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Malcolm Wicks: I am sure that there will be a response. I am encouraged by the way in which science cities are flourishing. I had an opportunity at a recent conference, up the road in Newcastle, to meet colleagues from Science City York and others, and I am encouraged by the development and the way in which a range of bodies, such as the learning and skills councils and the regional development agenciesYorkshire Forward, in my hon. Friends caseare coming together to make sure that science cities flourish in the future.
10. Mr. Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con): What recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on initiatives to promote renewable energy. [128958]
The Minister for Science and Innovation (Malcolm Wicks): As was discussed earlier, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had regular discussions with the Chancellor on a range of issues, including the promotion of renewable energy.
Mr. Dunne: The Chancellors flagship stop-start scheme to promote the domestic renewable energy industry, the low carbon buildings programme, received 10,000 online applications at 9 am on 1 March. Only 186 were approved. Does the Minister expect that the 50 per cent. increase in funding announced yesterday in the Budget will give rise to a 50 per cent. increase in successful applicationsfrom under 2 per cent. to under 3 per cent?
Malcolm Wicks: We had some discussion about that earlier this morning. I am proud of the record of this Labour Government and I would be pleased on another occasion to compare it with the lamentable record of previous Administrations on climate change and renewables. The Government are reforming the renewables obligation, have targets for renewable energy, and have introduced the low carbon buildings programmewith £80 million of fundsnot only for householders, but for voluntary organisations and public sector buildings. That is important. There has been a huge demand for householder grants. That is why yesterday it was announced that an additional £6 million for householder capital grants will be available from the Budget, bringing the total funds for householders up to £18 million. We are now having a quick look at that, so that we can announce a new programme. That is why there is a brief suspension of grants during the April period. It is sensibleI think that the industry expects thisto look at that before we announce the way forward.
David Howarth (Cambridge) (LD): Will the Minister confirm that according to the Treasury, the microgeneration measures announced in the Budget yesterday will produce carbon savings that, because they are so timid, are too small to measure, and that if one adds up all the energy measures announced in the Budget yesterday, they account for less than 2 per cent. of carbon emissions? That amount will be wiped out by the increase in carbon emissions now taking place.
Malcolm Wicks:
There are a wide range of measures and a number of areas of the economy, including the houses in which we all live, that will contribute to
getting on the right side of the climate change argument. The Government have set what I would contend is the most ambitious target ever for a democracy: to reduce carbon emissions by 60 per cent. from what they were in 1990, by the middle of this century2050. A range of programmes and changes of behaviour will enable us to hit that target. Microgeneration and, more generally, renewables have an important role to play, but not the only role.
11. David Wright (Telford) (Lab): What steps he is taking to encourage greater entrepreneurship among women. [128959]
The Minister for Industry and the Regions (Margaret Hodge): We have 1 million women entrepreneurs, who contribute £60 billion GVAgross value addedper annum to the UK economy. If we had the same rate of womens entrepreneurship in the UK as there is in the USA, we would have 700,000 more businesses adding to the wealth and well-being of the UK economy. I am actively tackling the barriers that prevent women from setting up their own businesses. For instance, I am addressing the gender penalty that women face when borrowing from banks, whereby they pay 1 per cent. more than men over the base rate. That is over £80 a week more in interest payments each month on a £100,000 loan, just for being a woman. It should make no difference whether a man or a woman walks into a bank; each should walk out with the same deal. I am meeting the British Bankers Association later today to discuss and address that issue.
David Wright: There is a welcome growth in the number of women entrepreneurs right across the UK, but it is interesting to note that recent studies show that the growth is larger in the service sector. What more can we do to encourage women entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector of our economy? That is extremely important, especially in the west midlands.
Margaret Hodge: I agree entirely with my hon. Friend. That must be achieved through both our work on education and skills training and our efforts to encourage entrepreneurship among women, especially as they take the decision to set up their own businesses at a different time from meperhaps after they have had their first child, or when their children have left home. Such work to encourage women into entrepreneurship in manufacturing will be an important aspect of righting the situation.
18. Anne Snelgrove (South Swindon) (Lab): How many more women will receive entitlements to the second state pension as a result of the Governments pension proposals. [128967]
The Minister for Women (Ruth Kelly): As a result of our pension reform proposals outlined in the Pensions Bill, which include extending credits to those caring for children up to the age of 12 and the new carers credits, about 1 million extra people will accrue state second pension entitlement, of whom approximately 90 per cent. will be women.
Anne Snelgrove: That is indeed welcome news, but does the Minister agree that women are overwhelmingly the poorest pensioners because of their caring responsibilities, so it is absolutely imperative that the Government act quickly? Will she reassure me that that will happen, and that her proposals will make a big difference? Will she consider including in the proposals women who retire before 2010?
