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2 Mar 2007 : Column 1582W—continued
| Number of days | ||||||
| July | August | September | October | November | December | |
Bonne Bouche: Insolvency
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action his Department is taking to assist the workers of Bonne Bouche Ltd in (a) receiving unpaid wages following the company’s administration, (b) finding alternative sources of employment and (c) receiving training opportunities. [123903]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
Former employees of insolvent employers can claim redundancy payments and other contractual debts such as unpaid wages, notice pay and outstanding holiday pay from the National Insurance Fund. The Insolvency Service’s Edinburgh Redundancy Payments Office (RPO) is liaising with the Administrator of Bonne Bouche Frozen (UK) Ltd to establish what payments are due. Once the information is obtained to identify what payments are due they will be made without delay. The RPO aims to pay 78 per cent. of claims within three weeks of receipt and 92 per cent. within six weeks of receipt.
The Jobcentre Plus offers access to a range of support schemes, from the new deal and the jobseeker’s allowance through to more focused schemes designed to help those caught up in restructuring. It provides information on job searching; compiling CVs; further education and training for individuals who need to develop new skills; as well as benefits information. Jobcentre Plus works closely with other organisations to assess the scale of any redundancy situation so that that it can give people who are able to work, the best chance of getting a job. Its key partners include local authorities (LAs), the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), Education and Learning Wales (ELWa) and Scottish Enterprise, the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in England, the Scottish Enterprise and the Welsh Development Agency and other Government Departments. The majority of the Bonne Bouche work force has made claims at Hartlepool Jobcentre Plus and every effort is being made to find them employment or retrain.
Disability Living Allowance
Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability living allowance claimants have had (a) their claims refused and (b) their entitlements reduced as a result of medical reports from (i) their GPs and (ii) other medical professionals involved in their care; and how many of these have had such decisions overturned on appeal. [121796]
Mrs. McGuire: Decision makers award or refuse benefits after consideration of all the relevant evidence. Medical reports form only part of that evidence. The most recent available information is in the table.
| Disability Living Allowance: Cases rejected or reduced following medical evidence( 1) : 10 months April 2006 to January 2007. | |
| Number | |
| (1) “Medical evidence” includes factual reports from GP, hospital or consultant, or a report from an examining medical practitioner.. | |
| Disability Living Allowance: Appeal cases including a favourable decision to the appellant( 1) : 10 months April 2006 to January 2007 | |
| Number | |
| (1 )Information is not available to track an appeal to the originating event, nor is information available on what evidence was used to amend or overturn the decision | |
Employment Schemes: York
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will introduce a York city strategy along the lines of his Department's Dundee city strategy. [119696]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Our city strategy fits with our wider aims of moving towards an 80 per cent. employment rate and tackling child poverty by addressing localised pockets of worklessness.
Those areas chosen to submit expressions of interest for the city strategy were selected on certain criteria including their employment rate, proportion of people in poverty, and numbers of benefit claimants, lone parents, disabled people, older people and ethnic minority groups within those areas.
No decisions have yet been taken about any future round of the city strategy. We need to test it out and find out what works and what does not, and use what we learn to spread good practice.
Pathways to Work: Shropshire
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to be able to announce the roll out of the Pathways to Work programme in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. [121454]
Mr. Jim Murphy: On 4 July 2006, I announced the national roll-out of Pathways to Work. The communities of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin are included within the Jobcentre Plus District of The Marches, which will start delivering the Pathways service from April 2008.
Trade and Industry
Advertising
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2007, Official Report, column 1560W, on advertising, how much of the spending on advertising was spent solely on (a) sponsoring supplements and (b) advertorials; and what the topic of each (i) advertorial and (ii) supplement was. [119864]
Jim Fitzpatrick: None of the spending on advertising related to sponsoring supplements or advertorials.
