding, (1) when he expects to publish a detailed breakdown of his funding plan for the post office network; [110888]

(2) how much of the subsidy for the post office network announced on 14 December 2006 is for (a) restructuring, (b) modernisation, (c) social network subsidy, (d) new products and services and (e) other support initiatives; and how much of the funding announced will be in (i) cash and (ii) non-cash items. [110890]

Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 23 January 2007]: The Government intend to provide up to £1.7 billion, subject to state aid clearance, between now and 2011 in support of the post office network.

A detailed breakdown of our funding is not yet available and will be dependent, following the conclusion of Government's national consultation, on how Post Office Limited intends to implement the necessary restructuring of the network to meet the framework set by Government's proposals.

Royal Mail

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to make a decision on the proposal from Royal Mail's management for a share ownership scheme for the Royal Mail. [117365]

Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 22 January 2007]: There is no timetable for an announcement on a decision. We hope to be able to announce a decision soon.

Northern Ireland

Antrim Area Hospital

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the patient to nurse ratio is in general wards at Antrim Area hospital. [110821]

Paul Goggins: Information on the ratio of nurses to patients is not available. United Hospitals HSS Trust
24 Jan 2007 : Column 1790W
has provided the following information on the ratio of nurses per bed in general medical and surgical wards.

CCTV: Londonderry

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions there have been between the police in Londonderry and the Northern Ireland Office since August 2005 on resources for the installation of CCTV cameras at the Irish Street/Top of the Hill interface. [117348]

Mr. Hain: Londonderry district command unit submitted an application for funding under the Town Centre CCTV Challenge Competition; as the application did not meet the eligibility criteria, the application was unsuccessful and applicants were advised accordingly.

There have been no discussions between the police in Londonderry and the Northern Ireland Office since August 2005 on resources for the installation of CCTV cameras at the Irish Street/Top of the Hill interface.

Child Sex Offenders

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average (a) sentence and (b) time served by convicted child sex offenders in Northern Ireland was in each of the last 10 years. [107963]

Mr. Hanson: Northern Ireland court proceedings and sentencing data sources do not include victim information in relation to the commission of an offence. It is therefore possible only to provide information for those offences which, by their definition, identify a child as the victim. Average sentence lengths (in months) for those convicted of and given immediate custody for sexual offences against children are given in the table. Data cover the calendar years 1995 to 2004, the latter being the most up-to-date available at present.

It is not possible from the available data to determine the time served in custody by each individual sentenced.


24 Jan 2007 : Column 1791W

24 Jan 2007 : Column 1792W
Average immediate custodial sentence length in months for those convicted of sexual offences against children 1995-2004
Offence 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004( 1)

Gross indecency with child

11.8

4.0

0

21.0

0

18.4

18.0

13.5

27.6

16.7

Buggery with boy under 16 years

0

0

0

0

0

24.0

24.0

72.0

84.0

106.5

Buggery with girl

0

0

0

0

36.0

84.0

0

0

0

24.0

Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14

0

24.0

60.0

0

10.0

23.0

108.0

48.0

60.0

20.0

Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17

7.5

4.0

30.5

12.0

0

4.5

12.0

9.0

0

0

Incest by man with female under 14 years

0

0

0

0

0

90.0

84.0

0

0

0

Indecent assault on female child

0

0

0

46.0

54.0

19.6

14.5

15.0

16.0

18.0

Indecent assault on male child

0

0

0

21.0

48.0

20.0

12.0

0

0

48.0

Distributing indecent photographs of children

0

0

0

0

0

7.5

14.0

36.0

0

12.0

Possessing indecent photographs of child(ren)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

6.0

Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children

0

0

0

0

0

0

84.0

8.0

24.0

7.0

Copying indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

12.0

Making indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

9.0

(1) Excludes one person sentenced to Juvenile Justice Centre Order for indecent assault on male child.
Note:
Data are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.

Next Section Index Home Page