Ruth Kelly: My hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw the attention of the House to the impact of caring on womens ability to build up pension entitlements for the future. One of the key aspects of the Pensions Bill that is going through Parliament is the fact that it puts as much emphasis on caring as it does on paid work. By 2010, as a result of that Bill, about 70 per cent. of all women will be able to build up a full basic state pension, compared with 30 per cent. now. Of course, more will be able to save as well, through the new personal accounts. Although I am, of course, attracted by her proposal of introducing this earlierI hesitate, perhaps, to sayI think that we have a package that is both affordable and sustainable in the long term. We will bring in the proposals as soon as is practically possible.
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Alan Haselhurst): Order. May I say that Ministers seem to have the habit today of courteously turning round to speak to their colleagues on the Back Benches, but they then go off microphone, which is a great disadvantage to those who are trying to record our proceedings?
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York) (Con): Will the right hon. Lady explain what the Government are doing about the cohort of women who might have paid too much in pension contributions? Will the matter be resolved in this tax year?
Ruth Kelly: The hon. Lady makes the important point that it is right that we try to resolve and address these issues. The matter is under discussion in the Department for Work and Pensions, and as soon as it is possible to make progress, we will, of course, do so.
David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire) (Lab/Co-op): At the moment, about 2 million carers, 90 per cent. of whom are women, are accruing entitlement to state second pension. Will the Minister tell us what effect the proposals to extend pension credits to carers will have on that group?
Ruth Kelly:
My hon. Friend rightly draws our attention to the impact of the reforms that are going through Parliament on not only the basic state pension, but the state second pension. As a result of the new carers credit, about another 80,000 women will be drawn into the system. They will thus be able to build up state second pension rights, as well as their basic
state pension entitlement. It is right that as we do that and reduce from 39 to 30 the number of years contributions for women, we provide a system that is fair and, most importantly, that values care not only for young children up to the age of 12, but for the severely disabled, because many of such peoples carers do not have the opportunity to work and pay the national insurance contributions that others do.
Mrs. Eleanor Laing (Epping Forest) (Con): I very much welcome what the Minister has said so far about help for women pensioners under the new proposals. However, is she aware that some 600,000 women in the UK today are low-paid, part-time workers, often with more than one job, who will not benefit because they fall below the threshold in each of their jobs? The Government say that that cannot be tackled because it is administratively difficult. Does the Minister agree that that, like so many of the hidden messages in the Chancellors Budget yesterday, is simply unfair? In the end, because of that administrative difficulty, it is the poorest, lowest-paid workers in our society who suffer the most under the Chancellors policies.
Ruth Kelly: Of course the House will realise that it is the poorest, lowest-paid pensioners who gain the most from the Budget proposals announced in the House yesterday, and from the successive measures that we Labour Members have taken to boost pensioners incomes, to tackle pensioner poverty and to make sure that women who care and who have dependent relatives are able to build up pension entitlements. The hon. Lady draws attention to an important point: what about those women who earn less than the lower earnings limit? It is right that we think about them, too, but our pension proposals are a package, and many of those women will benefit from other reforms in the system. For example, if they are spending only a short time outside the labour market on a low income, and have perhaps one or two jobs that leave them below the earnings limit, they will benefit significantly from the reduction in the number of years that they have to contribute. They will also benefit from other measures that take them out of having to pay tax in retirement. Overall, the pension deal clearly benefits women, particularly low-paid women.
19. Mr. Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): If the Government will take steps to create an office of commissioner on human trafficking. [128968]
The Minister for Women and Equality (Meg Munn): After consideration, we do not believe that the creation of the office of commissioner on human trafficking is necessary or appropriate at this time. The inter-ministerial group, of which I am a member, effectively leads and monitors cross-Government work on human trafficking, which includes the soon-to-be-launched action plan and implementation of the Council of Europe convention.
Mr. Bone:
Naturally, I am disappointed by the Ministers reply. The only country in Europe that has such a commissioner is the Netherlands. I am always keen to learn from good things in Europe, and as a
result of the Netherlands experiment and the commissioner there, we have learned much more about human trafficking and the evils going on in that country. If we only had such a commissioner in this country, we could start to tackle the problem.
Meg Munn: I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman and many other hon. Members on both sides of the House for their interest in and concern about the issue. I am sure that he, like me, wants effective action. Of course, we Labour Members are always happy to learn from our European partners about what measures are working, but it is important to consider what progress we can make in this country. The inter-ministerial group that looks into such issues has been in place for some time. It enables us to bring together the work being done in many Departments across Government. There is now a United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre, which is the first centre of its kind in Europe, and we are bringing together all the work on the issue. We continue to make progress, but we will of course continue to look at what works elsewhere.
Mr. Sadiq Khan (Tooting) (Lab): My hon. Friend will be aware that earlier this week there was an excellent debate on the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. She attended the entire debate, and will have heard the comparisons that were drawn between modern-day slaveryhuman traffickingand slavery 200 years ago. In the light of that, will she let us know what progress has been made in ratifying the Council of Europe treaty to which she referred earlier?