Departments: Equal Opportunities
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has (a) a gender strategy and (b) a gender equality action plan in place. [125059]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry does not have a specific strategy or action plan that is limited to gender. However, it is currently working on two areas of work that contain gender elements. These are:
A Diversity Action Plan, that sets out the Department’s strategy and planned activities towards meeting its diversity statement. This is to ensure: that all employees should be treated with openness, honesty and respect; that unfair
treatment or discrimination is not tolerated; that the organisation is one that people are proud to be part of, and that under-representation in the Department and at senior levels is addressed.
An Equality Scheme, that sets out how the Department intends to implement the Gender Equality Duty contained in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) Order 2006 (no. 2930) which comes into force on 6 April 2007. DTI has already implemented the corresponding duties for race and disability, and intends to cover the other equality strands (age, religion or belief and sexual orientation) in its scheme implementing the gender duty. The scheme will be published before the deadline of 30 April set out in the legislation.
Electricity Generation: Pollution Control
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with stakeholders about the grid electricity carbon projections up to 2050. [123880]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 1 March 2007]: The Government are taking forward development of the policy proposals set out in the energy review report. Formal and informal discussions with stakeholders have been a key part of informing the consulting processes launched since that report. The issues on which we are consulting, summaries of stakeholders engagement activities and formal stakeholder responses can be found on the DTI website at:
http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review/page31995.html
Electricity: Meters
Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will prohibit electricity token meter back-charging; and if he will make a statement. [123430]
Malcolm Wicks: The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), is responsible for the regulation of gas and electricity supply. It is open to Ofgem to consider whether additional regulatory protection, such as the prohibition of back-charging token prepayment meters, is required.
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has been advised of when electricity suppliers’ token meter programmes will be completed; what assessment Ofgem has made of suppliers’ abilities to meet the timeframes they have proposed; and what enforcement action Ofgem plans to take where suppliers’ token meter replacement programmes are delayed. [123648]
Malcolm Wicks: Ofgem is responsible for regulating gas and electricity supply. I understand that Ofgem has been in detailed discussion with suppliers about the issue of recalibration of certain prepayment meters. It is open to Ofgem to decide what regulatory protection is necessary, including what action is to be taken should a supplier fail to meet any of its obligations.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he raised the issue of prepayment meter back charging during his meeting with Scottish Power on 6 October 2006. [123679]
Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry did not meet Scottish Power on 6 October 2006.
On 9 October, he attended the ground-breaking at Scottish Power's wind-farm at Whitelee. Discussion was limited to renewables issues.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received on the practice of electricity suppliers back-charging their token meter users; and if he will make a statement. [123680]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has received a number of recent representations on consumer issues, including the recalibration of certain prepayment meters. I understand that Ofgem, which is responsible for regulating gas and electricity supply, has been in detailed discussion with suppliers about this issue, following which suppliers gave a series of commitments to improve their performance. Details of these commitments were published in Ofgem’s recent statement of good practice on token prepayment meters and debt. Ofgem will monitor suppliers’ progress and will consider what further action should be taken if suppliers fail to respond.
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that the supply licence review being carried out by Ofgem includes proposals to eliminate the practice of token meter back charging; and if he will make a statement. [123856]
Malcolm Wicks: I understand that, as part of Ofgem's review of gas and electricity supply licences, suppliers will be required to recalibrate certain prepayment meters in a timely way following price changes.
Outside of this formal process, I also understand that suppliers have given a series of commitments to Ofgem to improve their performance, as part of Ofgem's recent statement of good practice on token prepayment meters and debt. Ofgem has committed itself to monitoring suppliers' progress in this area and has said that it will look to take further action if suppliers do not respond.
Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to prohibit the practice of electricity token meter back-charging; and if he will make a statement. [123951]
Malcolm Wicks: The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), is responsible for the regulation of gas and electricity supply. It is open to Ofgem to consider whether additional regulatory protection, such as the prohibition of back-charging token prepayment meters, is required.
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