Meg Munn: My hon. Friend says that we had an extremely interesting debate, and indeed we did; it was possibly the most interesting and informative debate that I have attended in this House. He rightly draws a parallel, and I am pleased to say that the Council of Europe convention will be signed tomorrow. We will set out the action that we will take to move towards ratification. The Government take signing such conventions seriously, and have not wanted to do so until we were in a position to make rapid progress towards ratifying it. The UK human trafficking action plan will be published at the same time, and that will give hon. Members a great deal more detail on the subject.
20. Mr. Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): What guidance she issues to other Government Departments on the use of ethnicity as a factor in decision making. [128969]
The Minister for Women and Equality (Meg Munn): The Commission for Racial Equality, on behalf of the Government, issues guidance to public authorities on meeting their obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. The commission issued a statutory code of practice in 2002 on the steps that public authorities can and should take to meet those obligations.
Mr. Hollobone:
My constituents who work at Her Majestys Prison Service office at Crown house in Corby are disgusted that the Prison Service should cite
as one of the key influencing factors for trying to relocate the office to Leicester the perceived ability to recruit a more diverse work force there. In other words, my constituents are being told that they are too white and too British. Will the Minister undertake to ensure that the Commission for Racial Equality issues guidelines to the Home Office and its quangos to say that the Home Office should recruit people on the basis of their ability to do the job, and not the colour of their skin?
Meg Munn: Of course, the hon. Gentleman has raised that issue before with my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House, who is here on the Front Bench now. The issue, as I understand it, is that there was no alternative to relocation. The building in which the current staff worked was being sold, so there was a need to look at other locations. There was a comprehensive consultation of staff to consider a range of issues that had to be addressed, and the hon. Gentlemans portrayal is not accurate or true, so he should reconsider his position.
Keith Vaz (Leicester, East) (Lab): May I confirm that there are lots of white British people in Leicester, and say that we welcome the relocation of those jobs to the city? On the wider point, the Minister is abolishing the Commission for Racial Equality. What discussions has she had with the Lord Chancellor about the Carter proposals, which will have a huge impact on the number of ethnic minority firms doing legal aid work?
Meg Munn:
I thank my right hon. Friend for his comments about the city of Leicester, and I pay tribute to his representation of all his constituents, whatever
their ethnic background. Issues relating to the employment and representation of people from ethnic minorities will be taken over by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, and guidance will continue to be available on a range of issues, including that raised by the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone). It is a factor to be taken into consideration, but the notion that it is the only factor in any relocation or change is nonsense.
Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove) (LD): I was surprised that the Minister did not mention the report by the Equal Opportunities Commission entitled Moving on up? Ethnic minority women at work, which paints a dismal picture of the situation facing black and Asian women. What specific advice has she given the Department of Trade and Industry so that it can support firms that want to break down the barriers and employ more black and Asian women, but find it difficult to do so?
Meg Munn: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I am sure that if I tried to mention everything, you would have words to say about the length of my answer, Mr. Deputy Speaker. However, the hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to that report, which identifies the fact that ethnic minority women, many of whom do better than their counterparts, still have great difficulty finding employment. I am pleased to say that this is not just a matter of my giving advice to the Department of Trade and Industry, as it has long had a committee that looks into such issues and seeks to ensure that exactly what he described takes place. We are beginning to see progress, although it is not fast enough, and we want to see more.
Mrs. Theresa May (Maidenhead) (Con): May I ask the Leader of the House to give us the forthcoming business?
The Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Jack Straw): The business for the next week will be:
Monday 26 MarchContinuation of the Budget debate. Just before that, there will be an oral statement on Zimbabwe.
Tuesday 27 MarchConclusion of the Budget debate. Just before that, there will be an oral statement on Northern Ireland.
Wednesday 28 MarchMotions relating to communications allowance, notices of questions during September, Select Committee reports and parliamentary contributory pension fund, followed by a motion to approve a statutory instrument on casinos.
Thursday 29 MarchMotion on the Easter recess Adjournment.
The provisional business for the beginning of the week commencing 16 April, when we return after the Easter recess, is:
Monday 16 AprilSecond Reading of the Mental Health Bill [Lords].
May I remind right hon. and hon. Members that tomorrow is the closing date for submitting responses to the survey of Members services, which provides an important opportunity for all Members to tell the House authorities, including the House of Commons Commission, on which the shadow Leader of the House and I sit, what they think about the services provided for Members and their staff? If they wish to improve services or simply celebrate the excellence of the services that are already provided, including IT services, it is extremely important that they complete and submit the survey.
Mrs. May: I thank the Leader of the House for giving us the future business. In particular, I welcome the statement on Zimbabwe promised for Monday. We are indeed witnessing a tragedy in that country. A failing regime is brutally repressing Zimbabwes future, and I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for listening to the House. I also welcome the announcement of a statement on Northern Ireland, and I am sure the whole House will be hopeful that a settlement can be reached and devolution restored.
Last weekend, Sir Alistair Graham told the truth about the Governments attitude to ministerial accountability. He said that the Prime Minister
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